Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket refers to the red jacket worn by Michael Jackson in the "Michael Jackson's Thriller" video in 1983. On June 27, 2011, the jacket sold for $1.8 million at Julien's Auctions. The buyer, Milton Verret, described the jacket as "the greatest piece of rock and roll memorabilia in history". The jacket was designed by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, wife of director John Landis. She had also designed Indiana Jones's jacket in "Raiders of the Lost Ark", among other things. The red jacket was noted for its V shaped black stripes, the unusual style of
Thriller (Michael Jackson album) sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he fathered her child; in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against media gossip. For "Billie Jean", Jones had Jackson sing overdubs through a six-foot cardboard tube and brought in jazz saxophonist Tom Scott to play the lyricon, a wind-controlled synthesizer. Bassist Louis Johnson ran through his part on a Yamaha bass guitar. The song opens with a long bass-and-drums introduction. "Thriller" includes sound effects such as creaking doors, thunder, footsteps, wind, and howling dogs. The anti-gang-violence "Beat It" became a homage to "West Side Story" and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over