The Michael Jackson Nobody Knows By Robert E. Johnson
As the kinetic and magnetic leader of The Jacksons, whose 1984 Victory Tour
attracted the largest concert crowds and sold the most tickets in the history of show
business, Michael Jackson is an extraordinary human being who is beyond category.
Although he has been out front and outstanding for 20 years, the 26-year-old
singer/songwriter/dancer and actor was not recognized as a super-super-star until his
Thriller album became the best-selling LP of all time. Since then, much has been
written about him, but the man behind the superstar is still a mystery and a media
enigma.
The White media’s Michael Jackson, portrayed mostly through gossip, rumors, hype,
and sometimes slander, is not the Michael I have watched and reported on since he
emerged from the anonymity of the steel town of Gary, Indiana in 1970. That Michael
Jackson - the Michael Jackson nobody knows - is warm, sensitive, vibrant, keenly
aware of the mysteries of life and the wonder and magic of children. Several months
ago he told me that he was tired of the wave of lies in the White press. What he said
then was reflected in the extraordinary and revealing statement he issued at a press
conference through his manager, Frank Dileo:
“For some time now, I have been searching my conscience as to whether or not I
should publicly react to the many falsehoods that have been spread about me. I have
decided to make this statement based on the injustice of these allegations and the far reaching
trauma those who feel close to me are suffering.
“I feel very fortunate to have been blessed with recognition for my efforts. This
recognition also brings with it a responsibility to one’s admirers throughout the world.
Performers should always serve as role models who set an example for young people.
It saddens me that many may actually believe the present flurry of false accusations.”
“To that end, and I do mean END -
“No! I’ve never taken hormones to maintain my high voice.”
“No! I’ve never had my cheekbones altered in any way.”
“No! I’ve never had cosmetic surgery on my eyes.”
“YES!! One day in the future I plan to get married and have a family. Any statements
to the contrary are simply untrue.”
“Henceforth, as new fantasies are printed, I have advised my attorneys of my
willingness to institute legal action and subsequently prosecute all guilty to the fullest
extent of the law.”
“As noted earlier, I love children. We all know that kids are very impressionable and
therefore susceptible to such stories. I’m certain that some have already been hurt by
this terrible slander. In addition to their admiration, I would like to continue to keep
their respect.”
Michael Joseph Jackson, whose middle name is his father’s first, earned respect the
old-fashioned way - the same way he earned the title “The World’s Greatest
Entertainer”.
His Thriller album has sold over 35 million copies and is still selling. He earns an
estimated $2 from the album’s $5 wholesale price and has pocketed some $70 million
from worldwide sales.
He organized and now heads corporations that handle his business affairs, including
Michael Jackson, Inc., which handles profits from his album and video royalties;
Experiments In Sound, which deals with new techniques in recording; and Optimum
Productions, which produces his music videos and video versions of records of other
artists.
The top winner of record and video awards, he received an unprecedented eight
American Music Awards, a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards, and the MTV
Video Award.
Born the fifth of six talented sons of Joseph and Katherine Jackson in Gary, Indiana,
26 years ago (August 29, 1958), he is a positive thinker and a creative artist who is
motivated by a deep concern for all of humankind and an unyielding love for his
profession. His love for fans who have become admirers is, perhaps, without parallel.
Love is what made Michael endure one of the most pressure-filled concert tours of his
career. Even though The Jacksons Victory Tour is expected to gross over $70 million,
he didn’t perform for the love of money. He said he did it for the love of family, fans,
and favorite charities. Although it was projected that his parents, who organized the
tour with boxing impresario Don King, could each earn $5 million and each brother
pocket about $7.5 million, Michael announced that his share of the concert earnings
would go to three worthy causes. They are the United Negro College Fund (UNCF),
Camp Good Times for terminally ill children, and the T.J. Martell Foundation for
Leukemia and Cancer research.
He is also giving earnings from a special album called Let’s Beat It, to charity. He is
doing it, he says, because children inspired him to write the hit single, Beat It,
“Children are my biggest inspiration in anything I do,” Michael told this writer. “I
adore children - crazy about them. I wanted to write a song, the type of rock song that
I would buy….I wanted the kids to really enjoy it, the school kids, as well as the
college kids,” said the sensitive songwriter whose two favorite songs are
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and Peter and the Wolf.
He spoke of the song, Be Not Always, which he wrote with a little help from his
brother, Marlon. In the sensitive, sentimental song recorded in The Jacksons’ Victory
album, Michael makes a tearful plea to change a world in which “mothers cry, babies
die helplessly in arms…” He observed that all of his brothers feel the same way about
children, “not just me.”
Recalling that the late superstar Josephine Baker, an entertainer he admired, had a
United Nations of children that she had adopted, Michael smiled broadly and said
with assurance:
“I’m going to have children of my own, but I’m going to adopt as many races as I can.
That is what I’m going to do. I love children. Like Emmanuel Lewis (tiny, 12-yearold
star of TV’s Webster series), he’s a real inspiration.”
Nothing, however, inspires the proud performer more than his family and fans. He
talked about this shortly after newspapers circulated reports that he had been spoiled
by the success of his Thriller LP and the proliferation of music awards, which
included EBONY’s American Black Achievement Award.
“Because I have achieved a lot of broken records with Off The Wall [album] and I’ve
been the lead singer for the longest and now with Thriller, which is the all-time best
and everything, I’m not planning on leaving,” he said of a rumor that he plans to leave
the Jacksons after the tour. “They are my brothers [Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon,
and Randy] and I love them all dearly and I think the media begin to look for
something to sell papers and they make up things and they twist them.”
Michael said at the beginning of the tour, “I’m doing it for the joy of touring and the
family as a whole, and for the kids out there who bought the records. I’m a stage
addict. I have to be on the stage.” Once during an interview at his California home,
where he still resides with his parents and sister, LaToya, Michael said, “I would like
you to put this in quotations: ‘My main love for what I do is the admirers. I love the
fans. Like when I’m doing a show and I see the fans out there dancing and screaming,
excited, and we’re bringing that joy to them, that’s what I love most. And it’s just the
greatest feeling in the world. You’re up there and you’re giving them that energy and
that love and they’re just throwing it right back at you. And it’s great. And that’s my
main love, the stage and making those admirers happy.’”
As the interview continues, Michael talks of many subjects that reveal things about
him that have been overlooked in the media’s rush for rumors. Here are some of his
views:
EBONY: You have to cope with a lot of stress and pressure in the entertainment
business. People make all kinds of requests of you and propositions come from
all directions. How do you cope with these stresses and pressures?
MICHAEL: I cope with it in a way and I’m not calling myself Jesus because I would
never even look at myself on the same level, but I’m comparing it to Jesus because
what god gave to him was for a reason and he preached and people came about him
and he didn’t get angry and push them aside and say leave me alone, I ain’t got time.
EBONY: But you must encounter some fans who pressure you and provoke you.
MICHAEL: I do get angry at times because there are those who will come up to you
with the worst attitude and will say to you, ‘Sit down, sign my baby’s paper.’ They’ll
throw it at you. I’ll say, ‘Do you have a pen?’ ‘You don’t have a pen? Well, go get
one.’ That’s what they’ll actually tell me….I’m amazed by some of the people. They
think they own you. And they’ll say to you, ‘Listen, I made you what you are.’ I say,
‘Wait a minute. You didn’t just buy it [album] to help me. You bought it because you
like it and that’s true.’
EBONY: You are looked upon as a role model. You once appeared at the
Chicago Public Library to encourage young people and adults to read, and a
book marker souvenir was distributed with a quotation from you. Do you still
enjoy reading?
MICHAEL: I love to read. I wish I could advise more people to read. There’s a
whole other world in books. If you can’t afford to travel, you travel mentally through
reading. You can see anything and go any place you want to in reading.
EBONY: Have you had a chance to do any reading related to the Black
experience or in terms of Black history?
MICHAEL: Oh, yes! I’m really thankful for what Mr. [John H.] Johnson has done in
bringing books through Johnson Publications….I think it’s good to show we are
contributing to the world in many ways. That’s what a lot of people think - that we
haven’t.
EBONY: How do you keep up with what Black people today are doing, saying,
and thinking? And who are some of the people, other than your family and close
associates, who influence your thinking?
MICHAEL: I love the way [John H.] Johnson runs his organization. Seems like
everybody’s really nice. I’m sure there are quarrels and things, but everybody’s very
nice….and have such an influence on the young. People rule their lives by JET and
EBONY. I mean, they get their information from those two magazines and the young
kids, too. I’ll say, where did you read it? I read it in JET. And they keep up with
what’s happening in JET and EBONY. And I think that’s wonderful…God, I admire
people like Johnson and [Walt] Disney. I think they’re phenomenal.
EBONY: You talk of the influence of books and people in your life. What part
does travel play in shaping your attitudes and outlook on life?
MICHAEL: I think before anybody gets married, they should really travel the world
if they can. It’s the most incredible education I’ve ever had. I think it’s phenomenal. I
mean just to see the different cultures of people, the different faces, to talk to people
and just to learn and see….When I traveled I was amazed. When we first went to
Switzerland, I almost started crying. I really did.
EBONY: What touched you about that trip to bring about that emotional
response?
MICHAEL: The beauty. It’s like, oh, God, it’s crying out in the sky. It’s an
incredible country and it inspires me to see these things - the mountains. The pictures
don’t do justice to Switzerland. Then there’s the Netherlands and France. Gosh,
they’re incredible, too!
EBONY: Obviously, when you travel, you are more than a tourist, you are an
observer.
MICHAEL: Well, a lot of people just stay in the cities when they travel. They should
get out and see the real country. Wherever you go, man-made things are man-made,
but you gotta get out and see God’s beauty.
EBONY: In your travels, what were some of the countries that impressed you
most?
MICHAEL: I’m gonna raise my hand on this one. I’ll say this. I always thought that
the Blacks, as far as artistry, were a talented race of people. But when I went to
Africa, I was even more convinced. They did some incredible things over there. [West
African countries, including Senegal]. We went to one place out in the flatlands where
all these Africans sell their crafts and everything. I went to this one hut where this guy
made incredible carvings….He took a piece of wood and a hatchet-like thing and
started chopping and I just sat there amazed. He carved a big face…dipped it in some
water…dried it off and he gave it to me and I paid for it.
EBONY: You seem impressed by African art but what about African music and
dance?
MICHAEL: When we came off the plane in [Dakar, Senegal] Africa, we were
greeted by a long line of African dancers. Their drums and sounds filled the air with
rhythm. I was going crazy, I was screaming. I said, ‘All right!’ They got the beat and
they got the rhythm….I just was so glad about the whole thing. This is it, I said. This
is where I come from. The origin….
EBONY: You were obviously impressed by your musical roots, so where do you
think the Africans derived their musical influence?
MICHAEL: Music started with nature. Music is nature. Birds make music. Oceans
make music. Wind makes music. Any natural sound is music. And that’s where it
started….You see, we’re just making a replica of nature, which is the sounds we hear
outside.
EBONY: Did your travels have any influence on the way you think about races
of people?
MICHAEL: The main thing that I hate most is ignorance, like the prejudice problems
of America. I know it is worse in some other countries. But I wish I could borrow,
like from Venezuela or Trinidad, the real love of color-blind people and bring it to
America….
EBONY: You are making some observations with intense feelings. Please
continue.
MICHAEL: I’m prejudiced against ignorance. That’s what I’m mainly prejudiced
against. It’s only ignorance and it’s taught because it’s not genetic at all. The little
children in those [countries] aren’t prejudiced. I would like for you to put this in
quotes, too. I’m really not a prejudiced person at all. I believe that people should think
about God more and creation….Look at the many wonders inside the human body -
the different colors of organs, colors of blood - and all these different colors do a
different thing in the human body. It’s the most incredible system in the world; it
makes an incredible building, the human being. And if this can happen with the
human body, why can’t we do it as people? And that’s how I feel. And that’s why I
wish the world could do more. That’s the only thing I hate. I really do.
EBONY: What you have just said is not only compassionate but compelling.
How do you communicate such feelings since you don’t make public appearances
to express your views in public forums?
MICHAEL: I try to write, put it in song. Put it in dance. Put it in my art to teach the
world. If politicians can’t do it, I want to do it. We have to do it. Artists, put it in
paintings. Poets, put it in poems, novels. That’s what we have to do. And I think it’s
so important to save the world.
EBONY: Stevie Wonder apparently shares similar feelings, judging by some of
his musical messages.
MICHAEL: That’s why I love Stevie Wonder’s biggest-selling album called Songs
in the Key of Life. He has a song on that album called Black Man….I just jumped up
screaming when I heard that record because he’s showing the world what the Black
man has done and what other races have done, and he balanced it beautifully by
putting other races in there, what they have done. Then he brings out what the Black
Man has done. Instead of naming it another thing, he named it Black Man. That’s
what I loved about it….And that’s the best way to bring about the truth, through song.
And that’s what I love about it.
EBONY: You don’t seem to have any objections to messages in music as long as
the messages are positive. Your music, unlike some artists, stays clear of
messages glorifying drugs. But drugs are a reality. How do you view it?
MICHAEL: In the field I’m in, there is a lot of that and it gets offered to me all the
time. People even go as far as to just…stick it in your pocket and walk off. Now, if it
was a good thing, they wouldn’t do that….I mean, would somebody drop something
beautiful in my pocket and just walk off? But I don’t want to have anything to do with
any of that. I mean, as corny as it sounds, but this is how I really believe: Natural
highs are the greatest highs in the world….Who wants to take something and just sit
around for the rest of the day after you take it [drugs], and don’t know who you are,
what you’re doing, where you are? Take in something that’s gonna inspire you to do
greater things in the world.
EBONY: Do you put God or religion in that process of a natural high?
MICHAEL: Oh, yes, God, really. I believe in the Bible and I try to follow the Bible.
I know I’m an imperfect person….I’m not making myself an angel because I’m not an
angel and I’m not a devil either. I try to be the best I can and I try to do what I think is
right. It’s that simple. And I do believe in God.
EBONY: Do prayers or praying play a role in your life?
MICHAEL: I pray every night. I don’t just pray at night. I pray at different times
during the day. When I see something beautiful, whenever I see beautiful scenery -
like when I’m flying or something -- I say, oh, God, that’s beautiful. And I always say
little prayers like that all through the day. I love beauty.
EBONY: Speaking of beauty, you have been associated in a public way with
many beautiful people, including your beautiful sisters, LaToya, Rebbie, and
Janet, but also Diana Ross, Tatum O’Neal, and Brooke Shields. You have been
linked romantically with the latter two. Someone said you and Tatum had a lot
in common: the parents of both of you are protective - she’s a daddy’s [Ryan
O’Neal] girl and you’re a momma’s [Katherine Jackson] boy.
MICHAEL: I want all those people who read JET and EBONY to just know that
we’re mainly good friends. That’s the main thing. I think for guys, girls make the best
friends. And for girls, guys make the best friends.
EBONY: What is your relationship with Brooke? When did you meet and has
that relationship developed?
MICHAEL: We met at the Academy Awards. She asked me to dance because I was
not going to ask her. You know, I’m really shy and embarrassed. So she says, ‘I got to
dance with you tonight.’ I said, great. So we got together on the dance floor and
danced. They were playing that old-fashioned Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey
music, which wasn’t much of a groove. First, you’ve got all these bald-headed old
people on the floor slow dancing, the Lawrence Welk sound. We really couldn’t get
into it so we got to talking and got to know each other. We switched numbers and had
phone conversations back and forth and we became real good friends.
EBONY: Does this mean that Brooke has replaced Tatum as a special friend?
MICHAEL: Tatum calls me all the time and I hope she reads this interview because
I’m sorry I couldn’t get all of her calls. But she’s still a wonderful friend of mine.
EBONY: Both Tatum and Brooke are fine actresses. You did all right in The
Wiz. What’s in the future for you now in films?
MICHAEL: I’m very excited about a lot of things that I want to do and that I’m
going to do in films and things. I really can’t wait….Since The Wiz, incredible offers
have come to me, things that are still in the making.
EBONY: You once said that you will be careful about choosing your next role so
that you won’t be typecast anymore. You said that since The Wiz, some people
still call you Scarecrow because of that character role you played.
MICHAEL: Whatever role you play, people link it with your personality. But it’s
acting. You’re portraying another person….I wish it wasn’t called acting because I
don’t really like actors. I mean, the word acting.
EBONY: Please elaborate.
MICHAEL: I don’t think acting should be acting. Acting, if you’re acting, you’re
imitating realism. You should create realism. It should be called believing. You see, I
always was against it when I thought about acting. I don’t want to see an actor. I want
so see a believer. I don’t want to see anybody that’s gonna imitate the truths. It’s not
real then. I want to see a person that’s gonna believe the truth….That’s when you
move an audience.
EBONY: What kind of questions do you wish you would be asked but nobody
ever asks you?
MICHAEL: That’s a good question. Probably about children or writing, or what I
just talked about….You don’t make a better world of minds and things when people
put the wrong things in their lyrics and give the wrong views on stage and everything.
It’s just so important and I think this can lead so many people astray, because an artist
can be built up so big in his career that this could change the whole world by what he
does and thinks. They’ll listen to him before the President or any of these big
politicians. You have to be careful. They could change these peoples’ way of life by
what they say and do. That’s why it’s important to give off love vibes and that’s why I
love what I do….When Marvin Gaye put out the album, What’s Going On, so many
Blacks as well as Whites - but mainly Blacks-were educated. ‘Wake up. What’s going
on? Wake up.’ I mean the ones that don’t watch the news, don’t read the papers to
really dig in the depths of humanism. What’s going on? Wake up.
EBONY: There have been some campaigns against so-called dirty lyrics songs by
some popular musical groups. Do you have any views about such groups and
their lyrics?
MICHAEL: Sometimes they go too far. They don’t leave anything for the
imagination. If I just walked out on stage naked, there’s no imagination. I’m not
letting them imagine what I look like without the clothes. But you see, they overdo
it….We got to leave them something to imagine. People go too far at times. I think
it’s important to set the right example because there are so many kids who look up to
us.
As the most productive year of his entertainment career comes to a close and his
talents helped him gross about $100 million, Michael is not content to rest on his
laurels or his loot. He faces a future guided by two observations, both of which he
made: “I’m interested in making a path instead of following a trail and that’s what I
want to do in life - in everything I do,” Michael told this writer in an interview on July
13, 1979.
He made the other observation in his role as Scarecrow in The Wiz, a movie in which
he co-starred with one of his dearest friends - Diana Ross.
In a scene near the end of the film, Michael spoke these words through his Scarecrow
character: “Success, fame, fortune - they are all illusions. All there is that is real is the
friendship that two can share.”
Those are the thoughts of the Michael Jackson nobody knows.
No comments:
Post a Comment