Jacko, His Rise and Fall: The Social and Sexual History of Michael Jackson (55 page)

Faye herself was very defensive and supportive of Michael. "There is one special person who has given me more in my life than
anyone. His name is Michael Jackson. It was
the luckiest day in my life when this magical
man sat in the makeup chair before me."

"If you believe that Karen Faye and
Michael were lovers, then you'd surely believe that Rocky and Michael were lovers," said a Hollywood publicist. "Friends,
yes. Lovers, no way, Jose."

Again, in another attempt to deceive his fans, a faux romance was promoted between Michael and Sheryl Crow, who had joined the Bad tour. Born in
Kennett, Missouri, Sheryl was four years younger than Michael. In time she
would emerge as more than a mere backup singer for Michael, and would
enjoy a successful career on her own. Between 1994 and 2002, she would win
nine Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Rock
Vocalist, earning a place at Number 44 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of
Rock 'n' Roll.

Michael got on harmoniously with the singer, even enjoying Krispy
Kreme doughnuts with her after the show. But as one stage manager said,
"That was all the sugar that romance ever fueled."

One of the most glamorous women ever to play the guitar, Sheryl went
from backup singer to international star, and Michael was said to resent her
success. With her blonde hair and flowing locks, she exuded sex appeal.
Michael was said to envy Sheryl's glammed out red-carpet outfits, and her todie-for body, as the entertainer arrived to receive Grammy after Grammy.

During her two-year Bad tour, Sheryl remained silent as rumors spun out
of control about a torrid romance between her and "The Gloved One." Later,
when she became a staple in the music industry herself, she squashed all that
gossip. "He never took off that glove for me," she reportedly said. In time to
come, with artists such as Celine Dion and Wynonna Judd singing songs she'd
written, Sheryl no longer needed to publicize her link to Michael. If anything,
she seemed to want to distance herself from him.

More convincing were reports that Brad Pitt and Sheryl had shared a
romantic involvement when they were students at the University of Missouri,
but this gossip was never confirmed.

The pretend romance was carried out in public when Michael duetted with
Sheryl in the song, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." He actually caressed her
thigh in what was called "the most heterosexual
performance of his career."

Sheryl Crow

Instead of promoting a romance with him,
Sheryl was instructed by Michael's manager "not
to make eye contact with him unless performing
with him." There would be no more kissing scandals, as in the case with the Florida dancer,
Tatiana Thumbtzen. Since Sheryl had no romantic interest in gazing into Michael's eyes, she
could easily comply with this draconian ruling.

One member of the Bad troupe claimed that, "I just couldn't believe how far Jackson's contempt for women had gone. Not
only was he horrified at the idea of fucking a woman, he didn't want what he
called `one of those heifers' even looking into his eyes unless it was officially mandated. What a guy!"

Sheryl would also work with Texas-born Don Henley, the American rock
musician who is the drummer and one of the lead singers and songwriters of
the band The Eagles. She once spoke about the difference between working
with Don Henley and Michael. "The difference between Michael Jackson and
Don Henley is quite obvious, in that Michael is very reclusive and Don is the
type of person that makes you part of his family. He takes care of you and
spends time with you. You are an equal with him, whereas with Michael, he
didn't even know our names."

The Bad tour opened in Kansas City and was a smash hit. Michael was
entertaining crowds within the same arena where he and his brothers had
played during their famous "Victory" tour four years earlier, but now Michael
was performing solo.

Bob Jones recalled visiting one of Michael's hotel suites during the tour.
"I had never seen a suite that had been so destroyed. Lamps, tables, and chairs
were thrown about. Food wrappers and all sorts of other garbage covered the
floors, tables, and bed. The housekeeper had been paid off not to tell."

For three nights in March of 1988 Michael performed at Madison Square
Garden, an event attended by Elizabeth Taylor. A benefit concert was performed for the United Negro College Fund, and Michael was presented with
an honorary degree in front of, among many others, Yoko Ono and Liza
Minnelli.

Even though the benefit was to aid young African-Americans, Michael
was criticized in some black magazines for devoting all his attention to "certifiably white" stars such as Taylor and Minnelli and virtually snubbing such
black entertainers as Whitney Houston.

Still miffed at Michael, Diana Ross did not respond to his invitation to the
benefit. President Ronald Reagan found time to send a videotaped message.
With the usual Reagan brand of humor, the President said, "Let me be the first
to call you the new Dr. J." This was the benefit concert in which Tatiana
Thumbtzen kissed Michael on the lips, feeling his entire body stiffen except
in his groin.

Michael often didn't accept invitations, especially personal ones, such as
the christening of Diana Ross's second son, Evan, with the Norwegian millionaire, Arne Naess. But along with Little Richard, he showed up at the 1988
wedding of his attorney, John Branca, to Julie McArthur. Bubbles came
dressed in a hand-tailored tuxedo, and immediately "fell in love" with the
handsome hot stud, Don Johnson, of Miami Vice.

Caught up in the hysteria surrounding his Bad tour, Michael still had time
for two of the most significant events in his life: his move out of the family
compound in Encino and the publication of his long-awaited and ultimately
disappointing autobiography, Moonwalk.

Michael's move from Hayvenhurst in Encino to Neverland was long overdue. His family was seeing "too much" of his private life and interfering with
his intimate time, especially when he wanted to be alone with his young
friends. The 2,700-acre ranch in California's Santa Ynez Valley is located at
5225 Figueroa Mountain Rd., 5 miles north of the town of Los Olivos, about
a two-hour drive north of Los Angeles.

Michael had fallen in love with the property when he'd visited Paul
McCartney and his wife, Linda, here. They too were considering buying the
property, but it wasn't for sale at the time.

When the ranch came on the market in the spring of 1988, Michael went
for it, but he was a tough negotiator, acquiring the property for $17 million,
even though the asking price was $35 million. Along with the budget purchase
price came an array of European antiques. TV and radio media, not knowing
the actual purchase price, reported that Michael paid $28 million for the ranch.
He immediately changed the name from Sycamore Ranch to Neverland, in
honor of the fictional island in the story Peter Pan.

One of Michael's former publicists (not Bob Jones), who had been dismissed from the star's staff, privately told reporters, "I'm sure Jackson selected the location because it's across from a nursery school. If the tots there were
too young for his blood, there's also a prep school nearby filled with goodlooking young boys, who have never had an older man `Beat It' for them."

Michael immediately set about
securing the property from fans who might
learn of his new address. Soon Neverland
had a police force and was entered by an iron
and steel gate which was topped by a mammoth gilded crown, symbol of the King of
Pop.

His autobiography,
from Doubleday

After Neverland was renovated to
his specifications, Michael threw a "warming bash," inviting friends and associates,
but deliberately ignoring Papa Joe and
Katherine. "I found out about Michael's new
home by watching the TV news," Papa Joe
said. However, Michael did invite his brothers and sisters, including Janet and Randy, to
the housewarming.

Michael assured such friends as Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Fonda that,
"You can come to visit me at any time. I'm less than a thirty-minute helicopter ride from Los Angeles."

Attending the housewarming were some of Michael's new celebrity
neighbors, including Steven Seagal. Handsome actor John Derek, known for
marrying some of the most beautiful women in show business, showed up
with his voluptuous wife, Bo Derek, who'd enjoyed such success in the 1979
comedy, 10. "He is my Svengali-like mentor," she told Michael. She later was
surprised when she was asked to sign a release, swearing that she'd never
divulge to the press anything she'd learned during her visit to Neverland.

Michael also had another seductive neighbor, Cheryl Ladd, a staple of
1970s pop culture and the actress who replaced Farrah Fawcett on the hit TV
series, Charlies Angels.

Even during the Bad tour, when Michael was performing around the
world, he flew back to California for visits to Neverland as often as he could.

When Moonwalk was released on April 20, 1988, following four years of
ghost-writing, Michael was in Liverpool, appearing in the hometown of The
Beatles on his Bad tour.

He called home to apologize to Joe for his revelations in the book. His
father had already gone on television in April of 1988 denying Michael's allegations. Joe called his discipline of his boys "little spankings." Also interviewed, Marlon Jackson claimed that Michael was accurate in his revelations
of the beatings. "We were hit-and hit often," Marlon charged.

The prediction of Michael's editor at Doubleday came true, as the former
First Lady, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, watched Moonwalk sell nearly half-amillion copies in 14 countries, topping the bestseller list of The New York
Times.

Michael dedicated the book to Fred Astaire, and it carried an appreciation
signed by Jackie. "To many people, Michael Jackson
seems an elusive personality," she wrote. "But to those
who work with him, he is not. This talented artist is a
sensitive man, warm, funny, and full of insight.
Michael's book, Moonwalk, provides a startling glimpse
of the artist at work and the artist in reflection."

Bo Derek

That was the public face she put on the book. In private she expressed her disappointment, revealing that
Doubleday had turned down the first version-"not juicy
enough. The second version wasn't a whole lot better. As
juicy as a dried-up turnip."

Jackie oversaw much of the promotion for the book,
including full-size cutouts of Michael in stores. A hand written note by Michael claimed, "one of the reasons I haven't given interviews over the years is because I've been saving what I have to say for my
book. Love, Michael." In spite of that claim, he had almost nothing to say in
the book that his fans hadn't already heard or read elsewhere.

The reaction of his fans was as diverse as those fans themselves. One
reader got carried away claiming Moonwalk was "the single greatest autobiography I have ever read in my life." This statement could be true, if we knew
how many autobiographies, if any, this rabid fan had read. Other more realistic reviewers, such as Terry Callen, of Gloucester City, New Jersey, found the
book, "A total whitewash.... The world as Michael Jackson thinks it should
be." Another savvy reader, also from New Jersey, found Moonwalk "the most
blatantly bogus and self-serving autobiography since Joan Crawford wrote her
self-tome in the 60s."