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MJJC Exclusive Q&A with Jermaine Jackson - Read Jermaine's answers

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I do have to say I dislike the whole "purchase my reissue with bonus chapter." I'm not saying, nor do I even know if that was a decision made on Jermaine's part, but it's a bit inconsiderate of the people that purchased the book when it was released.

I think that Jermaine is trying to insinuate that Michael would exaggerate when it came to stories about his father, or misinterpret them. This question has been raised multiple times, rightly so, but we always get the same obscure answer.
 
Having slept on it and re-read the interview there are a couple of points that I have tried to look on in a more objective way.

Jermaine Jackson: I'm not at odds with anyone because everyone accepts that Michael died due to Propofol intoxication, and he used it because he was desperate to sleep, not because he was addicted.

I personally felt it was important to point out the difference between Michael's one time addiction to painkillers, and the sensationalist addiction talk of him being "a junkie" that the media and Murray wrongly attached to his death. That was why I wrote what I did and why I called out all the bull-crap during the trial.

My siblings shared private conversations and concerns with our brother about his addiction around 2001/02 time, and they are entitled to talk about it, but talking about that period does not mean they are calling him a drug addict in 2009. He wasn't.
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I really do appreciate Jermaine defending Michael regarding the whole 'addict' term. If you remember back to some of the other family members interviews most of MJ fan community were deeply frustrated that these statements were made in a sweeping manner and that the family did not clarify their points.

Jermaine Jackson: Yes, Michael had the right to tell it, and so do I because I experienced the same discipline from Joseph. I was disciplined. I was not abused. He treated us the same and I don't apologize for attempting to place all of this into context. In every family, there will be different perspectives of the same event. I have given mine.

I will say this: I read many biographies that invented what Joseph was supposed to have done. The majority of it was pure fantasy or wildly exaggerated. It was designed to paint him as evil. Joseph has never been evil. Michael would agree with that.

I don't dismiss Michael's experience and feelings. What I have tried to do is balance what happened and do what Michael tried to teach us all: be more understanding and more compassionate. That's why I used his Oxford University speech in the book because he didn't have the judgment or vitriol that some fans have for Joseph. He forgave him. He didn't judge him. He also loved him and history deserves to know that.
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Being objective, Jermaine and Michael are very different in their personalities, they both had acne and yet it didn't bother Jermaine but we all know the effect it had on Michael. So perhaps from Jermaine's point of view, being more confident he wasn't hurt so much by Joseph's treatment. Please don't misunderstand, I am NOT playing down Michael's feelings on this I'm only attempting to understand how two brothers living the same experience can view it differently.

I'm not upset with Jermaine on his version because he does state that he does not dismiss Michael's experience.

........

The whole Tohme thing still leaves me very confused, hopefully time will tell.

Jermaine Jackson: Who says I was taken aback? We didn't discuss Michael's death. Why would we? The rest of the family has had musical careers and we've got and always had our own money.

Michael did what a father should in a will - he took care of his kids, and he also named our mother. By including her, he included us. The lioness takes care of her cubs, and that philosophy has always been understood in our family.

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We MJ fans have often got upset at the pressure placed on Michael to support the family and I still feel that, but Jermaine is not lying here, this is how it's always been and has not changed since Michael's death. I also wonder if this is Jermaine's way of accepting that they were not named.

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Re Word To The Badd, at the end of the day Jermaine has to live with this, we know he participated in it, he knows it and so did Michael. He has admitted that it is one of his regrets, so be it.
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Jermaine Jackson: Folk's interpretation of a photo doesn't mean that Michael owned his own cell just because he was pictured with one. To the best of my knowledge, there was no cell you could call Michael direct on unless it was someone else's.
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He is not lying here, he does say to the best of his knowledge.

Jermaine Jackson: Why would I regret writing it??! Once again, this is an example of newspapers misreporting what I had written in the book. I didn't say there was a plan "if convicted". I said it was a plan I had after the first few days of evidence. I didn't say it was rational, but it was the way I was thinking without the benefit of hindsight.

It didn't occur to me how right or wrong it was. This was a time when my brother was pursued, arrested and put on trial for something he didn't do, and I was supposed to sit back and trust the system that was screwing him? I had zero faith and I had nightmares about an innocent man going to jail. I have written in the book about the thoughts and feelings I was experiencing in that context. It's the truth, and I don't regret writing the truth.
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This is something I really had wished that Jermaine had cleared up in the press, but I think the damage had already been done. He should have made it clearer that this was simply 'his' plan borne out of fear.

Jermaine Jackson: We are not disregarding their privacy, and Michael's wishes are not being disrespected. Those kids are fiercely protected.

Michael entrusted his children to our mother's care because he knew the love, care and attention they would receive. As any parent knows, it is a fine line between saying "no" and respecting your child's wishes. As they grow and evolve, so must the decisions taken that affect their lives, development and ambitions.
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No matter how hard I try I can't find any way to agree with Jermaine on this one.

Jermaine Jackson: I don't know what Internet blog is being referred to??

Michael's attorney Tom had a witness that was prepared to testify that Jordan Chandler had told him the allegations were untrue (should he have appeared as a witness in 2005) The boy had privately retracted it, and Tom was going to prove it. I think that's as good as any argument can get!
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I wish he had.

Jermaine Jackson: That's simple: his smile. He had a smile like no one else.
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:cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry::cry:

On the whole although there are some things I don't agree on I think this is a very good interview, where Jermaine has answered some difficult questions to what seems like the best of his ability and from his point of view.

Yes he mentions his book rather a lot :) but thats the nature of the beast, he has spent a lifetime in this industry and thats just how it works.


Thanks again to Ivy and MJJC, with the world being so small now and with access to celebrities on twitter etc it easy to overlook the fact that, regardless of what each of us thinks of him, WOW! You got Jermaine Jackson!

Edited to add: I really wish that we had had the opportunity to add another question regarding the families decision to free Murray from paying restitution.
 
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Last weekend, The New York Times had a great interview with Stella McCartney, daughter of former Beatles Paul.

For the last 2 decades, she has been a mover & shaker in the fashion industry, she struggled and launch her own company and has done very well.

One of the questions she was asked:

I asked McCartney if she ever considered asking her father for money to start her company so she could have full control. “We don’t do things like that in my family,” she said. “We work.”
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And this got me thinking about the Jacksons and how they have used Michael since he was a tiny boy until the day he dies. The dynamic within that family is like no other... At times, one can't help but understand why Michael needed to recreate "his" version of family with the Barnes, the Cascios, The Robsons and probably many others we'd never heard of.

After MJ passed, Wade Robson spoke of how he & his wife invited MJ for BBQ at his house a year before he passed, and how laid-back MJ was, reminiscing about all time, knowing nothing was expected of him but having a good time with a true friend & student. If his own blood-family could have shown him an ounce of the love, appreciation, gratitude AND RESPECT that those surrogate families had shown MJ, it would have sustained him in his lows.
 
Thank you Ivy for organising this Q&A, and thank you Jermaine for replying as best you could.

These are the points that I wanted to comment:
I first met Tohme-Tohme as someone who could help fund the Crystal City project (described in the book) which I was working on with Michael around 2007 time. I had four meetings with Michael to get down our vision on paper. He was all about it.
I met with Tohme-Tohme to find a consortium to raise the $5-6 billion we needed. Not once did I mention to him that Michael was involved in this project.

I find this hard to believe that Michael would go on business involving Jermaine and 5-6 billion. He didn't want to do concerts with the family and I doubt that he would have gone to business with any of them.
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Michael did what a father should in a will - he took care of his kids, and he also named our mother. By including her, he included us. The lioness takes care of her cubs, and that philosophy has always been understood in our family.

Huh!That is scary philosophy to have. I can only hope that philosophy is not passed to the next generations.
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Who says that "everybody knows he didn't want to work with us anymore"? They cite one date and one example and apply it forever??
Everybody doesn't know, because Michael had agreed to do one "final" concert with the brothers and that was because Mother wanted to see us all on stage one last time in her life-time

Another hard to believe story from Jermaine.
Actually, Michael said many times he doesn’t want to do concerts with them, but they are not listening. Mother wanted to see them on stage one last time? - Victory comes to mind.
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That is a different thing to people in Hollywood who surrounded Michael and wanted him in isolation. I lay it all out in the book for folk to make up their own mind and ask themselves one question: Michael was a superstar in his own right, but was he better off as a person when isolated from family? I'll tell you now: had family been at The Forum or Staples for This Is It, those rehearsals would have been stopped long before and Michael would still be with us today.

He is talking about Michael like he was kept in prison somewhere and no will on his own! Jermaine should take a look at the mirror as to why Michael didn’t want to see them.

Had family been at the forum or stables, (I’m sorry to say this) they would have been begging Michael to have them
involved with the show. Anyway, he contradicts himself in the last bit of his reply, he lated wrote:
"his death confirmed the lie that he wasn't ready or fit enough to perform again, when the truth is that he was going to produce the most amazing show on earth and prove everyone wrong with the comeback of all comebacks."
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Folk's interpretation of a photo doesn't mean that Michael owned his own cell just because he was pictured with one. To the best of my knowledge, there was no cell you could call Michael direct on unless it was someone else's.

Lol, either Rebbie sold someone else’s iPhone cover or maybe Michael didn’t have a phone, just a cover:)
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We are not disregarding their privacy, and Michael's wishes are not being disrespected. Those kids are fiercely protected.

I’m sorry, say what? Really!
 
m3f9h.jpg
 
Jermaine is dreaming if he thinks he can do whatever he wants with MJ's image, name, .... Strangely, laws are different for this family
 
charismatic said:
Those questions were horrible and embarrassing. And for the owners of this board to ask these questions leads me to believe they are as crazy as some of these fans. These weren't fan questions these were prosecutor questions. I can't even believe he answered them. Some of you act like the Jackson family owe you an explanation for everything they do. Fans don't own them, nor do they own Michael.

Just delusional.
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Where's the gun over Jermaine's head? I think I missed that part.

This Q&A was entirely voluntary and Jermaine did it, I suspect, as a way to promote his book. Do I think he, or the rest of those free-loading leeches, I mean, The Family, owe me anything? No. I don't. However, we pose honest questions and expect honest answers in this entirely VOLUNTARY Q&A.

This isn't a Jermaine Jackson fan board (do any even exist?), it's a Michael Jackson fan board, and we look out for his best interest and pose our questions accordingly. Jermaine is free to answer or not answer as he sees fit, which is exactly what he has done.
 
I don't trust Jermaine at all.. I am still upset that he and Randy claim that MJ would've still been living if the family would've known about MJ not feeling well prior to his death and if they would've known what Murray was doing to him. My question is why didn't the family go and check on their brother/son? they knew he was rehearsing and under tremendous pressure to do these shows not one of them spoke to him? They saw MJ in May 2009 and they all saw how thin and tired he looked yet not one of them said a word during Joe and Katherine's anniversary party?-_-
 
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I think the primary delusion that most in the Jackson family are suffering from, is revealed in Jermaine's statement, "Blood is thicker than any ink on paper." NO. It's not, and that is EXACTLY why Michael had a will! The death of someone in a family can cause a LOT of strife, and probably even more so if the deceased was wealthy. The "ink on paper" details Michael's specific wishes, and not that "a mother lion takes care of her cubs." I'm sure that Michael knew that Katherine was passing money to the siblings, when Michael was alive. He let her do what she wanted to, and didn't exert any control over it. But now, with the will, all that ends when Katherine passes. If Michael had intended to PAY his brothers from his estate, he would have provided for that. And clearly, he did NOT provide for them.

Katherine is not young, and there is going to be chaos when she passes, as her income-stream from the estate comes to an end. The pressure on PP & B to uphold the family myth is going to be tremendous!

As far as "performing with the brothers again to please Katherine" in concerned? That was MSG. Been there/done that. I highly doubt Michael had any intentions of ever performing with his brothers again. Why WOULD he have? Only as charity, and obviously, he was DONE with that.
 
^^^^ Yes, especially if any of the children are still underage.
 
Sometimes I think Jermaine is answering in the subliminal. When Jermaine says he misses his brother's "Smile" the most, is he talking about when he butchered Michael's favorite song at the Memorial? So then we should all remember that Jermaine can actually sing and really can have a solo career, apart from his brother's, Michael's career. Kind of like Paul McCartney had a successful solo career separate from the Beatles and there was Paul, once again singing and performing his heart out at the Grammy's.

Michael left Motown because he went with what he saw on the horizon in the Music Business. This goes to show what we all understand about Michael and why he is a genius. Jermaine was married to Berry Gordy's daughter. This was Jermaine's allegiance at the time, even though Jermaine couldn't stay away from the groupies. Which is why he has many different ex-wives and lots of children that he has never really supported.

And we wonder why Michael was heavily in debt?!

Jermaine has alot of excuses about his behavior, but at the end of the day we are all coming to the same conclusion. Michael supported all the Jackson's through Katherine. Otherwise they'd invent stories about him to sell to the Tabloid Media and make money. It is disappointing the speculation on Jermaine's part and not straight answers. Let us pat ourselves on the back that we are setting this matter straight concerning what Jermaine is trying to convince us is the truth!
 
Wasn't brother Randy selling stories to the tabloids or at least to Roger Friedman? Joe was too. I remember Roger Friedman stating after MJ's death that a lot of his stories were coming from 'family members':bugeyed I think we all knew that though
 
I thought the part where Jermaine said they all have their own money and support their own families was hilarious. Didn’t he tell the judge that he needed his support payments lowered down to a few hundred because he had no money? If they all have their own money why were his, Randy and Rebbie’s kids living free at Hayvanhurst? Why did Michael have to foot the bill for most of his nieces and nephews education? I also resent the fact that he once again minimized and belittled the abuse Michael suffered. Not cool Jermaine.
 
Thanks ivy for organising this and thanks to jermaine, who certainly made the time to answer the questions put to him.

I really didn't like his answers but they do tend to reveal his family's thinking and that's always helpful to fans. His comment that his family 'were appointed by blood at birth' to manage mj's legacy is pretty out there, and that coupled with taj's comment that family can't cash in on their own name does help me to understand their complete and utter denial that mj willed his estate to two outside executors who now control his legacy. It must be a complete nightmare tohave to deal with this family and try and explain the legal aspects of this. I thought it was just a question of greed but it also seems they find it just impossible to understand.

Jermaine Jackson: To the same extent that Paul McCartney owes his success to The Beatles. Michael's platform was the Jackson 5. Everyone comes from somewhere.

I've read alot of music commentators belittling mj's career but i've never read anything quite so delusional as this, and from his own brother?
Jackson 5 = the beatles
MJ solo career = paul mccartney and wings
Is he serious with this? Is this how he, and by extension his family, think of mj's career - he was legendary in the group but solo, it was just soso. Reminds me of gest's icon documentrary when mj's solo career was just glossed over and just a concentration on plastic surgery and allegations.

Agree with everyone else re the 'lioness taking care of her cubs' comment. Except it wasn't and isn't the lioness doing the caring, she has never had money of her own and has always been 100% dependent on one of her youngest cubs, mj, so at least have the decency to admit that jermaine.
 
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I think that the answers to the questions revealed, beyond all doubt, that Jermaine is and will remain -- VERACITY-CHALLENGED. Time for him to sit down, now.
 
Jermaine is full of it as usual

Jermaine Jackson: Who says I was taken aback? We didn't discuss Michael's death. Why would we? The rest of the family has had musical careers and we've got and always had our own money.

Michael did what a father should in a will - he took care of his kids, and he also named our mother. By including her, he included us. The lioness takes care of her cubs, and that philosophy has always been understood in our family.
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What about him leaving them to Diana Ross then? Does he think the same? It was possible the children could have went to her first.

"By including her, he included us" I dont think he can sing that tune if they were in Diana's care. What a silly answer.
 
Aprilmay said:
Jermaine is full of it as usual
What about him leaving them to Diana Ross then? Does he think the same? It was possible the children could have went to her first.

"By including her, he included us" I dont think he can sing that tune if they were in Diana's care. What a silly answer.
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Good point. I do think Jermaine knows better, but he must be desperate? He and others of the Jackson clan have been sponging off of Katherine for a LONG time. Shame on them! The "we have our own money" statement is easily refuted by lawsuits claiming lack of child-support. Not only did he sponge, but apparently dumped his kids off on Grandma to raise. Does he think fans don't KNOW this? REALLY?

"By including her," Michael did NOT include "them." And I doubt that Diana Ross would, either. Katherine isn't getting any younger, and they'd better have a back-up plan. I think it was quite eloquent of Michael, to cut the siblings entirely out of the will. I'm sure he felt an obligation to continue supporting his mother, and he's fulfilling it. He could have done it another way, where the siblings would inherit when Katherine passes. But, Michael did NOT do it that way. His mother will be comfortable for the rest of her life, and then? Jermaine will have to make a living, I guess? Ooopsies.
 
Interesting Q&A. Jermaine was VERY defensive in this interview lol. He cleared up some few things for me. Overall good Q&A. Than you ivy for doing this. Thanks Erm for taking the time to answer the questions.
 
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AliCat said:
Sometimes I think Jermaine is answering in the subliminal. ...
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Yeah, I just about keeled over from the "lioness taking care of the cubs" comment. And how it was always understood in his family. Apparently that was also expected from women marrying into the family. I totally understand "it takes a village"- as long as that village includes YOU while you're alive and kickin'. You're gender is not qualifying as hall pass, sorry 'bout that.

Raising children is exclusive female domain- what the heck was Michael thinking being a single father?????????? (*sarcasm* figured, that was evident)
To try and turn Michael's trust into his mother into this 'family philosophy' is quite amazing to me- as apparently Michael had vastly different ideas about family then a number of brothers.

Wow, in 2012, no less. My head! MJ may have been many things- but he clearly wasn't a misogynist as one look at his daughter will tell you very clearly.
 
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Pace said:
Yeah, I just about keeled over from the "lioness taking care of the cubs" comment. And how it was always understood in his family. Apparently that was also expected from women marrying into the family. I totally understand "it takes a village"- as long as that village includes YOU while you're alive and kickin'. You're gender is not qualifying as hall pass, sorry 'bout that.

Raising children is exclusive female domain- what the heck was Michael thinking being a single father?????????? To try and turn Michael's trust into his mother into this 'family philosophy' is quite amazing to me- as apparently Michael had vastly different ideas about family then a number of brothers.

Wow, in 2012, no less. My head! MJ may have been many things- but he clearly wasn't a misogynist as one look at his daughter will tell you very clearly.
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For YEARS before becoming a father, Michael read books and magazines on parenting, I guess as "research?" With his great love of children, he NEEDED to be a father. It didn't work out in the marriage department, but he soldiered on. His need to be a parent was VERY great. For every account I've ever heard, he was an exemplary parent. Which is why, in a sense, I am baffled by that aspect of his will. That he would TRUST Katherine to do right by his children? When she failed to protect HIM? (and that continues to make me feel that there was something not quite right going on with the will, but that is for another discussion)

Of all the things that Jermaine said, the MOST offensive was his diminishing of Michael's words about being abused as a child. That was unconscionable, but then, if Jermaine is depending on the "mother lion" to support him and his children, he dare not say anything against the family mythology? Michael said, MANY times, how horrific his abuse really was. For the love of GOD, Michael SAID that, as an adult, the mere sight of Joseph would make him throw up! He said he was beaten with belts, and the cords from electrical appliances, and thrown against walls. He said Katherine once screamed, "STOP, Joseph, you're KILLING him!" This is not some "mystery tape" by a bogus Rabbi, but Michael's own words, to :puke: Bashir. And yet, Jermaine discounts this?

What I REALLY think? As a brother, Jermaine has been a traitor, on nearly all counts. Nothing in this interview says any differently.

Now that he's "answered" these questions, I hope we can be DONE with his sorry ass?
 
I forgot to mention like others have how contradictive it was to read Jermaine say that if he and the family knew what was going on they would have stopped TII, then says that MJ was gonna have the best comeback. o_O
 
Autumn II said:
For YEARS before becoming a father, Michael read books and magazines on parenting, I guess as "research?" With his great love of children, he NEEDED to be a father. It didn't work out in the marriage department, but he soldiered on. His need to be a parent was VERY great. For every account I've ever heard, he was an exemplary parent. Which is why, in a sense, I am baffled by that aspect of his will. That he would TRUST Katherine to do right by his children? When she failed to protect HIM? (and that continues to make me feel that there was something not quite right going on with the will, but that is for another discussion)

Of all the things that Jermaine said, the MOST offensive was his diminishing of Michael's words about being abused as a child. That was unconscionable, but then, if Jermaine is depending on the "mother lion" to support him and his children, he dare not say anything against the family mythology? Michael said, MANY times, how horrific his abuse really was. For the love of GOD, Michael SAID that, as an adult, the mere sight of Joseph would make him throw up! He said he was beaten with belts, and the cords from electrical appliances, and thrown against walls. He said Katherine once screamed, "STOP, Joseph, you're KILLING him!" This is not some "mystery tape" by a bogus Rabbi, but Michael's own words, to :puke: Bashir. And yet, Jermaine discounts this?

What I REALLY think? As a brother, Jermaine has been a traitor, on nearly all counts. Nothing in this interview says any differently.

Now that he's "answered" these questions, I hope we can be DONE with his sorry ass?
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BRAVO!!! Great Post..:clapping::clapping:
 
Autumn II said:
Good point. I do think Jermaine knows better, but he must be desperate? He and others of the Jackson clan have been sponging off of Katherine for a LONG time. Shame on them! The "we have our own money" statement is easily refuted by lawsuits claiming lack of child-support. Not only did he sponge, but apparently dumped his kids off on Grandma to raise. Does he think fans don't KNOW this? REALLY?

"By including her," Michael did NOT include "them." And I doubt that Diana Ross would, either. Katherine isn't getting any younger, and they'd better have a back-up plan. I think it was quite eloquent of Michael, to cut the siblings entirely out of the will. I'm sure he felt an obligation to continue supporting his mother, and he's fulfilling it. He could have done it another way, where the siblings would inherit when Katherine passes. But, Michael did NOT do it that way. His mother will be comfortable for the rest of her life, and then? Jermaine will have to make a living, I guess? Ooopsies.
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They do have one. Michael's kids.

All the grooming to have public, gossip fodder lives, brainwashing, instilling the family's belief system, 'Family comes first,' are steps taken to ensure that the gravy train doesn't halt with Katherine's death.

When Prince and Paris are older and independent, I'm sure their less well off cousins, who they grew up with, will come begging around the door or palm of their responsibilities. Responsibilities such as children from extra marital affairs, just like their fathers did. The cycle will repeat. And Michael's kids will feel compelled and obligated to provide for them, because of what they've been taught all those years ago. That their wealth needs to be shared - family comes first.
 
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Thank you Ivy for your amazing work as always.

I wonder what Jermaine and the Jackson family think about us..Michael fans...i mean,how can he lie like this?Does he believes in what he says?In one thing he is right...We ARE Michaels fans and we will always be there for Michael.(why so much jealousy?mabe if he had learned anything from his brother,he too would have devoting loyal fans?)...

And why trying to change our mind on what happened?I guess in the end we,Michael's fans,are the only ones that know the truth,amd we stay with Michael always.
My poor angel that i miss so much...when we have a family like you did...how could you do things any different?
 
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