I don't know if you're like me, but ever since Michael Jackson passed away, I have wanted to know the truth.
I don't think there has ever been anyone more misrepresented in human history than Michael Jackson. He said in an interview that '99.9% of what's written about me is not true.' He said this long before he ever went on trial.
When it comes to books about Michael Jackson, two stand out,
Michael Jackson Conspiracy
by Aphrodite Jones, based on transcripts of the 2005 trial, and this one. If you're like me, when you read Conspiracy you can finally lay to rest any lingering doubts you may have about Michael Jackson's guilt or innocence.
Magic and Madness stands out, not because of journalistic brilliance, but because it paints a humanistic and relatable portrait of the man and music. Taraborelli gives a balanced portrait of MJ, having met him many times since MJ was 10. Separate photos show him with Michael and Jermaine, giving him greater credibility than those who never met him.
As you might expect from an author who has published many biographies, including three books on Diana Ross (he must really like her), Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna and Marilyn Monroe, Magic and Madness is a gripping read.
The further you get into the book the more fascinating it gets. You might not know that MJ lived in Encino with the other Jacksons until he bought Neverland at age 30. This created interesting tensions and dramas described in the book. Paul McCartney introduced him to Neverland, where he stayed while they filmed the video for Say, Say, Say.
One can appreciate the intrigue, politics and relationships at Motown. He does an incredible job of documenting the whole saga of the Jacksons signing with and leaving Motown and Jermaine being left behind. Jermaine married Motown supremo Berry Gordy's daughter,and had to choose between family and family. As Jermaine said: "I didn't leave the Jacksons, the Jacksons left me. At Motown." Definitely the strongest section of the book. Surprising then that the Jacksons would reunite the 25th Anniversary Motown tribute to Gordy when Michael would stun the world with his showmanship and debut the moonwalk.
As you read about rhe relationship with feisty yet sensible Lisa Marie Presley, the dialogue sparkles and seems very true to life, as do descriptions of encounters with Elizabeth Taylor, a true friend. He captures them very well... His PT Barnum showman aspect, some escapades spectacularly successful, some backfiring.
You may wonder about the extent of plastic surgery. Obviously, Jackson was not candid about all the surgery he had.
He covers the incidents leading up to the 1993 case in some detail. Even if entirely innocent, MJ's behavior is still troubling, resulting in June Chandler losing custody of her child. She testified in the 2005 trial that she had not seen her child in 11 years, and was a positive witness in the 2005 trial, according to
Michael Jackson Conspiracy
Certainly, Mj's sharing a bed with a young child seems odd, and Evan Chandler leveraged this as part of his grand plan to gain custody and win a huge legal settlement, which he did. Evan C's behavior seems very odd, disturbing and self serving, particularly the Sodium Amytal admission, pursuing a civil action without first contacting authorities, there's the tape, and the infamous Anthony Pellicano, Michael's scandal prone celebrity PI.
For what purpose would he insist on sharing a bed with this child, and then insist to his mother that either she trusts him or not, and then playing off children against each other. If he has paid out a huge settlement, why insist on and risk continuing the same behavior, even if innocent.
Jackson told Diane Sawyer on Prime Time in 1995 that the only reason he was not charged was because the accuser's description of his private parts did not match the photographs. Surprisingly Taraborelli does not mention this.
This book was mostly written before the 2005 case, yet he still picked out inconsistencies in the prosecution case. He uncovered the previous Janet Arvizo allegations of sexual assault,trial and settlement against J C Penney when her son Gavin (the accuser) was arrested for shoplifting. He details a timeline for the molestation, occuring 'AFTER' the Living with Michael Jackson documentary had aired, and 'BEFORE' and 'DURING' the several times the Arvizos denied anything inappropriate had happened. THEN, the Arvizos consulted the 'SAME' attorney as the 1993 case, and allege two incidents of molestation. Jackson supposedly committed this crime while knowing he was under investigation for committing this crime, and simultaneously getting the Arvizo family rebuttal on audio and video. C,mon.
If the author can find these loopholes, then why would Sneddon's DA office still prosecute a case where this family had already testified four different times, on audio, video, to Arvizo's school principal, and to DCFS that nothing had happened. Was it not obvious to him that you cannot give two diametrically opposite of the same events and expect to be believed by a jury? This matter should never have gone to trial. In fact MJ's attorney Tom Mesereau filed a motion to set aside the indictment.
Things for Taraborelli to look at for future editions: He states the amount of the 1993 settlement at $20 million, and in the final chapter says $25 million. Which is it? As it's confidential, how does he know? Was it covered by Jackson's insurance or not? A discography showing chart hits and highest positions would be helpful. He makes no mention of the book .
Redemption: The Truth Behind the Michael Jackson Child Molestation Allegation (Unautographed Copy)
written by Rothman's legal secretary Geraldine Hughes, an important book.
He does not acknowledge the sources of some of his material, for example a conversation between Katherine Jackson and Lisa Marie. It seems unlikely either would be a source. He recommends checking out Maureen Orth's Vanity Fair series, and I have, yet she has written some of the most ludicrous articles about Michael. I did not care much for the last chapter which was obviously hastily put together, but did appreciate his reflections on the 2005 trial, even if pretty sketchy.
Similarly, with John Branca, MJ's attorney. How could he know the surely secret details about the negotiations for Neverland, and the buying of The Beatles catalogue. Who or what is the source of June Chandler's account? The research and sourcing of official legal documents is very impressive, so kudos for that.
If you want to know in great detail about the 2005 trial read
Michael Jackson Conspiracy
which I have also reviewed, and if you want to know the whole story read this book. I hope you find this helpful.
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