I danced for Michael Jackson - with Raphael Recht

As seen on page 93 of my book “Humanitarian – The Real Michael Jackson,” in November of 1996, Michael Jackson visited Melbourne, Australia on his HIStory tour and arranged for busloads of sick patients from The Royal Children's Hospital” to visit him at his hotel and attend his concerts free of charge. Cystic Fibrosis sufferer Raphael Recht was a lucky fan that got to dance for Michael, go backstage and spend time with Michael and his entourage while in Melbourne. In this episode, Raph tells an amazing story about Michael asking him to go on tour and gifting him the first ever PlayStation in Australia.

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Transcript

Paul:

Hello, listeners. Welcome to humanitarian -The Real Michael Jackson podcast. I'm your host, Paul Dwyer, and I'm very happy to introduce you to a man today that I've had the pleasure of meeting recently, Raphael Recht. Raphael lives with cystic fibrosis and in 1996 met Michael Jackson while MJ was in Melbourne on his history tour. Now, Raph has a great story to tell. So, thank you, mate, for talking to me. I appreciate it.

Raphael:

My pleasure.

Paul:

For the listeners out there that don't know, I was hoping to start off with basically, what is cystic fibrosis and how or when were you diagnosed?

Raphael:

Well, I was diagnosed at birth. My brother was actually born before me, who also has cystic fibrosis. So as soon as I was born, they tested me and that came back positive. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition that affects the cystic fibrosis transman regulator, which is a little filter within all the organs that filter salt and water to help clear out bacteria to keep your airways, your organs free from buildup of bacteria and mucus. Basically, it affects the lungs, the pancreas digestive system, and then also can then go on later in life to affect your bones through malnutrition, late onset diabetes. Yeah, that's basically the main.

Paul:

Wow. So as a kid, were you of the understanding that this is a condition that's treatable and you can live with and have a long life with?

Raphael:

Well, when I was born, it was still considered a children's disease, meaning that people with CF wouldn't live past childhood age was like I think life expectancy was probably like, ten. And then as I got to ten, it went to 15, and then I got to 15, it went to 19, and then I got to 40 and it went to 40.

Paul:

You're leading the way.

Raphael:

Just keeps catching up with people.

Paul:

So, tell us about your childhood and how you fell in love with dancing.

Raphael:

I think I fell in love with dancing just through watching movies. Fred Astaire, Beat Street, Michael Jackson fame, all these different films that were sort of encapsulated movement, expression, and dance sort of captivated me. And I think in 89, I got the bad tape, and then that's when, actually, my brother got the tape, and then I took it. It was from there that I was just very obsessed with Michael Jackson and learning how to dance at that age.

Paul:

When you're discovering you love to dance, is hospital visits a regular thing that you're going through?

Raphael:

Yeah, hospital visits, like, three or four times a year, and hospital admissions were like, two to three times a year as well.

Paul:

Wow. That must be hard to take when you're trying to just live your life. And as a kid, not fully understanding why you did you have that.

Raphael:

I don't know if I did ever have that, but I definitely knew that I just wanted to be normal. I didn't want to have it. I knew I had it. But definitely as I grew older, being the same, I didn't want to be the same either.

Paul:

That makes a lot of sense. But you went on you did pretty well. I think I read it was around age 13 that you got into the Victorian College of Arts. Is that film and dancing? What were you doing there?

Raphael:

That was dance. So, though I don't know if it was just stuff through childhood trauma and then also the condition, I just didn't do well at school. Maybe there was a part of me that was like, I've got this condition even at a young age, I didn't understand the concept of having a short life expectancy and having to go to school and do all these other things. I just don't think that there was, like, a dissonance that had subconscious trouble with understanding. And so very early on, I started falling behind in school. So, my parents kept changing schools. I think by the time I went to the VCA, I think I was at, like five or six five schools.

Paul:

Wow.

Raphael:

Already? It was like my fifth or 6th school. So, you know, obviously I'd seen Fame and watched all these films on dance, and I love dancing. And then we went to the art center for just a Sunday day out at the Art Center, and they had a festival there, and they had a bunch of kids performing from the VCA. And I was just like, what is this school? Like, I have to audition for this school. This sounds like exactly like Fame, like half day academic, half day dance or half day music, whichever your forte is. And I had never done a traditional dance class, so I think I did three ballet classes before I auditioned for the VCA. And I went into the audition with a bunch of other boys my age who had been dancing since they were probably like 2345 years old now, 13, very experienced already at that age. And I went in there and just sort of followed along. And then we had a solo section each where I just freestyle and I got in on potential. So, I ended up doing classical dance for a year or two years every day. For half a day.

Paul:

Wow.

Raphael:

I figured it out that it was probably like, if most people do a practice once a week for however many years, if I was doing it every day for two years, that's essentially ten years’ worth.

Paul:

Yeah, makes sense.

Raphael:

So, I was pretty happy with what I did, and then I moved on to another school. But that experience was really very, like I think it really shaped a different perspective of alternative education and concepts of how you divide your time and changing focus when you're doing half day academic and then a half day of dance. That kind of lifestyle really spoke to me and still I continue that with my training and my work, that kind of balance.

Paul:

And then so fast forward to 96. Do you remember finding out that he was coming to Australia?

Raphael:

I think it was only the year after that I was at the VCA that I met Michael Jackson.

Paul:

Oh, yeah. Do you remember hearing that he was coming to town and thinking, oh, I've got to go see Show?

Raphael:

Yeah. For Dangerous. I think my mum had written a letter already saying that how much he'd helped me, he really shaped a positive outlook. Rather than focusing me on my health, it was like, how I can help other people. And that really changed, probably before it was even conscious. It shaped how I think about me and my condition. He really took the idea of me being woe is me to how can I help other people? Very early, I think he gave me that kind of perspective. So, my mom had written a letter of saying how much he'd helped me with my attitude, and being positive? And gave me something to focus on. And then he never came, he never did the Dangerous tour. And then for History, I was like a little sick, had a little chest infection, and I kind of thought, oh, if I'm in hospital, I'll probably have a more chance of meeting him. So, my mum had written a letter.

Paul:

So, it was strategic?

Raphael:

Hospital some a little bit somewhat, it wasn't a big reach. Yeah. So, the day he arrived, Mum got a phone call from his people saying, hi, we've got your letter. We would love him to come down to the hotel and meet Michael Jackson when he arrives or have been there. And my mom was like, oh, my sons in hospital. And they were like, oh, which hospital? The Children's hospital. So, they said, oh, we just spoke to the Children's Hospital and we've organized for a bunch of the kids to come down to let these dust free when he arrives. So, I just figured it just matched up that I was already there. So, we got down there and there's a whole lot of buzz. It was like, are we going to meet him? Is he going to be here? Is this going to happen? Is that going to happen? Everyone walking back and forwards, there's like a DJ out the front, heaps of people there. You were there, you remember, there was like, the barriers, the barricades, all the news were there, police were there. And then I saw a group of friends of mine behind the barricades who I'd actually been busking with, like two weeks before in St Kilda. And we actually sat there and we had this conversation afterward, busking, and it was like, what would you do if you met him? And I said, I'll just give him a hug and ask if I could dance for him. And then when I saw them, they were like, man, what are you doing? Start dancing. So, I was like, oh, okay. Yes. Good idea. So, I started dancing, and then the lady that answered my mom's letter was like, you never actually said that he could dance. You just explained how much of an inspiration that he had been to him. And she was like, oh, yeah, well, I didn't want to go too deep into that part. So, then they were like, oh, Michael, have to meet this kid now. So, we waited around, and he finally arrived, and I sort of ushered to him to greet him, and I was like, Dude, can I dance for you? He was like, Go for it. So, he just sat there and watched me dance and then just hung out from there on.

Paul:

Just hung out? Yeah, just hung out. So, he arrives, and he's at the front of the hotel, and so there you are at the front of the hotel as well, dancing for Michael. And then what happens?

Raphael:

He just said, Stick by my side. So, we did all the formalities. He spoke to all the people, watched all the performances, the indigenous cultural dance. There was a little choir. Then we went upstairs to the hotel room, and there's probably about 100 people up there, all his people, guards, some media.

Paul:

And were the other kids from the hospital, did they come up as well? No. So they went back. Did they go back to the hospital?

Raphael:

Yeah.

Paul:

So here you are alone at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Melbourne upstairs with Michael Jackson.

Raphael:

Yeah. Have you seen the video? I mean, you've seen the video? The Et news one? That was then. Yeah, we went up there, and then he's like he started beatboxing for me. I danced for him again. And then he asked me if I wanted to go to the concert. And I said, the famous that's stupid question.

Paul:

Yeah.

Raphael:

I showed some people that recently, and they're like, well, yeah, that was a stupid question.

Paul:

I love the confidence in that kid.

Raphael:

Yeah, of course you want to go to the concert. And then I went downstairs and went back to the hospital.

Paul:

Sweet. And so, what, did he give you the tickets there and then? And then say come?

Raphael:

I said I actually said, I'll only go if we if you could organize a bus for all the other hospital kids that want to go.

Paul:

Awesome.

Raphael:

Which is really funny, because some of the kids I was in hospital with, who I've been in hospital with a lot, they all have the same condition. They kind of gained up on me. They're like, oh, you're getting very cocky, and you think you're so cool. And I was, like, sort of helped you out, kind of just organized for all of you to come to the show. As well. And I really wanted to give all the other kids the same experience that I just had. And yeah, all the news were coming to interview me, but I really wasn't letting it get to me like that. But I don't know, it was very interesting.

Paul:

So, then what, a bus picks you all up from the hospital again?

Raphael:

Yeah, so the bus picked us all up from the I think we took big taxis because there are some kids in wheelchairs to the hotel. And then from the hotel we got on the buses. So, the first show, we never saw him come out of the hotel. So, we got on the buses and went to the concert. And then just before Heal the World, I was taken backstage.

Paul:

Did you go on the stage for Heal the World?

Raphael:

Yeah, I went on stage and then they did the show and then brought back and left. But on the second night, we went to the hotel before the preshow, and somehow, I missed the bus. So, I ended up him coming down the stair out the elevator. And then from there, I went with him in the Tarago to the concert. And then we just hung out backstage until the show. And then I went back to sit with my family. And then, I think three quarters of the way, I just went backstage again. I was like, Man, I'm going to go watch. And I just watched the show from backstage. And I was sitting with the sound guy and he was like, this is all him singing. I was like, is he Miming or is he singing? And he's like, no, watch this. And he started pulling all the tracks down, and he's like, no, this is really him singing. He never minds.

Paul:

That's crazy. So go back because you said you missed the bus. So, you've jumped in the Tarago with Michael and gone to the MCG before.

Raphael:

That, he comes down, comes out of the elevator, and there's like a really thin like, out of the elevator. It's like a really thin walkway just lined of people. And as we're walking out, another young, probably a little bit younger than me, has the opportunity to come step out and perform for Michael. Michael sits back and watches this kid dance. And I'm like, this is cool. Kid getting an opportunity like I had. And then Michael looks at me and he's like, Go on. I'm like what? He's like, battle him. Go on. Show him how it's done. Awesome. I felt really bad. And then he was like, awesome.

Paul:

So, then you jumped and you're off to the MCG?

Raphael:

Yeah, it was three of us in this picture behind you.

Paul:

Wow.

Raphael:

And so, then we went backstage and we went and then Debbie was there. She was so pregnant. Oh, man.

Paul:

Yeah, she was very pregnant then

Raphael:

It's funny, because the newspapers that day had said that she wasn't in Melbourne.

Paul:

I remember they were all trying to chase her down. And I think they actually videoed Die Roll, the publicist from Melbourne and said that was her, but it wasn't. And they were trying to chase her.

Raphael:

She was wearing the wing and everything. She was well in disguise.

Paul:

Oh, really?

Raphael:

Yeah, but I just thought it was really funny. The newspapers were like, dying kid in hospital. And I'm like, clearly said to them, I'm like, I'm not dying. I mean, we're all dying. We're all going to die. Everyone's going to die.

Paul:

Did you watch the concerts from side stage or from the audience or a bit of both?

Raphael:

Probably more on the first show. From the audience? From the second show backstage.

Paul:

Wow. And what are your memories from backstage? Who was there?

Raphael:

Did anyone I almost fell down a manhole. Really small spaces backstage. Who was backstage? Just stylist the dancers. Yeah. And just tech. Lots of tech people.

Paul:

Were the other kids from the hospital side stage for that second show, that.

Raphael:

Was just all that was just you? Yeah, because when I was backstage on the second show, I had a VIP world tour pass made for me.

Paul:

Oh, wow.

Raphael:

Which I cannot find anymore.

Paul:

Oh, no, you've still got it somewhere.

Raphael:

I think it may have been thrown away.

Paul:

Hopefully you'll find it when you move in and you'll be like, oh, there it is.

Raphael:

No, I've tried that one.

Paul:

So, were you bought on stage again for Heal the World?

Raphael:

Yeah.

Paul:

Wow.

Raphael:

Twice after that, I just stayed backstage with him and then we ended up leaving in the Tarago together after the concert. That's a bit blurry, that part. I remember being getting in the Tarago. I remember being in the Tarago leaving, but I don't actually remember all of backstage after the show, like leaving the MCG. I remember driving out of the MCG.

Paul:

In the Tarago and then straight back to the hotel again?

Raphael:

Yeah, back to the hotel and went upstairs. And that covered his name, but the one in the middle, he had an adjoining room. And then I was just, like just running around his hotel playing PlayStation, which was not released in Australia yet.

Paul:

The PlayStation One.

Raphael:

PlayStation One had not been even released here. And he's like, oh, have you got one of these? I'm like, no, they're not even here. He's like, okay, cool. And then probably like 40 minutes later, there's a knock on the door and he's like, oh, that's for you. And I went, answered the door and it was a Sony rep at like 1230 at night with a PlayStation.

Paul:

That's crazy. Just click your finger and so you got a PlayStation?

Raphael:

Yeah, he gave me a PlayStation and all the games that were in the room. Then my parents arrived and we just talked and then had dinner.

Paul:

What did you talk about?

Raphael:

Well, he saw my brother and he was like, I see a lot of Jim Morrison in you.

Paul:

Oh, really?

Raphael:

He was very intuitive with peoples. Musical energy.

Paul:

Was your brother into the Doors?

Raphael:

That sort of he was at the time, yeah. 96, I think. We just spoke a lot about music, our journeys. He really enjoyed speaking to my mum and my stepdad at the time and my brother. And then, yeah, we had dinner. We spoke about, like my mom was like, oh, how old are you now? And he was like, ten. And he was my mom was like, what? He was like, yeah, I'm ten. And then he said, if you didn't know how old you were, how old would you be?

Paul:

Wow, that's interesting.

Raphael:

And his answer is however old you feel.

Paul:

Yeah. So, he felt like a ten-year-old.

Raphael:

He was like, yeah, I'm ten. These days, everyone's like, I'm a boy, I'm a girl, I'm neither. Prince said in an interview to the interviewer, how many birthdays have you had? Prince says you've had one birthday. You've only been born once. Stop counting.

Paul:

Yeah, good point. I like that.

Raphael:

So, they're very interesting. Like, we put age on ourself.

Paul:

Yeah. You know, like very true. Wow, this is so and I hear you had this conversation. Was it when your parents were there that he asked if you wanted to go on tour with him?

Raphael:

I don't think they were, but he was like, Come on. The rest of the I think it was backstage when he gave me the world tour pass, my photo, and they made a world tour pass for me.

Paul:

Wow.

Raphael:

It was cool because it was like an octagon with your photo. And then, like, the history album, Michael Jackson world Tour VIP all Access pass. It was super cool pass.

Paul:

That's really cool. And so, what do you say when Michael Jackson says, come on tour with me around?

Raphael:

I said yes, but then, obviously, when I sat in front of my parents and my doctors, they were like, well, no, you're in hospital. He has doctors and nurses. I mean, his doctor travels with him. I would have and should have, but I didn't.

Paul:

Well, that experience itself is enough. That's pretty cool.

Raphael:

And I was really happy with that. And I knew there were more kids just like me that deserved and wanted the same type of encounters. So, I was happy with that opportunity I had.

Paul:

Yeah.

Raphael:

You watch different talk shows and you see people like Will Smith talk about their close encounters with Michael Jackson, and then to some people, they're superstars. But then I hung out with superstars. Superstar.

Paul:

Yeah. It must still make your head spin, does it?

Raphael:

Sometimes, yeah. I'm like, man, that's crazy.

Paul:

And so then, like a tornado, the next day, he's gone. And you're just left there. How were you feeling after he left?

Raphael:

He came to the hotel before he left, he came to the hospital. Oh, yeah, he came to the hospital, which is where this photo is taken on the third floor, the old children's hospital third floor. They have, like, a giant rumpus room, pinball machines, table tennis table, and then a classroom for all the kids to do school stuff. This was taken back there. When he came to visit, he brought a bunch of toys, which I think we’re all sort of stolen by staff, and then he hung out and then he left.

Paul:

How was your health after he left? Were you still going to the hospitals?

Raphael:

I think that may have been my last admission for quite a few years, from then till 1516, 1718, almost 15 years. I think I may have stayed at.

Paul:

A hospital for wow, that's impressive.

Raphael:

Yeah. I think because of that lost opportunity, because I was in hospital, I was like, Right, I'm never going back to hospital.

Paul:

Good motivation.

Raphael:

It was it was a bit late, though.

Paul:

Unreal. So that experience has obviously stayed with you to this day.
 Actually, It's 26 years to the day today that that happened.

Raphael:

Isn’t that crazy?

Paul:

That's crazy.

Raphael:

The other day I was like, oh, that's cool.

Paul:

Yeah. And while I've been doing, I've been doing these interviews over the last couple of weeks and I've seen so many coincidences and things that just align, and I take it as a message that I'm on the right track and doing the right thing. Really? Trippy. Sorry, mate.

Raphael:

I actually launched my album on the anniversary of his death.

Paul:

Oh, really? Is that the Lex project? Yeah.

Raphael:

Life Expectancy? Yeah.

Paul:

So, when was that? Was it last year?

Raphael:

No, it was like, three months ago.

Paul:

So, tell us about that.

Raphael:

What do you want to know?

Paul:

What is the Lex Project?

Raphael:

So, Lex Project is a project that spawned from my album, Life Expectancy, the hip hop album that talks about my life, my journey, my experiences and my perspective of life. Death, overcoming, living with a chronic illness, going to ten schools. Yeah. Just kind of everything that I've experienced in life. I thought I'd just put it into one project, overcoming adversities to live a happy, healthy life, to inspire other people to do the same thing. That was the idea of the album. And then the Lex Project is kind of like me. Well, we're yet to put on an encompassing event which would basically be many artists from different practices, all with the same perspective and the same thought process and the same ideas around those themes. So, whether it's dance, visual arts, music, spoken word, poetry, movement coming together to do, like, a group show, half exhibition, half performance, even a panel talk discussing these perspectives and themes, that's awesome.

Paul:

Did you say you're still going to be working on the Lex Project? Bring that to performance?

Raphael:

Yeah, we did a play earlier this year at La Mama Theater. I turned the whole album into, like, a hip hop medley musical with two freestyle dancers. My partner did the movement direction and it was really cool. Like, we just did one show, sell out show. Some of the feedback was super cool. People were like, we've never seen men embrace each other like that in hip hop. I didn't even think about it in one song. I'm talking heavily about abandonment and feeling alone. And as I'm saying, these two guys are just really slowly, just like, embracing into a stop where they're just basically holding me. And then I just sort of duck out and disappear. And there's these two guys left with nothing there.

Paul:

It's pretty heavy stuff, man.

Raphael:

Yeah, it doesn't feel heavy when you're making it. But then in the eye of the beholder, in the person viewing the art, people like, wow, that was a lot. I mean, that's why I took it to a theater space, because I wanted to preprogram people's mind frames before the show. If I just, did it in a venue, people would just go there for the music, have some drinks. But if you put it somewhere like a theater, people are preprogrammed to go see something to listen, to take in the story. The same as Michael would do music films, which I very much on a side note, I very much took that on board. When I make music videos for people, like, I add big storylines, either right in the middle, I cut the music and create narrative or narrative at the start. But I love that idea of making it more than just music.

Paul:

Yeah, storytelling. So where can people see or hear Life Expectancy or the Lex Project?

Raphael:

Life Expectancy is on YouTube. Spotify Pretty much all music streaming platforms.

Paul:

Beautiful.

Raphael:

You can just search my name. Raphael rest or life expectancy?

Paul:

Anything else you wanted to mention before we wrap up?

Raphael:

I don't know. Anything else you want to ask?

Paul:

I don't think so. I had questions here, but I sort of just threw them to the side. You're a great storyteller. And I've listened to the other podcast you did with Paris and read some stuff. That's what I was going to ask, actually. You mentioned talking about the name Paris to Michael before Paris was born.

Raphael:

Yeah. Well, at the time, I was, like, in a dance crew with my friend Paris and another girl, Kirsty, and we were doing underage dance competitions at Metro in Melbourne, where we won a few, like, doing Michael Jackson style things. And so, I kept telling him about my friend Paris, and he kept saying, oh, that's a really cool name. That's a really cool name. And then just a few months later, baby born Paris. I told Paris as well. I was like, Yo, I was just telling him all about you, how we're dancing and what and all this. And then she called me. She's like, he named his kid Paris? I've heard the story from Paris on on the Internet that the name came from somewhere else, but I think it's super coincidental.

Paul:

That's really cool. He either got the idea from you or he had the idea and was just playing with you, going, oh, I like that name. Yeah, maybe that's a pretty cool story as well, mate, your whole story is really cool. The PlayStation thing, the dancing for him, the Paris thing. I just love it. Thanks again for chatting with us. We'll chat again soon, man.

Raphael:

Look forward to it.

Paul:

Take care.

Raphael:

Thank you. Same.