morinen
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There is one article in the latest Newsweek tribute magazine that I thought was pretty interesting. It talks about the Julien's auction in 2009 where Michael's belongings from Neverland were supposed to be sold out. The auction then was cancelled, and there were different versions as to why it was cancelled. Michael's camp maintained that MJ wasn't aware that his things were going to be sold (that Tohme tried to sell them behind his back), however Darren Julien mentioned his conversations with Michael at the time that indicated that MJ was well aware of the auction. But Darren does not like to discuss that story much. This article is by far the most detailed comment from Julien's side that I've seen.
I find it quite believable. While there certainly could have been some confusion on Michael's part as to what exactly was going to be sold (given how poorly his affairs were managed in the last years), I think in general the explanation given in this article looks very plausible.
“It’s been five years, but we’re still talking about it,” says Martin Nolan, the executive director of Julien’s Auctions. “And we’ll be talking about it in 10 years, and in 20, and probably in 50. Maybe forever. It could have been everything. But then it just wasn’t.”
During the summer of 2008, Julien’s was tasked with a monumental undertaking: Neverland Ranch, outside Los Angeles, was facing fore- closure. Michael Jackson was moving out for good and everything had to go. “Michael hadn’t been there for three years, and he never wanted to return,” explains Darren Julien, founder of Julien’s Auctions. “We were trusted with the responsibility to go in and remove everything and sell it on Michael’s behalf. It took us 30 men, 90 days and 10 semitrailers packed from floor to ceiling. It was unbelievable.” For Julien's Auctions, it was the chance of a lifetime. It was also a bit of a nightmare.
“It was hot. It was the middle of August. There were flies everywhere,” recalls Nolan. “We were loading statues, furniture, paintings, hundreds of arcade games, everything.” “Everything” also included limousines, life-size wax butlers and maids, a carriage, Michael's tour bus, 20 years’ worth of custom clothing and even the massive ornate gates that welcome visitors to Neverland Ranch. “It was grueling work," says Nolan. “But it was Michael Jackson's treasures, so we handled every piece with great care.”
Julien's quickly learned Michael didn't just want to have the biggest celebrity auction in history: It also had to be the best. As Julien recalls. "After looking at the auction catalogues we’d created for U2 and Cher, Michael said, ‘Darren, you’ve done a great job on all of these. But I want mine to be better.’ ” To meet Michael’s sky-high standards, photographers painstakingly photographed more than 2,000 items, giving each lot special attention. The auction catalogs, split into five parts and topping out at almost 1,000 pages in all, were designed as a collectible box set, festooned with a special pattern inside the box at Michael's request. "Creativity-wise, he was over the top,” Julien says. "It showed his incredible workmanship, but more importantly it showed his dedication to giving his fans an experience to remember. You could tell where his heart was.”
The Julien's team also brought Neverland to Los Angeles chough re- creation of the feel of the ranch’s main house in a 30,000-square foot mall, an exhibition that was open to the public. Walking through the exhibit was like walking through the world Michael had created tor himself; a child’s fantasyland where wax butlers hold trays of freshly baked cookies and the movie theater in your basement is showing your favorite Disney film. “We worked on the project for nine months,” says Nolan. “We probably spent $2.5 million total to set up everything, including the exhibition and the printing of the five catalogs.” The proceeds from the auction were expected to top $20 million. “Easily,” adds Nolan.
Scheduled for eight sessions, the biggest event in Julien’s history was set to begin on April 14, 2009. Knowing what the auction would mean for his company, Darren Julien started a media blitz. An exclusive interview with the Guardian, followed by appearances on the Today show and Access Hollywood. With so much already invested—and so much to gain—the Julien’s team was shocked when Michael Jackson stood behind a podium in London and held a press conference of his own.
“The day we opened an exhibit in Ireland at the Museum of Style Icons to promote the sale, Michael had a press conference in London to announce the This Is It concerts,” remembers Nolan. “That’s the same day we got a call from the lawyers. It was like ‘oh, God.’ ”
Michael had been granted an advance prior to the concerts, and with the windfall he had enough money to save Neverland, and decided that maybe he didn’t want to sell all the things he’d held most dear. His management team took care of the rest, enlisting a team of lawyers who went to great lengths to shut down the auction. In a shocking turn of events, court documents accused Julien’s Auctions of stealing all of Jackson’s property. All 10 truckfuls of it. “We signed in with the security guards every morning and again when we left,” Nolan says with a laugh. “They’d hired us to do the auction and now they’re calling us thieves. It was ludicrous.”
The auction went from “Everything Must Go” to “Everything Must Go Back” in the blink of an eye. All of it: 113 arcade games, more than 70 lawn statues, 46 custom jackets, several suits of armor, espresso machines, the Neverland Ranch fire truck, an airbrushed golf cart, even Edward Scissorhands’ scissor hands. One- of-a-kind treasures once available for sale were quickly boxed up and given back to Michael Jackson. Less than two months later, with many of his personal belongings still in a warehouse, Michael was gone as well.
“We actually left things on great terms with Michael,” says Julien. “I’m thrilled Michael got what he wanted. I’ve always called it The Greatest Auction That Never Happened. But we always put the client first.” Nolan has a more literary take on the matter. “It’ll always be our white whale,” he laughs. “The one that got away. Even now when I think about it it’s incredible. I could talk about it for hours. It’s like, ‘Wow, we did that.’ ”
Even though the auction never took place, the work Julien’s put into it wasn’t all for naught. “Those catalogs are a piece of history,” says Martin Nolan. “They’re collector’s items themselves, and they serve as a detailed log of everything Michael loved most.”
“They’re really the proudest work we’ve ever done,” adds Julien. Who knows—maybe the limited-edition catalogs, curated by Michael himself, will one day be up for auction themselves. A small piece of history; a catalog of a spectacular dream that nearly came true.
I find it quite believable. While there certainly could have been some confusion on Michael's part as to what exactly was going to be sold (given how poorly his affairs were managed in the last years), I think in general the explanation given in this article looks very plausible.
“It’s been five years, but we’re still talking about it,” says Martin Nolan, the executive director of Julien’s Auctions. “And we’ll be talking about it in 10 years, and in 20, and probably in 50. Maybe forever. It could have been everything. But then it just wasn’t.”
During the summer of 2008, Julien’s was tasked with a monumental undertaking: Neverland Ranch, outside Los Angeles, was facing fore- closure. Michael Jackson was moving out for good and everything had to go. “Michael hadn’t been there for three years, and he never wanted to return,” explains Darren Julien, founder of Julien’s Auctions. “We were trusted with the responsibility to go in and remove everything and sell it on Michael’s behalf. It took us 30 men, 90 days and 10 semitrailers packed from floor to ceiling. It was unbelievable.” For Julien's Auctions, it was the chance of a lifetime. It was also a bit of a nightmare.
“It was hot. It was the middle of August. There were flies everywhere,” recalls Nolan. “We were loading statues, furniture, paintings, hundreds of arcade games, everything.” “Everything” also included limousines, life-size wax butlers and maids, a carriage, Michael's tour bus, 20 years’ worth of custom clothing and even the massive ornate gates that welcome visitors to Neverland Ranch. “It was grueling work," says Nolan. “But it was Michael Jackson's treasures, so we handled every piece with great care.”
Julien's quickly learned Michael didn't just want to have the biggest celebrity auction in history: It also had to be the best. As Julien recalls. "After looking at the auction catalogues we’d created for U2 and Cher, Michael said, ‘Darren, you’ve done a great job on all of these. But I want mine to be better.’ ” To meet Michael’s sky-high standards, photographers painstakingly photographed more than 2,000 items, giving each lot special attention. The auction catalogs, split into five parts and topping out at almost 1,000 pages in all, were designed as a collectible box set, festooned with a special pattern inside the box at Michael's request. "Creativity-wise, he was over the top,” Julien says. "It showed his incredible workmanship, but more importantly it showed his dedication to giving his fans an experience to remember. You could tell where his heart was.”
The Julien's team also brought Neverland to Los Angeles chough re- creation of the feel of the ranch’s main house in a 30,000-square foot mall, an exhibition that was open to the public. Walking through the exhibit was like walking through the world Michael had created tor himself; a child’s fantasyland where wax butlers hold trays of freshly baked cookies and the movie theater in your basement is showing your favorite Disney film. “We worked on the project for nine months,” says Nolan. “We probably spent $2.5 million total to set up everything, including the exhibition and the printing of the five catalogs.” The proceeds from the auction were expected to top $20 million. “Easily,” adds Nolan.
Scheduled for eight sessions, the biggest event in Julien’s history was set to begin on April 14, 2009. Knowing what the auction would mean for his company, Darren Julien started a media blitz. An exclusive interview with the Guardian, followed by appearances on the Today show and Access Hollywood. With so much already invested—and so much to gain—the Julien’s team was shocked when Michael Jackson stood behind a podium in London and held a press conference of his own.
“The day we opened an exhibit in Ireland at the Museum of Style Icons to promote the sale, Michael had a press conference in London to announce the This Is It concerts,” remembers Nolan. “That’s the same day we got a call from the lawyers. It was like ‘oh, God.’ ”
Michael had been granted an advance prior to the concerts, and with the windfall he had enough money to save Neverland, and decided that maybe he didn’t want to sell all the things he’d held most dear. His management team took care of the rest, enlisting a team of lawyers who went to great lengths to shut down the auction. In a shocking turn of events, court documents accused Julien’s Auctions of stealing all of Jackson’s property. All 10 truckfuls of it. “We signed in with the security guards every morning and again when we left,” Nolan says with a laugh. “They’d hired us to do the auction and now they’re calling us thieves. It was ludicrous.”
The auction went from “Everything Must Go” to “Everything Must Go Back” in the blink of an eye. All of it: 113 arcade games, more than 70 lawn statues, 46 custom jackets, several suits of armor, espresso machines, the Neverland Ranch fire truck, an airbrushed golf cart, even Edward Scissorhands’ scissor hands. One- of-a-kind treasures once available for sale were quickly boxed up and given back to Michael Jackson. Less than two months later, with many of his personal belongings still in a warehouse, Michael was gone as well.
“We actually left things on great terms with Michael,” says Julien. “I’m thrilled Michael got what he wanted. I’ve always called it The Greatest Auction That Never Happened. But we always put the client first.” Nolan has a more literary take on the matter. “It’ll always be our white whale,” he laughs. “The one that got away. Even now when I think about it it’s incredible. I could talk about it for hours. It’s like, ‘Wow, we did that.’ ”
Even though the auction never took place, the work Julien’s put into it wasn’t all for naught. “Those catalogs are a piece of history,” says Martin Nolan. “They’re collector’s items themselves, and they serve as a detailed log of everything Michael loved most.”
“They’re really the proudest work we’ve ever done,” adds Julien. Who knows—maybe the limited-edition catalogs, curated by Michael himself, will one day be up for auction themselves. A small piece of history; a catalog of a spectacular dream that nearly came true.