by Joe Bensam
Quincy did indeed have a producer in mind...himself. A little cheeky, perhaps, but as it turns out, by far the most profitable business proposal he ever made in his life. Michael decided that he might be the right man for the job, and they started working together in 1979. As it turned out, they complemented each other perfectly. Michael was full of ideas, creativity and enthusiasm, and Quincy had the professionalism and arrangement skills to turn the ideas into reality.
Michael with Quincy Jones
Quincy was also greatly impressed by Michael’s work ethic. He would prepare for sessions in advance, and come into the studio ready to record, with no time wasted. Their relationship developed to the point where Michael saw Quincy as being a father figure - the kind of father he didn’t have in Joseph. Starting with an initial selection of hundreds of songs, they eliminated everything until only the very best were left. Then they honed and perfected each song until they had an album that they both knew was brilliant. Soon Off The Wall was ready for release to the public...and the public were amazed.
The transformation began on the cover, where the child star that people were accustomed to was now replaced by a very adult Michael Jackson in a tuxedo. Inside, they were treated to a cast of great songs that were sung brilliantly and produced creatively.
‘Off The Wall’ was Michael’s first major solo album
Four singles from the album became No.1 hits in the US, and five became top-ten hits in the UK. The album went on to sell over eleven million copies. Yet despite its huge success with the public, Off The Wall only one Grammy award, and that was in an obscure R’n B category. Michael was devastated...he had expected to sweep the board.
He was down...but not out. 'You watch. The next album I do, you just watch...I’ll show them,' he said.
And oh boy, he did.
Chapter 5 - The Thriller Phenomenon
Having established his independence artistically, Michael now knew the time had come to separate his business affairs from the rest of the Jacksons. He hired a tough entertainment lawyer, John Branca, and broke the news to Joseph that as he had turned 21, he now wanted to handle his own affairs.
The news did not go down well. Joseph had always believed that the family was bigger than any individual, and that they should all continue to work together as a team. He felt that Michael owed them his loyalty, and he knew that The Jacksons would be nothing without Michael, the big draw and attraction. But it was too late...the die was cast, and John Branca set to work building the framework for Michael’s future fortune.
The first order of business was the existing deal with CBS. Branca negotiated a deal that gave Michael the highest royalty rate in the industry, whilst also ensuring that he never had to record again with The Jacksons unless he chose to. Next, Branca arranged to buy some real estate for Michael - a three-bedroom condo in Encino that gave him independence from his family.
By the time Branca had finished, Michael was not only in a much better position financially, he had also clearly separated himself from the family, and was now very much his own man.
***
A close examination of the cover of Off The Wall shows that Michael’s appearance had changed noticeably since earlier albums, and not just because he was getting older. His nose was now considerably thinner than it was before. This was no accident...but it was due to an accident....
Michael had long been unhappy with the look of his nose. He hated being called Big Nose, and certainly didn’t want to be reminded of Joseph every time he looked in the mirror. He had often considered plastic surgery, but was simply too scared to go through with it. Then fate intervened when he fell and broke his nose while rehearsing. Rhinoplasty was required to fix the damage - and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. When Michael removed his bandages a few days later, his family was surprised to find that his nose was no longer a Jackson’s nose - it was one step closer to a Caucasian nose.
The operation was not a great success, though, and Michael complained that he had trouble breathing. He was referred to another plastic surgeon, Dr Steven Hoefflin, who would be a constant factor in Michael’s life for many years. A second operation was conducted to fix the breathing problem...but when the bandages were removed, Michael’s nose had once again become noticeably thinner.
These operations always came as a surprise to his family and friends, as Paul McCartney pointed out.
‘He told me he was going to a religious retreat,’ he said. ‘But he came out of the retreat with a new nose. That’s the power of prayer, I guess.’
For the time being, Michael was happy with the new look - the one that can be seen on the cover of Thriller. He was particularly happy that he no longer looked like his father’s son...he resembled nobody but Michael Jackson. Many people have commented that if he had stopped there, the results of the plastic surgery would have been impressive - he was still clearly a very handsome African-American man. Unfortunately, Michael was becoming addicted to the process. He loved the fact that his money allowed him to control the look that had bothered him for so long. Although he strenuously denied it in public, this was just the beginning of a long road of unnecessary surgery. One that would eventually turn the handsome man of the early 80s into the circus freak show of the 90s and beyond.
***
Although John Branca had done much to separate Michael from his family in a legal and business sense, there was one element over which he had no control. Katherine. Joseph and the brothers all knew that if they needed Michael to participate in a venture, the way to get him to co-operate was to apply pressure through Katherine.
The rest of the band, of course, were very concerned about their own future careers as Michael’s star continued to ascend. More particularly, they all needed money. Although each had made substantial sums from their careers with The Jacksons and The Jackson 5, most of the money had been spend on supporting extravagent lifestyles. Now they all needed cash to keep that lifestyle rolling. They knew they had to make as much money as possible while the band was still viable, and that meant releasing an album and going on tour.
Michael was not keen on either idea, as he knew they were leaning on him to prop up their own fading careers. However, Katherine was able to persuade him that it was in the family’s interest, and the band went out on the road once again. But it was plain that Michael’s solo spots for his Off The Wall songs were the fan’s favorites in every show, and another nail was driven into The Jacksons’ coffin.
***
Now that the word has lived with Michael Jackson’s eccentricities and downright weird behaviour for so long, it is hard to remember a time when he was considered to be a normal, if unusually famous, adult. But back in 1981, he appeared to be a normal 23-year old who only made news because of his music.
Things were about to change.
About this time, people started noticing that Michael seemed to be becoming strangely childlike. He proclaimed his hero to be Peter Pan, and plastered Peter Pan posters all over his bedroom walls. Yet whereas Peter Pan simply never grew up, Michael seemed to be going backwards into childhood. He started buying toys, furnishing his room with childlike pictures and taking pleasure in video games and other activities designed for children. He love to go to Disneyland, spending hours being sneaked behind the scenes by security staff to get from ride to ride. One day, he hired the costumed figures of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs from Disneyland, and had them cover over to his house. In video footage of the event, playing with these new friends looks like one of the happiest times of his life.
Soon, people noticed that he was often seen with children, and many of them. At first, this seemed cute and rather charming. But it wasn’t long before this behaviour was starting to cause raised eyebrows, both in his inner circle and beyond. But Michael was unfazed.
‘One of my favourite pastimes is being with children – talking to them, playing with them in the grass. They're one of the main reasons I do what I do. They kno
w everything that people are trying to find out, they know so many secrets, but it's hard for them to get it out. I can recognize that and learn from it. They say things that astound you.’
However odd it may have seen to outsiders, Michael did seem to get huge innocent enjoyment from simply enjoying the company of children. But however innocent his intentions, this behaviour was setting up a great deal of trouble in store for the future.
***
Michael teamed up again with Quincy Jones for his next album, Thriller. Michael was keen to top sales of Off The Wall, but neither of them had any idea they were creating what was to become the best-selling album in history. When they had finished working on the songs, the final mixes were played to Michael. And he was horrified. Something had been lost in the mix, and the songs sounded somehow just wrong. He fled the studio in tears.
The team set to work on the songs again, and remixed them one by one. Finally, they were complete, and Michael was happy with the results. The album was ready for release...until another problem arose. Quincy and Michael’s managers explained to Michael that he should not expect great sales for the album in the difficult music market of the time. Two million was a good result.
Once again, Michael was shocked. He could not believe that the very team that was working on this project had such low expectations. How could it ever succeed if even they had so little faith in it? He decided that the only option was to cancel the entire project. Michael called John Branca and ordered him to prevent Thriller from being released. John tried to calm him down and passed him over to the president of CBS, who managed to ensure him that the album had his full backing. Michael relented, and Thriller hit the shops in time for Christmas 1982.
‘Thriller’ became the best-selling album of all time
At first, the album sold well, but not spectacularly. Then Billie Jean was released as a single, and the pace started accelerating. The thundering bass line roared out across clubs around the world, and blasted from millions of radios. Thriller rocketed up the charts and sales started going off the chart. But there was more to come.
For the launch of the track Thriller as a single, Michael created a production that took music videos to a whole new level. Shot on 35mm film instead of video, and referred to as a short film rather than a video, this 13-minute blockbuster wowed audiences around the world. And having been wowed, they rushed to the shops to buy the album. S
At one point, CBS was shifting 500,000 units of Thriller a week. Sales were so high that Thriller was responsible for saving the entire record industry, which had been in the doldrums for some time. People went to record stores to buy Thriller, and while they were there, they bought albums by other artists, too. Companies like Tower Records which had been facing bankruptcy found themselves in the red again, and many other artists rebuilt their failing careers on the back of the increased sales that Thriller generated.
The Thriller juggernaut rolled on and on, with the album going on to sell fifty million copies worldwide, after being glued to the charts for up to three years. The album also produced seven top ten singles, something that no artist or album had every achieved before. With over $60 million in the bank from Thriller sales, CBS were very happy. And so was Michael, who cleared at least $50 million from the album...probably much more.
At the time when Billie Jean was number one, Suzanne dePasse of Motown was busy working on an anniversary TV special for the company - Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever. She thought it would be a great idea to reunite The Jacksons to sing for the program, and all the brothers agreed...except for Michael. Two problems bothered him. Firstly, his experiences with CBS-TV had put him off television productions for life. And secondly, he wanted to separate himself from the family, not get involved in yet another Jacksons project.
Berry Gordy was keen to get him on board...after all, he was now by far the biggest superstar that Motown had ever developed. After a lot of badgering, Michael gave in, on one condition - that he could have a solo spot to sing Billie Jean. Gordy agreed.
The TV special was filmed before an audience of industry luminaries at the Pasadena Civic Center. The Jackson 5 reunion was a great success, with Jermaine back up in the lineup, and the audience enjoying every moment. They left the stage to great applause, feeling great about their performance. Then came Michael’s solo spot.
Motown 25: the star becomes a superstar
For the next few minutes, the audience was transfixed as Michael delivered a stunning and unforgettable performance. From the fedora hat and the single white glove, to the sequined socks and the glittering jacket, he looked every inch the superstar. And when he moonwalked across the stage the audience gasped and rose to their feet. The performance ended with a standing ovation. Michael had come a long way since his first standing ovation nearly twenty years earlier. Then he was an unknown kid - now he was universally acknowledged as The King of Pop.
***
While his public life was taking off into the stratosphere, Michael’s private life was beginning a long downward slide that would lead to his eventual ruin. He struck up a friendship with chidl star Macaulay Culkin, but this came to an end when his chaperones decided that it was not a good idea for the boy to sleep over in Michael’s room, much to Michael’s puzzlement. Instead, he struck up a friendship with 12-year old Emmanuel Lewis, another actor.
Michael developed what is best described as an unhealthy friendship with the boy, carrying him in his arms, playing games and checking out Michael’s various pets - including Bubbles the chimpanzee, and Muscles the eight-foot anaconda. But the friendship came to an abrupt end when Michael and the boy checked into a hotel as father and son. Emmanuel’s parents quickly concluded that it would be better if the boy never saw Michael again.
If Michael had learned from these experiences and changed the nature of his relationship with children going forward, his future life may have unfolded in a much happier fashion. Certainly, his friends, family and advisors encouraged him to rethink what he was doing. But Michael was not used to listening to anybody, especially now that he had enough wealth and power to make almost anything happen. He was Michael Jackson, after all...who was going to argue with him?
***
Michael was on fire at the start of 1984. Literally.
Pepsi-Cola had signed Michael and his brothers up in a major sponsorship deal to promote Pepsi. The brothers were due to record two ads, with Michael naturally the star of the show. Filming began, with Michael walking down a stairway with bright magnesium bombs exploding around him. Unfortunately, one of them exploded too close to Michael, and sparks reached his hair. His hair spray proved to be highly flammable, and soon smoke and flames could be seen billowing from his head. At first, Michael didn’t realize anything was wrong, as he thought the heat was just from the stage lights, and observers thought it was all part of the act. As soon it became clear that something was wrong, helpers rushed in to douse the flames.
Michael suffers severe scalp burns
An ambulance was called, and Michael was put on a stretcher ready to load into the ambulance. But despite the immense pain he must have been in, Michael saw an opportunity for a TV moment. He called for his white glove, put it on and waved meekly to the inevitable cameras. The next day, many millions of newspaper readers saw photos of Michael waving valiantly with a gloved hand as he was taken away for hospital treatment. Whatever else he may have been, Michael was undoubtedly a consumate showman. Pepsi paid Michael $1.5 million in damages to avoid a legal battle. He donated the funds to what would become the Michael Jackson Burns Unit at Brotman Memorial Hospital.
This incident was to have a profound impact on Michael’s life. Not only were the burns extremely painful, but the procedures used to help grow his hair back were also uncomfortable. As a result, Michael turned to heavy-duty painkillers to dull the pain, and used other drugs to help him get to sleep. Despite growing up in the drug culture of the 70s, Michael had never used recreational drugs, and was still a clean
-living Jehovah’s Witness at this time. But the injuries took a long time to heal - in fact, he never got over the injuries completely. So as time went on, he became more and more dependent on the drugs that made his life bearable. He was starting on a slippery and dangerous slope that he would never escape from, and which would ultimately claim his life.
***
Soon it was time for the Grammy Awards, and Michael felt that this would be his year. The judges may have largely ignored Off The Wall, but there was no way they could ignore what was shaping up to be the biggest selling album ever. He received no less than twelve nominations for awards across the board.
When the night of the Grammy’s arrived, Michael showed up with Brooke Shields on his arms, as he had done in two previous award ceremonies. There was no romance between them, but the arrangement worked well for both of them - she got great publicity, he got to look fairly normal with a beautiful woman on his arm....or at least as normal as a man can look when wearing pancake makeup and heavy eyeliner.
Michael with Brooke Shields at the Grammys
At this time, Michael was still friendly with Emmanuel Lewis, and Brooke was disconcerted to find that the boy was joining them for the ceremony. When photographers started taking photos of this unusual threesome, Brooke got out of shot hastily. She was even more upset when Michael practically ignored her during the ceremony, sitting with the boy on his lap, apparently whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Michael couldn’t understand why she wanted to leave early.
