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Other people's autobiographies which mention MJ

mjlover1988

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Just wondering how many autobiographies out there have cool MJ stories in them.

James Brown's autobiography has a story about helping the Jackson 5 get a spot at the NY Apollo talent show in 1968 which is really sweet.

I think Frank Dileo's book has MJ stuff in it but I haven't read it, and I know David Gest's does.

But are there more?
 
Angela Bowie mentioned Mike in her autobiography...she basically said that with the background that he had (the treatment he received from Joe in his youth) that it was a wonder that he turned out to be such a kind, gentle, loving soul.
 
Wasn't there some Sony exec who wrote a book? The one who was blamed for the firing of Dileo? I think it was called Howling at the Moon or something.
 
Are these the only ones!?

MJ came into contact and worked with so many actors, musicians and directors!
 
Celine Dion also had several MJ references in her autobiography; one that I remember is when MJ gave Celine an autographed fedora with the number "1998" on it. And Celine wondered why he included that number; perhaps it was a prediction that the year 1998 would be a successful one for her.
 
For many years MJ signed his name followed by 1998. There are lots of stories about why but none of them are definitive.

He does it in the front of Moonwalk!
 
I have Slash's autobiography from 2007 (I think)
It's a good read :yes: and he mentions MJ a few times.
 
This is a cool thread cause i love to hear stories from people who actually met/knew Michael! My favorite one so far is David Gest's autobio cause it tells such great stories.
 
Are these the only ones!?
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theres prob loads but unless u have read them u aint gonna know. and unless its something really juicy that ends up in the media
 
Cliff Richard mentions thriller in his book, he says he still plays it a lot and thinks its the most perfect album ever made. He also says he doesn't think MJ is the best singer ever.
 
Well this is not an autobiography, it is an advertising book.

Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Insights and Accidents from a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising ~ by Phil Dusenberry

Like I said this is not actually an autobiography. The author is well known in the advertising industry and this is an advertising book which is partly a memoir, partly a textbook on classic advertising campaigns.

The book contains 8 pages about the Michael Jackson Pepsi advertisement (some stories of their disagreements with MJ). The author sees that as such a pivotal event in regards to advertising history and that is why he has called his book "Then we set his hair on fire" - referring to MJ's burn incident at Pepsi Commercial.

edit: this is an excerpt from it

http://www.usatoday.com/money/books/2009-06-25-michael-jackson-and-the-pepsi-commercial_N.htm

edit2 : although the excerpt seems to focus too much on the disagreements in the end he calls MJ brilliant in regards to his idea of showing only lightning-quick glimpses of his face in the spot. He says “The more you hold back,the more people will clamor.”
 
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I got Bruce Swedien's book 'In The Studio With Michael Jackson' and was really disappointed with it. There are barely any actual stories about MJ in the studio. It's more like a text book - just loads of technical jargon about bits of equipment they used.

David Gest's book is hilarious anyway - easily the best celeb autobiography I've ever read. A hefty portion of it is just funny annecdotes and practical jokes he's played on people.

His section on the Madison Square Gardens concerts in 2001 sounded very realistic as well. A great insight.

Also, he supports the fact that MJ didn't settle the case, the insurance company did. He doesn't say that, but he says he spoke to MJ on the day of the settlement and the last thing MJ did before he hung up was promise he wouldn't settle. Then hours later it was on the news that a settlement had been reached.
 
Ivy - That advertising book sounds really fun!

Did Berry Gordy ever write a book? And didn't Jermaine's ex-wife write a book?
 
I remember somebody saying that she reveals Jermaine refused to pay for their children's education, so MJ paid for it instead?
 
Much as I hate to admit it I read Victoria Backams Autobiography and she mentions MJ a few times especially her experience of seeing the Dangerous tour and it's influence on her.
 
Did she meet MJ? I remember hearing rumours once that she had been invited to Neverland or something.
 
Donny Osmond's autobiography mentions Michael a couple times. Donny says that he and Michael we the two celebs who had the most in common growing up. He revealed that for a time they were friends but Joe tried to keep them apart, and he also confirmed that Michael had vitiligo as Michael showed him back in 1983.

Donny is an interesting guy anyway, so I recommend reading it. A fan called Twilight recommended this book on a Web site that no longer exists. But she is a member here too, though I haven't seen her in ages.
 
madbdamj said:
Much as I hate to admit it I read Victoria Beckham's Autobiography and she mentions MJ a few times especially her experience of seeing the Dangerous tour and it's influence on her.
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Was it from her book "Learning to Fly"? and if so what exactly did she say?
 
mjlover1988 said:
Did she meet MJ? I remember hearing rumours once that she had been invited to Neverland or something.
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Yes she said that in an radio interview when there were rumors at the time that her and david were gonna purchase neverland and she said she had met him and been to his ranch and said he was a very nice man and wouldn't say if he was at the ranch when she went.
 
Peter Freestone was a friend and personal assistant of Freddie Mercury. In his book about Freddie that was released a few years ago and released again in 2009, he wrote the epilogue dedicated to Michael. I found a site in the epilogue, and here's what Peter wrote about Michael:


41WAKNT6G5L._SL500_AA240_.jpg




jackson01.jpg

I believe the photo was taken by Neal Preston, backstage at the FORUM in Los Angeles USA.



The first time I met Michael Jackson was backstage at The Forum in Los Angeles in early July 1980. He was at the QUEEN show that evening and came to see the band afterwards. He spent time with John Deacon and they talked about ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ which Michael says must be a single. He also spent time with Freddie. He was 22 years old and was like an excited teenager. He had really enjoyed the show and was still ‘up’ from it.

The next time was a couple of years later when Freddie had been invited to Michael’s house in Encino, just north of Hollywood. We arrived at the house, having passed a security tower at the gate. We got out of the car at a mock Tudor mansion, bricks at the lower level, and white stucco and wooden beams above. Michael came to greet us with a big smile, obviously proud of his house. Before we could go in, he insisted we accompany him on a tour of the grounds. I will never forget Freddie Mercury walking through mud, wearing white jeans and white tennis shoes, talking to llamas! We were shown all the animals and taken down to a pond where Michael had swans. Michael had a real love for these animals and birds; they were part of ‘his family’, as Freddie’s friends were part of his.

Michael took us into the house. I don’t know how many rooms there were in it. I do know that Michael lived there with his mother, Katherine, his two sisters, Latoya and Janet, and there were rooms for guests should anybody stay over. As we entered Michael’s bedroom, I was struck by three things, that gave an insight to Michael.. All around the room, on the floor were his gold and platinum awards for ‘Thriller’. They obviously meant a lot to him, he kept them close, but he didn’t need to show them to the world, he didn’t need to show everybody how good he was. The second thing was the large terrarium along one wall containing his snake. Much had been made in the press about this favourite creature, and he was in Michaels’s room, but under heavy planks of wood kept in place with many bricks. He may have been a ‘friend’, but kept very securely. Third and last was- in the middle of the room was a king-size mattress on the floor.

Freddie asked Michael “where is the bed? You have enough money to buy one!” Michael’s reply “when I sleep I like to sleep close to the earth”, “But we are up on the first floor!” retorted Freddie. We were shown through many rooms including a film room which had a vast library of films where I watched one, while Freddie and Michael worked, joined by Janet. Another wonderful situation was when Freddie was in the toilet, Michael took me to his video games room and we played the early version of table tennis. There were two players, one black and the other white. We started playing and Michael was the one who pointed out that we were playing the opposite colours – “I’m playing the white and you’re playing the black!”

On the way to the studio at the back of the ground floor we were taken through the kitchen where we were introduced to Katherine, Michael’s mother. She was very kind and hospitable. When Freddie asked for an ashtray, she produced a jam jar lid, as no one in the house smoked! The work comprised of a Michael track, ‘State of Shock’, which only needed another vocal, which Freddie happily provided. When they had finished it really only needed mixing, but sadly after this session time was the enemy and Freddie and Michael never had free time together, so Michael got Mick Jagger to put his vocal on this and it was released in this form.

The next was a Freddie piece he was just working on at this time. There was a piano tune and Freddie had come up with a few words. Freddie sat at the piano and let Michael try the singing. Where there were no words written Freddie told Michael to ad-lib, which he did with words about love. Michael then ordered in some food for us all. There were these large platters of cold meats, salads, bread, and fruit. We started in, but Michael wouldn’t touch any as he was a strict vegetarian at the time and would only have food made by his mother.

Work was started on a third track with a working title ‘Victory’. There was only one technician in the studio. There were no instruments set up and no musicians. Freddie and Michael worked in much the same way. At the start of a track they need a drum track to keep the beat, and then they add music and instruments to this. Michael had a clever idea for the bass drum beat. He and Freddie were in the control room with the technician and I spent 5 minutes banging a toilet door in perfect time!! Somewhere in Michael’s vaults there is a tape of me!!

The studio was a place of work for both Freddie and Michael, but watching them you could also imagine two children in a play room. Both of them would throw their hands in the air and burst out laughing when either of them made a mistake, but it really was a serious business too. Thinking back now to this time watching these two masters of their craft were together in one place putting this music together, gives me goose bumps.

Who was Michael Jackson for me? I met a beautiful young man. He and Freddie had much in common. He was confident, and already an incredible musician and performer. He was a resourceful technician and a considerate human being. He never once treated me any differently than he did Freddie. He thought of others in situations even though it might have had nothing to do with him. In the few conversations I had with him, I got the impression that he had few friends. He was working almost all of the time and had many professional connexions and associates. Maybe he was already a bit lonely, having to have so much security at that early age, and having to resort to bringing indoors the entertainment anyone else his age could go out for. He was only 3 years younger than me, but still hadn’t grown up! He still wanted so many of the simple things in life to bring him happiness, but did find some peace with his animals.

Peter Freestone

http://montreuxmusic.com/mmm/content/view/192/244/lang,english/


Beautiful what he talks about Michael. :) :wild: :punk:

Thanks Peter! :wub:


P.S. > I read this book and I have the impression that the epilogue is not complete on that site. In the book, Peter talks much more about Michael.
 
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