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Joe Jackson: Plan for book instead of documentary/Soul-Train-IV

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http://soultrain.com/2014/10/31/soultrain-com-exclusive-qa-joe-jackson-words/


SoulTrain.com Exclusive Q&A: Joe Jackson, In His Own Words
October 31, 2014 · 1 Comment
Culture · Tagged: Culture, jackson 5, Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson, shameika rene'

JosephJacksonThe story of how the Jackson 5 rose to fame from Gary, IN is a well-known tale. It’s also a well- publicized story of how the entire Jackson family cemented their role in all facets of entertainment, making them music royalty. However, the true story of the patriarch of one of music’s most famous families has never really been told. Over the years, Joe Jackson has faced his share of the wrath of the media—the same media that preyed on his family, especially his son Michael Jackson before and after his death in 2009. Mr. Jackson says it’s time to tell his story, his way. Jackson is currently working on his latest venture, a book tentatively titled, A Journey in My Shoes. At 86 years old, one would think Jackson would be laid back, enjoying the fruits of his labor from a long career of managing his children. Instead, he stays busy traveling, supporting his multi-talented family, and working on his own business ventures, showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

In a rare exclusive interview, SoulTrain.com spoke with Joe Jackson to discuss his new book and his thoughts on what’s missing in the music industry, and the King of Pop’s Soul Train Award nominations.

SoulTrain.com: Mr. Jackson, it is an absolute pleasure to be speaking with you. Are you still working on the documentary, A Journey in My Shoes, which you mentioned on the Piers Morgan Show last year?

Joe Jackson: Thank you. I am, but instead of a documentary, it will actually be a book that will be my legacy. It’s about my life story. It’s about how I tried to get my boys out there and how I had to work several jobs to sustain my family. It’s about the rejection, the fighting, and the struggles, and the bad press that I’ve received for what I have done. It’s about the things that I had to go through to make my boys the superstars they became all over the world. It even addresses the flack I received about the way that I decided to raise my children. I can’t wait for the fans to read it.

SoulTrain.com: When will the book be available, and what can fans expect to learn about Joe Jackson in the book that they didn’t know before?

Joe Jackson: It will be available when I finish it. The fans will just learn all about me and everything I went through from my point of view.

SoulTrain.com: What else are you working on besides the book?

Joe Jackson: I am working on several things that I can’t really talk about right now because of confidentiality agreements, but you will hear about them soon.

SoulTrain.com: The music industry has changed so much since the Jackson 5 signed on with Motown. Mr. Jackson, what do you think is missing in music today?

Joe Jackson: It was easier back then. Artists wanted it and wanted to be stars, and they showed up prepared and they were developed, so they had lasting careers. There’s a lack of artist development today. Artists are just focused on putting out their music and then you never hear from them again. That’s just my thoughts on it.

SoulTrain.com: A few years ago in an interview, you mentioned that you had a record label with Marshall Thompson of the Chi-Lites. Do you still have the label?

Joe Jackson: Yes, I still have the label, but I don’t have any time to work on it. I am busy traveling all over the world. I’m just trying to stay as healthy as I can and travel and do it all for the fans. So I haven’t been using the label as much these days.

SoulTrain.com: If you were looking for talent, we may know a certain writer that you could sign to the label, hint, hint.

Joe Jackson: What can you do besides laugh and write? That’s funny! (laughs)

SoulTrain.com: Let us know if you change your mind! SoulTrain.com spoke with Eddie Ray recently. He was the first African American executive at Capitol Records that tried to get the Jackson 5 signed onto their label, but you made the decision to go with Motown instead. Do you think things would have been different had you decided to go with Capitol instead of Motown?

Joe Jackson: I think I made a good choice, wouldn’t you say?

SoulTrain.com: Absolutely! Mr. Jackson, when you look back on your life, especially your career, do you have any regrets?

Joe Jackson: No regrets at all. I enjoyed what I did and reached the goals that I set. My goal was to help my family make it and I achieved that.

SoulTrain.com: Michael Jackson has been nominated for a Soul Train Award for Album of the Year for the album Xscape, and he’s also nominated for Best Song of the Year, and Best Collaboration for “Love Never Felt So Good” featuring Justin Timberlake. What do you think about your son’s nominations?

Joe Jackson: I think it would have made Michael very proud to be nominated. I just wish Michael was here to be able to celebrate his nominations, especially if he wins.

SoulTrain.com: Are you pleased with the way fans have kept your son Michael’s memory alive?

Joe Jackson: Yes, very much so. I appreciate it so much how they have remembered Michael. When I travel all over the world, fans show our family so much love. I just want to say thank you very much to the fans. I really appreciate all that they do for our family.

SoulTrain.com: Do you have any memories of Soul Train that you’d like to share?

Joe Jackson: Oh yes, I will never forget Soul Train or Don Cornelius. Don Cornelius was the first one to put my boys on stage. It was the first time they had been on stage. Back then, Don promoted a show at the West Side Theater in Chicago, so I will never forget him, ever.

To keep up with Mr. Joe Jackson, follow him on Twitter at @Joe5Jackson and check out his website.

-Shameika Rene’
 
Has he ditched the projects "Making Micheal" and "Maestro"? :D

After reading this, it made me think of the song "Papa Was A Rolling Stone", Joe keeps going on and on with his projects.
 
Another project that will never see the light of day, now I see where the brothers get this habit from.
 
The only thing the public will ever get from Joe, the brothers and Mother are the same old warmed over tired stories they have told a million times before. Fact of the matter is none of them knew him well enough (in the latter years) to say much of anything new about him. Sad.
 
I have to say that in some ways I'm really proud of Joe for traveling all over and attending fan events-because I'm sure it's hard for him physically. And most of the stuff that comes out of his mouth is very positive these days.
And I know it will never happen, but personally I find his OWN story very interesting-and wish he would write a book about that. I'd like to know about his own childhood, and what made him so interested in music. And even though he had an odd way of showing it, what made him so family driven. Not only was he intent on keeping his own children all together and for always, but he took his brother and his brother's nine children to California with them back in the sixties.
That's why there are so many cousins, etc. always in the picture.
I'm just curious what made him like that besides the obvious history stuff of post war poverty and civil rights.
 
barbee0715 said:
I have to say that in some ways I'm really proud of Joe for traveling all over and attending fan events-because I'm sure it's hard for him physically. And most of the stuff that comes out of his mouth is very positive these days.
And I know it will never happen, but personally I find his OWN story very interesting-and wish he would write a book about that. I'd like to know about his own childhood, and what made him so interested in music. And even though he had an odd way of showing it, what made him so family driven. Not only was he intent on keeping his own children all together and for always, but he took his brother and his brother's nine children to California with them back in the sixties.
That's why there are so many cousins, etc. always in the picture.
I'm just curious what made him like that besides the obvious history stuff of post war poverty and civil rights.
Click to expand...

I want to know more about HIM too, because he does have a story to tell and it doesn't have to revolve around his children. A lot has been seen, has been lived in 86 years and history has always fascinated me, especially hearing it from those that lived it. He should focus on that, get his story told, because there are many that would love to read it. I would.

When an elder passes on, a library dies. It would be a shame to have his story told by someone else.
 
SheilaMJFan4Ever said:
I want to know more about HIM too, because he does have a story to tell and it doesn't have to revolve around his children. A lot has been seen, has been lived in 86 years and history has always fascinated me, especially hearing it from those that lived it. He should focus on that, get his story told, because there are many that would love to read it. I would.

When an elder passes on, a library dies. It would be a shame to have his story told by someone else.
Click to expand...
YES!!!! That's the story I want to hear. His own story-his own life-his own childhood. Was it shaped because of coming from a broken home. Was it shaped by the abject poverty and the Jim Crow laws of the land. What drew him to music and playing the guitar. What artists influenced him? So many things I want to know.

I don't think people realize how important history is.

I love biographies and autobiographies (always have) and one of the best I've read is Berry Gordy's-I've read it at least 10 times and from that, you can not only see the world that influenced Berry, but in turn see the influence that Berry, the Motown company, the "Chitlin' Circuit" had on people like Stevie and Michael-where a lot of their drive and social conscience came from.

He doesn't talk about that specifically, but from his own recollections of that time, you can picture those kids working and practically living there-and how they absorbed what they were "learning" and how they became the men they were.
 
I imagine Joe would have a hard time getting a publisher for a book that is focused more on him than his famous (and marketable) offspring. However, if anyone is curious, Joe told quite a bit about himself and his childhood in his book "The Jacksons" that I believe was originally published in German. (Probably because U.S. publishers weren't interested.) The Jetzi site has a rough English translation of it. . Some words/phrases don't translate well at all (e.g., The Great Depression), so trying to determine what he's talking about in some places is a challenge. However, I recall he told a story of singing in front of his class for the first time and being embarrassed when the kids laughed (They laughed because he was so nervous, not because he sang badly). This seems to have motivated him to be in show business.
 
barbee0715 said:
YES!!!! That's the story I want to hear. His own story-his own life-his own childhood. Was it shaped because of coming from a broken home. Was it shaped by the abject poverty and the Jim Crow laws of the land. What drew him to music and playing the guitar. What artists influenced him? So many things I want to know.

I don't think people realize how important history is.

I love biographies and autobiographies (always have) and one of the best I've read is Berry Gordy's-I've read it at least 10 times and from that, you can not only see the world that influenced Berry, but in turn see the influence that Berry, the Motown company, the "Chitlin' Circuit" had on people like Stevie and Michael-where a lot of their drive and social conscience came from.

He doesn't talk about that specifically, but from his own recollections of that time, you can picture those kids working and practically living there-and how they absorbed what they were "learning" and how they became the men they were.
Click to expand...

Yes, his life IS interesting for the history he's lived and there is an audience for that, people that can and will appreciate that. There are people that aren't Mike fans that will be intrigued by Joe's life, his beginnings, what made him what he is.
 
Joe Jackson has written an autobiography. Maybe it was not published in English??
 
DC10 said:
I imagine Joe would have a hard time getting a publisher for a book that is focused more on him than his famous (and marketable) offspring. However, if anyone is curious, Joe told quite a bit about himself and his childhood in his book "The Jacksons" that I believe was originally published in German. (Probably because U.S. publishers weren't interested.) The Jetzi site has a rough English translation of it. . Some words/phrases don't translate well at all (e.g., The Great Depression), so trying to determine what he's talking about in some places is a challenge. However, I recall he told a story of singing in front of his class for the first time and being embarrassed when the kids laughed (They laughed because he was so nervous, not because he sang badly). This seems to have motivated him to be in show business.
Click to expand...

Yes, I read some parts of it and it's interesting to read about the family history, for example. (http://jetzi-mjvideo.com/books-jetzi-02/04joej/04joej01.html). I didn't read it full but the parts I read about Michael sound distant which is sad. I mean, he always talks about what a great artist he was, legend, etc. - not really about a father-son relationship. Probably because they hadn't really have one. I haven't read it in full, so maybe I just missed the more intimate parts.
 
Typical Joe--flip flopping again. I heard this story before about him writing a book. Sometimes he says a documentary and at other times he says a book. As I said before in that other thread ago about the documentary, I am interested in hearing his stories for its historical and sociocultural benefits--learning how it was like back then to push an African American group to the top, the decisions made, the experiences, etc.
 
I didn't realise this was still going....

JoCola, the signature soft drink BY yours truly is coming soon to a store near you,thanks to the hard work of my long term friend and business associate John Taylor. Thanks for the great work you are doing with the distributors.


http://www.jwjackson.com/?p=3485
 
myosotis said:
I didn't realise this was still going....

JoCola, the signature soft drink BY yours truly is coming soon to a store near you,thanks to the hard work of my long term friend and business associate John Taylor. Thanks for the great work you are doing with the distributors.


http://www.jwjackson.com/?p=3485
Click to expand...

Hahaa :D
Was JoCola success first time round so that Joe decided it deserves second round?
Jocola-Can-Pic-2.jpg
 
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