a clip from the visual Docomentary by Adrian Grant
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958 in the small steel town of Gary in Indiania in Americas north east.He was the fifth son and seventh of nine children born to Joseph and Katherine Jackson who,following a whirlwind courtship,were married in 1949.The Jackson family's rise to success in the epitome of the all-American dream but as Katherine admitted in the early part of 1994,the dream has become a nightmare.Her comments,unsuprisingly,were swiftly tempered by the Jacksons spokesman,her ever-watchful son Jermaine.Spearing a family reunion show,at a time when Michael faced allegations of child abuse and the Jacksons required all their inner strength,Jermaine was close hand to promate-however unconvincingly-the unity of the Jackson family.Talk of chold molestation is inappropriate in a book about the life and career of the man who many regard as the world's greatest all-round entertainer.Michael's career is unparalleled in the hostory of music buisness-and so too is the medias unrelenting hunger for gossip about him.Michaels accomplishments in the 80s made him the most influential musician og the decade,a living legend,recognised the world over.From his groundbreaking videos,innovative dance routines,countless hit records and breathtaking live performances to his humanitarian activities spanning two decades,and culminating of his own children's charity-the Hela The World foundation.Michael Jacksons name has become synonymous with all that is good and pure in the world.He even rubbed shoulders with three presidents. It all seemed too good to be true;too mutch for one man to have the world at his feet,to be equipped with a voice that could touch millions,irrespectiv of creed or colour.It seemed almost as if someone,somwere vecame intolerant with the ever-increasing power amd influence which Michael enjoyed,and planned for it to end in the most cruel manner imaginable. And so it was that Monday,August 23,1993, While Michael was on tour in Bankok about to thrill hundreds of tohousands of adoring fans with his electrifying stage presence,the scandal-hungry press finally had their day.Allegations of child abuse!The story of the century!With little regard for the truth or for the consequences,the race for sensational headlines to boost tabloid sales and tv ratings began.At last the media pack had something with which to damage and perhaps destroy Michael's untained image.The very same medium which had helped to catapult Michael's career to the dizzy heights of mega stardom.the likes of which are unlikely ever again to be equalled-was now plotting his downfall.The reporting in the tabloid press was cold-blodded and malicious.For years Michael's relationship with the press had been on a downward slide,accelerated by this refusal to give any interview what so ever.Now it was time for the backlash.With each passing day the stories became more and more outrageous .With a press unwilling to print any positive statments about Michael or even cover his defence,millions of tormented admirers were forced to witness Jackson-bashing at fever pitch.Compelled to stand by helplessly,they tried to comprehend what was happenining in a world they no longer understood.How could a star wich has once shone so brightly be dimmed so mercilessly.When Michael agreed to be interviewed by Operah Winfrey in 1993,more than a hundred million people around the world became privy to the fantasy of Neverland,his California pleasuredome.The interview was dissected globally as the public tried hard to understand more about this elusive,reclusive manchild.
In Q magazine,Paul Du Noyer wrote in 1987:"There is a blakness to Michael Jacksons public face.A man with no age,no race,no sex,no opinions." But Michael Jackson does have opinions,as we would learn in this interview.More importantly,he truly does have God-given talents.Michael' s short aa cappella version of "who is it" became the highlight of the interview,so much that a special version of the song including this passage was rush marketed in the US.This was Michael doing what he does best.The force which drives Michael to sing comes from within.Michael Jackson himself is the force.
It is time to stop digging at the superficial surface we see and read avout in the tabloids,whose only concern is to sell newsprint.It is also time that the industry refrain from treating him like a "dancing machine"-a clockworktoy,lest we lose this precious,magical force altogheter.
