Part 25 (2/2)

In fact, Michael never misled his father into thinking he would a.s.sist him in the investment. Joseph had telephoned Michael before he attempted to buy the complex to ask for a.s.sistance. Michael made it clear to him that he wanted nothing to do with it and warned Joseph not to get involved in it. Still, Joseph wrote the cheque out... and then hoped to find a way to cover it. When he couldn't, he called Michael, again. 'It's only a few million bucks,' Joseph said. 'Help me out, Michael.'

Michael said no, absolutely not. He was not going to bail his father out, and he could not be convinced to do so, even by Katherine. 'He has to learn,' Michael told one of his a.s.sociates. 'If I give him the money, he'll be back for more, and more, and more. d.a.m.n it, I'm just not going to do it. I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it.'

Joseph also asked some of his other children for help, including Janet, all of whom told him they could not, or would not, a.s.sist him. Perhaps they didn't think the investment was a good one, considering Joseph's track record. Larry Anderson, a friend of Joseph's for fifteen years, explained, 'Joseph loves his kids. He hoped they would help out. It seems like a lot of money, but really it isn't when you think of all that was made in that family.'

By December 1988, the proposed Jackson reunion shows in Korea had to come to pa.s.s, or Joseph Jackson would forever have the large Berwin judgement hanging over his head. 'I met with Jerome Howard,' Gary Berwin said. 'We started comparing notes on how this wacky family was being run. In the final a.n.a.lysis, it didn't look good for either one of us.'

At this time, Michael was in j.a.pan on his Bad tour. Joseph thought if he could obtain his brothers' cooperation, he may have some leverage with which to obtain Michael's. Therefore, a Jackson family meeting was set up at Hayvenhurst, in the family's movie theatre.

First, Joseph and Katherine spoke to Jackie, t.i.to, Marlon, Randy, Jermaine and Jermaine's fiancee, Margaret Maldonado. (Jermaine and Hazel divorced in July 1988. He and Margaret would eventually have a second child.) The brothers had to be approached carefully, on the chance they might not agree to go to Korea. For Joseph, it was as if he was going into the lion's den, that's how suspicious the brothers were of him and of anyone who would have anything to do with him like Jerome Howard. After about two hours, a relieved Joseph came out of the theatre. He was sweating, as if he'd just run a triathlon.

'So, now, look,' he told Jerome, who had been waiting for him in the living room. 'You go in there and do what you can. But don't talk to them about nothing but contracts. Don't mention the Moonies and all that stuff, 'cause then they're not gonna want to do it. Just talk to them about all the money they're gonna make. That's it.'

When Jerome went into the thirty-two-seat theatre, he found Jackson family members scattered all about it. 'I thought, d.a.m.n! These people don't eyen want to sit near each other,' Jerome recalled.

Jerome stood in front of the screen and delivered a speech about the proposed concerts. He talked about the millions that could be made, and how much publicity could be generated. He didn't mention the Moonies, or much about the financial backing other than Kenneth Choi's involvement. Immediately afterwards, Marlon rose from his chair. 'No way,' he said. 'Forget it. No more family tours for me. I don't care how many millions are involved, I learned my lesson the last time. Count me out.'

Marlon was finished with The Jacksons, and he had ambivalent feelings about Michael. The brothers had hoped to go with Michael on the Bad tour, if not in a full-reunion capacity, maybe just as part of the act, singing a medley of old hits. Michael was elusive about the possibility, and never actually said that he wouldn't be using them on the show. He's the one who had mentioned it to them but, given the family dynamic, who knows or remembers why. In the end, though, he decided against the idea. 'I'd hear from friends what was going on,' Marlon complained later, in an interview. 'If he didn't want to tell me the truth, he shouldn't have said anything. But instead, he lies. The last time I got a straight answer from Michael was back in 1984.' No doubt, Marlon was still stung from the most recent fib Michael had told him, which was that he was not moving out of Hayvenhurst and into Neverland.

Still, Marlon had a warm spot in his heart for his brother. When he had trouble extricating himself from his mediocre CBS recording contract, Michael called the company's president Walter Yetnikoff and secured his brother's release. 'I just don't want anything to further ruin the way I feel about Mike,' he said. 'I don't think we should work together. It's better when we don't.'

'Well, too bad for you,' Jackie said to Marlon. 'Because I'm in.'

'Me too,' said Randy.

Jermaine conferred with Margaret; the two whispered back and forth to each other, urgently. 'Okay,' he said, finally. 'I'm in, too.'

'Count me in too,' t.i.to piped up.

'But what about Michael?' Randy wanted to know. 'What are we gonna do about Michael?'

'We don't need him,' Jackie said. 'We can do it ourselves, without him.'

Katherine agreed. 'Oh, let's not bring Michael into this,' she said. 'Please. Isn't there some way to do this without him?'

Jerome shook his head. He had to be careful how he put it, but the fact was that the Olympic Stadium in Seoul seats sixty thousand people, and the brothers would not be able to fill it on their own. They'd never performed without Michael, and this was no time to start. Besides, the Koreans wanted Michael Jackson a lot more than they wanted the rest of them. 'I think it would be best if we approached Michael,' Jerome said cautiously. 'We should at least give him the opportunity we have to make this much money.'

'Look, just leave him to Mother and me,' Jermaine offered, impatiently. 'We'll talk him into it.'

'How?' Randy wanted to know.

Jermaine turned to Katherine. She took a deep breath and sighed wearily. 'I'll see what I can do,' she said. 'I'm just afraid that if we push too hard, we'll lose Michael forever. And then, what will we do?'

'Attack him with love'

The final date of Michael Jackson's Bad tour was at the end of January in 1989 at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles. Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Dionne Warwick, and many other celebrities attended the concerts, as well as Katherine and Janet Jackson. Michael dedicated his Motown hits medley to Berry Gordy, who was sitting with Diahann Carroll and Suzanne dePa.s.se. 4.5 million people had paid to see Michael perform since the tour began in September 1987. Over the last year and a half, he had performed 123 concerts in fifteen countries on four continents. The show's weekly expenses were between $500,000 and $650,000. The tour grossed over $125 million at the box office.

It hadn't been all work, however. 'He would always take time to see the sights,' recalled Seth Riggs. 'When we were rehearsing in Liverpool, he stopped the practice session so that we could look at some beautiful clouds that had wafted in. That's Michael. They closed down the Louvre in Paris for a whole day while Michael and the rest of us went through. In Rome, Franco Zeffirelli gave him a big party. All of the creme de la creme were there, and suddenly Zeffirelli couldn't find Michael. He looked all over and found Michael in a room with a bunch of little kids in their pyjamas, playing. He's the most natural, loving person I've ever known, a very good person, as corny as that sounds,' continued Riggs, who still works with Michael on a regular basis.

'He'll see a picture of a baby, and if it's a cute kid, he will go gaga over the picture. During the tour, on his nights off, he would go into a toy store and buy ten of this and ten of that and then stay up all night long putting batteries into toys, making certain each one worked so that he could have them ready to give to kids backstage the next day. As if he didn't have enough to worry about.'

On one leg of the tour, Michael brought along his ten-year-old friend, Jimmy Safechuck. Michael had a copy of one of his stage uniforms made for Jimmy so that they could dress alike. Most people found the relations.h.i.+p strange, especially when Michael would take him on shopping sprees. He spent thousands of dollars on toys for Jimmy in London. At one point, Michael had to cancel two shows because he caught a cold from the kid.

Another young friend of Michael's, Jonathan Spence, said, 'When we hang out. He's just like any other guy. He never talks about himself, only about what is going on with others. We never talk about show business. Sometimes he'll put on a disguise when we're in public. When we go to Disneyland, we'll go through the back and take all the alleys and back ways and get in front of the lines. He can't wait in the line, no way. He would cause a riot. We move fast through Disneyland; if people get a good look at him, that'll be it for that outing.

'He's one of the nicest people I've ever known. He's smart. He knows a lot about everything. He's a kid. He never really had a childhood, and he's having it now. The stuff I read in the papers about him, I know it's all a bunch of B.S. I just ignore it. A couple of times I've asked him about girlfriends and stuff, but we never really get into that. We don't talk about the plastic surgery either, because it's none of my business. He never brings it up. It's not like he says, ”Well, how do you like my new chin?” It's hard to get in touch with him, though. I usually have to call his secretary, and then a couple of days later, he'll call me.'

After Michael gave Jimmy Safechuck's parents a hundred-thousand-dollar Rolls-Royce, Frank Dileo became concerned about the way it looked. It seemed inappropriate. He suggested that Michael break off his friends.h.i.+p with Jimmy. Michael was hurt, then angry. 'No way,' he told Frank. 'Forget it.'

'But I don't like it, Michael,' Frank insisted. 'It looks bad, you and all these kids.'

'Mind your own business then,' Michael snapped back, 'and maybe it won't look so bad. How's that sound?'

With the tour finished, Michael and Jimmy holed up at Neverland, recharging their batteries, so to speak. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Michael, someone named Kenneth Choi wanted his signature on the contract for the Jackson Moonies Project. 'I was getting faxes left and right,' Jerome Howard recalled. 'The heat was on. We had to get Michael. But the timing was wrong. It was a bad time to approach him.'

'We're giving Michael his s.p.a.ce now,' Jermaine said at the time. 'But after he finishes his tour, we're all going to attack him with love.'

Michael might have responded by saying, 'Please, don't do me any favours.'

None of the Jacksons was even able to contact Michael. It was sad that he didn't feel comfortable contacting his family members, but he sensed that whenever he opened himself up to them they ended up wanting something from him, and he had nothing else to give. 'Dirty Diana' realized Frank Dileo's prophecy of five number-one hits from the Bad Bad alb.u.m, the first alb.u.m in pop history to generate five number-one singles. Yet, despite all of the touring, his last two singles, 'Another Part of Me' and 'Smooth Criminal' did not make number one. Michael wants alb.u.m, the first alb.u.m in pop history to generate five number-one singles. Yet, despite all of the touring, his last two singles, 'Another Part of Me' and 'Smooth Criminal' did not make number one. Michael wants every every record to go to number one. The sales of the record to go to number one. The sales of the Bad Bad alb.u.m stalled at seventeen million, amazing but still a far cry from alb.u.m stalled at seventeen million, amazing but still a far cry from Thriller Thriller's sales of almost forty million. It was obvious that Michael would not break his own sales record, which depressed him.

'They think he's shy and he's evasive and all of this,' observed his guitarist David Williams. 'No. He's just f.u.c.king scared and tired of people bugging him.'

Whenever Michael went out, it was in disguise. For instance, he visited a pharmacy in Westwood disguised with a large Afro wig and dark gla.s.ses. Still, he was picked out by the store's manager. 'I recognized him the minute I saw his nose and chin,' he said. When asked what Michael had purchased, he answered, 'A hand-held power vibrator.'

One does have to wonder about the true reasons for Michael's outrageous disguises. It seems that when he truly wants wants attention, he wears a costume so ridiculous he gets the desired result. Occasionally, though, matters get out of hand. For instance, Michael once went into a jewellery store in Simi Valley, California, wearing a wig under a baseball cap, a phony-looking moustache, and fake buck teeth. He was accompanied by a young boy. Nervously, he continually adjusted his moustache while looking into a mirror. When employees feared the suspicious character was 'casing the joint', a security guard asked him to step outside and demanded an explanation. 'I have to wear a costume,' Michael said. 'I'm Michael Jackson.' Michael then removed the disguise. By that time, however, three squad cars had arrived, as had a huge crowd. Michael's presence, along with the police, had caused such hysteria, everyone present had to have his autograph. He happily signed for all. Perhaps the get-up did serve a purpose, but not the one most people thought it was supposed to serve; he clearly wanted the attention. He loves his fans, and he also loves knowing they still love him. attention, he wears a costume so ridiculous he gets the desired result. Occasionally, though, matters get out of hand. For instance, Michael once went into a jewellery store in Simi Valley, California, wearing a wig under a baseball cap, a phony-looking moustache, and fake buck teeth. He was accompanied by a young boy. Nervously, he continually adjusted his moustache while looking into a mirror. When employees feared the suspicious character was 'casing the joint', a security guard asked him to step outside and demanded an explanation. 'I have to wear a costume,' Michael said. 'I'm Michael Jackson.' Michael then removed the disguise. By that time, however, three squad cars had arrived, as had a huge crowd. Michael's presence, along with the police, had caused such hysteria, everyone present had to have his autograph. He happily signed for all. Perhaps the get-up did serve a purpose, but not the one most people thought it was supposed to serve; he clearly wanted the attention. He loves his fans, and he also loves knowing they still love him.

Another time, though, things didn't work out as well. When Michael was driving his Rolls while wearing a disguise, he was stopped by a police officer who thought the automobile 'looks like a stolen car'. (Of course, there is a prevailing racism among some police officers in America who routinely stop blacks who are driving expensive cars.) Michael didn't have his licence with him. Worse, he had an outstanding ticket. The officer didn't believe he was the the Michael Jackson, even when he removed the disguise. The next thing he knew, he was in the Van Nuys jail. Bill Bray bailed him out. Afterward, Michael said, 'It was the coolest thing, ever. I never thought I'd get to go to jail. I loved every second of it.' Michael Jackson, even when he removed the disguise. The next thing he knew, he was in the Van Nuys jail. Bill Bray bailed him out. Afterward, Michael said, 'It was the coolest thing, ever. I never thought I'd get to go to jail. I loved every second of it.'

LaToya Gets Naked.

Michael was only able to avoid his relatives for about a month before, at the end of January, his sister LaToya created enough familial chaos to make it necessary that he re-surface. Michael was now thirty. He had spent the last twenty years concerned with the public's perception of him and his family. Ever since the day in 1969 when Berry Gordy and Diana Ross taught him to lie about his age, Michael had understood the importance of public relations. He had always helped to present an image of solidarity where the Jackson family was concerned, even embarking on the Victory tour with his brothers when he really did not want to do so. Now, LaToya threatened to shatter the family's carefully constructed image of wholesomeness by stripping naked for Playboy Playboy.

The Playboy Playboy lay-out was the culmination of a chain of events that had all but destroyed LaToya's relations.h.i.+p with her family. She had been unhappy because the alb.u.ms she had thus far recorded were all poor sellers. 'I want platinum alb.u.ms,' she complained. However, Joseph realized that LaToya had limited vocal ability and stage presence; there wasn't much he could do with her. He had tried to convince her to model, but she was ambivalent about it even though she was a beautiful young woman. She, like Michael, has had her nose operated on more than once, though she denies ever having rhinoplasty, and other work, as well. 'I don't know who she's trying to fool,' Marlon laughed. lay-out was the culmination of a chain of events that had all but destroyed LaToya's relations.h.i.+p with her family. She had been unhappy because the alb.u.ms she had thus far recorded were all poor sellers. 'I want platinum alb.u.ms,' she complained. However, Joseph realized that LaToya had limited vocal ability and stage presence; there wasn't much he could do with her. He had tried to convince her to model, but she was ambivalent about it even though she was a beautiful young woman. She, like Michael, has had her nose operated on more than once, though she denies ever having rhinoplasty, and other work, as well. 'I don't know who she's trying to fool,' Marlon laughed.

When LaToya decided that she no longer wanted Joseph to manage her, she followed the example set by Michael, her brothers and Janet: she fired him by having her attorney send letters of dismissal to him at home, even though she still lived there with him. Of course, Joseph ignored the letters. Finally, she decided to confront him. 'I will sit on you for five years before I ever let you go,' he then told her, angrily. After all, she was the only Jackson he had left. There had to be something something he could do with her, he decided. Later, he thought that he might be able to get her involved in the Jackson Moonies Project. he could do with her, he decided. Later, he thought that he might be able to get her involved in the Jackson Moonies Project.

'But they don't want her, Joseph,' Katherine told him. 'They just want the boys.'

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