Part 18 (1/2)

Michael had been fortunate; his face and body escaped injury in the accident. He suffered a palm-sized patch of second- and third-degree burns on the back of his head. Only a small spot smaller than a half-dollar, actually, more like a quarter received a third-degree burn. Doctors said most of his hair would grow back. Ironically, Michael had visited burns patients at the same hospital on New Year's Day. He had been particularly affected by one patient, twenty-three-year-old mechanic Keith Perry, who had suffered third-degree burns on 95 per cent of his body. Michael had had photos taken of himself holding the patient's hand, with his sequined glove on. When asked why he was wearing the glove, Michael responded, 'This way, I am never offstage.' The photos were quickly distributed to the media.

By Sat.u.r.day, according to nursing supervisor Patricia Lavales, 'Michael was singing in the shower.' He spent the morning watching American Bandstand American Bandstand and and Soul Train Soul Train on television when he wasn't talking on the telephone. Diana Ross called, as did Liza Minnelli. Michael was released later that day. According to Lavales, before he left the hospital, Michael, wearing turquoise hospital scrubs over his street clothes and a black fedora covering his wound, went from room to room saying goodbye, taking photographs and signing autographs for the other burns patients. on television when he wasn't talking on the telephone. Diana Ross called, as did Liza Minnelli. Michael was released later that day. According to Lavales, before he left the hospital, Michael, wearing turquoise hospital scrubs over his street clothes and a black fedora covering his wound, went from room to room saying goodbye, taking photographs and signing autographs for the other burns patients.

After being released from the hospital, Michael checked into the Sheraton Universal for a night in order to be away from his family. John Branca met him there.

'Mike, I think G.o.d is trying to tell you something about this commercial,' John told him. 'We should never have done it.'

'I know, Branca.'

'You know what? You've got Don King to thank for this,' John added.

'Look, don't remind me,' Michael said. He was clearly disgusted.

That evening, Michael, Steve Hoefflin who had performed Michael's rhinoplasty surgery and is chief of plastic surgery at Brotman and others in the Jackson entourage, including John Branca, watched a videotape of the accident to determine just what had happened. (As soon as the accident occurred, John's partner, Gary Stiffelman, seized the tapes from the cameramen. Pepsi didn't have any footage, at all. Michael had it.) After Michael saw the tape, he became enraged. 'I could have been killed,' he said. 'Did you see what they did to me? Did you see that? Man, I can't believe it.'

Though the others tried to calm him down, it was useless.

'Show it again,' Michael ordered.

Someone popped the tape back into the VCR, and everyone watched again.

'That's it,' Michael said. 'I want the tape released to the public. I want the public to see it. I'm gonna ruin Pepsi. After my fans see this tape, Pepsi will be history.'

'But, Mike ' one of his a.s.sociates began.

'No. I'm serious,' Michael said, cutting him off. 'Release the tape. I want it on the news right away. I want everyone to see what happened to me, and I want it released on Monday. Pepsi's gonna be sorry.'

'You can't do it, Mike.'

'You wanna bet? I sure can,' Michael insisted. 'And I'm going to.'

By Sunday, word of Michael's decision got back to Roger Enrico, president of Pepsi-Cola. John Branca showed him the tape. 'Did the press reports say his hair was on fire?' Roger later recalled. 'To me, it looked like his whole head. Like a human torch. No way can anyone anyone see this footage. It's grotesque.' see this footage. It's grotesque.'

Roger knew he had to change Michael's mind or no Michael Jackson fan on the planet would ever again drink Pepsi after they saw 'what Pepsi did to him'.

'With more anxiety than I've ever felt in my life,' Enrico telephoned Joseph Jackson to ask what should be done about this problem.

'What problem?' Jackson asked.

'Michael wants to release the film with his hair on fire.'

'Why would he want to do a thing like that?' Joseph asked, perplexed.

Roger didn't know the answer to that question. He could only a.s.sume that Michael wanted revenge. He told Joseph that if Michael allowed the film to be released, people would always a.s.sociate him with the burn accident, the way, he said, the public equates the Zapruder a.s.sa.s.sination tape with President John F. Kennedy.

Joseph didn't know what to say. 'Try telling Michael what to do these days,' he said. 'There's no way. He does what he wants to do. All I can say to you,' he concluded, 'is lotsa' luck.'

The tape would be released early the next week, Michael finally decided. He was bent on revenge. It would have been distributed sooner, except that his a.s.sociates were unable to locate a lab that could process the film on a Sunday at such short notice.

First, to whet everyone's appet.i.te, a blurred photograph of Michael descending the stairs with his hair on fire it looked in the photo as if he had a halo was distributed by the a.s.sociated Press. It made the front pages of practically every daily newspaper.

After that photo was released, John Branca felt that Michael had had ample time to cool off, and he tried to talk Michael out of releasing the tape.

'It's morbid, Mike,' John told him in a meeting with a.s.sociates. 'Don't do this to your fans. And besides that, I think we should just settle with Pepsi and get on with our lives. Why infuriate everybody, Mike?'

'Why not?' Michael wanted to know.

'C'mon, Mike. You're bigger than this,' John said.

Michael cracked a smile. 'I'm being dumb, huh?' he asked, sheepishly. He'd recognized his own petulant behaviour. 'You're right,' he told his lawyer. 'Let's just end this thing, but I want them to pay, Branca. I mean it. They should pay big time for this.'

Though Michael was only paid $700,000 to do the Pepsi commercial, the publicity he would receive because of the accident would prove invaluable. It triggered an outpouring of public sympathy from around the world. The hospital where he was first taken for treatment was even forced to add six volunteers to answer telephone calls from fans and well-wishers. At Brotman, thousands of calls, letters, and cards were received.

Even Ronald Reagan got in on the act with a fan letter to Michael dated 1 February 1984: 'I was pleased to learn that you were not seriously hurt in your recent accident. I know from experience that these things can happen on the set no matter how much caution is exercised...'

'What really p.i.s.sed Mike off,' recalled Steve Howell, 'was when attorneys for Bob Giraldi [producer of the video] tried to put the blame for the burn on the hair grease Mike used. They said that this product was responsible for his hair catching fire. He thought Giraldi was his friend and wondered why he would do such a thing. The stuff he uses on his hair is, he told me, like everything else he uses on his body, one hundred per cent natural, no chemicals.'

When Michael got home to the Encino compound, one of the first things he did was call Steve Howell: 'Can you come up here and set up the video equipment in my room so I can watch the Three Stooges?'

That afternoon, Michael took a spin around the property in his electric car, a close copy of the vehicle from Mr Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland. From the street, outside the gate, his fans who were always there could see him whizzing up and down the driveway like a little boy so happy that his mother had finally let him out to play. After he put away his expensive toy, Michael playfully tossed the gown he wore in the hospital over the gate to the fans.

To this day, Michael experiences some pain in his scalp where he was burned. 'They knew I could have sued them,' Michael wrote of Pepsi in his book Moonwalk, Moonwalk, though most people felt that it was probably the production company, not Pepsi, that was responsible. 'But I was real nice about it.' though most people felt that it was probably the production company, not Pepsi, that was responsible. 'But I was real nice about it.'

Well, he wasn't that that nice. At Michael's request, John Branca pressured Pepsi-Cola into a monetary settlement. He wanted $1.5 million. The company argued that the sum was way too high. They would pay, but the accident wasn't even their fault; they blamed the production company. 'How about a half mil?' one of the soft drink's lawyers suggested. Finally, under threat of a lawsuit, Pepsi-Cola paid Michael $1.5 million. nice. At Michael's request, John Branca pressured Pepsi-Cola into a monetary settlement. He wanted $1.5 million. The company argued that the sum was way too high. They would pay, but the accident wasn't even their fault; they blamed the production company. 'How about a half mil?' one of the soft drink's lawyers suggested. Finally, under threat of a lawsuit, Pepsi-Cola paid Michael $1.5 million.

Michael Jackson accepted the money, then donated it to the Michael Jackson Burn Center, which had been established in his honour at Brotman after the accident.

'I never smile when I dance'

By February 1984, Michael Jackson's accident had been the subject of news reports for weeks. The publicity had only served to heighten the suspense about the forthcoming Pepsi commercials, which were to be aired for the first time during the upcoming Grammy Awards programme. Some people began talking about their 'debut', as if they were among the most newsworthy events of the century. Before the Grammys, the commercials would be 'unveiled' at a black-tie event for one thousand bottlers at New York's Lincoln Center; the commercials would also be screened for the press in New York, have their world premiere on MTV at no cost to the sponsor, and then, finally, appear as consecrated commercials during the Grammy telecast.

Down to the very last minute, though, Michael gave the Pepsi-Cola Company a difficult time. When he saw the finished product (actually two commercials: the concert scene and a 'street' scene featuring Michael with dancer, Alfonso Riberio), Michael adamantly insisted that they were not good enough; Michael hated them. There was too much of his face in the concert spot, he said. The bigger problem was that Michael wouldn't talk directly to the Pepsi executives about his concerns. Either he was acting spoiled or he was shy. No one was sure.

Roger Enrico then telephoned Joseph to complain that they couldn't make the commercials 'better' if Michael refused to talk about them. No matter what people may have thought about Joseph personally, they respected the fact that he was usually willing at least to listen to them. If he thought an idea had merit, he would do his best to convince Michael to consider the proposal favourably.

'Look, it's not easy for Michael,' Joseph Jackson told one Pepsi executive. 'He's got great ideas, but he can't always express them. Let me help. I can act as a go-between and make it easier on everybody. I know the kid. I know how he thinks.'

A few hours later, Joseph called Roger. 'I have Michael here,' he said, 'and I'm sure you guys can work things out.'

There was a pause.

'Go ahead. Talk to the man?' Joseph urgently whispered. 'Get on the phone, Michael.'

Michael got on the line. He then complained to Roger that he was made to take off his sungla.s.ses during the taping, and that he really hadn't wanted to do that. He had been promised, he said, that there would be only one one close-up without the shades, 'and now I see lots of close-ups of me with my gla.s.ses off.' Moreover, he fretted that there was too much of him in the commercials, ' close-up without the shades, 'and now I see lots of close-ups of me with my gla.s.ses off.' Moreover, he fretted that there was too much of him in the commercials, 'way over four seconds of my face.' The film was too dark. He spins over four seconds of my face.' The film was too dark. He spins twice twice during the routine. 'And I only agreed to one spin,' Michael reminded Roger. Also, in the commercial with Alfonso Riberio, which he liked and said was 'magic, just magic', he wanted bells to sound when Alfonso b.u.mped into him as they danced, 'like the sound of a wind chime.' during the routine. 'And I only agreed to one spin,' Michael reminded Roger. Also, in the commercial with Alfonso Riberio, which he liked and said was 'magic, just magic', he wanted bells to sound when Alfonso b.u.mped into him as they danced, 'like the sound of a wind chime.'

'Bells?' Enrico asked, dazed.