h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I saw the interview and to me, MJ came across as a deeply disturbed man, seemingly due to his childhood, or rather a lack of one. His need to have 'sleepovers' with young boys and supposed incomprehension that such activities could be misconstrued suggested that he is trying to re-live an idyllic childhood that he seems to think everyone else has had.

I actually feel very sorry for him... to hate your own appearance so much that you feel the need to undergo such radical surgery, to have children by strangers because you are unable to form an adult relationship with another human being is a terrible thing. I doubt he has ever had a sexual relationship from the way he seemed so freaked out by the whole topic. What the kids will go through being masked and viewing the world though his distorted perspective is worrying. Will he lose interest in his children when they become adolescents or young adults?

The documentary was disquieting, my conclusion is that he is a very lonely, disturbed individual. It's a shame that his wealth has brought him an army of yes men but no-one to actually help him get a grip on reality.

BTW, Off the Wall was the last good album he made!

mrs the wife has just completely summed up my feelings on watching the interview. I just felt sorry for him.

*arrives very late in the thread*

Phew, a lot of backlog! I too felt sorry for him - he is a very damaged man. It seemed to me that he had the worldview of a 10 year old kid - from the way that he acted with other children (including his own) to the way he shopped and particularly the way he responded to some of the more aggressive questioning. 'Michael have you had surgery' 'NO! No, no....maybe once....only twice' - This is the same reaction you'll get off of a 10 year old if you demand answers about something they think they may have done wrong.

It seemed to me that he doesn't really process information in an adult way - so he really doesn't see that it might appear inappropriate for him to sleep with young kids (as in having sleep-overs, I really don't think there is more to it than that given his apparent horror of all things sexual), it is just a fun thing he missed as a child and can do now if he wants. This child-like view of the world does worry me when it comes to how he will treat his own kids - children don't always think of the long-term impacts of the things they do and sometimes make bad decisions. They don't intend to cause any harm but sometimes they do, especially when they get excited. I think the baby-dangling incident is a good example of this. I hope that there is a good team of helpers/nannies around him to keep a eye on him and curb any excesses.

I wish one of his friends would help him to see that he might be better talking to doctors that can help him with his head rather than mess up his face.

Hmmmmm k

<aside>
Saturnine, have there been *any* conversations where you haven't mentioned Marilyn Mansun at some point
</ aside>

"If that is how he wants to look, that's his right to"


Ok, if he wants to look deformed, that's his problem... but there are two points here... Firstly, the man has a tenuous grip on reality to say the least and frankly has shown himself to be incapable of rational decisions... so what do you think of a doctor who puts money above professional pride and bows to the wishes of such a person... and look at the results!

Secondly, do you really think he's happy with the way he looks now? I don't! Hence the everlasting search for a new face... until someone actually says no, he'll just keep on trying to find the perfect face. And probably continue down the track to an evermore un-natural visage.

Yep in agreement with the mrs comments.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2731663.stm

Given this it seems that he had no veto or even preview of the show, which I find quite amazing.

A few hours before USA see it all - then we will see the full effect - of course one effect already noted 1000% increase in Greatest Hits sales in the UK !

CH

I find it hard to belive that Jacksons management had not vetoed the film before showing! Didn't they have enough clout to insist he was called "King of Pop" when mentioned!

Kelli - Plenty! But then you are always the one to pick up on the fact that I mention him.

So far as the veto goes - it wouldn't surprise me if he had seen the interview and had said it was fine...as a person I really don't think he understands how he comes across...most adults would know better than use the phrase "sleep with" and would have self censored to something more innocent sounding like sleepover or slumber party...and yet the only phrase he used was "sleep with".

And whoever mentioned his taste in furniture...his attitude to money frightens me, if I had billions and wanted to "heal the world" I wouldn't start with "the man in the mirror" I'd give it away...to people who need it. I wouldn't fritter away millions on a single shopping trip to fill another house with trinkets...I would spend money on trinkets but it would be a case of filtering things to find my favourites not just buying up an entire shop. But then he believes he will live forever so I suppose in his world he has plenty of time left to use his money for good.

I don't think he is building a new face.

He's created {and wearing} a mask.

He's trying to hide his real self from the world, and probably suffers from Body Dysmorphic Syndrome.

From his deep, hurtful memory of the woman who exclaimed "Whatever happened?" in response to his spotty face, that reminded me of Cliff Richard's long, painful memory of being called "chubby" {he's been slim ever since} and also the same thing happened to Karen Carpenter.

Michael has a problem with his hands as well, I wonder if he's had chemical peels?

He told Martin Bashir that he had a relationship with Blanket's mother, then later said he did not know her, that he had hired a surrogate and she didn't know it was him who was the father.

I don't believe he molests the children either. He loves them, but I agree it is inappropriate for him to share a bedroom with them.

Who said there's no such thing as bad publicity?
A 1000% boost in sales can't be bad.

Hasn't America seen it by now? I *really* feel sorry for him now. They have a tendancy to somewhat...overreact; do they not?

It was on in the US last night.

I know! So where are the opinions?

Maybe Americans under-react then?

Maybe they have in this case.

Bit weird to see us Brits outraged and the US kinda just watch it and not react. Might be wrong though. Just not heard a whiffle (?) out of any of them...

Here's an American whiffle for you, Saturnine. I think the man is nutty as a fruitcake, and shouldn't be allowed around his own children, let alone anyone elses. I've never seen someone so desperatly in need of professional help.

And before you fly off the handle at me, I've read the entire thread. I realize that, in your opinion, this comment makes me arrogant, ignorant, over-reactive, etc. So please don't bother raking me over the coals.

You asked for opinions, so there mine is!

I'm probably in a doubly unusual position, inasmuch as I agree in part with Saturnine and that I'm actually going to defend Michael Jackson. I used to have the same kind of reactions to most other people to Michael Jackson (making jokes about his face, thinking he's really a complete freak) but I went out with a guy for two years who was a Michael Jackson obsessive (and MJ fans are among some of the most obsessive I have ever met) and who runs one of the UK fanclubs. As a result I was exposed to all things MJ for that time, and I found a lot of my preconceptions disappear.
The guy undoubtedly has a lot of talent, both musically and in terms of his choreography, even if it's not everyone's cup of tea (I may not like Mozart but Im not going to dispute that the guy had talent). He is also undoubtedly psychologically fragile. I was as disturbed as most about some of Michael's attitudes towards his children, but I believe that they occurred through genuine naivety, not a desire to harm his children. Parenting is a difficult skill to master and I think michael is probably not terribly well placed to learn. However, we're not talking about another Victoria Climbie here (for non-UK peeps, that's a girl who was tortured and eventually died while under her aunt's care). Dangling his baby over the balcony was undoubtedly stupid, but done as a spur of the moment thing when he clearly wasn't thinking, I'm sure that other parents have also put their children in danger for many reasons on the odd occasion, it doesn't mean their children should be taken away. People make mistakes all the time, that was one of his. The fact is that because of the media attention we are simply more aware of his mistakes than we are of 'ordinary' people's.
As for his claims of plastic surgery, everyone knows it is a blatant lie, for example in one year he had the dimple in his chin put in and removed (my ex can tell what year a picture was taken simply by looking at his face), but this is most likely a reaction to the judgemental attitude that everyone takes to his plastic surgery. The guy is who he is, whatever the state of his face and his colour (which probably is not vitiligo, let's face it), and that is someone who did break the race barrier on MTV, who has never denied his roots, who has been an inspiration to thousands if not millions around the world and who does preach a message of love and tolerance, which can't be a bad thing. He also demystified AIDS for a lot of people by befriending the first child in the US to be diagnosed with AIDS, when it was not the more accepted disease it is now. Children were not allowed to play with him, he was shunned by almost everyone. Michael Jackson took up his case and let everyone know that, hey if it's ok with Michael Jackson, why not me?
I don't want this to sound like a propaganda article for Michael Jackson, but i just feel sometimes like I have to redress the balance. Yes, he is a bit weird, and bearing in mind his background, I'm not surprised, but I think he is a genuinely caring person who has also benefitted a great number of people.

yay, exactly. bashir was there for the dirt. i said that from the start. where were the questions about his family(brothers and sisters), where his inspiration comes from, what his plans for the future are and all the other txt book interview strategies. bashir was there to hound the man and sadly i saw a tint of pride in his eyes when he had MJ on the ropes. plus bashir has a really big nose. it looks like the nose from the teacher in 'the bash street kids' comic strip from 'beano'.

creachy

If I might submit my opinion, Michael Jackson has lost contact with reality. Various events in his hectic life have obviously driven him over the edge, little by little. I don't feel any malevolence toward the man, I just pity him (and his taste in decor). Aside from that, I admire his earlier songs, and his choreography is astounding.

Im in Canada, and got to see this show lastnight as well.
From the mid 80's to the late 90's I thought Michael was "the man". I wasnt an obsessed fan by any means, but I had a great respect for him.
What turned me off MJ was the baby dangling deal.
I was disgusted and felt Id never care for him from then on, until lastnight...

I was nearly brought to tears watching this multi-millionaire who could have anything he wanted, but yet, really just wanted something so simple...to have had a "normal" childhood.
How sad is that?
It really broke my heart!

I found the documentary had way to much focus on Michaels face. I mean come on now. Whos to say any of us, given Michaels $$, wouldnt try to "fix" our own insecurities. If you truly are deeply insecure, will you ever be satisfied with your appearance? Probably not, in my opinion.
Too bad Michael lied about his surgeries though. I think it took away his credibilty for more important issues, such as, the children.

I can understand what he was saying about how beautiful childhood innocence is. I can also understand how he could want to be around that. Children are honest, real, loving, and they can so easily see past your physical issues. I wish I could say I believe him that the relationships he has with children are innocent and pure but, given his obvious lie about plastic surgery, how can I fully believe that? I did feel uncomfortable with the way the young boy was leaning on MJ's shoulder. I dont know, its a tough call on all that.

As far as the baby dangling thing goes...
I feel it was incredibly irresponsible but, I dont think he meant any harm. I dont think he is capable of being a parent, not without some kind of regular intervention. He is child like, running on a childs mind. Someone here raised a really great question about MJ's kids getting older and him losing interest. I thought that was a really good point to raise. Really good!

This interview made me incredibly sad. Even brought me to tears. I felt sad mostly for the child that he was. He was in no doubt robbed of his childhood. I think that there should be some kind of restrictions on having child celebrities. His father should be punished. How dare he take away a childs right to be a child, and turn that child into a money maker? How dare he.

Imagine just for a bit what kind of life that would be. Always on show, always. It disturbed me when Michael Jackson took his kids to the zoo amidst all that chaos. I thought afterwards though, if thats all you have ever known, even throughout your own childhood, would it seem so wrong to do it to your own kids?

This documentary will be with me for a long time. It really touched me. I think children are so precious, and my heart has really broken for the child Michael was and the man he may have been.

Very sad, indeed!