new book about working with MJ during HIStory

[jasmine.uddin]

Chapter 32 continued.

DB writes about the TDCAU video where the focus on 'South American poverty' counteracted the earlier issues of anti-Semitism surrounding the song. He concludes the songs reception was 'modest and fading' entering at number 30 in the US charts, while entering the top 10 in European charts. DB quotes Frank Ceraolo from the labels promotion team, he reflects how there was 'pressure' to 'deliver' club records when the album didn't lean on club records. He remembers that this was difficult enough to do with Scream, then there were songs like ES, SIM and TDCAU. He claims the remixes of YANA and ES successfully achieved this effect. He reflects how MJ trusted him to deliver on remixes and suspects MJ was very 'hands off' when it came to remixes due to lack of knowledge and experience of club music experiences since Studio 54.

DB writes that his mother 'quietly' passed away 3 months after his father's death. This led to a big perspective shift for DB on how much his work impacted his life and whether it was worth it. He had heard himself referenced as 'the machine' by his colleagues due to his approach to his work. He attended his mother's funeral and recalled her own fears about him searching ' a desperate dream' that would lead him and her heartbroken. And how his pursuit of that dream was probably an effort to counteract her fears. He found himself pondering on his mother's tireless efforts on her children.

Companies from the international label were confident in continuing the campaign for History, partly due to the tour announcement. Due to pressure from these counterparts, the label released SIM video with Nick Brandt. MJ was busy pursuing the Ghosts video, while DG and DB 'lamented the lack of direction'. DB bought Steve Einczig to oversee the project with him. SE had worked on OTW and was familiar with MJ, DB fondly remembers how SE refereed to MJ as 'the kid' in their private conversations.

 

[jasmine.uddin]

Chapter 32 continued.

DB writes how MJ was 'over the top with excitement' with Stan Winston as the director for Ghosts. DB and SE met with SW at his workshop and was extremely impressed with SW special effects work on major films, he describes SW as 'intense' but 'likeable'. He suggests that SW was happy to have a shot as a Director as opposed to the 'special effects guy', as SW told DB a story about how the special effects work was to supplement his income but ended up being his life's work. DB claims the special effect work SW planned for Ghosts was surpassed in number by what he planned for Jurassic Park. DB failed to see the relevance of the Ghosts video to album sales or future product sales and compares it to the uncomfortable place the History Teaser occupied. SW gave DB and SE little information regarding the music as it was MJs territory and 'told us not to be concerned about film business issues'.

DB recalls that Sony's contribution to the project was limited to $1,000, 000, so there was little risk for the label. Yet, he questioned why the label allowed MJ to get so indebted, and summarises that the Beatles catalogue was enough if a reason 'to stay in business with Michael Jackson'. SE oversaw the Ghost production while DB worked on another hit for Pearl Jam 'challenging priority at Epic'.

By August 1996, another family tragedy took place as DBs mother in law passed away very unexpectedly following a sudden stroke. He reflects back at how he 'downplayed' the succession of 3 close family deaths although he continued to 'question life's direction'.

SW invited DG, SS and SE to view the Ghosts film, they were impressed but still puzzled about it's marketing angle. The production costs rise to $16,000,000. MJ called DB to request if the the film could be shown in Loews theatres in time for Halloween. This 'grand plan' appeared to tip DB over the edge, after describing the scenario as 'nuts', 'madness' and 'crazy' he writes 'I can't do this anymore!'. DB informed DG about the theatre request, DG was also puzzled by it and asked SG about the reason for this and was told 'Because Michael wants it'. DB contacted Robert Kardashian again.

To be continued.

 

[jasmine.uddin]

Chapter 32 continued.

Not long afterwards DB received a call from an acquaintance working for Virgin records, and asked if DB would be interested in being president of this new company. DB details Richard Branson's successes. He had a long dinner meeting with RB who assured DB the label would be small and solely focused on the music. Soon after, DB was given an inscribed watch from TM for his 20 years of service, SE was also given one for 25 years of service at an employee service awards event, although he was the only one to know that he was intending to leave at this point. He told DG of his resignation over breakfast, who expressed genuine happiness for DBs opportunity. They both reflected on their time working with MJ, DG informed DB that he'd had a meeting with an Sony exec from Europe and they had a plan to release a remix album and sort MJs image issues. DB remarks on his own naive impressions of thinking such issues could be resolved. He felt bad that DG was stuck in the 'madness' but realised that he was finally 'free'.

Chapter 32 finished

I hated this chapter, there's no other way to put it.
I liked the parts where DB wrote about his own personal tragedies, because it's these experiences that help build bridges between our individual stories, I was hugely disappointed that DB didn't give MJ that chance through his story telling.

I think it's clear that DB is having little to do with MJ at this point, and any chapter where MJ is not referenced through personal interactions do not reflect well on MJ. This combined with the fact that DB was facing several personal tragedies really gave the feeling that DB was done, and anything MJ was a waste of time.

I was genuinely disgusted at DBs attitude to the HBO incident. He claims he heard reports MJ was unwell, he himself saw an unwell MJ, had even engaged in a meeting with DG about what to do if MJ doesn't pull through, then even suggests an ambulance was arranged at the ready and yet appears totally blindsided by MJs collapse, they all were. LL initial response was to state that she/he offered MJ water and it wasn't their fault MJ refused it. All I could see was a re run of TII. MJ was clearly unwell, but those around him were treating MJs ill health as an inconvenience rather than being concerned for his wellbeing. DB quotes JG and the other assistant reflecting how all their hard work had gone to waste, there was no concern expressed for MJ at all. DB writes how it needed to be a life or death situation for MJ to cancel, and the impression I got was that being ill and collapsing wasn't a good enough reason, it's almost like his poor health was this huge inconvenience for them all. Can you imagine a colleague collapsing at work, and everyone else being concerned that they can't get on with their work now and how their work has now gone to waste, and how they offered them water so it wasn't their fault the ill colleague collapsed??? I couldn't believe how tone deaf they all were. I can't understand how DB could write it like this after everything we found out about TII. DB was right though, it took his death for people to take MJs health with any modicum of seriousness. And it really seems like the HBO incident was MJs lucky escape from what happened in TII. The fact that DB was buying newspapers to get info on MJs health after the incident was also very telling.

I really disliked how DB totally glossed over the Britt Awards incident, and even referenced JC criticism of MJs christ like behaviour, when we all know JC did his thing before that part of MJs performance that is criticised for christ-like behaviour. DB shared no views on the incident, relating it like an average everyday event. While he relates the UKs positive media coverage of JC, he echoes their sentiments through his refusal to acknowledge the incident as problematic as it was. I just get the sense that no one cared if it involved MJs feeling/reputation. Like he was a cartoon character that you could run over and suffer no consequences. I expect this angle from the media, but I find it shocking that those he worked with closely also treated him this way.

DB praises how other acts were centred on music, but MJs life was always a circus act, and references the LMP divorce. A divorce is one of the most painful things people go through, and one that many people experience, but as usual MJ is denied any sense of his own humanity, something as personal and painful as a divorce had to be a circus act for MJ because it was MJ going through it. Could you imagine publicly calling someone elses divorce a circus act? This again suggests DB thought the marriage was a sham.

There is also the sense the US label no longer cared for MJ as he wasn't pulling in the figures for them, there's this sense of superiority, that it was irrelevant that MJ was pulling figures elsewhere in the world. I did find the comment about the Beatles catalogue interesting.

Of course, it is important to bear in mind that DBs grief likely heavily influenced how he remembered this time period.