On October 15, 2001, producer Quincy Jones was guest in 'The Oprah Show'. During the show Michael called in to pay tribute to his friend. Below follows a transcript of this segment:
Oprah Winfrey: [...] He's worked with everybody from Billie Holiday to Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson. I mean, when you span that whole--th--that's not an era of music. That's eras. OK. Quincy doesn't know this, but there's somebody on the phone who wanted to be here today but could not. Most of the world knows him as the King of Pop. Say hello to Michael Jackson. Michael. Michael. So hi, Michael.
Michael: Hi.
Oprah: Hi. Thanks for joining us.
Michael: Oh, I'm honored. I'm very honored.
Oprah: What's it like, the experience of working with Mr. Jones?
Michael: What was it like working with--with Quincy?
Oprah: Yeah.
Michael: It's--it's very professional, very talented, and he's a musical visionary. He's been around, as you know, a very long time.
Quincy Jones: Michael?
Michael: Yes?
QJ: This is Quincy. Can I call you by the name we used to call and talk to each other by?
Michael: Yes, if you want.
QJ: Well, OK, S...
Michael: I'm scared.
QJ: Smelly. What'd he say?
Oprah: He said, `I'm scared.'
QJ: Smelly. OK.
Oprah: Now where did that come from? That...
QJ: That's very affectionate, because Michael does not use any profanity ever, right--right, Smelly?
Michael: No. P--no. That's right.
QJ: And--and so when it got good, we'd say, `That was funky.' He said, `Don't say that. It's smelly jelly,' you know. It's smelly jelly, so from now...
Oprah: You don't even use `funky'?
QJ: No. Michael doesn't say that word. If...
Oprah: No. No.
QJ: No.
Oprah: Doesn't say any--any kind of bad words at all.
QJ: No. I've heard a couple, yeah.
Oprah: Yeah. OK.
QJ: But--but not--that's...
Michael: From who?
QJ: From--from you.
Michael: Not me ...(unintelligible).
QJ: Oh, no, no.
Oprah: No. So that's why you started...
QJ: Just smelly jelly.
Oprah: That's why you started calling him Smelly.
QJ: Yes.
Michael: Yeah.
Oprah: What have you learned from Q that--that you take with you for the rest of your life, Michael?
Michael: I learned a lot. You once said something to me, Qu--Quincy. I don't know if you want it repeated. But it was just beautiful. You said, `You don't write the music. You let the write--the music write itself. Let it create itself. It's like we're just the source through which it comes.'
Oprah: Yeah. I--I've heard him say he always leaves room for God to walk in the room.
Michael: There you go.
Oprah: Yeah.
QJ: The divinity is most important.
Oprah: Well, thank you, Michael, for joining us. Thanks for taking the time to call up and say, `Hey, Q.'
QJ: I love you, Smelly.
Michael: I love you more, Quincy.
Oprah: All right. All right.
QJ: The show was great in New York.
Michael: Thank you.
