--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was in California the first time I…" description: "\"I was in California the first time I heard Michael Jackson wanted to record with me. I was, like, 'Nah, no way, he's too big, it can't be true.' Then I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/heavy-d-16313_being-true_i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-hea_1998761.png" --- # I was in California the first time I heard Michael Jackson… ![“I was in California the first time I heard Michael Jackson wanted to record with me. I was, like, 'Nah, no way, he's too big, it can't be true.' Then I got a call from Michael's people at my hotel telling me he was interested. But I still wasn't believing it - I thought they were setting me up for…” quote by Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/heavy-d-16313_being-true_i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-hea_1998761.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/heavy-d-16313_being-true_i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-hea_1998761.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/heavy-d-16313_being-true_i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-hea_1998761.png) > “I was in California the first time I heard Michael Jackson wanted to record with me. I was, like, 'Nah, no way, he's too big, it can't be true.' Then I got a call from Michael's people at my hotel telling me he was interested. But I still wasn't believing it - I thought they were setting me up for a TV practical jokes show.” [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A famous artist approached the speaker, but disbelief and self-doubt made the offer seem unreal. **In simple terms:** Famous artist offered collaboration, but speaker doubted it. Key Takeaway Question the credibility of unexpected opportunities. Themes self‑doubt celebrity opportunity confidence Mood surprised hopeful reflective Type anecdotal motivational When to use this quote - music industry meetings - receiving unexpected offers - career breakthroughs - media appearances Key Concepts celebrity culture impostor syndrome networking Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify surprising offers? - What holds you back from accepting big opportunities? A Different Perspective The speaker may have missed the chance due to skepticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-true/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Got Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got-michael-3154976/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Heard Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard-michael-3504787/) [Hotel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hotel/) [Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jackson/) [Jackson Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jackson-wanted-311194/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Michael jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/michael-jackson/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Practical joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practical-joke/) [Practicals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practicals/) [Records](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/records/) [Setting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setting/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tvs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tvs/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wasn Believing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-believing-3504788/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [When I was three years old, one of the first albums I ever heard was Michael Jackson's 'Off the Wall.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tyree-henry/when-i-was-three-years-old-one-of-the-first-albums-i-ever-heard-was/) [Brian Tyree Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tyree-henry/) > [Michael Jackson wanted to be in Men in Black II. He told me he had seen the first Men in Black in Paris and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-sonnenfeld/michael-jackson-wanted-to-be-in-men-in-black-ii-he-told-me-he-had/) [Barry Sonnenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-sonnenfeld/) > [“It wasn’t about believing this or that, it wasn’t about good and evil and right and wrong, it was about finding the strength to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/it-wasn-t-about-believing-this-or-that-it-wasn-t-about-good-and-evil/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“I don't know how I got Michael. Maybe I just had a store credit from some other very lonely and shitty life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/i-don-t-know-how-i-got-michael-maybe-i-just-had-a-store-credit-from/) [Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/) > [“We had practiced bits and pieces of his story, but never the whole thing. In fact, I never heard Michael recount his own tale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-allen/we-had-practiced-bits-and-pieces-of-his-story-but-never-the-whole/) [Danielle Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-allen/) > [When I was a little girl - well, like, a teenager - I wanted to be Sam Jackson. I always wanted to be men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/when-i-was-a-little-girl-well-like-a-teenager-i-wanted-to-be-sam/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [“You are a moron. Jackson wanted to bash the message into his head. Because obviously his brain wasn't going to be of any help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candis-terry/you-are-a-moron-jackson-wanted-to-bash-the-message-into-his-head/) [Candis Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candis-terry/) > [His name is Michael Jackson, not Super Michael Jackson. He makes mistakes just like all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/his-name-is-michael-jackson-not-super-michael-jackson-he-makes/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [I'm terrible at practical jokes. I do them too well, so they're not funny. I end up saying, “Oh, no, I'm joking, I'm joking .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-torv/i-m-terrible-at-practical-jokes-i-do-them-too-well-so-they-re-not/) [Anna Torv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-torv/) > [Penn & Teller stopped doing practical jokes, and the reason is we got much too good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/penn-teller-stopped-doing-practical-jokes-and-the-reason-is-we-got/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [If you are the source of Jax looking bad in anyway, he will stop at nothing to make you look way, way worse, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-sandoval/if-you-are-the-source-of-jax-looking-bad-in-anyway-he-will-stop-at/) [Tom Sandoval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-sandoval/) > [Life seemed to be an educator's practical joke in which you spent the first half learning and the second half learning that everything you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/life-seemed-to-be-an-educator-s-practical-joke-in-which-you-spent-the/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [If you make people laugh or cry about little black marks on sheets of white paper, what is that but a practical joke? All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/if-you-make-people-laugh-or-cry-about-little-black-marks-on-sheets-of/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“As his wife, Emilia must know Iago better than anybody else. She does not know, any more than the others, that he is malevolent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/as-his-wife-emilia-must-know-iago-better-than-anybody-else-she-does/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [I was kind of like the cheeky kid in school. Nothing too malicious...Nothing too nasty...I never really got into too many fights, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-monaghan/i-was-kind-of-like-the-cheeky-kid-in-school-nothing-too-malicious/) [Dominic Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-monaghan/) ## More by Heavy D > [I got nuttin' but love for you, baby I got nuttin' but love for you, honey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/i-got-nuttin-but-love-for-you-baby-i-got-nuttin-but-love-for-you-honey/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [Some people have so much respect for their superiors they have none left for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/some-people-have-so-much-respect-for-their-superiors-they-have-none/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [Nothin could compare to you, boo I swear to you. I feel for you, for real for you. All I wanna do is be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/nothin-could-compare-to-you-boo-i-swear-to-you-i-feel-for-you-for/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [Leave it up to me I'll close the whole damn store on ya, I got nuttin' but love for ya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/leave-it-up-to-me-i-ll-close-the-whole-damn-store-on-ya-i-got-nuttin/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [The world today is in a very difficult situation, and we all know it, because we're the ones who created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/the-world-today-is-in-a-very-difficult-situation-and-we-all-know-it/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [I put out a raggae album. I got a grammy nomination for a raggae album just cause I didn't fit into the landscape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/i-put-out-a-raggae-album-i-got-a-grammy-nomination-for-a-raggae-album/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [Make a little room, here comes big daddy. Big like a truck, satisfyin like a Caddy. Many are called, but the chosen are few.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/make-a-little-room-here-comes-big-daddy-big-like-a-truck-satisfyin/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [A ship is safe in it's harbor.. but that's not what ships are for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/a-ship-is-safe-in-it-s-harbor-but-that-s-not-what-ships-are-for/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [There's something about being any kind of entertainer that is acting. You have to put on a show. Things you wouldn't do in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/there-s-something-about-being-any-kind-of-entertainer-that-is-acting/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [Thanksgiving day will forever be hard, cause that's the day we gave my brother to God, I love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/thanksgiving-day-will-forever-be-hard-cause-that-s-the-day-we-gave-my/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [I started young. My first record came out when I was - what? 18? So I was in the studio when I was 15, 16.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/i-started-young-my-first-record-came-out-when-i-was-what-18-so-i-was/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [I love the idea of love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/i-love-the-idea-of-love/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [Black people are tired, especially amongst black people. Tired of us seeing us kill each other, us go through that situation of lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/black-people-are-tired-especially-amongst-black-people-tired-of-us/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [Now 4th street park after dark is dangerous, might get clapped, if you look strange to us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/now-4th-street-park-after-dark-is-dangerous-might-get-clapped-if-you/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) > [The hardest thing for an artist to do is to let go. I don't wanna be the dude - if you come to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/the-hardest-thing-for-an-artist-to-do-is-to-let-go-i-don-t-wanna-be/) [Heavy D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) [Explore all 40 Heavy D quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/) ## More Being true quotes > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Intuitionists think that there are cases in which, say, some identity statement between real numbers is neither true nor false, even though we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-f-heck/intuitionists-think-that-there-are-cases-in-which-say-some-identity/) [Richard F. Heck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-f-heck/) > [Don't be pretentious is my first advice to young writers. This is the big problem - just because you're getting an MFA doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/don-t-be-pretentious-is-my-first-advice-to-young-writers-this-is-the/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [There is no normal. I've never met a normal person. The concept is flawed. It implies that there is only one way people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/there-is-no-normal-i-ve-never-met-a-normal-person-the-concept-is/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) > [I learned a tremendous amount about what was important to me as a head coach in that I was not in charge. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-carroll/i-learned-a-tremendous-amount-about-what-was-important-to-me-as-a/) [Pete Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-carroll/) > [Life is all about being true to yourself and what you believe in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/life-is-all-about-being-true-to-yourself-and-what-you-believe-in/) [Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/) > [I have spent most of my life unlearning things that were proved not to be true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/i-have-spent-most-of-my-life-unlearning-things-that-were-proved-not/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [It seemed too good to be true. That's grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-smith/it-seemed-too-good-to-be-true-that-s-grace/) [Judah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-smith/) > [You create the happiness and the balance that you have, and your own power. This is one thing that I know to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/you-create-the-happiness-and-the-balance-that-you-have-and-your-own/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [Being true to yourself means living in truth with each person in your life. It means refusing to say or do something that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/being-true-to-yourself-means-living-in-truth-with-each-person-in-your/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is not the responsibility of the enlightened teacher to bring the student to enlightenment. That may be true in the classroom, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-not-the-responsibility-of-the-enlightened-teacher-to-bring-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Browse all 1,447 Being true quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-true/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was in California the first time I heard Michael Jackson wanted to record with me. I was, like, 'Nah, no way, he's too big, it can't be true.' Then I got a call from Michael's people at my hotel telling me he was interested. But I still wasn't believing it - I thought they were setting me up for a TV practical jokes show.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Heavy D" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-heard-michael-jackson-wanted-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being true" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-heard-michael-jackson-wanted-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/heavy-d-16313_being-true_i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-hea_1998761.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/heavy-d-16313_being-true_i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-hea_1998761.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db2/heavy-d-16313_being-true_i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-hea_1998761.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was in California the first time I heard Michael Jackson wanted to record with me. I was, like, 'Nah, no…” — Heavy D", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Heavy D", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heavy-d/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was in California the first...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-heard-michael-jackson-wanted-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heavy-d/i-was-in-california-the-first-time-i-heard-michael-jackson-wanted-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```