Writing Moonwalk…How It Came About, The Process, and Why It Almost Never Made It To Press
15 Friday Jul 2011
Posted Michael Jackson, Moonwalk, Shaye Areheart
in15 Friday Jul 2011
Posted Michael Jackson, Moonwalk, Shaye Areheart
in15 Friday Jul 2011
Posted Uncategorized
in” ‘She’s Out of My Life,’ is about knowing the barriers that have separated me from others are temptingly low and seemingly easy to jump over and yet they remain standing while what I really desire disappears from my sight. Tom Bahler composed a beautiful bridge, which seemed right out of an old Broadway musical. In reality, such problems are not so easily resolved and the song presents this fact, that the problem is not overcome. We couldn’t put this cut at the beginning or the end of the record, because it would have been such a downer. That’s why when Stevie’s song comes on afterward, so gently and tentatively, as if it was opening a door that had been bolted shut, I still go “Whew.” By the time Rod (Temperton’s) “Burn This Disco Out,” closes the record, the trance is broken.
But I got too wrapped up in “She’s Out of My Life.” In this case, the story’s true – I cried at the end of a take, because the words suddenly had such a strong effect on me. I had been letting so much build up inside of me. I was 21 years old, and I was so rich in some experiences while being poor in moments of true joy. Sometimes I imagine that my life experience is like an image in one of those trick mirrors in the circus, fat in one part and thin to the point of disappearing in another. I was worried that would show up on “She’s Out of My Life,” but if it touched people’s heartstrings, knowing that would make me feel less lonely.
When I got emotional after that take, the only people with me were Q (Quincy Jones) and Bruce Swedien. I remember burying my face in my hands and hearing only the hum of the machinery as my sobs echoed in the room. Later I apologized, but they said there was no need.”
Simply wanting to be accepted as a human being, and not a celebrity:
COLACELLO: Are you interested in art?Jackson contributed the song “Someone In the Dark” to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
JACKSON: I love to draw—pencil, ink pen—I love art. When I go on tour and visit museums in Holland, Germany or England—you know those huge paintings?—I’m just amazed. You don’t think a painter could do something like that. I can look at a piece of sculpture or a painting and totally lose myself in it. Standing there watching it and becoming part of the scene. It can draw tears, it can touch you so much. See, that’s where I think the actor or performer should be—to touch that truth inside of the person. Touch that reality so much that they become a part of what you’re doing and you can take them anywhere you want to. You’re happy, they’re happy. Whatever the human emotions, they’re right there with you. I love realism. I don’t like plastics. Deep down inside we’re all the same. We all have the same emotions and that’s why a film like E.T. touches everybody. Who doesn’t want to fly like Peter Pan? Who doesn’t want to fly with some magic creature from outer space and be friends with him? Steven went straight to the heart. He knows—when in doubt, go for the heart . . .
“I wanted to meet people who didn’t know who I was. I wanted to run into somebody who would be my friend because they liked me and needed a friend too, not because I was who I am. “
“Making “Off the Wall” was one of the most difficult periods of my life, despite the eventual success it enjoyed. I had very few close friends at the time and felt very isolated. I was so lonely that I used to walk through my neighborhood hoping I’d run into somebody I could talk to and perhaps become friends with. I wanted to meet people who didn’t know who I was. I wanted to run into somebody who would be my friend because they liked me and needed a friend too, not because I was who I am. I wanted to meet anybody in the neighborhood, the neighborhood kids, anybody.
Success definitely brings on loneliness. It’s true. People think you’re lucky, that you have everything. They think you can go anywhere and do anything, but that’s not the point. One hungers for the basic stuff……”
“The Victory tour was my first chance to be exposed to the Michael Jackson fans since Thriller had come out two years earlier. There were some strange reactions…
I’d bump into people in hallways and they’d go, “Naw, that can’t be him. He wouldn’t be here.” I was baffled and I’d ask myself, “Why wouldn’t I? I’m on earth somewhere. I’ve got to be somewhere at any given time. Why not here?”
Some fans imagine you to be almost an illusion, this thing that doesn’t exist….
When they see you, they feel it’s a miracle or something. I’ve had fans ask me if I use the bathroom. I mean, it gets embarrassing. They just lose touch with the fact that you’re like them because they get so excited. But I can understand it because I’d feel the same way, if, for instance, I could have met Walt Disney or Charlie Chaplin.”
On His Love of Acting
This excerpt is from an interview done with “Interview” magazine in 1982:
COLACELLO: How do you compare acting to performing on the stage?
JACKSON: I love both. Acting is the cream of the crop. I love performing. It’s a phenomenal getaway. If you want to really let out everything you feel, that’s the time to do it. With acting, it’s like becoming another person. I think that’s neat, especially when you totally forget. If you totally forget, which I love to do, that’s when it’s magic. I love to create magic—to put something together that’s so unusual, so unexpected that it blows people’s heads off. Something ahead of the times. Five steps ahead of what people are thinking. So people see it and say, “Whoa I wasn’t expecting that.” I love surprising people with a present or a gift or a stage performance or anything. I love John Travolta, who came off that Kotter show. Nobody knew he could dance or do all those things. He is like—boom. Before he knew it, he was the next big Brando or something.
COLACELLO: You like to act a lot just in everyday life?
JACKSON: I love it so much. It’s escape. It’s fun. It’s just neat to become another thing, another person. Especially when you really believe in it and it’s not like you’re acting. I always hated the word acting—to say, “I’m an actor.” It should be more than that. It should be more like a believer.
COLACELLO: But isn’t that a little frightening when you believe it totally?
JACKSON: No, that’s what I really love about it. I just like to really forget.
COLACELLO: Why do you want to forget so much? Do you think life is really hard?
JACKSON: No, maybe it’s because I just like jumping in other people’s lives and exploring. Like Charlie Chaplin. I just love him to death. The little tramp, the whole gear and everything, and his heart—everything he portrayed on the screen was a truism. It was his whole life. He was born in London, and his father died an alcoholic when he was six. He roamed the streets of England, begging, poor, hungry. All this reflects on the screen and that’s what I like to do, to bring all of those truths out . .
Why the Sunglasses and Masks? Michael’s basic human need for privacy amidst the groping, intrusive world of celebrity
“Leave Me Alone” is a track that appears only on the compact disc of “Bad”. I worked hard on that song, stacking vocals on top of each other like layers of clouds. I’m sending a simple message here: “Leave me alone.” The song is about a relationship between a guy and a girl. But what I’m really saying to people who are bothering me is: “Leave me alone.”
The pressure of success does funny things to people. A lot of people become successful very quickly and it’s an instant occurrence in their lives. Some of these people, whose success might be a one-shot thing, don’t know how to handle what happens to them.
I look at fame from a different perspective, since I’ve been in this business for so long now. I’ve learned that the way to survive as your own person is to shun personal publicity and keep a low profile as much as possible. I guess it’s good in some ways and bad in others.
The hardest part is having no privacy. I remember when we were filming “Thriller,” Jackie Onassis and Shaye Areheart came to California to discuss this book. There were photographers in the trees, everywhere. It was not possible for us to do anything without it being noticed and reported.
The price of fame can be a heavy one. Is the price you pay worth it? Consider that you really have NO privacy. You can’t really do anything unless special arrangements are made. The media prints whatever you say. They report whatever you do. They now what you buy, which movies you see, you name it. If I go to a public library, they print the titles of the books I check out. In Florida once, they printed my whole schedule in the paper; everything I did from ten in the morning until six at night. “After he did this, he did that, and after he did that, he went there, then he went door to door, and then he….”
I remember thinking to myself, “What if I were trying to do something that I didn’t happen to want reported in the paper?” All of this is the price of fame.
I think my image gets distorted in the public’s mind. They don’t get a clear or full picture of what I’m like, despite the press coverage I mentioned early. Mistruths are printed as fact, in some cases, and frequently only half of a story will be told. The part that doesn’t get printed is often the part that would make the printed part less sensational by shedding light on the facts. As a result, I think some people don’t think I’m a person who determines what’s happening with his career. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I’ve been accused of being obsessed with my privacy and it’s true that I am. People stare at you when you’re famous. They’re observing you and that’s understandable, but it’s not always easy. If you were to ask me why I wear sunglasses in public as often as I do, I’d tell you it’s because I simply don’t like to have to constantly look everyone in the eye. It’s a way of concealing just a bit of myself. After I had my wisdom teeth pulled, the dentist gave me a surgical mask to wear home to keep out germs. I loved that mask. It was great – much better than sunglasses – and I had fun wearing it around for a while. There’s so little privacy in my life that concealing just a little bit of me is a way to give myself a break from all that. It may be considered strange, I know, but I like my privacy.’
“…Music was important in Gary. We had our own radio stations and nightclubs, and there was no shortage of people who wanted to be on them. After Dad ran our Saturday afternoon rehearsals, he’d go see a local show or even drive all the way to Chicago to see someone perform. He was always watching for things that could help us down the road. He’d come home and tell us what he’d seen and who was doing what. He kept up on all the latest stuff, whether it was a local theater that ran contests we could enter or a Cavalcade of Stars show with great acts whose clothes or moves we might adapt. Sometimes I wouldn’t see Dad until I got back from Kingdom Hall on Sundays, but as soon as I ran into the house he’d be telling me what he’d seen the night before. He’d assure me I could dance on one leg like James Brown if I’d only try THIS step.”
“There I’d be, fresh out of church, and back in show business.”
His desire to unite the world/bring more love to the world and why he loved children so much:
“The best part of it (the Victory tour) for me was seeing the children in the audience. Every night there would be a number of them who had gotten all dressed up. They were so excited. I was truly inspired by the kids on that tour, kids of all ethnic groups and ages. It’s been my dream since I was a child to somehow unite people of the world through love and music. I still get goose bumps when I hear the Beatles sing, “All You Need Is Love.” I’ve always wished that song could be an anthem for the world.”
“There are so many things all around us to be thankful for. Wasn’t it Robert Frost who wrote about the world a person can see in a leaf? I think that’s true.
That’s what I love about being with kids. They notice everything. They aren’t jaded. They get excited by things we’ve forgotten to get excited about any more. They are so natural too, so unself-conscious.
I love being around them.There always seems to be a bunch of kids over at the house and they’re always welcome. They energize me – just being around them. They look at everything with such fresh eyes, such open minds. That’s part of what makes kids so creative. They don’t worry about the rules. The picture doesn’t have to be in the center of the piece of paper. The sky doesn’t have to be blue. They are accepting of people too. The only demand they make is to be treated fairly, and to be loved. I think that’s what we all want.”
A short Chat with Andy Warhol (“Interview” Magazine ,1982):
[Andy Warhol calls from New York.]
ANDY WARHOL: Hello?
JACKSON: Hi.
WARHOL: Gosh, this is exciting. You know, every time I use my Walkman I play your cassette on it . . . How have you been?
JACKSON: I’ve been in the studio a lot, writing lyrics and working on songs and stuff.
WARHOL: I might go see an English rock group at the Ritz tonight called Duran Duran. Do you know them?
JACKSON: No.
WARHOL: I went to see Blondie at the Meadowlands last week.
JACKSON: How was Blondie?
WARHOL: She was great. She’s so terrific. Do you know her?
JACKSON: No, I never met her.
WARHOL: Well, when you come to New York I’ll introduce her. Going on tour is about the hardest thing to do in the world.
JACKSON: Tour is something—the pacing. But being onstage is the most magic thing about it . . .
WARHOL: Did you ever think you’d grow up to be a singer?
JACKSON: I don’t ever remember not singing, so I never dreamed of singing.
WARHOL: Do you go out a lot or stay home?
JACKSON: I stay home.
WARHOL: Why do you stay home? There’s so much fun out. When you come to New York we’ll take you out.
JACKSON: The only time I want to go out is when I’m in New York.
WARHOL: Do you go to the movies?
JACKSON: Oh, yes. We’re going to be working on the E.T. album. I had a picture session with E.T. and it was so wonderful . . . He’s hugging me and everything.
WARHOL: I like Tron. It’s like playing the video games. Have you seen it?
JACKSON: Yes. It didn’t move me.
WARHOL: Well, thanks a lot. See you soon.
JACKSON: I hope so . . .
Laughter….
“Later, in another part of Florida, when the old tour boredom set in that I described earlier, I played a little trick on Frank (Dileo). I asked him to come up to my suite and when he came in I offered him some watermelon, which was lying on a table across the room. Frank went over to pick up a piece and tripped over my boa constrictor, Muscles, who was on the road with me. Muscles is harmless, but Frank hates snakes and proceeded to scream and yell. I started chasing him around the room with the boa. Frank got the upper hand, however. He panicked, ran from the room and grabbed the security guard’s gun. He was going to shoot Muscles, but the guard calmed him down. Later he said all he could think of was: “I’ve got to get that snake.” I’ve found that a lot of tough men are afraid of snakes.”
Trying to Understand the concept of Revenge:
“Heartbreak Hotel” was the most ambitious song I had composed. I think I worked on a number of levels: You could dance to it, sing along with it, get scared by it, and just listen. I had to tak on a slow piano and cello coda that ended on a positive note to reassure the listener; there’s no point in trying to scare someone if there isn’t something to bring the person back safe and sound from where you’ve taken them. “Heartbreak Hotel” had revenge in it and I am fascinated by the concept of revenge.
It’s something I can’t understand. The idea of making someone “pay” for something they’ve done to you or that you imagine they’ve done to you is totally alien to me. The setup showed my own fears and for the time being helped quell them. There were so many sharks in the business looking for blood in the water.”
Respect for Women and Sex as one of God’s gifts
“If this song (Heartbreak Hotel), and later “Billie Jean”, seemed to cast women in an unfavorable light, it was not meant to be taken as a personal statement. Needless to say, I love the interaction between the sexes; it is a natural part of life and I love women. I just think that when sex is used as a form of blackmail or power; it’s a repugnant (extremely distasteful or unacceptable) use of one of God’s gifts.”
Being in the Public Eye, A Need for Privacy and The Truth about Plastic Surgery:
“One of the side effects of the Thriller period was to make me weary of constantly being in the public eye. Because of this, I resolved to lead a quieter, more private life. I was still quite shy about my appearance. You must remember that I had been a child star and when you grow up under that kind of scrutiny people don’t want you to change, to get older and look different. When I first became well known, I had a lot of baby fat and a very round, chubby face. That roundness stayed with me until several years ago when I changed my diet and stopped eating beef, chicken, pork and fish, as well as certain fattening foods. I just wanted to look better, live better and be healthier. Gradually, as I lost weight, my face took on its present shape and the press started accusing me of surgically altering my appearance, beyond the nose job I freely admitted I had, like many performers and film stars. They would take an old picture from adolescence or high school, and compare it to a current photograph. In the old picture my face would be round and pudgy. I’d have an Afro, and the picture would be badly lit. The new picture would show a much older, more mature face. I’ve got a different hairstyle and a different nose. Also, the photographer’s lighting is excellent in the recent photographs. It’s really not fair to make such comparisons. They have said I had bone surgery done on my face. It seems strange to me that people would jump to that conclusion and I thought it was very unfair.
Judy Garland and Jean Harlow and many others have had their noses done. My problem is that as a child star people got used to seeing me look one way.
I’d like to set the record straight right now.
I have never had my cheeks altered or my eyes altered. I have not had my lips thinned, nor have I had dermabrasion or a skin peel. All of these charges are ridiculous. If they were true, I would say so, but they aren’t. I have had my nose altered twice and I recently added a cleft to my chin, but that is it. Period. I don’t care what anyone else says, it’s my face and I know.
I’m a vegetarian now and I’m so much thinner. I’ve been on a strict diet for years. I feel better than I ever have, healthier and more energetic. I don’t understand why the press is so interested in speculating about my appearance anyway. What does my face have to do with my music or my dancing?
“…I can’t help but pick up on some of the criticism leveled at me at times. Journalists seem willing to say anything to sell a paper. They say I’ve had my eyes widened, that I want to look more white. More white? What kind of statement is that? I didn’t invent plastic surgery. It’s been around for a long time. A lot of very fine, very nice people have had plastic surgery. No one writes about their surgery and levies such criticism at them. It’s not fair. Most of what they print is fabrication. It’s enough to make you ask, “What happened to truth. Did it go out of style?”
In the end, the most important thing is to be true to yourself and those you love and work hard. I mean, work like there’s no tomorrow. Train. Strive. I mean, really train and cultivate your talent to the highest degree. Be the best at what you do. Get to know more about your field than anybody alive. Use the tools of your trade, if it’s books or a floor to dance on or a body of water to swim in. Whatever it is, it’s yours. That’s what I’ve always tried to remember. I thought about it a lot on the Victory tour.
In the end, I felt I touched a lot of people on the Victory tour. Not exactly in the way I wanted to, but I felt that would happen later, when I was off on my own, performing and making movies. I donated all of my performance money to charity, including funds for the burn center that helped me after the fire on the Pepsi set. We donated more than four million dollars that year. For me, that was what the Victory tour was all about…giving back.
The Continued Quest for Privacy:
COLACELLO: It seems that what really motivates you is your desire to entertain people, to please people. What about fame and money? Could you imagine not being famous or does being famous bother you?
JACKSON: It never has bothered me except sometimes when you want peace. Like you go to the theater and you say, “Nobody’s bothering me tonight, I’m wearing my hat and glasses and I’m going to enjoy this film and that’s all there is to it.” You get in there and everybody’s watching and staring at you and at the climax of the film somebody taps you on the shoulder for an autograph. You just feel like you can’t get away . . .
“Interview” magazine 1982 interview
The Pepsi Scalp Burn
“I had planned to spend most of 1984 working on some movie ideas I had, but those plans got sidetracked. First, in January, I was burned on the set of a Pepsi commercial I was shooting with my brothers.
The reason for the fire was stupidity, pure and simple. We were shooting at night and I was supposed to come down a staircase with a magnesium flash bomb going off on either side of me and just behind me. It seemed so simple. I was to walk down the stairs and these bombs would blow up behind me. We did several takes that were wonderfully timed. The lighning effects from the bombs were great. Only later did I find out that these bombs were only two feet away from either side of my head, which was a total disregard of the safety regulations. I was supposed to stand in the middle of a magnesium explosion, two feet on either side.
Then Bob Giaraldi, the director, came to me and said, “Michael, you’re going down too early. We want to see you up there, up on the stairs. When the lights come on, we want to reveal that you’re there, so wait.”
So I waited, the bombs went off on either side of my head , and the sparks set my hair on fire. I was dancing down this ramp and turning around, spinning, not knowing I was on fire. Suddenly I felt my hands reflexively going to my head in an attempt to smother the flames. I fell down and just tried to shake the flames out. Jermaine turned around and saw me on the ground, just after the explosions had gone off, and he thought I had been shot by someone in the crowd – because we were shooting in front of a big audience. That’s what it looked like to him.
Miko Brando, who works for me, was the first person to reach me. After that, it was chaos. It was crazy. No film could properly capture the drama of what went on that night. The crowd was screaming. Someone shouted, “Get some ice!” There were frantic running sounds. People were yelling, “Oh no! The emergency truck came up and before they put me in I saw the Pepsi executives all huddled together in a corner, looking terrified. I remember the medical people putting me on a cot and the guys from Pepsi were so scared they couldn’t even bring themselves to check on me.
Meanwhile, I was kind of detached, despite the the terrible pain. I was watching all the drama unfold. Later they told me I was in shock, but I remember enjoying the ride to the hospital because I never thought I’d ride in an ambulance with the sirens wailing. It was one of those things I had always wanted to do when I was growing up. When we got there, they told me there were news crews outside, so I asked for my glove. There’s a famous shot of me waving from the stretcher with my glove on.
Later one of the doctors told me that it was a miracle I was alive. One of the firemen had mentioned that in most cases your clothes catch on fire, in which case your whole face can be disfigured or you can die. That’s it. I had third-degree burns on the back of my head that almost went through to my skull, so I had a lot of problems with it, but I was very lucky.
What we now know is that the incident created a lot of publicity for the commercial. They sold more Pepsi than ever before. And they came back to me later and offered me the biggest commercial endorsement fee in history It was so unprecedented that it went into The Guinness Book of World Records. Pepsi and I worked together on another commercial, called “The Kid,” and I gave them problems by limiting the shots of me because I felt the shots they were asking for didn’t work well. Later, when the commercial was a success, they told me I had been right.
I still remember how scared those Pepsi executives looked the night of the fire. They thought that my getting burned would leave a bad taste in the mouth of every kid in America who drank Pepsi. They knew I could have sued them and I could have, but I was real nice about it. Real nice. They gave me $1,500,000 which I immediately donated to the Michael Jackson Burn Center. I wanted to do something because I was so moved by the other burn patients I met while I was in the hospital.”
“There’ve been times right before a show when certain things were bothering me- business or personal problems. I would think, “I don’t know how to go through with this. I don’t know how I’m going to get through the show. I can’t perform like this.”
But once I get to the side of the stage, something happens. The rhythm starts and the lights hit me and the problems disappear. This has happened so many times. The thrill of performing just takes over. It’s like God saying, “Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Just wait. Wait till you hear this. Wait till you see this.” And the backbeat gets in my backbone and it vibrates and it just takes me. Sometimes I almost lose control and the musicians say, “What is he doing?” and they start following me. You change the whole schedule of a piece. You stop and you just take over from scratch and do a whole other thing. The song takes you in another direction.
There was a part of the show on the Victory Tour where I was doing this scatting theme and the audience was repeating what I said. I’d say, “Da, de, da, de” and they’d say, “Da, de, da, de.” There’ve been times when I’ve done that and they would start stomping. And when the whole audience is doing that, it sounds like an earthquake. Oh! Its a great feeling to be able to do that with all those people – whole stadiums – and they’re all doing the same thing you’re doing. It’s the greatest feeling in the world. You look out in the audience and see toddlers and teens and grandparents and people in their twenties and thirties. Everybody is swaying, their hands are up, and they’re all singing. You ask that the house lights come on and you see their faces and you say, “Hold hands” and they hold hands and you say “Stand up” or “clap” and they do. They’re enjoying themselves and they’ll do whatever you tell them. They love it and it’s so beautiful – all the races of people are together doing this. At times like that I say, “Look around you. Look at yourselves. Look. Look around you. Look at what you have done.” Oh, it’s so beautiful. Very powerful. Those are great moments.
Learning to Manage his own Career:
“After my experiences with the Victory tour, I started making my career decisions with more care than ever. I had learned a lesson on an earlier tour, which I remembered vividly during the difficulties with Victory.
We did a tour years ago with this guy who ripped us off, but he taught me something. He said, “Listen, all these people work for YOU. You don’t work for THEM. You are paying them.”
He kept telling me that. Finally I began to understand what he meant. It was an entirely new concept for me because at Motown everything was done for us. Other people made our decisions. I’ve been mentally scarred by that experience. “You’ve got to wear this. You’ve got to do these songs. You are going here. You are going to do this interview and that TV show.” That’s how it went. We couldn’t say anything. When he told me I was in control, I finally woke up. I realized he was right.
Despite everything, I owe that guy a debt of gratitude.”
Billie Jean, the appearance of the Fedora and the Moonwalk, Motown 25 and Perfectionistic Expectations
“So I gathered my brothers and rehearsed them for this show. I really worked them, and it felt nice, a bit like the old days of the Jackson 5. I choreographed them and rehearsed them for days at our house in Encino, videotaping every rehearsal so we could watch it later. Jermaine and Marlon also made their contributions. Next we went to Motown in Pasadena for rehearsals. We did our act and, even though we reserved our energy and never went all out at rehearsal, all the people there were clapping and coming around and watching us. Then I did my “Billie Jean” rehearsal. I just walked through it because as yet I had nothing planned. I hadn’t had time because I was so busy rehearsing the group.
The next day I called my management office and said, “Please order me a spy’s hat, like a cool fedora – something that a secret agent would wear.” I wanted something sinister and special, a real slouchy kind of hat. I still didn’t have a very good idea of what I was going to do with “Billie Jean.”
During the “Thriller” sessions, I had found a black jacket, and I said, “You know, someday I’m going to wear this to perform. It was so perfect and so show business that I wore it on Motown 25.
But the night before taping, I still had no idea what I was going to do with my solo number. So I went down to the kitchen of our house and played “Billie Jean.” Loud. I was in there by myself, the night before the show, and I pretty much stood there and let the song tell me what to do. I kind of let the dance create itself. I really let it talk to me; I heard the beat come in, and I took this spy’s hat and started to pose and step, letting the “Billie Jean,” rhythm create the movements. I felt almost compelled to let it create itself. I couldn’t help it. And that – being able to “step back” and let the dance come through – was a lot of fun.
I had also been practicing certain steps and movements, although most of the performance was actually spontaneous. I had been practicing the Moonwalk for some time, and it dawned on me in our kitchen that I would finally do the Moonwalk in public on Motown 25.
Now the Moonwalk was already out on the street by this time, but I enhanced it a little when I did it. It was born as a break-dance step, a “popping” type of thing that black kids had created dancing on street corners in the ghetto. Black people are truly innovative dancers; they create many of the new dances, pure and simple. So I said, “This is my chance to do it,” and I did it. These three kids taught it to me. They gave me the basics, and I had been doing it a lot in private. I had practiced it together with certain other steps. All I was really sure of was that on the bridge to “Billie Jean” I was going to walk backward and forward at the same time, like walking on the moon.
On the day of the taping, Motown was running behind schedule. Late. So I went off and rehearsed by myself. By then I had my spy hat. My brothers wanted to know what the hat was for, but I told them they’d have to wait and see. But I did ask Nelson Hayes for a favor. “Nelson, after I do the set with my brothers and the lights go down, sneak the hat out to me in the dark. I’ll be in the corner, next to the wings, talking to the audience, but you sneak that hat back there and put it in my hand in the dark.”
So after my brothers and I finished performing, I walked over to the side of the stage and said, “You’re beautiful! I’d like to say those were the good old days; those were magic moments with all my brothers, including Jermaine. But what I really like” and Nelson is sneaking the hat into my hand, “are the newer songs.” I turned around and grabbed the hat and went into “Billie Jean,” into the heavy rhythm; I could tell that people in the audience were really enjoying my performance. My brothers told me they were crowding the wings watching me with their mouths open, and my parents and sisters were out there in the audience. But I just remember opening my eyes at the end of the thing and seeing this sea of people standing up, applauding. And I felt so many conflicting emotions. I knew I had done my best and felt good, so good. But at the same time I felt disappointed in myself. I had planned to do one really long spin and to stop on my toes, suspended for a moment, but I didn’t stay on my toes as long as I wanted. I did the spin and I landed on one toe. I wanted to just stay there, just freeze there, but it didn’t work quite as I’d planned.
When I got backstage, the people back there were congratulating me. I was still disappointed about the spin. I had been concentrating so hard and I’m such a perfectionist. At the same time I knew that was one of the happiest moments of my life. I knew that for the first time my brothers had really gotten a chance to watch me and see what I was doing, how I was evolving. After the performance, each of them hugged and kissed me backstage. They had never done that before, and I felt happy for all of us. It was so wonderful when they kissed me like that. I loved it! I mean, we hug all the time. My whole family embraces a lot, except for my father. He’s the only one who doesn’t. Whenever the rest of us see each other, we embrace, but when they all kissed me that night, I felt as if I had been blessed by them.
The performance was still gnawing me, and I wasn’t satisfied until a little boy came up to me backstage. He was about 10 years old and was wearing a tuxedo. He looked up at me with stars in his eyes, frozen where he stood, and said, “Man, who ever taught you to dance like that?”
I kind of laughed and said, “Practice, I guess.” And this boy was looking at me, awestruck. I walked away, and for the time that that evening I felt really good about what I had accomplished that night.
I said to myself, I must have done really well because children are honest. When that kid said what he did, I really felt that I had done a good job. I was so moved by the whole experience that I went right home and wrote down everything which had happened that night. My entry ended with my encounter with the child.
The day after the Motown 25 show, Fred Astaire called me on the telephone. He said, these are his exact words, “You’re a hell of a mover. Man, you really put them on their asses last night.” That’s what Fred Astaire said to me. I thanked him. Then he said, “You’re an angry dancer. I’m the same way. I used to do the same thing with my cane.”
I had met him once or twice in the past, but this was the first time he had ever called me. He went on to say, “I watched the special last night; I taped it and I watched it again this morning. You’re a hell of a mover.”
It was the greatest compliment I had ever received in my life, and the only one I had ever wanted to believe. For Fred Astaire to tell me that meant more to me than anything.
Later my performance was nominated for an Emmy Award in a musical category, but I lost to Leontyne Price. It didn’t matter. Fred Astaire had told me things I would never forget – that was my reward. Later he invited me to his house, and there were more compliments from him until I really blushed. He went over my “Billie Jean” performance, step by step. The great choreographer Hermes Pan, who had choreographed Fred’s dances in the movies, came over, and I showed them how to Moonwalk and demonstrated some other steps that really interested them.
Not long after that Gene Kelly came by my house to visit and also said he liked by dancing. It was a fantastic experience, that show, because I felt I had been inducted into an informal fraternity of dancers, and I felt so honored because these were the people I most admired in the world.
Man in the Mirror
“Man in the Mirror” is a great message. I love that song. If John Lennon was alive, he could really relate to that song because it says that if you want to make the world a better place, you have to work on yourself and change first. It’s the same thing Kennedy was talking about when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change. Start with the man in the mirror. Start with yourself. Don’t be looking at all the other things. Start with you.
“We worked in more than one club that had strippers in those days. I used to stand in the wings of this one place in Chicago and watch a lady whose name was Mary Rose. I must have been nine or ten. This girl would take off her clothes and her panties and throw them to the audience. The men would pick them up and sniff them and yell. My brothers and I would be watching all this, taking it in, and my father wouldn’t mind. We were exposed to a lot doing that kind of circuit. In one place they had cut a litle hole in the musicians’ dressing room wall that also happened to act as a wall in the ladies’ bathroom. You could peek through this hole, and I saw stuff I’ve never forgotten. Guys on that circuit were so wild, they did stuff like drilling little holes into the walls of the ladies’ loo all the time. Of course, I’m sure that my brothers. Of course, I’m sure that my brothers and I were fighting over who got to look through the hole. “Get outta the way, it’s my turn!” Pushing each other away to make room for ourselves.
Michael’s mother worried for her son. “This is quite a life for a nine-year old,” she would say, staring intently at my father.”
“He’d (my father) would sit at home with us every day after school and rehearse us. We’d perform for him and he’d critique us. If you messed up, you got hit, sometimes with a belt, sometimes with a switch. My father was real strict with us. Real strict. Marlon was the one who got in trouble all the time. On the other hand, I’d get beaten for things that happened mostly outside rehearsal. Dad would make me so mad and hurt that I’d try to get back at him and get beatel all the more. I’d take a shoe and throw it at him, or I’d just fight back, swinging my fists. That’s why I got it more than all my brothers combined. I would fight back and my father would kill me, just tear me up. Mother told me I’d fight back even when I was very little, but I don’t remember that. I do remember running under tables to get away from him, and making him angrier. We had a turbulent relationship.”
“I remember my childhood as mostly work, even though I loved to sing. I wasn’t forced into this business by stage parents the way Judy Garland was. I did it because I enjoyed it and because it was as natural to me as drawing a breath and exhaling it. I did it because I was compelled to do it, not by parents or family, but by my own inner life in the world of music.
“There were times, let me make that clear, when I’d come home from school and I’d only have time to put my books down and get ready for the studio. Once there, I’d sing until late at night, until it was past my bedtime, really. There was a park across the street from the Motown studio, and I can remember looking at those kids playing games….
I’d just stare and them and wonder, I couldn’t imagine such freedom, such a carefree life, and wish more than anything that I had that kind of freedom, that I could walk away and be like them.”
14 Thursday Jul 2011
Posted Michael Jackson, Susan Yu, Tom Mesereau
in
Yu has received recognition and awards for her contributions to various community-based organizations and has been listed as one of the “Top 75 Women Litigators in California” by the Los Angeles Daily Journal, the leading legal newspaper in California
Source: http://www.mesereauyu.com/?p=673
From the Mesereau and Yu website:
Over the years, Ms. Yu has successfully defended prominent clients in high-stakes cases, including: the late music legend, Michael Jackson; the former First Lady of Gabon, Africa (also the mother of the country’s current president, President Ali Bongo); actor Robert Blake; a prominent Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon before the California Medical board; a well-respected Radiologist; a successful Orthopedic Surgeon in Beverly Hills; a highly accomplished Corporate Lawyerin Los Angeles; the world’s largest home improvement retailer, Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.; the founder and former CEO of women’s knitwear, St. John Knits International, Inc.; the country’s highest grossing Real Estate Agent; one of the country’s top real estate companies, Coldwell Banker Realty; and a publicly traded, Texas-based Oil Pipeline Company.
Committed to excellence and strong dedication to her clients, Ms. Yu has consistently obtained outstanding results, both in and out of the court.
You can read more here: http://www.mesereauyu.com/?page_id=1146
Both Susan Yu and Tom Mesereau were a stellar law team that brought justice for Michael Jackson in the courtroom and overcame some heavy obstacles…a rabid media, so much deception, a family with an intent to extort. It’s wonderful to see Susan Yu getting some very well-deserved recognition from her law partner and someone so highly respected in the Michael Jackson fan community.
Congratulations Susan for all of your accomplishments and thank you so much for all you did for Michael! You, along with Tom Mesereau, made sure an innocent man was exhonerated. God Bless You both!
09 Saturday Jul 2011
Posted Uncategorized
in“…I had danced with MJ in two videos. I was the gang leader in Beat It, and a zombie dancer in Thriller, as well as being the assistant choreographer for Michael Peters. I was at home one night and got a phone call. A very soft voice asked for Vincent Paterson. I thought it was someone playing a joke on me, using a voice like Michael Jackson. “Who’s calling? “ I asked. “It’s Michael Jackson,” was the reply. “Who the hell is this?” I asked. Same response. “I’m gonna hang the f*** phone up if you don’t tell me who is calling,“ I said. It really was Michael Jackson. I profusely apologized.
To Paterson, Jackson was the catalyst of his success, not the Wacko Jacko, off-the-deep-end image concocted by the tabloids.“I lived with Michael through all of those years with the press,” Paterson said. “I would sit in the trailer and he would cry. He would say ‘I don’t understand why they want to tear me apart.’”
Read the rest of this story HERE
08 Friday Jul 2011
Many of you recently have seen video, audio or print regarding an interview done with singer Aaron Carter. This interview was done with OK! Magazine, and tabloid journalist Daphne Barak was the interviewer.
Much scandal has come from this interview and things that were alleged to have been said. This news went national and international and is all over the internet.
I’m going to share with you some of my thoughts, as well as facts and information, and also an amazing, well-written piece by The Silenced Truth about Michael Jackson website. This truth needs to be known.
The main problem with all that has gone on, is that the stories that have come out have not corroborated one another, and, the stories Aaron has shared in these recent audio interviews, do not corroborate the stories that he himself shared years ago, insisting that Michael NEVER gave him drugs, nor alcohol and that nothing untoward ever happened between himself and Michael.
Why has Aaron changed his story? Did the tabloids lie?
My goal here is to try to clear up some of the mess and bring some sanity back to what is once again, nothing more than a tabloid, sensationalized story, highlighting lies and untruths. I know some will not agree with my covering this subject, but I aim to do this in a very fair, clear, just manner because, I feel, Michael deserves truth. If we don’t get the truth out there and debunk the lies and sensationalism coming out once again, the skewed stories that have changed over the course of time for everyone’s benefit except for Michael’s, regardless of the lack of truth contained in those stories, then who will?
The problem is, there is a portion of the public that believes these tabloid stories and they won’t take the time to check to see if there is any truth to them.. They see it and immediately say “oh my God! I knew it! Here’s proof of what Michael Jackson did, what kind of a person he was”. This is very damaging because, like nearly everything else, they are sound bytes the media uses to make us believe something. They know we’re too darn lazy to research it ourselves…and they know that any story about Michael Jackson is going to net them big profits.
NOW…what about truth? As Michael stated himself “Has the truth gone out of style?”
What we all know by now, is that tabloids LIE….they will twist people’s words, add things, take things out and just outright lie to put out a story that will sell their magazine or newspaper. Also, don’t quickly discredit the timing of this interview and scandal as a possible attempt to taint the jury pool for the upcoming trial against Michael’s physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.
The problem is, tabloids rely on 2 things to make them successful.
The interviewee, the subject/person being interviewed, and most times this person is offered a LOT of money to do the interview…which can be anywhere in the range of 5 and 6 figures…and in doing so, they agree to insinuate, give innuendo to possible scandal, or outright lie or share negative, juicy stories about another person, most often a person of great renown whose name will sell that tabloid or newspaper. So, the tabloids need that interview subject and, they need the public to buy the crap. So the 2 needs a tabloid has are people willing to sell their soul and lie, for money or to give the publication the right to lie because they needed or wanted that money or publicity so badly, and, the gullible, willing public, wanting to fill a void with garbage news.
So, regardless of what has happened here, be it that Aaron’s words were twisted or lied about, or if he indeed said some of these things, either way, Aaron Carter is responsible for his part in this in that he agreed to the tabloid interview, got paid to do it (this is the major draw of doing a tabloid interview) and, being in the entertainment business, he is well aware of what the tabloids are, and what they do. He MUST take responsibility for his part in this, even if the tabloids twisted his words.
In saying this, however, I ask that no hate be directed towards Aaron. We are all better than that. Many may not be happy with this story or the rotating, changing-by-the-minute stories, not to mention the complete lack of respect for another human being, especially someone who has passed on and can no longer defend himself against this, but, we must act out of a place of love, and dignity.
It’s no secret that the tabloids are full of gossip and lies. This is how they make their money. They sensationalize and bring down others for the monetary success of their publication and their journalists. They have their major part as well in ruining reputations and slandering the character of others. The two work together synergistically. The tabloids need those who are willing to accept money to shovel out dirt. If you interview with a tabloid, you had better be aware that what you share is going to be twisted most times, and, that they will require of you to share “dirt”…if they didn’t, they certainly would not be offering that kind of money to do the interviews. Everyone who knows about tabloids, knows this is how they work.
Long-time friend to Michael Jackson, David Nordahl, spoke with me about this in the interview he did with me, stating that he was approached with tabloids carrying briefcases full of money and that they made it clear they were looking for dirt on Michael. He didn’t take the bait because not only did he have dignity and was a true friend, but, he said it very clearly…This is a paraphrase…”there were no such stories…there was nothing bad to say about Michael.”
Dr. Patrick Treacy, who befriended Michael when he lived in Ireland after the 2005 trial, also spoke of having tabloids offering him lots of money to divulge negative stories about Jackson. He didn’t bite either and also shared that there were NO negative stories to share.
Those with dignity will resist, no matter the amount of money.
Below is what was published on the OK Magazine website, highlighting what is supposed to be in the magazine article:
As I’ve stated above, this clip is from OK! Magazine’s website. That is the direct source. I will not post the link because in doing so, it will earn them money from this story for every click.
From this, we have very little idea, other than the audio/video, of what Aaron Carter actually said versus what was printed. As stated previously, the tabloids routinely change a story around and will mince words that were said in an interview to fit what they want the public to think.
We also don’t know if the audio was edited, though, Aaron himself, in this interview below, claims that what he said on video is what he said, and nothing more. Aaron comes across as upset over this injustice and the lie that he supposedly had stated that Michael gave him cocaine. I understand that anger and I am grateful that it seems he tried to clear this up, but the problem is, the damage was already done by agreeing in the first place, to interview with a known tabloid. I am really not sure at this point on what to think. I was angry when I first heard and now, I just simply want the truth out there.
This interview (below) is a defense from Aaron regarding the recent OK! Magazine article. Notice closely that he vehemently denies that Michael ever gave him cocaine, and, he states that there was wine at this party, and he had some, but he NEVER STATES that Michael gave him the wine. THIS is why we have to pay such close attention.
We know that the Arvizo boys, Star and Gavin (Gavin Arvizo was the boy who accused Michael of molestation in 2003….if you want to learn more about that, click HERE), knew there was a wine cellar at Neverland and they broke into the cellar and stole wine from there. When Michael found out about this and other things the family were doing, he was outraged and this is when he started to want them to leave, they knew there were on their way out, and that’s when the trouble, and allegations, began. Aaron, in this interview below, states that the article above is not true, that he never stated that.
@fdcascio
Frank Cascio
I knew Michael for over 25 year and NEVER once did he use cocaine or suggest to anyone else to use cocaine. Never!!!!
Rodney Jerkins, who was also a friend of Michael’s and the music producer for “You Rock My World” off of Michael’s “Invincible” Album, had this to say on his Twitter:
Rodney Jerkins
ONLY1DARKCHILD Rodney JerkinsReading this interview that @iamaaroncarter did about MJ. Im so tired of people trying to make a name for them self on the count of MJ.
ONLY1DARKCHILD Rodney JerkinsPeople need to chill out and let MJ rest in peace.
“Ugh, I mean, there was definitely…things that happened, you know, that were just different, you know, weird. He, ugh, he drank, he drank around me a little bit, and you know, he (then Barak asks him to verify that he was 14/15). Then, in a nearly inaudible question, Aaron was either asked if any of the other kids were drunk, or, if Michael was acting drunk, and he answered, “ugh, yeah.” He then states that he personally didn’t see any drug issues. He goes on to say that the time he spent with Michael he was fine, but then here’s the kicker “well, who knows…the human body builds a tolerance” leaving that room for speculation that the tabloids demand. He then goes on to say “He could have been doing something and I didn’t have a clue…”
The questioning then continues with Barak stating that Aaron only spent 2 days with him and Michael could have hidden something, with Carter stating “absolutely, he could have walked in the bathroom, it takes 2 seconds.”
Carter states in this interview that he wants to preserve Michael’s legacy…yet, with the words he is using and the fact that he willingly was interviewed by a tabloid, I’m not sure how he expected to do that
“He wanted me to stay in his room. So he got a cot, a bed, uh, and I stayed on the cot, in his room…and it’s must have been 5 o’clock in the morning, he’s on my bed. He’s on the foot of my bed. (listen closely to how Aaron is saying this…there is no doubt it is being said in a way that insinuates that something might not be right and that he is afraid or confused)….”And I wake up (gasp), like, what are you doing? It’s like, you know, I’m 15 years old, you know, like, what are you doing? Like, oh my God. So he went in his bed and I’m like okaaaaay.
Barak then asks Carter, “when he was doing this, where were they? (Michael’s kids). Aaron answers…”they were right in the room next door.
BUT….What about this Aaron?
On his playdate at Neverland with Jackson, who has been charged with child molestation: “Michael and I have been friends for three years. I went to Neverland for his (45th) birthday bash. We were smashing cake in each other’s faces. It was really cool. Until 5 a.m., me, him and Chris Tucker were out on four-wheelers, riding around in the mountains. Nothing happened between me and Michael. We didn’t sleep in the same room, we didn’t share a bed. We have a normal friendship. There’s nothing sexual to it.” ~People Magazine, November 2004
Did you catch that?
“Nothing happened between me and Michael. We didn’t sleep in the same room, we didn’t share a bed.”
Why now then, is Aaron stating that they did sleep in the same room? The party was in 2003, this interview was done in 2004!!!
And THIS?
Teen pop star Aaron Carter is speaking out to PEOPLE about his troubled relationship with his mother and sister – and about his friendship with Michael Jackson.
After Carter’s mother Jane told “Access Hollywood” that her son had spent an unsupervised night with Jackson at his Neverland Ranch, and Carter’s sister Leslie, 18, implied that drug use may have been involved, Carter told PEOPLE: “I don’t do drugs. I didn’t do them with Michael Jackson and I don’t do them with anyone else.”
Carter, 16, had a lot more to say in a frank discussion.
On his mother and sister: “I really don’t like being around them. All I hear is ‘You need to go on television and make me look better.’ I just think, ‘Just be my mother, just be my sister.’ It’s all about money and publicity for them. My last word to (my mother) is that she’s the adult, not me. But it seems to be switched around.
It’s easy to see that this line of audio that was released July 1st (below) insinuates that Michael was doing something sinister to Aaron, when in fact, all Aaron actually states is that supposedly Michael was sitting on the foot of his bed….did this even happen? We know that in several earlier interviews, he stated that he slept in the movie theater and NEVER slept in Michael’s room! Making matters even worse is that, either by his own accord, or the way the audio may have been altered, this scenario, which I doubt ever happened, is portrayed as somehow scary and that he was afraid. His voice comes across as very deliberate in that he is trying to insinuate something sensationalistic. This completely contradicts everything he has previously testified to numerous times.
Here’s the audio:
Now, compare and contrast that with this interview, below, done several years ago. In this interview below, EVERYTHING that Aaron says is completely opposite of what is in the above interviews. Here, Aaron and his brother Nick Carter, are talking about the EXACT SAME PARTY/event that Aaron speaks about above, and yet, he has completely and utterly, changed every aspect of his story.
I am not crazy about Howard Stern (he of course is a shock jock, just after shocking, disgusting information and innuendos..he’s basically a radio tabloid journalist), and I’m not real crazy about how Aaron acts here either in this interview as I feel that some of his behavior, laughing along, etc. are disrespectful to Michael, whom he claims is/was his friend, but you will see, that Aaron’s original story here is completely opposite of what he has shared in the past month.
“(I) never (had sleep-overs with Michael Jackson. You know what, actually, Chris Tucker was there too (at the party) and Rodney Jerkins, he was producing his album. […] It was (Michael’s) birthday party. […] Well, we met him through Rodney Jerkins, he was in the studio and he wanted to meet the both of us. […] No, I don’t think he was interested like everybody portrays him to be. He’s definitely – he’s definitely [gets interrupted by host]. […] (He) never (gave me a car). [His brother Nick jumps in to defend him] You don’t even need to. You don’t even need to.Because it really pisses me off that people would think about Michael like that, because… […] Well, you’re wrong. You’re wrong, Howard. You’re wrong, Howard! […] (I was) fifteen (when I hang out with him). […] He never did (buy me a car).[…] He (just) gave me a jacket that he wore for the 2001 anniversary that he did with his brothers. […] (I never smoked weed with Michael Jackson). No, never, nu-uh. […] (Raising hand) I swear I never smoked weed with Michael Jackson. […] [I never drank wine with him.] No, it’s not true, none of this is true. […] Not a damned thing. […] (He never touched me.) Never, never. […] [He never suggested we have a sleepover.]No, never, never heard anything like that.” (from The Silenced Truth website)
“The context in question is a bash held at Neverland Ranch in 2003 celebrating Jackson’s birthday, at which brothers Nick and Aaron carter, Frank Cascio, music producer and publisher Rodney Jerkins, comedy actor Chris Tucker, former boxer Mike Tyson among others, including a variety of admirers, were present. Jerkins also declared the following on his Twitter account: “I’m so tired of people trying to make a name for them self on the count of MJ.”
….And last, but certainly not least, here is what a (very reliable) acquaintance of Michael Jackson’s, who was also present at the mentioned 2003 birthday, has to say following this media hysteria. For security and confidentiality purposes, we are not revealing their identity, but The Silenced Truth are assuring you all they are both accurate and reliable. We are also encouraging you to forward the below statements – that counter everything that has been recently claimed by both Aaron Carter and the transparent media pundits where you can or find fit:“He´s been lying a lot about that party. I´m not a famous person and what I say (may) have no meaning, but those who were on that party too and who are famous should really speak about what went on there. Karen (Faye) can also do that (…).I saw Michael leave for just a few minutes to wash (his face) of (sic) that cake (he was smeared with by Aaron Carter), he was later sipping on a glass of wine, and he never finished it. They were out driving around the ranch with the fourwheelers and we were many out there having a laugh about it. When talking to Michael, he (Michael) said he didn´t even know half of the people being there, but he loved that the fans could be there. When he finally left the party after driving around the ranch, he was alone except for one security guy. He invited a few (I was among them) into the house, we were there for about an hour. He left for his bedroom and didn´t ask us to leave, it was more like “Enjoy yourself, I trust you”. And there were (sic) no Aaron Carter anywhere to be found in that house during that night. He´s taken care off by (Chris) Tucker, I think, I didn´t see him after the drive around the ranch. So much more happened, but not a single minute was Michael out of sight, except when he cleaned up himself.Sorry for ranting, I never tell people about things like this, but right now I feel so mad. (Aaron) must come forward and say he didn´t say (and do) these things (…).”—
The above source states:
“…he was later sipping on a glass of wine, and he never finished it.”
This completely corroborates with what artist David Nordahl shared with me. David was a friend of Michael’s for 20 years, and he shared that he only saw Michael drink wine several times, and ONLY ONE GLASS each time!
Below is what The Silenced Truth website shared in full and I think it’s well worth a read. I encourage you to read this to find out yet further truth about the truth behind these interviews:
July 1, 2011: Rodney Jerkins: “People need to chill out and let MJ rest in peace.” …
Hello, everyone…
As you may have unfortunately learned, an interview with singer and former child star, Aaron Carter, conducted by tabloid mogul, Daphne Barak, took place around two weeks ago. and will soon be made available in full. This interview (with OK! Magazine in Australia) features almost grotesque disinformation directed by the interviewer, Barak even apparently influencing some of Carter’s responses regarding his former (famous) friend, Michael Jackson, through speculation and deliberate innuendo, in order that the exhaustingly circulated (and untruthful) portrayal of Jackson as a drug user (and addict) be rebrought and refreshed in the space of the already majorly manipulated public opinion. This interview has been conducted only a few days after the 6th year celebration of Jackson’s vindication (June 13, 2005) in a court of law on June 13, 2005
All misdemeanor counts against a minor (including of administering alcohol to a minor).
The context in question is a bash held at Neverland Ranch in 2003 celebrating Jackson’s birthday, at which brothers Nick and Aaron carter, Frank Cascio, music producer and publisher Rodney Jerkins, comedy actor Chris Tucker, former boxer Mike Tyson among others, including a variety of admirers, were present. Jerkins also declared the following on his Twitter account:
“I’m so tired of people trying to make a name for them self on the count of MJ.”
To find out about who Daphne Barack is, please click on this link, the bold headline of which being more than revelatory: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/03/24/712377/- Daphne-BarakA-meddling-tabloid-vulture-masquerading-as-a-journalist
You may also recall that Barak interviewed Jackson’s former nanny, Grace Rwaramba, shortly before his death in 2009. In video footage available on the Internet of this interview, Rwaramba expresses her frustration over being fired by Jackson’s team, yet Barak’s later publication of this 1 / 10July 1, 2011: interview would feature damaging revelations such as Rwaramba pumping her former employer’s stomach for drugs several times. The former nanny would quickly counter the preposterous quotes being attributed to her. She would state:
“I am shocked, hurt and deeply saddened by recent statements the press has attributed to me. […] The statements attributed to me confirm the worst in human tendencies to sensationalize tragedy and smear reputations for profit.”
Rwaramba’s close friend, Mallika Chopra, defended her friend by explaining how “so-called journalist”, Daphne Barak, presented herself as a confidant, baiting the nanny for foul information and manipulating it for her article.
(
)
Has a similar situation occurred in the case of this latest interview conducted by Barak? Was he misquoted as well? This damaging story, eerily similar to previous false allegations made by subjects for pure monetary gains, has been making its insidious rounds on the Internet over the past 2 weeks, when fans of both Jackson and Carter tweeted him promptly to get him to confirm or deny the authenticity of the said interview and, most importantly, of the quotes attributed to him, that read that Jackson had given him both wine and drugs. Since yesterday, such malevolent quotes have been extensively disseminated by tabloids and other media outlets, including CNN, and Carter himself is yet to make an official statement regarding this unfortunate situation. A video of Carter’s actual interview – a so far edited and poorly taped version – has been made available, although beforehand, more apparent misquotations (unless they have been truncated in the actual subsequent video) of Carter would arise:
“I never talked about it…This is the first time. I do… I miss Michael… I have spent such incredible times with him. I did things with him that nobody else did… But I was also troubled about what he did to me. Yes, he gave me wine. I mean, I could have refused, but I was 15. He gave me cocaine. I felt weird about that and other stuff… We spoke afterwards, hours and hours, on the phone. I admired Michael, but his behavior bothered me a lot. Then my mother called the police.” The alleged confessions about the drugs are actually differently expressed in the said footage. Does not it seem like some more innuendo is being thrown in?….
Here is the transcript of Carter’s statements as shown in the video (courtesy of Qbee from MJJC Staff, who adds some of her own relevant comments), which do not include some of the quoted or misquoted comments available online:
“[…]
Daphne: Question something about being weird.
2 / 10July 1, 2011: Rodney Jerkins: “People need to chill out and let MJ rest in peace.” …
Aaron: “I mean there was definatly (sic) things that happened that were just different, weird, and, uh, he drank around me” ( why) weird ?? and why state MJ drank around him (a dose of dirt $$$) kind of harmless.
Daphne How old were you ?
I was 14 yrrs (sic) so and a .. yeah
Makes it seem a litle inappropriate [TST editor note: Carter was 15 years old.]
Daphne: But Did he ask you to drink ?
Aaron: Yeah, he did, yeah. (Pay Dirt)
He could have answered as he did in previous interviews and said NO, but NO, doesn’t pay here.
Daphne: Was their (sic) any drug issues?
Aaron starts out fine.
Aaron: I personnaly didn’t see any drug issues, you know, I never saw any injections, nothing like that, no, never saw it.
But then Aaron volunteers this .. alluding to the fact MJ could have been using drugs ..
Aaron: The time I spent with him, yes, he was fine. Ya know, but who knows, the human body builds a tolerance for things, ya know .. so, who knows, he could have been doign (sic) something and I didn’t have a clue. So, ya knows (dirt $$)
WHY volunteer this info ? He wasn’t asked for it.
Daphne says something like you were not with him all the time he could have had pills???
Aaron: Right. Absolutely. Sure. He could have walked in the bathroom and took it. Ya know .. it takes 2 seconds .
(Right & Absolutely ???????) no pause for thought (just a little more dirt $$)
There is cut in the video here .. so we don’t know what more he said .. before this.
Aaron wants to play his song probaly (sic) from his new album (The promotional perk he gets for dishing the dirt) .
Sadly, this is how it works.
Aaron: You know, I wanted to Express that ah – A message to him if he could have heard it. Ya know, (cut) and that I’m gonna protect his Legacy (Cut) It’s funy (sic) becuase (sic) a lot of the things that Michael did I wanna do. (cut)
Aaron: This is the tribute.
Daphne: sounds like she says an Ode to Michael.
Aaron sings the song.
[…]
Clap clap
Aarons says thank you”
We can only wonder what bits were cut from this interview. Most likely, flattering words about Jackson that tabloid moguls cannot afford to publicize. Daphne Barak is a tabloid journalist that pays very well for dirt. Tom Sneddon, former district attorney of Santa Barbara County, would have undoubtedly used this ‘evidence’ for the 2005 shakedown of a trial, but never did, as it never existed. Moreover, the FBI files, declassified a few months after Michael Jackson’s death, are demonstrating that no incriminations related to him have ever been discovered and documented, despite most extensive investigation.
Here is what long-time friend, Francesco (Frank) Cascio, had to say on this recent allegation on his Twitter account the other day:
“I knew Michael for over 25 year and NEVER once did he use cocaine or suggest to anyone else to use cocaine. Never!!!!”
Michael Jackson’s cousin, Anthony Jackson, wrote:
“When in doubt, listen to your heart instead of what people say” #MichaeLegacy”
In 2006, Aaron Carter (accompanied by brother Nick) appeared on the Howard Stern Show.
(Stern is another pseudo-journalist known to mercilessly poke fun and make defamatory remarks at Jackson)
Here is what Aaron C. had to say about Jackson in this interview (which you can find on YouTube):
“(I) never (had sleep-overs with Michael Jackson.
You know what, actually, Chris Tucker was there too (at the party) and Rodney Jerkins, he was producing his album. […] It was (Michael’s) birthday party. […] Well, we met him through Rodney Jerkins, he was in the studio and he wanted to meet the both of us. […] No, I don’t think he was interested like everybody portrays him to be. He’s definitely – he’s definitely [gets interrupted by host]. […] (He) never (gave me a car). [His brother Nick jumps in to defend him] You don’t even need to. You don’t even need to. Because it really pisses me off that people would think about Michael like that, because… […] Well, you’re wrong. You’re wrong, Howard. You’re wrong, Howard! […] (I was) fifteen (when I hang out with him). […] He never did (buy me a car). […] He (just) gave me a jacket that he wore for the 2001 anniversary that he did with his brothers. […] ( I never smoked weed with Michael Jackson). No, never, nu-uh. […] (Raising hand) I swear I never smoked weed with Michael Jackson. […] [I never drank wine with him.] No, it’s not true, none of this is true. […] Not a damned thing. […] (He never touched me.) Never, never. […] [He never suggested we have a sleepover.] No, never, never heard anything like that.”
In a 2004 interview with PEOPLE, Carter says: “I didn’t do drugs with Michael Jackson.”
Moreover, in a 2010 interview he did with author and journalist, Sandy Lo, Aaron Carter declared the following on his late friend:
“I kind of have some animosity (that he is gone). I knew Michael personally and we grew up very similar (sic). His death, for some reason, made people realize, but only for a minute – that their negativity in this world is what brings everybody down. It’s a very touchy subject for me. Michael was a very timid person. The world made him timid, but he also felt he had to continue to keep himself out there and show his face, because he had all of those fans. He really did love his fans. That was the only thing that kept him going – was his fans and that he wanted to make the world a better place. When he said that, he wanted to help people be more positive and be more caring and giving. It didn’t really happen. People just mourned over the fact that he died instead of realizing what he did. That’s pretty much all I have to say.”
And last, but certainly not least, here is what a (very reliable) acquaintance of Michael Jackson’s, who was also present at the mentioned 2003 birthday, has to say following this media hysteria. For security and confidentiality purposes, we are not revealing their identity, but The Silenced Truth are assuring you all they are both accurate and reliable. We are also encouraging you to forward the below statements – that counter everything that has been recently claimed by both Aaron Carter and the transparent media pundits where you can or find fit:
“He´s been lying a lot about that party. I´m not a famous person and what I say (may) have no meaning, but those who were on that party too and who are famous should really speak about what went on there. Karen (Faye) can also do that (…).
I saw Michael leave for just a few minutes to wash (his face) of (sic) that cake (he was smeared with by Aaron Carter), he was later sipping on a glass of wine, and he never finished it. They were out driving around the ranch with the fourwheelers and we were many out there having a laugh about it. When talking to Michael, he (Michael) said he didn´t even know half of the people being there, but he loved that the fans could be there.
When he finally left the party after driving around the ranch, he was alone except for one security guy. He invited a few (I was among them) into the house, we were there for about an hour. He left for his bedroom and didn´t ask us to leave, it was more like “Enjoy yourself, I trust you”.
And there were (sic) no Aaron Carter anywhere to be found in that house during that night. He´s taken care off by (Chris) Tucker, I think, I didn´t see him after the drive around the ranch. So much more happened, but not a single minute was Michael out of sight, except when he cleaned up himself.
Sorry for ranting, I never tell people about things like this, but right now I feel so mad.
(Aaron) must come forward and say he didn´t say (and do) these things (…).”
—
(!) Edited for latest news (from another tabloid, TMZ, but better than nothing..?):
“Aaron Carter’s rep claims the singer NEVER told an entertainment reporter Michael Jackson gave him cocaine and alcohol when he was 15 years old … and says the reporter COMPLETELY FABRICATED the story.
The controversy stems from an article that ran in OK! Magazine in Australia, written by international journalist Daphne Barak
In the article, Carter was quoted as saying, “Yes, [MJ] gave me wine. I mean, I could have refused, but I was 15. As for drugs? He gave me cocaine.” But Carter’s rep tells TMZ,
“Nothing was said that was reported” … and directed us toward a YouTube video of the interview with Barak … which seems to back up Aaron’s side of the story. We’ve reached out to Barak for comment — so far, no response.”
—
Let us hope Aaron Carter himself will make a conclusive statement about this soon… Because as of late, by reading the video’s said interview transcripts, by watching and listening to this interview (which we will choose not to post), and due to yet not addressing this grave issue personally, it is obvious that, to some quite large extents, Carter is being just as responsible as interviewer Daphne Barak and OK! Magazine….
Edit II: The second part of this leaked interview contains an even more damaging scenario and an utterly false one. Carter is alluding to intended child molestation by Michael Jackson. We are not going to be according even more attention to these salacious, money-driven accusations.
Aaron Carter has been undoubtedly paid for this interview and even more to say these kind of lies, therefore is equally to blame for such a horrid betrayal through shameless deceit.
Please, resume above reading for previous quotations of other interviews with Carter denying any kind of impropriety between him and Jackson.
….. For how long will Michael Jackson’s name and memory continue to be frivolously and shamelessly tarnished? How many more so-called friends will continue to betray him, even moreso after his (very suspicious.. and planned) death? For what mundane and evanescent price? How many more lies will his children and other loved ones have to hear? When will his soul be finally left to rest in peace?…
In the meantime, if you wish to contact the following people: Daphne Barak (see above), you can do so on this email address:
nydesk@daphnebarak.com
To contact Ok Magazine US: Editor: Richard Spencer, email: Richard.Spencer@okmagazine.com
His assistant: Sue, email: editfreelancer2@okmagazine.com
—
For some more observations on the media’s most perverse strategy to mask an actually very simple, yet profound truth about Michael Jackson, tune in soon for a follow-up bullet. … The media and their chosen accomplices are in this together. The following days, more snippets of this terrible interview will be leaked, among which, it is claimed, even more disturbing revelations. Regardless, please, prepare to arm yourselves with calmness, and know for certain that there is a large media conspiracy against Michael Jackson erupting (yet again..) and that he is innocent of all such mean-spirited allegations as proven. We will keep you posted on this story as it unfolds. ..
Kind regards…
The Silenced Truth Team
Source: The Silenced Truth
Another important read:
http://reflectionsonthedance.blogspot.com/2011/05/understanding-medias-role-in-your.html
Many thanks also to the Reflections on the Dance Facebook page friends who have shared information and links with me to make my research easier and to The Silenced Truth team for their wonderful website article and research.
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