I knew that Newsweek was going to publish a tribute issue to Michael Jackson and I got the word that it had been released. I had hopes for the reporter obviously new to the “Michael Jackson story.” After a rocky and schizophrenic confusing moment, it seemed there was an authentic interest in what was “important for his legacy.” I cheered and held my breath hoping the real Jackson, as I had come to know, would finally be revealed.
I got a message it was published and on its way to the stands and I went out with great anticipation to get my copy. I began reading a piece from the reporter who seemed momentarily anyway, a convert from the usual tabloid-informed brain to a reasonable and open mind and mindset about Jackson.
The story I read was accurate and laudable. I then began reading the magazine from the beginning… I was encouraged by the accolades published by those people who actually knew Michael Jackson– the people who count in re-counting his personality, generosity and genius. Some of the material was truly inspiring.
This magazine was turning out to be a worthy tribute– finally. And it was until– alas– the last entry.
It seemed that despite a few minor misinformation glitches, there was to be no snarky commentary about his appearance, race, skin color or the tabloid myth of his other-than-paternal-and-mentoring interest in children. (What sick child in a hospital or anywhere for that matter wouldn’t be excited and inspired by the most famous man and entertainer in the world coming to see him or her?) They all seem to forget the man was found innocent on charges 14 times– 14 times “not guilty” rang out. Nobody gets off on 14 charges if truly guilty unless they are empty charges and there is no case as many have said of Jackson’s trial. The charges were piled on by a district attorney known to pile on charges hoping something will stick and who had a vendetta against Jackson and who didn’t like minorities in his elite, premiere and very white city. And he certainly didn’t like a black entertainer owning property that he and his real estate cohorts wanted for a vineyard in the winery-peppered foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountaings. Hurray, I thought and congratulations to Newsweek for a very close to completely unbiased issue of Newsweek featuring a man about whom nobody seems to know the truth or care to know it.
But as I read the very last article, this stellar story and publication of the real Michael Jackson was not to be. It seems they can’t help themselves– they just have to go there despite profusely documented extortion, exoneration, and media malfeasance. “Finding Neverland” made snarky references to Jackson and his life citing his journey “from the most adorable of kiddie performers to the most ‘sinister superstar.'”
And “as a singer, Jackson was too much of a chameleon”(instead of versatile and widely talented) which reduced him to simply just a ‘giant’ in the shadow of great ‘demigods’ like Sinatra and Ray Charles,” say the authors of the final article. Is one a competing musician and singer?
Before I continue, let me inform you that the writer who assisted David Gates (is this the same David Ashworth Gates who formed the band “Bread?”) was Raina Kelley, a black woman who is so outraged about race and racial bias that she has written about it everywhere she has worked or contributed. It’s not that the outrage isn’t warranted given the history of racism in America and its mythology about black men (actually mentioned in the story.) It’s that she has a half white-half black son whom when he was born, she initially wished he would get darker and look black instead of Caucasian like her husband so he wouldn’t be mistaken as white. She feared the eventual scenario of a white young man kindly helping an elderly black woman across the street– that everybody would think a stranger rather than his mother.
But why the outrage against Jackson and the racial hate in this article? Is it the same sentiment that once swept the black population when Jackson began to look more white than black that labeled him a traitor to his race? Is it the mythology of the “bleaching cream” that was supposed to make him more attractive to whites? (His attractiveness to whites is even mentioned in this article and is viewed as “contrived.”) Nobody apparently researched his fans and their history and certainly nobody asked the well behaved and articulate ones. Nobody bothered to see the documentary about his trial or speak to its filmmakers about how the fans felt about Jackson.
Between them, authors Ms. Kelley and Mr. Gates managed to Make Jackson a hermaphrodite or asexual: “when he was a grown man his apparent lack of adult sexuality;” and “sexually unassertive;” and “never had the sexual credibility of a James Brown or a Wilson Pickett, in part because of his high-pitched voice, in part because he never seemed to fully inhabit himself– whoever that was.”
Jackson fans all over the world might disagree with those words as they found his sexuality thrilling. It was the kind of sexuality that was bold at times, hinted at others, was often sexually aggressive and was mixed with a bold tenderness that thrilled women. It worked with his wife Lisa Marie Presley who called him proficient in bed (though not in those words) and who loved him very much and stood by him until the concierge doctors showed up. And there was his second wife, Debbie Rowe, with whom he had children. Neither of those women complained about his “lack of sexuality.” In fact, Donald Trump observed when Lisa Marie and Michael were married, they spend a great deal of their time inside in their hotel room and emerged with the glow of newlyweds that couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
They write that much of what Jackson achieved seems now “baldly symbolic” and “acts of appropriation and mastery if not outright aggression– growing up in the Midwest to marry Elvis’ daughter, and acquire the Beatles Catalogue.” (Would those comments be made about an extremely successful white man?)
And of course, they referenced his displaying Prince II from the balcony of the German hotel (“dangled to the horror and fascination of fans”) as once again, the tabloid meme makes it into a “legitimate” magazine like Newsweek. And that act that was supposed to be a private moment between him and fans begging to get a glimpse of his new baby was also symbolic to the writers: “seemed like a ritual attempt to dispose of his younger self.”
Journalists can’t have it both ways– you can’t “dispose of your younger self” and live a Peter Pan existence! Which is it oh great media gods?
The magazine cites Nelson George as his biographer. While it could have been worse, George is not the ultimate authority and his book is not unbiased. Michael did not like him. In a meeting in a hotel room with Janet, Michael came to pick up his sister for an event and George was in the room. George introduced himself and Michael replied “I know who you are.” Michael proceeded to dismiss him as royalty would dismiss a commoner, and collected his sister. (There is a question raised whether this meeting was with George or Bego.) At any rate, Michael respected people who told the truth. No one at Newsweek bothered to seek out Joe Vogel, the latest professional author and biographer, nor director Spike Lee who just put together a biographical film.
And there is this– allowed to leak into this article in part by a black woman: “he performed his dance of death as a central figure in America’s long racial horror show.” “A messianic superstar” (Jackson never saw himself that way nor has anyone who ever personally knew him or worked with him called him “messianic,” but quite the opposite– as polite, respectful, generous and gracious to everyone he ever worked with.)
But it gets worse: “he neutered himself racially too: His hair went from kinky to straight (whose didn’t in those days?) his lips from full to thin, his nose from broad to pinched and his skin from dark to a ghastly pallor.” And nowhere in this article is his Vitiligo or Lupus Erythematosus mentioned as the cause of his skin pigment and scarring problems.
While citing the quote by Anna Kisselgoff that he was a “virtuoso” and called a genius and a “natural talent” by everyone who worked closely with him, this article calls him an “artificer” or someone who is contrived, constructed or made up.
Am I the only one who reads more than a little Shadenfreude and projected shadow in this article? A black women who is upset that her son isn’t black enough and if it is the same David Ashworth Gates, singer and songwriter with the band “Bread” and it seems likely, for one of the authors of an actually truthful and complimentary article is Jeff Ashworth. Are they related? Why are there no bios of these authors?
At the end of the article, the authors wonder if Jackson was excited about re-mythologizing himself in “This Is It.” And end with a weird “Ask him sometime if you see him” remark.
This article isn’t all bad, but it’s definitely schizophrenic and full of unexamined assumptions by the authors.
It’s really too bad because the rest of the magazine is more truthful, factual and objective and avoids speculation, personal projections and tabloid-informed opinions. It does, however rehash old stuff published long ago instead of talking with those now, who worked with Michael then. There are a couple of exceptions and the magazine while reduced to mediocrity by the final article filled with innuendo and speculation that reflects the authors instead of Jackson, it is worth grudgingly collecting because of some of the other accurate and interesting entries.
Artist David Nordahl, interviewed by Jeff Ashworth who isn’t completely without previous tabloid taint but who looks to have made an honest attempt at neutrality in writing this work, tells of Michael Jackson’s great dream of a museum of his life and work– for the real story of Michael Jackson is hidden in plain sight and Michael knew that one day it would become visible in a museum as mass consciousness evolved to understand and decode it.
It seems a museum was really important to him and he saw a museum as his true legacy. It apparently meant so much to him that as he tried to navigate the demands on him in preparations for “This Is It” and even with all that angst, he found the time and energy to call Nate Giorgio and David Nordahl to tell them he thought he found the perfect location for his museum. Hopefully the right ears are listening to that, his fondest, long-term and apparently last wish. A friend of more than 20 years would know.
But no magazine yet has nailed the real Michael Jackson. And nobody has bothered to talk with knowledgeable fans and biographers who might enlighten a researcher but that might take real work instead of cobbled together halfhearted attempts with intentions to sell magazines more than intentions of truth. That work is yet to be released.
Too bad your last story couldn’t have been something other than a tabloid rehash. How very, very sad. But how naive to hope for something lofty when Newsweek merged with The Daily Beast and is now the Newsweek Daily Beast Company.
Nice try Newsweek. Close but not quite.
If you decide to write to Newsweek, please be factual and polite and congratulate them on what they did right as well as what they didn’t do correctly.
Newsweek Magazine:
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I sincerely urge you, and hope against hope that you will give yourself this gift! It is only day 2 of “The Forgiveness Project” lead by Desmond Tutu and his daughter, Mpho Tutu and I already know I am in the right place. The project started with a survey that immediately told me that there is nothing but personal gain ahead of me in joining this project and I already see that it will make the world a better place.
tice; forgiveness does not circumvent justice or the need to right the wrong.
