Larry Fortensky on MJ: "He's a real person"

Stranger

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Hi guys.

I recently read a biography of Elizabeth Taylor, which I'm sure is a mix of fact and fiction as is always the case! However, there was one section that intrigued me. In fact, its just one quote, but I've typed out the part to put the quote in context.

If you remember Elizabeth and Larry married at Neverland, so he knows MJ. Larry was a guy who was just not interested in the world of celebrity and fame. In fact, he was a construction worker that kept his job even when he was married and preferred that life. In this section, things arent great between them and he feels out of place with all these famous people. He finds them fake and "not real". And look what he says about MJ. To me, it says it all!


....
Brian Bellows is a friend of Larry’s from Stanton who was invited to a cocktail party at the Fortenskys’, hosted by Elizabeth to thank some of her wealthier friends for money they donated to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS foundation. Larry had invited Bellows and a few other friends of his so that he would, as he told them, have someone to talk to at the gathering.
“I was amazed at how much Larry had changed,” he recalled. “I hadn’t seen him since the wedding. He looked great in his suit with his haircut, the whole bit, but he was quiet and seemed afraid to say anything or do anything. Not like the outgoing Larry I knew. He was just standing in a corner drinking a soft drink, taking in the view, watching people but not getting into the mix at all.
Bellows went over to his friend. “What’s going on, man?” he said, extending his hand. “You look like you’re hiding, buddy.”
“That’s cause I am,” Larry said, shaking his friend’s hand. “It’s best for me to stay out of the way.”
“Why?”
“Big night for the wife,” Larry explained. “I don’t want to screw it up for her. Plus, I gotta tell you,” he continued, suddenly seeming very angry for no apparent reason. “I’m about to blow, man. And if I do man, I’m gonna turn this whole goddamn house on its ear, man.”
It was clear to Brian that something wasn’t quite right with Larry.
At that moment, Elizabeth cam sweeping into view, looking elegant in a floor- length black evening gown, the Krupp diamond gleaming on her hand. Rarely did she ever wear it at home...this was a special night.
“Oh my darling. Why I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she said with a flourish. “Michael Jackson’s here. Michael Jackson!”
“No kidding?” Larry said, suddenly brightening up. “Mike’s here?”
“Yes, he is,” Elizabeth said. “But you must come quickly, because who knows how long he’ll stay. Why, at any moment he could simply vanish into thin air! Poof! You know Michael.” She laughed merrily and disappeared into the other room.
As Larry left, he turned to his friend and muttered, “Finally, a real person I can talk to.”
:)
 
oh, thank you so much for posting this!
isn't it crazy how 'michael jackson' is made to seem like the most unreal person but then you see and read things like this and it really puts things into the correct perspective
 
Mmmmm nice read Stranger. Goes to show that Michael is truly different from the rest of the celebrites. His aura and presence seems to light up the whole room when he enters it and has everyone just mesmerized.
I have heard so much about how easy going and down to earth Michael truly is. Must be such a sight to be in his company. :wub:
 
Nice story, thanks for posting it.

The way I see it the more you see a "star" in public when not promoting an album or a film, the more likely they are going to be self-obsessed and fake. Which I'm sure Michael isn't, as he obviously knows how the seperate being Michael Jackson the King of Pop and just being Michael to his friends and family.
 
You know, I was thinking something similar last night as I was listening to "Invincible" (one of my favourite MJ albums). I was wondering how it could be, that I and so many tens of thousands of people could fall in love with Michael simply through listening to his music. It is not just admiration for his art or an infatuation with his fame or beauty. It is more than that. It is a sense of knowing the man and being blessed by his being. Well, the wonderful thing about art, is that all artists give us part of themselves in their creations, and to the degree that they have made themselves vulnerable, we have seen a snippet of what is true in their art, and we have to some degree experienced intimacy with them, even despite never meeting them personally. Even when an actor plays a role, if he plays it brilliantly, it is because he has inhabited the role and drawn upon some real aspect of his own experience to create the person that he is representing. Even though Michael assumes roles in his music that are larger than his own life, he never the less is completely honest in drawing from his own depths what he needs to convey the story in his song. And we sense that. And we are humbled to have been given the gift of his being through his art.

So, having thought about how real Michael is to us in his music--real enough to endear him to us as a most treasured friend, even when we have never met him fact to face, I contemplated how real Michael would seem as an actual friend. Even in LWMJ, one could see his sincerity with Bashir, struggling at times beneath his attempts to protect his privacy and avoid being manipulated (as the interview progressed and it became evident to Michael that Bashir might not be as trust-worthy a reporter as he had hoped.) I'm not surprised therefore to read Larry Fortensky's comment about Michael being a "real" person. I have never ever seen him behave pretentiously, even though he is one of the most famous, wealthy, talented, adulated and awarded men on the planet. How does he remain so unaffected? Perhaps it is his childlike nature--a purity of soul that most of us have lost as our egos have struggled to affirm our significance.
 
Oh that's so cool. Thank you for posting this. Just goes to show us that he is extremely down to earth compared to so many other celebrities. Even a construction worker who feels out of place at a fancy party will not deny to himself the time to talk to someone who is "real".
 
Thank you so much for posting Stranger. I loved reading that.
Thanks also to Dimity for your post.
I totally agree with everything you have said. I have often thought and feel the same. It is true that when you listen to Michael sing or read the lyrics to his songs or poems you can feel apart of him. He opens up his soul, his feelings, the person he is deep inside and we are privileged to have been allowed to glimpse this personal side of Michael.
 
See that, and so many people accuse Michael of being fake or of not being real with the public, but people who know him always say he's an amazing person, the nicest person, down to earth, humble, etc... If that's being fake, then I want to be fake too. Thanks for posting that!
 
That was indeed a nice quote their from Larry....

See, once again, someone talking about something we all figured out already.
 
Thanx a bunch Stranger:flowers: Nice read, indeed! Mike's been in the business almost his entire life, but he never comes across as stuck-up. I think this is deeply related to his humbleness-he's a humble man and he never forgets where he comes from, which is Gary, Indiana.
 
Thanks for this stranger. Please could you tell us the name of the book and details on how we might buy it please. :yes:
 
haha, that's cool. thanks!:cheeky::cheeky:

i kinda had the impression mike didn't like him in PHM. cuz he didn't seem to even pay attention to him or look at him.
 
I've got the same book I think :)
It's from randy taraborrelli ( I know some of you don't seem to like him ;) )
I remember reading this quote and thinking the same thing..
It's a great book to read about Elizabeth taylor, I had no idea about all the things she has been through.
Also on some of the pictures of when she was younger in the book she looks just flawless!
 
Awwwwwww poor Larry. I remember this marriage and all the media hoopla over him being a "regular guy" whom they claimed from the beginning wouldn't fit into her world. Larry never looked too happy out in public especially when he had to dress up for a big hollywood gala, lol.

Thanks for sharing with us, I enjoyed reading that. So many people when they meet Michael have the same impression of him.

I wish the media could someday accept that.
 
This is what I like to hear/read. I get so tired of reading constant negativity bullcrap from the media and some fans, and you wonder why do they bother? it's just a waste of time, everything foul has been said about him and it's getting old. MJ now and days seems to not catch a break no matter what he does, after all he is human like everyone else and he will make mistakes/bad choices in life, it's part of being human, no one is perfect. I believe Mike is a good soul and I will always pray for him and his family, what a great guy.


Thanks for posting :)
 
Thanks for posting, Michael is so kind. I wish others celebrites were like him..:(

Mmm those who know him like him actually.
The celebrities who met him only once or twice and didn't get enough attention from him are the ones who don't say a nice word about him...
 
Mmmmm nice read Stranger. Goes to show that Michael is truly different from the rest of the celebrites. His aura and presence seems to light up the whole room when he enters it and has everyone just mesmerized.
I have heard so much about how easy going and down to earth Michael truly is. Must be such a sight to be in his company. :wub:
I agree!!!!!!! :yes:
 
This is what I like to hear/read. I get so tired of reading constant negativity bullcrap from the media and some fans, and you wonder why do they bother? it's just a waste of time, everything foul has been said about him and it's getting old. MJ now and days seems to not catch a break no matter what he does, after all he is human like everyone else and he will make mistakes/bad choices in life, it's part of being human, no one is perfect. I believe Mike is a good soul and I will always pray for him and his family, what a great guy.


Thanks for posting :)

Agree, 100%!
 
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