From A Distance, He Seems Weird, But He's Really A Nice Guy

Singer Mickey Free, who was once with the group Shalamar, was invited by Diana Ross to dinner to meet Michael Jackson. "So I had dinner with Michael , Diana, and Gene [Simmons, Diana's boyfriend then]. I was freaking out because I always wanted to meet Michael, and he was so nice. So it came time for me to go home. Diana's car had brought me there, and she said, 'Okay, I'll call the driver to come and get you.' Michael very softly said, 'Oh, that's okay, I'll take Mickey home.' "

Diana and Gene were astonished. "Are you sure you want to do this, Michael?" Diana asked, concerned. "I mean, are you sure you can handle it? Driving him home and all?"

"Yeah, I can do it, Diane," Michael said confidently.

Mickey got into Michael's Silver Shadow Rolls-Royce, and the two drove off into the night.

"This was really a big deal for him," Mickey said. "Driving me home and all."

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Mickey's apartment, but Michael drove around the block a few times, He finally confessed, "You know what? I can drive this thing, but I don't know how to parallel park it. Can you park this for me?"

"Heck, yeah, I can," Mickey replied.

"I rode around the block ten times trying to find a parking place so people could see me driving Michael Jackson around in this fabulous car," Mickey Free recalled. "Michael was nice. We went up to my apartment, looked at pictures. He stayed about fifteen minutes, and I walked him back to his car. He drove off. Didn't crash into anybody or anything."

Michel began to socialize away from his family. He had met Jane Fonda two years prior and visited her on the set of On Golden Pond in 1980, and stayed with her in a private cabin.

"A lot of people thought that was very strange," said publicist Sarah Holiday. "But Jane just thought that Michael was a fascinating person. She made it clear that if anyone were to ever gossip about her and Michael, that person would be in serious trouble. 'He's too delicate to handle gossip,' she would say. She had been in the business for so long, she said it was nice to talk to someone who seemed unjaded by it all."

"We were all alone there on the water, " Michael said of his night with Jane Fonda, "and we just talked, talked, talked about everything. It was the greatest education for me: she'd learn, and I'd learn, and we'd just play off of each other. We talked about all kinds of things, you name it- politics, philosophy, racism, Vietnam, acting, all kinds of things. It was magic."

Michael was intimidated, at first, by Henry Fonda, but soon the two of them struck up a friendship. The two spent two hours fishing, and talking about theater. "Yes, he's strange," Henry said of Michael. "So what?"

We just sat and talked for a long time," Michael would recall. "He was such a wise man. He gave me a lot of tips about acting, and about stardom. How he handled it, and all."

"Dad was also painfully self-conscious and shy in life. He really only felt comfortable when he was behind the mask of a character. He could liberate himself when he was being someone else. That's a lot like Michael. Michael reminds me of the walking wounded. He's an extremely fragile person. I think that just getting on with life, making contact with people, is hard enough for him, much less having to be worried about whither goes the world."

After Henry Fonda died after a bout from heart disease on August 11,1983, Michael telephoned Jane at her family's home to see if he could come by.

Michael also met Katherine Hepburn on the set of On Golden Pond, but their initial meeting did not go so well. She thought he was odd, and was suspicious of him. She shook his hand and said nice to meet you, and walked away. "She doesn't like me," Michael complained to Jane. "And she's an idol of mine. I hate it when my idols don't like me."

"What is it with him?" Katherine asked someone on the set. "First of all , why is he here? That's what I don't understand. And why does he talk like that, with that whisper? What is he trying to pull?"

"There are a lot of people she doesn't like," Michael said of Hepburn. "She'll tell you right away if she doesn't like you. When I first met her, it was a little shaky because you hear things about her. Jane filled me in. I was kind of scared."

Later that afternoon, Michael sat alone in a corner watching a rehearsal. Katherine Hepburn came from behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"You and I are having dinner tonight, young man," she said.

"We are? Michael gasped.

That night, Michael and Katherine had dinner and became great friends. "We call each other on the phone, and she sends me letters. She's just wonderful. I went to her house in New York and she showed me Spencer Tracy's favorite chair and his private things in his closet, his little knickknacks," Michael would recall.

Now that is cool. But can you imagine Michael Jackson and Gene Simmons having dinner, and what would they be discussing? I wish I was there. That just goes to show the interesting people who have encountered Michael in his life.

Thank you J.Randy Taraborrelli, "MICHAEL JACKSON- THE MAGIC AND THE MADNESS"

pages 268-280.

Okay Michael, For Real, What Did You Do To Yourself?

By 1981, Michael felt as though his life was out of control. The persona shown an stage is nothing like the man that lived offstage. The person he saw in the mirror was someone he did not like very much, controlled by others, and who's opinion did not matter much,but respected as an artist. He decided to concentrate on his appearance. That, he could control.

During a dance routine in 1979, Michael tripped and fell onstage, and when he hit the floor, he broke his nose. He flew back to Los Angeles and had his first rhinoplasty surgery in the spring of 1979.

The nose that we see on the cover of Michael's "Off The Wall" album, is the result. It is just a little smaller than the nose he was born with, but Michael liked it.

The doctor who performed the procedure did not do it correctly, which resulted in breathing problems, so Dr. Steven Hoeflin did the corrective surgery, and all of the surgeries done in the future.

Michael had severe problems with acne, and found through research that the type of foods that he liked to eat, mostly greasy, possibly contributed to his complexion problems. Following the lead of Jermaine, who solved his problems by becoming an vegetarian, Michael became one also. Not that he had a weight problem, but he longed for a dancer's body.

As a result of the change of diet, Michael's appearance became more streamlined, less round.His acne cleared up, and his more defined face was because of the weight loss from his vegetarian diet, not because of plastic surgery. Also, Michael was not a little boy anymore, he had matured into a young man.

I'm A Man Now, Worth Something, Don't Forget That

On August 29,1979, Michael Jackson turned twenty-one. He was known to say, "When I become twenty-one, things will be different. I really feel that being a man is doing exactly what you want to do in this life and to do it successfully and conquer a goal. That's the whole thing in life, I guess, to do what you want to do. And is it's great, to share it. To me, Walt Disney is a real man. Charlie Chaplin, a real man. Fred Astaire, a real man. Bill Robinson, a real man. Because not only have they conquered goals, how many people have they influenced. Other people looked up to them. They made paths."
Michael and Joe had some words when Michael said that he wanted more control over his career. Joe did not think that Michael would follow through with his plans. Michael set up an meeting with a new attorney, not using attorneys that Joe used, to look over his affairs and follow where his money was going.
Michael's accountant at the time, Michael Mesnick, recommended John Branca, an entertainment attorney, to Michael. Michael and Mesnick did their studying before the meeting with Branca, and were ready for any line of questions.
Michael stated that he wanted to distance himself from his family. To be independent, especially from his father. He wanted his business , publishing and record sales reviewed.
After the meeting, Michael knew he had found his man, and let him know what he wanted to accomplish, one, to be the biggest star in show business. Second, to be the wealthiest. Branca was impressed by Michael's belief in himself, and he started to feel the same . It was time to go to work.
John Branca wold become, over the next eleven years, the most influential person in Michael's career. Many of Michael's associates would say if not for Branca, Michael would not be as successful as he had become. He negotiated every every business deal for him, became a friend and adviser.
One thing that Branca did was renegotiated his contract with CBS. Branca got Michael the highest royalty rate at that time, thirty-seven percent of hundred percent of wholesale. People like Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan were making that. In addition, an agreement was made with Yetnikoff and the Jackson's legal adviser, that Michael could leave the Jacksons anytime he wanted. He didn't have to record another record with his brothers if he didn't want to. Of course, the brothers were none too happy about this arrangement.
Michael wanted to be a cover story with Rolling Stone magazine. But, according to a letter sent by publisher Jann Wenner to Michael's publicist, Norman Winter, "We would very much like to do a major piece on Michael Jackson, but feel it is not a cover story."
"I've been told over and over again that black people on the cover of magazines don't sell copies," Michael said angrily. "Just wait. Someday those magazines are going to be begging me for an interview. Maybe I'll give them one. And maybe I won't."

Thank you J.Randy Taraborrelli, MICHAEL JACKSON -The Magic and the Madness pages 233-236.

Michael + Quincy = Magic

Quincy Jones found the experience working on "The Wiz" difficult, because he didn't feel the public would accept a black version of "The Wizard of Oz." But,"Out of that mess came my association with Michael Jackson."
Michael and Quincy's relationship jelled from the beginning because Quincy gave the artists only the best songs and musicians to work with, and then let them do as they please. Michael was so happy to work in this capacity because he always felt held back from creating the kind of music he envisioned. Quincy admitted that he wasn't sure if Michael could deliver because he found Michael to be "very, very introverted, shy, and unassertive. He wasn't at all sure that he could make a name for himself on his own. Neither was I."
However, before long, Quincy found Michael to be quite versatile. "He can come to a session and put down two lead vocals and three background parts in one day," he said at the time. "He does his homework, rehearses and works hard at home. Most singers want to do everything in the studio- write words and music, figure out harmonies, try different approaches to a song.That makes me crazy. All I can see is dollar signs going up. Studio time is enormously expensive, and that's why someone like Michael Jackson is a producer's dream artist.He walks in prepared, We accomplish so much in a single session, it stuns me. In my opinion, Michael Jackson is going to be the star of the eighties and nineties."
Their relationship extended outside the studio. In Quincy, Michael would confide in Quincy the way he should have with his father, and also take direction willingly.Michael also learned about the quality of a song. Quincy always was looking for the best songs, and if he found some that were better, he would use those instead. Though Michael submitted his own songs and some were dismissed, the end result justified the frustration of losing songs in the project.
The final product was the album Off the Wall, which was released in August 1979. The public and critics were amazed at the craftsmanship and care to deliver the finest performance that Michael could give. Engineer Bruce Swedien mixed Quincy's tracks with Michael "new" adult voice in a way that fans could fully appreciate the album's sophisticated style.
The album was successful, with "Rock With You" reaching number one, and both "Off the Wall" and "She's Out of My Life" reaching number ten. The album itself sold a mind-blowing six million copies, impressive even today for a first album.
However, Michael was disappointed, especially after winning only one Grammy Award. "It bothered me. I cried a lot." he said. "My family thought I was going crazy, because I was weeping so much about it."
But, he vowed, "You watch. The next album I do, you watch...I'll show them."

Thank you, J.Randy Taraborrelli, Michael Jackson - The Magic and the Madness" pages 230-233.

No Wonder, He IS Like A Kid !!

Michael had an interview with J.Randy Taraborrelli on August 22, 1978, at the Jackson's estate. The comments and actions seem to show the stunted growth of Michael socially, and educationally. One would start to think that they were conversing with a fourteen-year-old rather than a twenty-year-old. He wore a Jaws t-shirt, black jeans, safari hat, and bare feet. He was very thin, and spoke with a falsetto whisper. He had to be reminded by his mother to offer his guests something to drink. She was bothered that she found it difficult to get him to eat. But she did reveal that his favorite foods were hot apple turnovers and sweet- potato pies.
Michael seemed to be uninformed about the current events at the time, which showed the isolation he had from the world. "I don't know much about politics," Michael admitted. "Nothing , I guess. Someone told me recently that Gerald Ford was president. I remember when he was vice-president. But president? That I missed." He laughed at that, but he was serious.
Taraborrelli asked, "How do you keep up with current events? Do you read newspapers? Watch T.V.?"
"I watch cartoons, I love cartoons," he said as his eyes lit up. "I love Disney so much. The Magic Kingdom. Disneyland. It's such a magical place. Walt Disney was a dreamer,like me. And he made his dreams come true, like me. I hope."
He said that he did not read newspapers. "See, I like show business. I listen to music all the time. I watch old movies. Fred Astaire movies. Gene Kelly, I love. And Sammy [Davis]. I can watch these guys all day., twenty-four hours a day. That's what I love the most. Show business, you know?"
He finds that his biggest challenge professionally is to live up to his father's expectations. But, his professional and personal challenges are the same because,"I just want to entertain."
He expressed that he really didn't have any friends to confide in. However, it was clear that he did have a crush on one person in particular. Miss. Diana Ross. "...I can tell my deepest, darkest secrets to [her] because I know she won't tell anyone, not another living soul." Whether that was true or not, anyone who has had a crush on someone knows fantasy can be a replacement for reality.
When joined by his brothers, Michael talked about the strange incidents that have occurred on the property. Girls getting cut just to get a glimpse of the superstars , fans jumping over the gate and coming into the house. One did this and sat down in the den, where the the brothers found her, and said that God had sent her.
Once an entire family got into the house and took a tour of the house. Helping themselves to looking at their private things.
But then the interview took a turn to becoming uncomfortable for Michael, when nicknames came up.
"Mike has a nickname, Jackie mentioned. "It's a real good one."
"Don't, Jackie, " Michael warned.
"We call him....Big Nose!" The brothers all laughed, uncaring that Michael was embarrassed.
"Yeah, Big Nose," Marlon repeated. "What's happenin', Big Nose?" Michael seemed to curl up inside and hardly said anything for the rest of the afternoon.
But the brothers weren't the only family members clueless about the devastating effect that name calling does to a person. Joseph was just as brutal, though he didn't , on this occasion , say it to Michael to his face.
"Marlon told me about what happened. You're not gonna write about Michael's nickname, are you?" he asked. "He doesn't like that nickname they gave him. Liver Lips."
"Liver Lips? They told me his nickname is Big Nose," Taraborreli replied. He said he didn't know how he was going to handle the situation.
"Oh, yeah," Joe said "That boy's so sensitive about his nose. Do you see anything wrong with his nose?"
"No., not at all."
"Me neither," Joe said. "But that's all he ever talks about. His damn nose. Threatened to have it fixed. What can he do with it? I told I'd break his face if he ever had it fixed." he laughed. "You don't fix something that ain't broke. He's got a great nose. It looks like mine."
Michael summed up his life later with these revealing words. He was talking about his character the Scarecrow in The Wiz.
"What I like about my character is his, I guess you can call it, his confusion. He knows he has these, uh, these problems, I guess you can call them. But he doesn't exactly know why he has them or how he got that way. And he understands that he see things differently from the way everyone else does., but he can't put his finger on why. He's not like other people. No one understands him. So he goes through his whole life with this, uh..." he paused, "confusion."
"Everybody thinks he's very special," he concluded thoughtfully. "But, really, he's very sad, He's so so sad. Do you understand? He asked urgently, "Do you understand his sadness?"

Thank you, J.Randy Taraborrelli - "Michael Jackson -The Magic and the Madness" pages 215-222.

Has He, Or Hasn't He? Is He Or Isn't He?

There has been much speculation over the sexual orientation and sexual experience of Michael Jackson. I find the interest amusing, particularly because his sexuality seems to be to be quite obvious. Because Michael, from a very young age, was exposed to sex and sexual situations, he seems to be quite sensitive to the subject. When one is inundated to something to the point where it becomes offensive or repulsive, one tends to stay away from such a thing. While his brothers, and his father were very active sexually, Michael saw the effect that activity had on the females. So, rather than sharing himself in bed, he did so through song and dance.
"I think it's fun that girls think I'm sexy," Michael said. "But I don't think about that myself. It's all fantasy, really. I like to make my fans happy that I might pose or dance in a way that makes them think I'm romantic. But really I guess I'm not that way."
I personally think that Michael was straight. Just listen to his music, or even better, read the lyrics of his songs. They have always been directed to a woman, not a man . When one observes the music of Elton John, George Michael, Freddie Mercury, or other gay men in the music business, they never refer to a female. The lyrics are never directed to either sex, making them attractive to both. Michael's music and lyrics are CLEARLY towards a woman. Women wonder, therefore, what would he be like sexually, if he could move and sound that way. Men want to know how to move and sound that way to get the girls!
Michael was a very religious man, and because of the mistreatment he saw towards women, desired to get to know women from the inside out. Let's look at an encounter Michael once had to prove my point.

"I was hanging around backstage, working Madison Square Garden's dressing area, when someone who introduced himself as an employee of the Jacksons came over to me and asked me if I wanted to spend an evening with Michael," the source said. 'Hell, yeah,' I said. He asked me how much, and I told him I would do it for free. I wanted to have sex with Michael Jackson. Who wouldn't." She was brought back to Michael's dressing room where he was alone. He told her to close the door. "The first thing that came out of his mouth was, 'Why are you a prostitute?' Immediately, I was insulted- I don't know why- but I answered, 'because I need the money,' He said to me, 'Would you like to have sex with me?' and I said,'Yes, of course I would." He asked me how much. I told him, 'No charge.' He seemed interested." She started to undress and showed him her breasts. 'Stop. I can't have sex with you. Please put them back,' he said.
When I asked him why he told me, 'I just can't,' I thought he meant he couldn't have an erection,he looked so sad. Then he said,' Can we just talk about you and your life?' I didn't want to talk, that's not why I went there. So I gave him my telephone number.
" 'Anytime you want to get off, you call me, ' I said. Michael looked at me and asked,'What does that mean, to get off ? I swear he was totally sincere. 'It means @$%&, Michael,' I told him. 'Anytime you want to @$%&, you call me. Get it?'
"He said,' Oh, okay. Maybe I'll call you someday. I doubt it, though.' And then I left."
"He struck me as so pitifully lonely and naive," she concluded. "Just a nice, mixed-up, good-looking guy who wanted some female companionship. No way was he about to have sex that night, though. He seemed scared to death."
Note, Michael didn't say he didn't want to have sex, he said he "can't " have sex. Michael was a devout Jehovah's Witness, and a believer in the Bible's teaching. Michael found a way of expressing himself sexually on stage, through dance, and through song, rather than performing the actual act.

Thank you J.Randy Taraborrelli "Michael Jackson - The Magic and the Madness" pages 186,192, and 193.

On This One, Joe Was Right

The CBS Records Group seemed to be attractive to Joe Jackson because of the black artists in its Epic label. Their distribution and promotion reputation was also highly regarded as top-notch. Ron Alexenberg, president of Epic, was interested in the Jackson 5 since he worked under Motown's Ewart Abner. He felt that Berry Gordy had not utilized the full potential of what the Jackson 5 had to offer. He and Joe began to negotiate for the Jackson's toward signing on to Epic and Alexenberg went to Walter Yetnikoff, president of CBS Records. Yetnikoff felt that the group was not hot property, but Alexenberg assured him, "Trust me. This group isn't finished. It hasn't even begun yet."
The deal was struck. The group receive a "signing bonus" of $750,000, plus an additional $500,000 "recording fund," used to produced the group's albums. They were to be paid $350,000 per album. The advance money from CBS was to be paid from royalties, but the royalty rate was 27 percent of the wholesale price for records in the United States. At Motown, they were paid only 2.7 percent, and the group's expenses and studio time was deducted from that, leaving them with almost nothing. To show what a significant deal this was, in 1975, an album retailed for $6.98 , $3.50 wholesale. The Jacksons at Epic would make 94.5 cents per album sold in the United States. At Motown, the group made 11 cents worldwide! Do the math! After each of the group's albums sold over $500,000, the royalty rate increased to 30 percent, or $1.05 a record.
Of course, there was a catch. Yetnikoff would not allow the brothers to write, produce, or choose their material. After much debate, the agreement was that the brothers could choose three songs per album, and an unwritten clause that if the group submitted three good songs, they could be up for consideration.
Michael was amazed that the group was worth so much, that this is the kind of contract that other well known acts were used to. He admired his father's courage and strength to come up with what was best for their careers and future. "I have to admit it. This is one incredible record deal. My father has done an amazing job for us."