Book Review: Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958-2009 (9780446564748): J. Randy Taraborrelli: Books
Book Review: Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958-2009 (9780446564748): J. Randy Taraborrelli: Books
Read with caution,
By Ivy Gordon (Boston, MA) -
Ok, so in the sad world of Jackson biographies, this is undoubtably the best. Taraborelli’s style is conversational and enjoyable and I agree with the reviewers before me- it is difficult to put down.
However, there are a number of things that rattle the credibility of this publication.
1. Taraborelli contributes to the Daily Mail, a smutty British tabloid.
2. Taraborelli allows the Daily Mail to refer to him as Jackson’s “friend” and even “lifelong confidante.” This is incredibly far from the truth. Taraborelli makes no such assertions himself, but allowing himself to be referred to as such is just as bad. This type of self-aggrandizing disregard for the truth undermines his otherwise seemingly-semi-credible work. (Also of note, the Daily Mail also calls Stacy Brown a family friend. Brown is another Jackson biographer who revealed that crucial portions of his biography were made up for sensational purposes when under oath in Jackson’s 2005 trial)
3. There are some things that Taraborelli reports as fact that could only have reached him through a biased, drawn-out grapevine. For example, Jackson’s sex life with Lisa Marie. Also, the portions written about the nature of Jackson’s relationship with Jordie Chandler, particularly the pieces where Jackson is alone with only the family in their home when Jackson is like, obsessively staring at Jordie. Who the HELL told Taraborelli that? One of Chandler’s parents? Good ol’ Uncle Ray? Knowing that Taraborelli took liberties with the fact here and in other places where he will put incredible detail into scenes of which he couldn’t possibly be aware makes you wonder where else he did this(and, also, if he knew all this- why did he not know that it was Jackson’s insurance who paid the Chandlers the $20 million and not Jackson himself?) Does it make for enjoyable prose? Yes. But it’s basically FAN FICTION.
4. Taraborelli associates with some pretty shady anti-Jackson characters. He considers Diane Dimond a close friend. Frankly, I don’t understand how someone could see past her tasteless witch-hunting to become a friend. He also gave interviews to this guy whos in this name escapes me, but he made a documentary called “Michael Jackson: What Really Happened” This documentary is so poorly made, it seems like a middle-schoolers powerpoint. And basically everything in it is ridiculous and incorrect.
5. Taraborelli’s participation in the 2005 trial was less than admirable. He seemed to favor the prosecution’s chances when, upon review of the transcripts and evidence, they never had a case. He also got all of this credit for being so “close” to Jackson, but then he went along with all of the reporters who entertained themselves by relentlessly mocking their cash cow. I spent one week on the press there, and I was blown over by how unprofessional the environment was.
6. Taraborelli admitted in an interview that he hadn’t been keeping up with Jackson’s story for the past few years. This means that the final portion of this book was scrambled together in a month.
7. The reason, Taraborelli admitted, that he had been ignoring Jackson was because he was mad at him. …..seriously? …are you joking? FEELINGS SHOULD NOT MATTER IN BIOGRAPHY WRITING!!! Taraborelli, you are not Jackson’s FRIEND. You aren’t allowed to be mad at him! This is unprofessional and immature.
I’m not a fan of Jackson’s music, but I have been very intrigued by his story and relationship with the media since I witnessed the circus in 2005. All of this said, I do think this book is worth a read. Taraborelli writes well and definitely appears to come much closer to fact than any other biographers. His sources listed are extensive, yet vague in some very crucial areas. Unfortunately, the truth will never be known when it comes to Michael Jackson. Some lie for fame and money. Celebrities will lie for their image. Taraborelli does seem to care for Jackson and is capable of discussing his life without his comments dripping with mockery like other “journalists.” Sadly, I imagine this is as good as it’s going to get.
The most comprehensive and accurate book on Michael Jackson…period.,
By Frank Bruno (Los Angeles) -
Being a fan of Michael Jackson from the time I was a small child, I have read most of what has been written about him. In my opinion this book is by far the most accurate account of a man that has so much mystery surrounding him.
Well written and obviously tirelessly researched, J. Randy Taraborrelli has uncovered much of the mystique in an honest and accurate way. I’m not sure of any other biographer out there who actually knew Michael Jackson and his family. This is a true insiders perspective.
Taraborrelli’s writing style is from a humanistic standpoint. Who was Michael Jackson the man? If you are looking for paparazzi style writing with flinging accusations just to sell a book, this is not it. Don’t get me wrong, this book is full of juicy tidbits and things the public was not aware of, however they are truthful. So you know you are getting the REAL story. And the real story is riveting. I could not put this book down for 4 days!
I highly recommend this biography to anybody who wants the real story of Michael Jackson, not a 500 page tabloid.
OK biography of a fascinating man,
By Elise -
I did nothing this past weekend but read this book. Michael Jackson is incredibly interesting to me- a compelling and unsolvable mystery. In mid-80s interviews, around the Thriller and Bad eras ([...]), he is exquisitely gentle, sweet, kind and sincere… a rare personality. But later in the 90s and 2000s he’s evasive and childish… I wanted to know- what caused that wonderful, down-to-earth young man to change so dramatically? I would also have been affected if I had been betrayed so repeatedly by those I trusted, and hunted down so relentlessly for so many years by an ill-wishing press.
In this biography, the nature of the relationship between the author and Michael Jackson is unclear. They first met when they both were kids, at a time when the author was too young to be a reporter. Some of the information he reports is uncited, and you are led to wonder where the heck it came from, as other reviewers have noted. I thought the author tried to be fair, but mostly came across as judgmental. The facts alone would have sufficed, but the author usually sums up with his own opinion about Michael’s psychology or behavior or motives- opinions I often disagreed with.
At times he would quote psychiatrists who had theories about Michael that I often thought were rediculous: for example, one psychiatrist thought Michael’s interest in mannequins suggested that he was narcissistic. The mannequins were not replicas of himself, they represented people of several different ethnic groups. The obvious explanation for the mannequins is that he was lonely and couldn’t relate to “normal” people. If you want to support a theory of narcissism, mention the painting of him as Jesus in the last supper.
The author is sick of hearing about Michael’s lost childhood. He calculates that he missed out on a certain number of years of his childhood, and has spent double that amount of time recovering them as an adult. I’m not a psychiatrist, but I don’t think it works that way… I’m pretty sure you have to experience your childhood when you’re a child for it to count. Overall, I felt the portrayal of Michael was slightly more negative than positive. The stories that portray him as a cut-throat artist or an aggressive businessman are most interesting, but not necessarily representative of the shy, sensitive man his friends described him as.
I definitely wanted to hear about his personal life, but not at the expense of his musical and professional history. For example, the creation and release of the “Dangerous” album was completely glossed over- by then it was all about the scandal. In contrast, he spends pages and pages describing the planning of a Jackson 5 concert series in Korea that never occurred.
At the end of the book, the author says that though he wanted to believe him, he still has doubts about whether Michael Jackson was innocent of Jordan Chandler’s accusations. I’m not disagreeing that the story we’re presented is ambiguous. But among other reasons, he remembers Jordan’s mother’s poignant testimony at the 2005 trial, and states that it was clear she had been totally ruined by her association with Michael Jackson. Not sure what her ruin has to do with Michael’s innocence or guilt? There are obvious major credibility issues with the Chandler family. Evan Chandler had motives beyond those that concerned his son. A nasty, vindictive man, he wanted to get Michael for some personal slight and wasn’t ashamed to retire in luxury on someone else’s hard-earned money. Both June’s and Evan’s lawyers withdrew from the case- how often does that happen, especially knowing how much money was to be made? June’s lawyer later claimed he thought Michael was innocent. Jordan refused to testify against Michael, even many years later. So I thought the author could have put more emphasis on the Chandlers’ lack of credibility. Early on in the book he talks for several paragraphs about how even if Michael were really gay, he would never act on it because of his strict moral upbringing and religious beliefs. Does child molestation not fall under the same category?? However, I think the author made an effort to be fair and presented both sides of the story for the most part.
I still recommend the book, but make your own conclusions.
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