Christopher
Currell Remembers
Question
Mark, Michael Jackson and Good Vibrations
Christopher Currell is one of Saginaw’s forgotten
musical heroes. He is an incredible talent who learned the ropes from local
icons including The Bossmen, Count & the Colony, The Excels, The Pack and
the Caravans. The early years of rock & roll were spent in garages across
the globe and Saginaw was no exception. At any one time you could find Butch
Burden, Larry Wheatley, Bobby Balderamma, Pete Woodman, Clark Sullivan or Dick
Wagner honing their skills in garages and backyard barbecues. This was the
canvas in which Chris Currell honed his skills. He would grow, change and learn
at a rapid pace, out lasting many of his compatriots with his keen intellect
and spiritual base. He possesses an uncommon humility for an artist that has
achieved international recognition. His meeting with Michael Jackson in 1985
proved to be prophetic. They became close friends and musical comrades until
Jackson’s untimely death on June 25th, 2009 as they were about to
embark on the This Is It concert series.
Tell me about your influences in
Saginaw that may have shaped your journey in music
I
played in a lot of bands when I lived in Saginaw. My experiences playing in
these bands prepared me
for
becoming a professional musician. I was in
junior high school
when I had my very first musical influence, which led me to decide to play
guitar and play in a band. This was a
Saginaw band called the Caravans. Another Saginaw band, which also influenced me
was Count and the Colony. The sound of the electric guitar really grabbed me.
It was magical to me!
You were with Question Mark & the
Mysterians when Question Mark dismissed his original band and created a new
type of music, a bit heavier. When did you get involved?
I do not remember the actual year I joined the band.
I saw it as an opportunity to actually enter into the professional music
industry and do professional recording. That experience was a bit shocking
because I found out that the record company would not allow the band to play on
the recordings. They only used their studio musicians. I did a lot of concert
dates with Question Mark. Eventually the keyboard player left the band and it
became a power trio. That is when the sound became heavy.
Was there a new cultural spirit that
inspired your quest for other forms of music?
Yes, I really was inspired by how music could bring
people together. In my early years, playing big concerts venues and festivals
was very gratifying. But I had an epiphany playing a huge rock festival in Atlanta
Georgia. I was still playing with Question Mark and the Mysterians as a power
trio. Up to then, music had been like a big party for me. That night, I looked
out at the huge crowd of 25,000 people and I realized…all these people were
looking at me to tell them something. I had no idea
about anything. Life was a big party and I was not taking responsibility for
anything. I realized, I needed to re-evaluate myself and the purpose of my
life. The next day I quit Question Mark. I began a personal quest to find out who
I am and what life actually is. Of course this changed my music radically.
Who you inspired you?
Up to then, Michigan bands like The Bossmen, The
Pack and the Amboy Dukes heavily influenced me musically. I then started
expanding my music tastes. I was knocked out the first time I heard Cream. It
was Eric Clapton’s playing that made me develop a vibrato on the guitar. Then
along came Jimi Hendrix! He was a revelation for me! After that, the influences
are a long list. The types of bands that I became interested in were
progressive rock and rock fusion. This led to more Jazz fusion and eventually
electronic and avant garde styles of music.
The list of guitarists that influenced me is just as
long. Probably the most influential being Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck,
Jimi Hendrix, Allan Holdsworth, Al Dimeola and Frank Gambale. The guitarist
that influenced me the most though was John Mclaughlin. The musician that
inspired me the most is Ravi Shankar.
When did you meet Michael Jackson?
It was in the summer of 1985 that I
got a call from Michael Jackson. He had heard about me from the New England
Digital company. They made a sophisticated computer based synthesizer called
the Synclavier. I owned one. Michael had a huge Synclavier system. He called me
on the phone and asked me if I would teach him how to use it. We finally
scheduled a time where we could meet and begin my teaching. I went to his
personal studio at his house on a Sunday morning. He introduced himself and we
sat down in front of the Synclavier and began his first lesson.
What did you think of him?
He was
very hospitable and polite. I liked him right away.
Did he hire you on the spot? Or did
you have to go to several auditions?
Well,
after three hours, I had taught Michael how to power up and boot up the
Synclavier, call up his sound library and showed him how to call a sound down
to the keyboard for him to play. He said “That’s all I can take for today, can
you come back tomorrow for a session?” I said “sure!” I came back the next day
and we worked on one of Michael’s songs. He wanted me to come back every day.
Little did I know that this would be the beginning of the most interesting next
four years of my life!
So
if that was an audition, I guess I passed!
Did he give you a say in the music
once you passed the audition?
He always had a say in the music but at the same
time, he respected my input. He was very easy to work with.
What was your opinion of Michael as a
singer?
Michael was a great singer! Totally professional! Singing
was easy for him. In fact, he could also imitate different instruments with his
voice as well.
What about his lyrics?
I always thought he wrote about interesting
subjects. Obviously his lyrics connected with people as well as his singing.
A
musician – did he play various instruments; was he proficient?
His main instrument was his voice. But he was also
very adept at playing percussion. He amazed me one when he started playing air
guitar to Led Zeppelin music in his studio!
Did he prove to be helpful, to open
doors so to speak and get better pay, residuals, contracts etc
My association with Michael changed my life
completely. We became friends and he introduced me to many people. My phone was
always off the hook with people calling wanting to do something with me. During
the making of the “Bad” album, CBS records said I was their highest paid
musician! I will always be grateful to him for helping me! People still call me
for projects based on my work with Michael.
Michael had a great sound onstage in
their live performances?
Absolutely! Michael was in the position to have the
best of everything! We had the best musicians, the best singers, the best
dancers as well as the best sound and lighting production crew. We took two
Synclaviers on the “Bad” tour and they also contributed to the amazing sound
onstage!
Did you play loud in concert?
I did not play too loud. I only played loud enough
to feel the music properly. I am very conscious of protecting my hearing! But
in front where Michael performed, the sound was bone crushing loud from all the
front monitors and side fills! Michael always liked the music loud, in the
studio and onstage!
How many shows did you do with Michael?
The “Bad” tour lasted about 16
months. We performed 123 concerts to 4.4 million fans across 15 countries.
Who
was your road manager? Or did you have to lug your own equipment?
John
Draper was the road manager for the “Bad” tour. I was playing 1.4 million
dollars of gear just myself! There is no way I could have moved that equipment
myself! Ha! Ha! This tour was the over the top and broke many world
records…totally professional! I never saw the equipment until I walked on stage
to perform!
We
had a huge road crew of about 150 people that set everything up…sometimes as
many as 300 people! At the beginning of the “Bad” tour
in, a 707 cargo jet was used completely filled to transport our equipment to
Japan! Later in Europe, it took 43 semi trucks to move our equipment!
Tell
me about your life in another country?
I
currently live in Japan. I fell in love with the culture when I first came to
Japan with Michael. After working with Michael, I continued to travel to Japan
for music production work. I was living 50 percent of the time in the states
and the 50 percent of the time in Japan. About six and a half years ago, I
decided to permanently move to Japan. I currently have 14 albums out and
performing my own music. I also am researching how sound can expand
consciousness and awareness. I have my house and recording studio in the
mountains and forest above the ocean overlooking Mt. Fuji. I like nature and it
is a great creative environment.
What
was your impression of the seventies/eighties scene? Meet any of the big
players?
I
grew up in the Saginaw and Bay area music scene. At that time, the music scene
was very active with many bands and concerts. It was a very exciting time for
me as a growing musician. I was constantly being inspired. There were also many
places to play. I did meet many of the big players from the area and all over
Michigan. In general, after
participating in the music scene and watching it evolve through the seventies
and eighties, I think it was the most creative time of the music business. I
think the sixties were probably the most creative and eclectic artistically.
The nineties up to now has been a time of creative and artistic stagnation for
music. It is mostly about fame and fortune and no music content. But of course
there are always exceptions and there always have been, and still are, great
bands and artists. You just have to look harder for them. You generally won’t
find them in the popular commercial rock music scene today.
You
mentioned once before that you were interviewed about Michael Jackson and you
wanted to set the record straight. Were you able to do that? What did you Say?
My
best response to your question would be to have your readers check out an in
depth, four part series published at an online site called headphone. guru. The
article is called “Synclavier, Music and Michael Jackson”. In the articles, I
tell my story with Michael from the first time I met him, working on songs and
recording the “Bad” album, the rehearsals for the “Bad” tour, and my
experiences “on the road” with Michael and the “Bad” world tour.
Here
are the links for the four headphone.guru Michael Jackson articles:
http://headphone.guru/the-event-horizon-synclavier-music-and-michael-jackson/
http://headphone.guru/the-event-horizon-synclavier-music-and-michael-jackson-2/
http://headphone.guru/the-event-horizon-synclavier-music-and-michael-jackson-3/
You’ve been a quiet icon in
mid-Michigan. What would you like to say to your former friends, musicians?
I would like to say hello to everyone! I do not get
back to Saginaw very often…I miss all of you and the good times jamming
together! I keep in touch via Facebook! Anyone that wishes to contact me can
find me there!
Any last comments?
I want to say thank you for giving me the
opportunity to communicate to music fans everywhere!
I would like to leave you with this message…
“Sound is a vibration. Like sound, the universe is also vibration.
All knowledge we seek resides there. All we have to do is listen.”
All knowledge we seek resides there. All we have to do is listen.”
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