We were even going to work together. But his bizarre behaviour put the kibosh on that. It was 1988 and it’s funny, looking back, but at the time we were the biggest male pop stars in the world, rivals I suppose. And our label Sony had this grand idea of a duet – the two Michaels – it could’ve been the biggest thing ever! But I’d heard that Prince had turned him down, I also knew that he was sitting on stuff he’d done with Freddie Mercury – apparently they fell out because Freddie kept urging him to come out of the closet!”
Was Freddie trying it on with him? Who knows? But it wouldn’t surprise me, knowing Freddie! Anyway, a meeting was arranged at the Jackson family compound in Encino. Michael had just bought Neverland but we’d heard that no adults were allowed there, except staff. It took ages to get there; a really long drive in a stuffy car from LA and I’m really hot and sweaty. When we arrive at the house, we’re shown into the porch by the front door and told that Michael will be down to see us shortly. I was standing there for 20 minutes. Then Michael arrives, in full-make up with shades on, inside the house! He’s accompanied by his manager Frank DiLeo, and I have my manager with me, so there’s the four of us standing in the hallway, and Frank does all the talking. Not once does Michael ever shake our hands, take his shades off or speak directly to us. I try to engage him in conversation but he just turns his head and looks at the floor. All questions to him have to go through his manager, even when you’re standing right in front of him. Unbelievable rudeness!
As the managers try to work out the logistics of who would write the song and all that, the only time Michael volunteers to speak is a whisper in Frank’s ear. “Michael wants to know how much do you think we could sell of this record?” enquiries DiLeo. It would have been absolutely massive, and my manager made it clear it would be, but it was almost like Michael wanted some kind of guarantee: “I will only agree to work with you if it’s going to sell at least x million.” But by this point I’d lost interest. We’d been talking for over an hour and not once were were offered a drink or even a chair. I came away thinking this guy is a complete and utter nutter. And that was the last time there was ever any talk of the two of us working together. No amount of record sales was worth that kind of behaviour.
