Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story – Book Review

Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story by J. Randy Taraborrelli is an exhaustive and comprehensive look at the life of this remarkable icon.  It was first published in 1991 with subsequent editions produced.  The book has now been updated and released  in 2009 following Michael Jackson’s death.

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Covering the beginning from their upbringing, rise to stardom with Motown, conflicts with family, ever changing physical appearance, media relationships, marriages, business associations, friendships, drug addictions, legal and commercial battles, and illness, this exhaustive piece of work is a must read.

Although critical at certain points of some of Michael Jackson‘s choices and his handling of matters, one cannot dispute that the 35 years of research and media access allow Taraborrelli an insight that few could have obtained without ‘living through it’.

As noted on the cover this book is a definitive account of one of the most gifted and mystifying entertainers of our time, a man whose turbulent life and career was, equal with magic and madness.

The author has written hundreds of articles about MJ, interviewed him personally many times, broke major stories about him, and sat in the courtroom day after day hearing evidence and testimony which he clearly stated in the book proved the singer’s innocence. He was not shy to note that the media felt completely duped by the fact they had to cover a trial that was riddled with ‘luny bird testimony’ and that the DA had such little evidence to actually go to trial that it would have been laughable except for the fact that the man on trial of charges was dying from emotional pain right in front of his eyes, was hospitalized after the ordeal and would never recover from the media frenzy and false accusations that haunted him until the day he died.

He offers history of his business dealings, their shortcomings and the unconventional handling of these affairs in great detail. The book’s reference source material shows the depth of the research.

This book is written as a true journalist would do, unbiased as best possible, thorough and grounded. He explains how the empire started, MJ’s breaking the hold, creative genius, isolation and madness in the fact that his world and perception was unlike any other due to his circumstances. He seems to really understand that although it would appear madness to some, Michael Jackson was a product of his environment and genius. He does not excuse MJ of his own responsibilities but rather has an insightful eye about his dilemma.

His observations are that of a fan to some degree but objective in many cases because he is a reporter.

His appreciation for Michael talent, life and isolation are clear. His objectivity to his trial, accusations and extortion attempts are grounded in fact.  After having read the entire original chapters, it is truly his reflection following MJ’s death when he walks the halls and rooms of Neverland that are the most touching.

The author spent much of his adult life covering this extraordinary man only to really appreciate the loss once it occurred. It is the amended final chapter that allows the reader to be taken into his journey and what a loss it is as a journalist to lose one of the most fascinating subject matters of our lifetime.  It is only then that he reflects how it must have felt to be in MJ’s skin when all the circumstances and madness unfolded.

The insights into MJ and his vulnerability are many. For example he notes after the disastrous 60 minute interview:

“Michael has been around for so many years, one expects him to shine on camera. But people who know him well know that he does not do that. Instead, he acts as if he’s never done an interview in his entire life….He tries, God knows he does, and it’s hard for him. I saw it firsthand. He is sick before going on camera for an interview, throwing up, so nervous, so upset, so filled with anxiety.  Your heart goes out to him.  You wonder how he ever ended up in the public eye, and what an ordeal he has been through just to get this far in it”.

He writes at the end of the book:

“Whether it was the beautiful melodies of his music, the harmony as it poured out of his voice, or the staccato-like dance moves…Michael Jackson had a unique ability to inspire, to give hope to, to unite. Where others have tried, and often in vain, to use their talents and skills in a way that honors God and the inherent goodness of his nature, Michael Jackson was able to unite millions of people, regardless of race, creed, religion, age, gender, sexuality or nationality, behind messages of service and sacrifice, peace and love, hope and change and the free form of expression. …. In many respects he gave a voice to the voiceless, a face to the faceless and hope to the hopeless…

I cannot image a world without Michael Jackson in it.  For over 40 years we have all been witness to Michael’s heroic rise and tragic fall….After his death I went back to Neverland to conduct a tour of the estate for CBS News…..But what must it have been like, I wondered, for Michael to walk the bricked halls of the main house in the middle of the night, fearing that he might spend almost 20 years of his life in a jail cell. That had to have been the flip side of living at Neverland in his final years there. …I thought about him alone at night in that very room, trying in vain to sleep. Rising, pacing the halls, going back to bed….taking anything to escape the insomnia, the anxiety.  I walked into his bathroom….I looked into the mirror…into my own eyes. I studied the reflection of a man in the mirror who spent so many years of his own life trying to comprehend another person’s journey…as I did I began to realize that, as is always the case with our most legendary celebrities and icons, while their gifts, talent and dynamism are often unparalleled, they are at the very core no different…than anyone else.  I began to feel at one with the sheer humanity of Michael Jackson, and its complexity, fallibility and grace.  …Indeed, staring at my own reflection in Michael Jackson’s mirror, I began to feel such empathy for him, such pity for him…and such love for him as well.  But more than anything, I felt immeasurable sorrow for him and for what his life should have been like – could have been like- in only……

What can I say about the death of Michael Jackson, a guy I first met when he was just 10 and a person I have intervied and written about so many times over the years? It state the obvious to say that there was never any other person like Michael, and there’ll never be anyone to take his place. Yes, he had his demons. Like all of us, he had his flaws. …I like to think he is at peace now. I’m not, though. Not now, anyway.  And I know in my heart things will never quite be the same for me…not without Michael.”

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