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翻譯: nellsky，結合網路部分中文內容翻譯
Michael Thomas——Michael Jackson在《新綠野仙蹤》的化妝師，在Michael Jackson死後2個月逝世。Thomas的妻子Christine Domaniecki分享了Thomas曾經和MJ在一起的一些難忘回憶。
有一天我們在聊天，我告訴Michael，當我還是個小男孩的時候，我學習如何繪畫，這在很大程度上算是我成為一個化妝師的開始。他要求我做個示範。於是我拿起一支筆劃了一幅科學怪人的速寫。 Michael說他很喜歡它。然後他說起小時候他和兄弟姐妹們有時會玩這樣一個遊戲來打發時間：他們其中一個要畫一些抽象線條在一張紙上，然後和另一個兄弟姐妹說“好了，現在根據這幾條線畫出一輛消防車或一棵樹"等等，其他的兄弟姐妹不得不在規定的時間內完成這幅畫。
於是我和Michael玩起了這個遊戲，我故意耍了點小把戲畫了幾條根本不像一隻貓的線條。至少我認為它們根本不像貓。然後我說“好了，你根據這些線條畫一隻貓吧！”不到30秒，Michael就畫成了一隻貓。它和我原來設想的站立的貓不同，它是一隻蜷縮著熟睡的波斯貓。Michael當場還畫了另外幾幅畫，我一直在他的祝福下保留著它們。其中一幅畫是一個男人的臉，這是相當粗獷和印象派類型的作品，奇怪的是這幅畫上的男人和Michael後來的臉有些驚人的相似之處。
工作外的時光
一個化妝師和一個演員一起工作時經常有這樣一個現象：速成親密。化妝師和髮型師類似心理醫生或調酒師。你們在一個地方，親密相處好幾小時，有時甚至好幾天。人們通常忍不住說話，但話題經常從閒聊變成一些嚴肅的內容。而我們為同一部電影工作，很容易瞭解對方。
有天晚上我約Michael來我家吃飯，我們必須很小心不讓其他人知道，如果被人發現了，閒話就會像野火一樣蔓延。1978年Michael已經19歲了，全世界都知道他。他和他的保鏢Spence一起來到我們在新澤西州的伯根菲爾德公寓，晚餐是遊樂雞，和Michael要的快速烤料，他說在他的家鄉印第安那州的加里，人們稱它為“dressin”。他吃的時候非常忘我：食物弄得滿臉都是，滿身都是，還撒了一桌子。他對他做的任何事都充滿熱情，我想飲食也是其中的一件。
我們度過了一個開心的晚上，我會彈一點吉他，我用我的木吉他給他演示如何彈奏一些簡單的旋律。他一直仰慕能夠演奏樂器的人，幻想著有一天能成為搖滾樂隊的主吉他手。 當時有個喜劇演員叫Robert Klein，他在週六晚直播表演中出場。他手裡拿著口琴，用腳步為樂隊敲著節拍，大喊著“讓我聽聽藍調！”樂隊就開始演奏藍調，他在音樂聲中一起吹起口琴，躲著腳。16個小節後他停下口琴，但還在頓著腳，唱道“我的腳停不下來了！小甜心！我停不住腳了，姑娘！”Michael對這個表演很著迷。所以當我用吉他彈奏藍調時，Michael一邊跺腳敲擊地板一邊唱著”我停不住腳了！““有一次他唱的是“現在你們聽我說” 。然後我就不得不停下來，他實在太投入了。這次的聚餐中，我能感覺出Michael是一個非常正常、健康的孩子。
我慢慢瞭解了Michael Jackson。他曾經告訴我無論他在做什麼——拍電影、灌錄唱片、登臺表演，當他正在做的時候，那件事就會成為他生命中最重要的事情。真的就是這樣。無論他在做什麼，他的天賦和才能都表露無疑。
Michael是一個非常特別的人，他的一生是一個極端的綜合體。他喜歡享受平常踏實的事，但也在頂級人物俱樂部裡佔有終身席位。他的才華和一生的自我約束，感動了無數的崇拜者，並改寫了音樂史。他失去了童年，我想他成年後花了畢生的時間試圖重新生活在童年裡。他就是一個大孩子！
'Wiz' Makeup
Artist on Michael
A Tale of Two
Michaels
Posted: Tuesday 20 October, 2009, makeup411.com
Editor’s note: This summer, make-up artist Michael Thomas and pop star Michael Jackson died within two months of each other (Thomas’ obituary is posted on our site). Here, Thomas, who was Jackson's make-up artist for The Wiz, recalls some memorable experiences with Jackson on and off the set. Thomas’ wife, Christine Domaniecki, shared Thomas’ memories with us.
Posted: Tuesday 20 October, 2009, makeup411.com
Editor’s note: This summer, make-up artist Michael Thomas and pop star Michael Jackson died within two months of each other (Thomas’ obituary is posted on our site). Here, Thomas, who was Jackson's make-up artist for The Wiz, recalls some memorable experiences with Jackson on and off the set. Thomas’ wife, Christine Domaniecki, shared Thomas’ memories with us.
Wizardry Behind The Wiz
On The Wiz, we had Vac-u-Forms made from plaster life masks of each actor who appeared as a main character (including the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, played by Michael Jackson). They were made because every week or so, Stan Winston’s Los Angeles-based lab would ship a bunch of the actors’ freshly made foam-latex appliances to New York, where we shot the movie.
After I brought the Scarecrow appliances home, I would lightly attach the foam-latex pieces to the Vac-u-Form and pre-color them. It saved a lot of application time when we were in the make-up room at the Kaufman Astoria Studios. Keeping the foam-latex pieces on the form during pre-painting kept them in shape, the way a coat hanger keeps wrinkles out of a coat. On the inside of one of the forms, you can see a few color swatches. I duplicated the color of the Scarecrow's greasepaint in artists’ acrylic. I put acrylic on the neck ruffle he wore as well, because if I used greasepaint, it would rub off onto his costume.
We were allowed to keep the forms at the end of the movie. I have about five.
Every morning I began Michael’s make-up by applying a bald cap to keep his hair, which was in very small braids, in place. Next I would apply the foam-latex pieces: a forehead piece, two cheek pieces, a nose piece (which was supposed to look like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup wrapper), a chin piece and a neck ruffle. They went on in the morning and had to be maintained during the day.
Because the Scarecrow was a very cartoon-y character, Michael made lots of exaggerated facial expressions to bring the Scarecrow to life. The facial calisthenics looked great, but they also loosened the foam-latex pieces, so I would have to re-glue and re-paint the make-up (for more on this, see the Martini Shot in Issue 81 of Make-Up Artist magazine). To remove the make-up at the end of the day, I would stand behind Michael, lift the back of the bald cap and peel it up over his head. The cap and the foam-latex appliances would come off pretty much all in one piece.
But then I’d duck down behind his chair so he couldn't see my reflection in the mirror, put the make-up (which now looked like a spooky mask) on my hand, slowly raise it up behind his head and jiggle it, going, “OOODLE-OOODLE-DOOODLE-DE-OOOOHHH!” He would laugh like crazy, as if it were one of the funniest things he'd ever seen. I really enjoyed his childlike sense of humor; I could say or do any dumb thing and it would get a big laugh. I would then remove the remainder of his make-up, glue and adhesives and that would be it. We’d go home and get ready for the next day's shooting.
On The Wiz, we had Vac-u-Forms made from plaster life masks of each actor who appeared as a main character (including the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, played by Michael Jackson). They were made because every week or so, Stan Winston’s Los Angeles-based lab would ship a bunch of the actors’ freshly made foam-latex appliances to New York, where we shot the movie.
After I brought the Scarecrow appliances home, I would lightly attach the foam-latex pieces to the Vac-u-Form and pre-color them. It saved a lot of application time when we were in the make-up room at the Kaufman Astoria Studios. Keeping the foam-latex pieces on the form during pre-painting kept them in shape, the way a coat hanger keeps wrinkles out of a coat. On the inside of one of the forms, you can see a few color swatches. I duplicated the color of the Scarecrow's greasepaint in artists’ acrylic. I put acrylic on the neck ruffle he wore as well, because if I used greasepaint, it would rub off onto his costume.
We were allowed to keep the forms at the end of the movie. I have about five.
Every morning I began Michael’s make-up by applying a bald cap to keep his hair, which was in very small braids, in place. Next I would apply the foam-latex pieces: a forehead piece, two cheek pieces, a nose piece (which was supposed to look like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup wrapper), a chin piece and a neck ruffle. They went on in the morning and had to be maintained during the day.
Because the Scarecrow was a very cartoon-y character, Michael made lots of exaggerated facial expressions to bring the Scarecrow to life. The facial calisthenics looked great, but they also loosened the foam-latex pieces, so I would have to re-glue and re-paint the make-up (for more on this, see the Martini Shot in Issue 81 of Make-Up Artist magazine). To remove the make-up at the end of the day, I would stand behind Michael, lift the back of the bald cap and peel it up over his head. The cap and the foam-latex appliances would come off pretty much all in one piece.
But then I’d duck down behind his chair so he couldn't see my reflection in the mirror, put the make-up (which now looked like a spooky mask) on my hand, slowly raise it up behind his head and jiggle it, going, “OOODLE-OOODLE-DOOODLE-DE-OOOOHHH!” He would laugh like crazy, as if it were one of the funniest things he'd ever seen. I really enjoyed his childlike sense of humor; I could say or do any dumb thing and it would get a big laugh. I would then remove the remainder of his make-up, glue and adhesives and that would be it. We’d go home and get ready for the next day's shooting.
Fun and Games
When we were talking one day, I told Michael that when I was a little boy, I taught myself how to draw, which was pretty much the beginning of my becoming a make-up artist. He asked to see an example. I took a pen and drew a quick sketch of the Frankenstein monster. He liked it. He said that he and his brothers and sisters sometimes played a game to fight boredom: One of them would draw a few abstract lines on a piece of paper, give it to another sibling and say, “OK, now make a fire engine out of this, or a tree,” etcetera, and the other sibling had to complete the drawing in a certain amount of time.
When I played the game with Michael, I tried to trick him by drawing afew curvy lines that I felt did not suggest a cat. As far as I was concerned, these curvy lines looked nothing like a cat. So I said, “Go ahead, make a cat out of these lines!” And within 30 seconds he had drawn a cat. Not as I would have pictured one, standing on all fours, but a pussycat curled up asleep.
Then he made a couple new drawings on the spot, and I kept them with his blessing. One of the drawings was of a man’s face. It’s pretty sketchy and kind of impressionistic, but there are a couple of eerie similarities between the drawing he made and his own face, later on, after he had so much plastic surgery done.
On the Outside
There's a phenomenon that frequently occurs when a make-up artist and an actor work together: instant intimacy. Make-up artists and hairstylists are kind of like psychiatrists or bartenders. You’re in the same room, physically close for hours at a time, sometimes for many days. Because people usually have the urge to talk, the subject matter often changes from chitchat to some very serious subjects. And though the two of us were only together to work on a movie, we got to know each other pretty well.
I asked Michael over for dinner one night. We had to keep quiet about it, because if anybody found out, word would spread like wildfire. It was 1978 and at age 19, Michael was already well-known around the world. So he came over to our apartment in Bergenfield, New Jersey with his armed bodyguard, Spence. Dinner was Cornish game hens and, by Michael’s request, Stove Top Stuffing, which he said the folks in his home town of Gary, Indiana referred to as “dressin’.” When he ate, he really dug in: He got food all over his face, all over the table, all over his clothes. He was very passionate about anything he did, and I suppose eating was one of those things.
We had a great time that night. Because I play guitar a little, I showed him how to play some easy chords on my acoustic guitar. He had always admired people who could play musical instruments and had often fantasized about being the lead guitarist in a rock band.
At that time, the comedian Robert Klein had made an appearance on Saturday Night Live; he came out with a harmonica, gave the band the downbeat by stomping his foot, and cried, “Lemme hear some blues!” The band struck up the introduction to a blues number and he began playing the harmonica with them, stomping his feet, leg pumping in time. After the opening 16 bars, he pulled the harmonica from his lips and, foot still stomping, sang, “I can't stop my leg, little darlin’ ... I can't stop my leg, little guurrl!” Well, Michael got a big kick out of this. So while I played a blues chord progression on my guitar, Michael stomped his foot and sang, “I can’t stop my leg!” At one point while he was singing, he said, "Now listen to me, people” and I broke up because he was really getting into it. From this visit, I got the sense that he was a very normal, healthy kid.
So I got to know the great Michael Jackson a little. He told me once that whatever he happened to be doing—working on a movie, cutting a record, appearing live on stage—it was the most important thing in his entire life while he was doing it. It really showed. No matter what he was doing, his talent spoke—and sang, and danced—for itself.
Michael was a very special person whose life was a combination of extremes. He enjoyed normal, down-to-earth things, but he also earned lifetime membership to a very exclusive club. His talent, tempered by lifelong discipline, reached the hearts of countless admirers and reshaped music for all time. He was denied his childhood; I think he spent the rest of his adult life trying to live it for the first time. He was a big kid!
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