I was asked to continue with the summaries, so I will as time allows me. The beginning is here:
http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/t...y-Pg-7/page7?p=3785503&viewfull=1#post3785503
Chapter 11. Neverland: My first time
After the tour, Michael invited Dieter to Neverland for the first time. Dieter describes his arrival: the security point, the beautiful second gate, the road to the house, the statues and the ever-present music. He says he later saw many guests cry at the sight of this serene beauty. Dieter was met by Michael’s staff at the entrance to the main house – it was customary for the personnel to greet guests outside – then he was escorted to the guest quarters (that would be his permanent residence later). Then Michael came in.
“Welcome on Neverland! How was your trip? Give me a hug!” he said. Michael gave Dieter a tour of the house. The main house was locked with a security code that changed from time to time. Michael personally gave Dieter the code. “You are at home now, do whatever you want! Feel free!” he said, then disappeared.
Dieter was impressed by the warm welcome. He walked around the house, explored the menu in the kitchen (along with fancy salads, it had a lot of fast food items – Michael loved simple food that you can eat with your hands).
Dieter describes the ranch, and how huge and beautiful it was. He mentions that it was 5 times larger than the state of Monaco. He recalls American TV show “Dallas” that covered the life of white high society in Texas, and speculates that Michael wanted to outshine the estates shown there. Dieter also speculates that close proximity of Ronald Raegan’s estate could have been a reason why MJ wanted to buy Neverland ranch. Raegan was also from a poor family and started his career in show business.
Dieter mentions that they had long conversations with Michael at Neverland, and discussed the results of HIStory tour among other things. He says the tour boosted album sales, but a big chunk of profits went to other people’s pockets.
Dieter says at the end of 1997, he began to stay at Neverland for long periods of time. Michael told him more and more about his affairs – he wanted to change his life and assemble a new team and saw Dieter as a key part of that team. He made Dieter run errands for him and communicate with people like John Branca and Sony on his behalf. Dieter says he felt intimidated at first, but he was representing MJ, so those people had no choice but to deal with him. Finally, he ended up to be Michael’s manager.
Michael lobbied a rule that prohibited flights above the ranch – because he didn’t want to be bothered by paparazzi from the air. But he loved to make a lot of noise himself driving around on quads. The ranch had an extensive vehicle fleet – guests could take any quads and golf carts they liked. Michael’s favorite quad was the biggest one. But he gladly allowed Dieter to use it. “You can take it, no problem at all.”
Chapter 12. Monte Carlo, May 2000
Michael arrived in Monte Carlo to receive Artist of the Millennium Award at the World Music Awards ceremony. He was met at the hotel by a huge crowd of fans, so security had to get him and the kids inside through the back door instead of the front lobby. In the hotel, Michal was awaited by a person from Mercedes Benz who wanted to present him with a Smart car that had been already delivered to the hotel. But the hotel staff underestimated the situation and did not provide extra security. Michael got mobbed, and his team had to evacuate him, abandoning the Smart.
Then Michael had an audience with Prince Albert of Monaco. The situation got tense because the Prince had to wait for Michael, and the Prince never waits for anybody. Michael, however, didn’t seem to be anxious about this at all. He finally appeared at the top of the stairs, and he and Prince hugged. Dieter says that Michael never acted arrogant and was always very approachable for people, but the fact that even princes had to wait for him gave him somewhat of an exceptional status.
Chapter 13. The size matters
The award ceremony was at Monaco Sporting Club. Michael arrived at the last moment to avoid the frenzy. Prince Albert presented him with the award and said, “In a thousand years people will be looking back at the history of pop music, and no other artist will be remembered with such reverence as MJ.” Michael, in his thank you speech, however, said to fans, “You are the reason why I continue to do what I do!”
After the ceremony, Michael was finally presented with the Smart. He received the documents and the car keys; then they went to the garage to observe the car itself. Michael laughed at the sight of the tiny car. He wondered that maybe it was a toy, like his electric cars at the ranch. He didn’t quite understand what Mercedes representatives wanted from him, but thanked then profusely nonetheless. Smart was a bit small for Michael – he loved all things big! When he and Dieter flipped through the Smart advertising brochure later that evening, Michael saw a photo of the “smart tower” – a tall glass multi-level construction that fit up to 30 Smarts inside. (Mercedes installed these towers in different cities for advertising purposes at the time.) Michael was immediately fascinated by it. “Dieter, that´s what I want!” The next morning, Dieter called Mercedes and they agreed to deliver a whole smart tower to Michael.
Michael did attempt to ride in the Smart that was given to him, although he didn’t get far. He went shopping in it, with a driver, flanked by two security minivans. However, the traffic was very slow, so fans caught up with them and started to shake and rock the small car. The situation became dangerous, so security had to move Michael to the minivan at the first safe spot.
Later Michael saw a limo, Mercedes Benz S 600 Pullman, and fell in love with it. He urged Dieter to find one of those (or better yet, three of those) for him. It was a custom-made car, very hi-end in terms of comfort and safety. Michael reviewed Mercedes brochure and marked down his wishes (more TV monitors in the back seat). Dieter arranged the purchase of the limo and its delivery to Neverland.
