This is a powerful and emotional reflection from Quincy Jones about his iconic and sometimes complex relationship with Michael Jackson. It really gives you a front-row seat to the creation of musical history. Here are some of the big takeaways and interesting layers from this talk:

Quincy Jones Reflects On His Feud With Michael Jackson | the detail.

1. The Magic of Collaboration

Quincy emphasizes that their relationship wasn’t just about music—it was built on trust, intuition, and deep respect. He talks about seeing something in Michael early on that others didn’t, and how he helped unlock a deeper emotional range in his voice with songs like “She’s Out of My Life”.

2. The Making of Thriller

Hearing Quincy talk about crafting Thriller like a precision instrument is wild. Sifting through 800 songs to find 9, removing weaker tracks, replacing them with magic like “Human Nature” and “Beat It”. The attention to detail, the commitment, the lack of ego—it’s all there. Quincy even said “we made Thriller in eight weeks”—which is incredible for a record of that scale.

3. Pushing Against the Grain

Epic Records didn’t even want Quincy to produce Michael. They said he was “too jazzy.” But Michael trusted him. That gamble changed the face of pop forever. Their underdog spirit shines throughout.

4. Creative Tension

Quincy isn’t shy about admitting the tension between them. Especially around Bad, where Michael may have felt Quincy was falling behind the times. Quincy, however, had the foresight to bring Run-D.M.C. into the studio before hip hop really exploded. The generational gap and creative direction caused friction, but even then, the results were phenomenal—22 million records isn’t exactly a flop.

5. Michael’s Struggles with Fame

Quincy points out the emotional and spiritual cost of stardom. Michael’s constant spotlight since age five made his reality fundamentally different. Quincy believed Michael’s creative world was often built from imagination because reality was too surreal.

6. Legacy and Respect

Despite the fallout and the distance in later years, there’s no denying Quincy’s love and admiration for Michael. You can tell there was a deep, almost familial bond—Quincy even says their relationship had a “father-son” dynamic.

7. Quincy’s Philosophy on Music

The line that really hits:

“You don’t write the music. You let the music write itself.”
That encapsulates the kind of flow, surrender, and deep listening Quincy believes is required to make something timeless.

https://youtu.be/FMK4EvETOrg