Has anyone ever wondered about the "hole" on Michael's chrome, armored chest plate, worn on the HIStory tour? Before finding out, I'd glance at that hole a few times—given my eyes were already on that location! Come on, ladies, given the nature of this site, I don't need to be bashful about why my eyes were drawn to that particular area—whether Michael was wearing the gold pants or not. But anyhoo, back to the mysterious hole.
Per Michael Bush's book "The King of Style," Michael's intent was to unhinge a hose from his space pod, connect it to the hole of his crotch, and then spray the audience with smoke. "The fans are going to love it," Michael said excitedly when the idea first came to him in Bucharest during the tour. "And nobody has ever done it before."
However, the idea never became a reality. Though Bush was rooting for the concept, he stated that he thinks it would have happened if the pyrotechnic had more warning. As with many of Michael's costumes, much detail and thought went into the HIStory tour outfit. Michael stated that he wanted a sleek piece of chrome that he could dance in from head to toe—akin to the robot dancing in the "Dancing Machine" clip in Michael's film, "Moonwalker."
For inspiration, MJ lent Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins a collection of books showcasing the work of Japanese artist, Sorayama. In the early 80s, Sorayama released his first book, "Sexy Robot" depicting robots formed of molten silver. In addition to his artworks, Sorayama also created a robotic form that became the "AIBO" dog, which is now in the collection of the Museum of Modern art and the Smithsonian Institute of Technology.
There's so much more that went into the HIStory tour outfit than stated in this article, so if you haven't had a chance to read "The King of Style," I highly recommend doing so for a more in-depth read about not only the "HIStory" tour outfit—but all of Michael's outfits.
Michael was full of ideas that pushed the limits—and had significant input in the things he wore on stage and off—and he also went through great lengths not to wear something he didn't like! Lol. There's a hilarious story about him hiding the headdress he was to wear for the "Remember the Time" short film. Be warned, it's a relatively large book, but it's so worth it. It contains many incredible pictures of Michael's costumes, tells intriguing stories—and offers a peek into the creative mind of our boo, Michael, with his fabulous and epic fashions throughout his career.
Though Bush and Dennis Tompkins were the ones putting a 'stitch to the needle', Michael had a great deal of input as well.
*** Please note: the 2nd picture is from the "King of Style" and the third picture is an artwork of Sorayama's 'Sexy Robot.' ***