September 12, 1997 — ABC Network
This interview was recorded at the « George V » hotel in Paris, and was broadcast in other countries such as Germany, Canada, and Australia. In this interview, Michael appeared with a calmer demeanor and with less caution than in previous interviews.
He was upbeat, and in the short 20-minute span of the interview he displayed a full range of moods and emotions. Using his voice—its tone and pitch—along with body movements and facial expressions, he conveyed sadness, fear, hatred, anger, humor, certainty, awkwardness, seriousness, joy, love, pleasure, and excitement.
There was another funny and surprising segment as well—using voice imitation to make his remarks even more impactful.
Using his own voice box, he would, seemingly at random but very effectively, imitate sounds of objects to emphasize what he was saying.
Sounds like:
— an automatic camera clicking one after another, taking instant photos without pause.
— the sound of a scooter engine racing
— the sound of flicking a light switch
After the interview, Barbara Walters described Michael as charming and delightful.
Barbara Walters: Just as recently as last week, Princess Diana and Michael Jackson were the two people who had the most photos of them in the world.
Now only one of those two people remains to say what life with care and scrutiny means.
For the past four years, since the allegations of child abuse by Michael were raised, he has been under even more intense paparazzi scrutiny than before. Let me add here that we checked with the « Los Angeles » and « Santa Barbara » district attorneys’ offices, and we found that there are currently no active cases against Mr. Jackson.
Michael Jackson is known for being reluctant to do interviews. But on my way home, after covering Princess Diana’s funeral, I saw Michael in Paris so we could talk about the paparazzi and his personal memories of Princess Diana.
When it came to the paparazzi, Michael said he understands Princess Diana’s feelings about them because he is dealing with the same kind of problems himself.
Paparazzi have always been part of Michael’s life since childhood. Since he was the youngest member of the « Jackson Five ».
For three decades he has been a superstar, and at age 39 he continues to sing and dance around the world—and wherever he goes, the paparazzi follow him.
Over the past five months he’s been on a European tour, with more than two million spectators. The night Princess Diana died, Michael canceled his concert and dedicated his last two concerts to her. Michael doesn’t claim that Diana was a close friend—she was a fan.
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Michael: The first time I saw Princess… [he straightens his voice]…
I saw her at a concert… in London. She was so kind and so charming.
Barbara Walters: What did you two talk about?
Michael: I wrote a song called « Dirty Diana ». It wasn’t about Mrs. Diana. It was about a particular group of girls who gather around clubs and concerts. You know, they call them « groupies ». I’ve always lived with that. These girls… they do everything they can to get close to the group members… You know… whatever you can imagine… Well, I wrote a song about them called « Dirty Diana ». But I removed that song from the concert out of respect for Her Royal Highness. She pulled me aside and said, ”Are you planning to perform this song?” And I said, ”No, I took it out for you.“ And she said, ”I want you to perform it… perform it… sing the song.“
Barbara Walters: So she was teasing you!
Michael: Yes, of course. And she said she was honored to see me, and I told her that seeing you was an honor for me.
Barbara Walters: How did you find out about her death?
Michael: I woke up… [he continues in a very soft, resonant voice]… and my doctor told me. I was devastated and started crying.
Pain… I felt an inner pain in my stomach and chest [Michael’s voice gradually fades]… Well, I said, ”I can’t deal with this… it’s too much for me“… the message I’d been given, and the fact that I personally knew Princess Diana.
Before this tragedy happened to Princess, I had a bad feeling and I thought something was going to happen.
I kept saying, ”There’s someone… soon… I feel like this is going to happen to someone soon, and I’m praying it won’t be that person… please don’t let it be me…“ And even before Mother Teresa died, I had that feeling and I was praying that I wouldn’t be the one.
Barbara Walters: Can you predict the future? Is that what you’re saying?
Michael: No, I don’t want to say that, but I did it before.
Barbara Walters: And you thought it might be you?
Michael: Yes [he looks at his clasped hands]; I’ve lived like that for all this time. Tabloid newspapers… that kind of newspaper. Not the press… the tabloids, the paparazzi… I’ve been running for my life, hiding, escaping.
You can’t go to the other side because the paparazzi are there. So come on this side and pretend we’ve gone from the other side…
Someone has to say, wait! This person deserves his privacy. You’re not allowed to go into his privacy. I travel all over the world while running and hiding… I can’t walk in the park. I can’t go to the store. I have to hide in my room. I feel like I’m in prison.
Barbara Walters: What’s the most intrusive thing they’ve done? The worst?
Michael: They always… they go so far that they even hide things in places. They send a camera under the door into the bathroom…
[a sound like a camera flash goes off]; and that’s when you say, ”Oh my God…!“ They’ve done that.
Barbara Walters: When you came to this hotel, did you feel forced—did you feel like you had to enter through the kitchen?
Michael: I’ve done that for years. In a lot of lobbies. I’ve never seen the front entrance—never.
Barbara Walters: Have you ever tried to get ahead of the paparazzi and leave them behind?
Michael: Get ahead of them?
Barbara Walters: Yes.