Abstract: This month’s MJ Studies Today column looks at some of the false narratives about Michael Jackson that circulated during his lifetime and have persisted since his death. Kerry Hennigan looks at these narratives as “alternative histories,” versions of his life that have reduced Jackson’s legacy to more distortions, redactions and obfuscations than any other popular artist in recent history.
Column by Kerry Hennigan, editor of the free monthly newsletter A Candle for Michael, administrator of the fan group “Michael Jackson’s Short Film Ghosts” on Facebook, and an MJ blogger on WordPress. Kerry is a life-long student, has Certificates in the Archaeology of the Ancient World and the Archaeology of Ancient Britain from Cambridge University in the UK and is currently focused on the Viking Age and the Silk Roads.
REFERENCE AS:
Hennigan, Kerry. “MJ Studies Today CIV: ‘Damned Lies’ and Conspiracies in the life and afterlife of Michael Jackson, Part 1. Trust Betrayed.” (14-08-2024). The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies Vol 11, No. 1 (2024). https://michaeljacksonstudies.org/mj-studies-today-civ/
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“Damned Lies” and Conspiracies in the life and afterlife of Michael Jackson, Part 1. Trust Betrayed
By Kerry Hennigan
Photo montage © Kerry Hennigan
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
– Disraeli, quoted by Mark Twain. [1]
Michael Jackson had plenty of stories told about him when he was alive, some of which were loosely based on fact, or were complete fiction – creating an alternative history of the King of Pop that, at its most extreme, stamped him with a persona diametrically opposite to his reality. “Mistruths are printed as fact, in some cases, and frequently only half of a story will be told,” Jackson wrote in his 1988 autobiography Moonwalk. “The part that doesn’t get printed is often the part that would make the printed part less sensational by shedding light on the facts.” [2]
In the early 1980s, when Jackson was reputedly passing around the autobiography of P.T. Barnam (a.k.a. “the greatest showman”) as a blueprint for how he wanted his career to be handled, some of the stories probably came from his own management either with, or without Michael’s acquiescence. [3] In later years, when stories like his supposedly sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber, or wanting to buy the Elephant Man’s bones, continued to be cited by the media in order to justify their “Wacko Jacko” persona, he repeatedly debunked the stories. [4]
Eventually, after the tumultuous 1990s, which saw the surfacing of child abuse claims made against him by the estranged father of a boy whose family he had befriended, Jackson decided, on the recommendation of his friend, Uri Geller, to open up his home, and his life, for a television special called “Living with Michael Jackson” (2003). Sadly, rather than revealing the real human being behind the media myth, the narrative was once again manipulated to show him unfavourably, particularly in terms of his relationship with a young boy suffering from life-threatening cancer, whose treatment Jackson was funding, and whose family were enjoying his hospitality at Neverland.
It was not Michael’s fault that, yet again, his trust in the recommendation of a friend, and the assurances of a presumed reputable interviewer turned out to be errors in judgement on Jackson’s part, resulting in an outcome that was a blatant betrayal of his trust. In “Living with Michael Jackson,” Martin Bashir resorted to coercion and voice over editorial comments that encouraged misunderstanding of Jackson’s intentions and actions. [5]
The damaging publicity caused by “Living with Michael Jackson” resulted in what would be Michael’s worse nightmare. Child-abuse charges were brought against him by a vengeful Santa Barbara County DA, dramatically impacting his life until the day (13 June 2005) when he was exonerated by the trial jury. Exonerated in the eyes of the law, but not absolved by those convinced by the character assassination undertaken by Jackson’s media critics, Martin Bashir’s documentary, and trial prosecutor, DA Tom Snedden. [6]
The alternative narrative then became one that suggested Jackson’s fame and unimaginable wealth was powerful enough to buy off the jury (irrespective of a lack of evidence to support the charges brought against him.) Yet trial outcomes pertaining to other high profile, wealthy individuals – both before and since the Jackson verdict – repeatedly show this theory to be a fallacy. However, alternative history will have it otherwise if you listen to Jackson’s critics. Jackson’s wealth was also something of a myth by this stage, given the reduced circumstances of his earnings due to several years of negative publicity.
There are those who believe that Jackson never recovered from the trauma of the false allegations and the 2005 trial. It was not just his personal life that suffered, most of his creative plans subsequently came to naught, including those for feature filmmaking. Fortunately, his compulsion to create new music remained; even when living in self-imposed “exile” overseas after the trial, having never returned to live at Neverland, Michael had continued to work on his music. Then, in 2006, he began to reappear – at events in Japan, including the Japanese MTV Awards, and finally at the World Music Awards in London.
At the latter event, from the time he emerged from his vehicle and stepped on the red carpet, Jackson showed he was still nothing less than pop royalty, looked effortlessly regal in a black sequined outfit designed by Roberto Cavalli, brimming with love for his fans and for being back in front of an appreciative audience again. What viewers couldn’t see was what it cost him emotionally to step out on that stage, in front of all those people, not knowing how he would be received – until he heard the crowds chanting his name.
Despite the rapturous reception he received, some media outlets subsequently insisted Jackson was booed when he left the stage because he did not sing other than to briefly accompany the choir on “We Are The World.” Did the fans care about that? Hardly. The booing wasn’t for Jackson, but it was a convenient angle for a media headline. [7]
“Alternative history, or wishful thinking,
is a fun game that we all play from time to time.”
– Times, Sunday Times (2008) [8]
Kerry Hennigan
14 August 2024
Sources:
[1] Twain, Mark. “Chapters from My Autobiography,” published in the North American Review No. DCXVIII. July 5, 1907. Retrieved from Project Gutenberg EBook https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19987/19987.txt.
[2] Jackson, Michael. Moonwalk. Originally published 1988. Arrow Books paperback edition 2010
[3] Hennigan, Kerry. “Making dreams come true: Michael Jackson and PT Barnum – Lessons from “the Greatest Showman.” Published electronically on WordPress, 3 January 2018. https://kerryhennigan.wordpress.com/2018/01/03/making-dreams-come-true-michael-jackson-and-pt-barnum-lessons-from-the-greatest-showman/
[4] Hennigan, Kerry. “’Leave Me Alone’ – Michael Jackson and the Elephant Man’s Bones.” Published electronically on WordPress, 7 October 2017. https://kerryhennigan.wordpress.com/2017/10/07/leave-me-alone-michael-jackson-and-the-elephant-mans-bones/
[5] BBC News. “Jackson complains to TV watchdog”. 6 February 2003. Retrieved 27 July 2024 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2731663.stm
[6] Thomson, Charles. “One of the Most Shameful Episodes In Journalistic History.” Huffpost. Published digitally on 13 June 2010. Updated 25 May 2011. Retrieved 10 Aug 2024 from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/one-of-the-most-shameful_b_610258
[7] Jax, Pez. “World Music Awards 2006 – What REALLY happened!” Published electronically 15 Nov 2017. Retrieved 5 Aug 2024 from https://www.mjvibe.com/world-music-awards-2006-what-really-happened/
[8] Times, Sunday Times, quoted in Collins Dictionary online. Retrieved 27 July 2024 from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/alternative-hypothesis
Illustration: “Michael” photo montage compiled by Kerry Hennigan using PhotoScape X Pro software. No infringement of original photographic copyright is intended in this not-for-profit, educational exercise.