Seven million records of Thriller sold in two weeks. A Guinness world record for best selling album in the world. Owner of the entire Beatles collection. The most-streamed Super Bowl Halftime show, then Sony shows up, trying to erase HIStory. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, the OG moonwalker. What happened? How does the most adored musician on the planet become a disgraced felon overnight? From a Hollywood director and dentist(?) suing him, to his own sister, La Toya Jackson accusing him of pedophilia, Michael Jackson faced a barrage of unfounded claims. Yes, none of these claims were factually based. Most investigations closed after a year, while mainstream media continued to proliferate false stories, rumours, and gossip. So what happened to Michael Jackson?
How could blood turn against blood? Is this a textbook case of souring filial bonds in the pursuit of power? No. La Toya Jackson was pressured. Blackmailed even. Her husband, Jack Gordon, compelled her to speak against him. She would divorce him for physical abuse a few years later. She even came out afterwards, stating her brother wasn’t a pedophile. On a side note, her husband was a strange man who changed his name over three times.
“Is there more than we know? Definitely. The music world is a lot darker and… sinister than people let on…There were definitely people taking advantage of Michael.” says Mr. Cloyd, the band teacher at MV. The only contingency that exists in this whirl-wind story are the incremental and sinister actions of the record industry.
Preceding Jackson, the Beatles were global icons in music. Following their break-up, Michael Jackson obtained the rights to their entire music collection. Mainstream media claimed that while on his deathbed, Jackson randomly decided to hand one of the most profitable items in music to Sony, an already hugely successful corporation. Like any good ol’ mega corporation, when power runs high, morals tend to run low. John Branca, Jackson’s former attorney, was responsible for this bequest. Branca was actually fired before any of this happened; a private investigation initiated by Jackson, found Branca and then-CEO Tommy Mottola of Sony siphoning Jackson’s profits to accounts in the Caribbean. Very suddenly and completely inexplicably, Branca came back to ‘assist’ Jackson on his deathbed and hand the titles off to his buddies at Sony. Appropriate documents were approved using Jackson’s signature, and John Branca became the manager of the Michael Jackson Estate, following his death. The Estate, and consequently Branca, handed the remaining 50% of the ATV record label including the Beatles collection to Sony seven years later. It’s interesting how someone fired for fraud of $7.5 million waltzes back into their employer’s life as it ends, and becomes the sole beneficiary of said person’s entire wealth. Interesting indeed.
“…he left the same if not a greater impact on the students of MV as his music is so approachable that genuinely every person in the school knows his music…” Viraat Chakravartula, a junior, shares. This wasn’t the first time Jackson was undermined. Right before his album HIStory was released, a song about the occupied Palestinians was removed. Record producers decided against publishing the song, still unable to procure a reason why nearly 30 years later. After the lyrics were discovered at an auction house, speculation in the mainstream narrative concluded it was “too risky” since the Oslo Peace Talks were underway and his song would “complicate things.” The lyrics explicate the desire to see Palestinians free of bombings and homicide, with no other political messages except peace.
Dr. Evan Chandler, a dentist and doctor based in LA, forced his son to accuse Michael Jackson of pedophilia. Jordan Chandler, his son, requested to be emancipated from his parents at 14 years old. A judge, after reviewing sufficient evidence, granted young Jordan his wish. The evidence was this: Jordan had been beaten by his father on multiple occasions, including a homicide attempt where his dad used weights to try to kill his son, and being drugged with neurological disruptors. While performing a tooth removal on his son, Dr. Chandler used sodium amytal; a suppressant of brain function and asked his son if Michael Jackson molested him. Videotaping it, Dr. Chandler went privately to Jackson demanding $20 million, with a lawyer in his pocket and no other evidence. Why wouldn’t you go to the cops with such a serious situation? Why demand money, if this were true? And why would your own son file a restraining order against you at 16?
“He had that it factor. He was very charismatic…some of the biggest events in video history were Michael Jackson videos, he was iconic and unique like Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean, all those great tunes.” Mr. Cloyd says. Michael Jackson has one of the most confusing stories when it comes to celebrity plight. Unlike most dramas, his problems were real, and real Dangerous. When consorting with the elite, he gained opposition for his political speech and global influence. Michael Jackson didn’t let the sloppy gangsters think they were Smooth Criminals, and he paid the price for it. What does Jackson’s story tell us about the record industry and the nature of power in the face of opposition? For young dissidents at MV, Jackson’s story serves not as a warning, but rather a call to action and the rejection of mainstream agendas. True talent is why the music industry has flourished; the lack of it is what causes evil people to snatch that success away, lamenting in their own shortcomings and sheer lust for power.
