Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson will go down in history as the most iconically successful musician-producer pair. During their careers together, Jones helped Jackson score 13 no. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and win 13 Grammy awards. Needless to say, the pair is decorated and legendary in every single sense of the words.
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However, these awards and the icon status would not have been acquired if it weren’t for the duo’s chemistry and camaraderie. Other than being business partners, the two were friends. In the business of making art, that is seemingly a must. However, there was one part of their relationship that Quincy Jones wasn’t a fan of, and that was Michael Jackson’s pet Burmese python named Muscles.
When making art and music, it has to be a fluid experience. That being said, it helps when a friend is present and business turns into fun. This is part of the reason why Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson were so successful. They were just two friends having fun.
Jones attested to this fact in an interview with The Guardian by stating their friendship was “as loose as you can get” and that the pair were always “joking and having fun.”
“Are you kidding?” Jones continued. “You gotta know how to party. If you get uptight, the music’s going to sound like nothin’. I used to say, ‘Always leave a little room for God to walk in the room.’”
Why Quincy Jones Was “Uncomfortable” With Having Muscles in the Studio
For the most part, this demeanor Jones and Jackson upheld in the studio was incredibly beneficial. However, Jackson’s comfortability often involved him bringing his incredibly foreign pets into the studio.
Regarding Jackson’s Burmese python, Muscles, Quincy Jones was very direct about his fear of the exotic animal.
“Yes, I was [scared], man,” he said. “He wrapped himself around my leg. He used to crawl across the console… I wasn’t very comfortable with that.”
Even though this posed an uncomfortable inconvenience for Jones, it’s still rather hilarious. Imagine a record studio executive walking in and seeing Muscles, to then which Jackson might reply with something like, “Hey, this is my best friend, Muscles!” You need to read that line in his voice, of course.
Even though Muscles had the ability to strangle someone to death, no accidents were ever reported. Although, Jackson’s chimpanzee, Bubbles, whom he rescued in the ’80s, did in fact bite Quincy Jones’ daughter on the finger one time. That daughter is decorated actor Rashida Jones. When it happened, she was only nine years old, but no major harm was done to her finger.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images
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