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.
Michael: They follow you. They chase you with their motorcycles.
[another sound like a motorcycle engine]
Barbara Walters: And they weave in front of you?
Michael: Yes, and I have to tell the driver, ”Slow down.“ I jump out for a second and I say, ”You’re going to get us all killed—slow down!“ I’ve done that many times… ”You’re going to kill us“… and the driver jumps out of the car and yells at them.
Barbara Walters: You know, there’s a debate about whether you rely on advertising to sell your albums… for your concerts… the things you want…
Michael: When I’m satisfied with something, yes.
Barbara Walters: But you can’t always control the press. You can’t always be pleased with everything. You can’t bring them into your life and use them for promotion, and then all at once, for a specific purpose, throw them out and say they don’t have the right to interfere anymore.
Michael: Why not? You can.
Barbara Walters: Okay, how do you do it? What’s the line between the two?
Michael: I know how to do it and how to stop them… and it’s something you shouldn’t do. You shouldn’t say, ”He’s an animal… he’s a…“ You shouldn’t say ”Jaco”… I’m not a Jaco… I’m Jackson.
Barbara Walters: What do you feel when they tell you…
M: Yes… and where does that “Jaco” come from? From some of these English tabloids. I have a heart, I have feelings. When they do that to me, I feel it. It’s not right. Don’t do it. I’m not stupid.
Barbara Walters: Some people say that you yourself end up increasing the attention people pay to you.
Michael: No, I don’t do that.
Barbara Walters: Well, the mask… the mysterious behavior…
Michael: There’s no mysterious behavior. There are times when… when I have a concert and I want as many people as possible who want to come and enjoy the concert.
And there are times when you want to be in your own privacy… when you put on your pajamas and go to sleep…
You turn off the light [he makes the sound of flicking a light switch]… and you lie down… that’s your private space. You go to the park. I can’t go. So I built my own park in Neverland. A lake, a cinema, an amusement park… that’s all the stuff I can enjoy.
Barbara Walters: I don’t want this to sound insulting. I just want to be honest with you. But you’re a little strange in the way you always say the least that can be said. Your style of dress, your appearance… those things attract people’s attention. The look you grew up with is unusual. Don’t you think that’s what calls the paparazzi to you?
Michael: No [he shakes his head]…
No… maybe I like living this way. I like dressing this way. I really don’t want the paparazzi. But if they come, they should be kind. Write the truth… write good things.
Barbara Walters: Michael, is it part of the role of a reporter or the press to be kind?
Barbara Walters: Because sometimes the press has to investigate things, to be tough. They can’t always be kind.
Michael: [laughs] What did you see?…
What happened to Mrs. Diana? You tell me. There has to be a boundary… stars need that space… that time to rest. She has a heart. She’s a human being.
Barbara Walters: When you heard about Diana’s death, you canceled the concert you were supposed to perform.
Michael: Yes.
Barbara Walters: When you finally performed the concert, you dedicated it to Diana. What did you say then?
Michael: In my heart I was saying, ”I love you, Diana. Shine. Shine forever… because you are the real princess of the people.“ And I didn’t say those words out loud… but in the three minutes when Diana’s image was shown on the big « Sony » screens, I said it in my heart… her image was there and she was shining…
And the crowd was excited [he imitates their voices], and I performed the songs « Ismail » and « Gun to Sun ».
Barbara Walters: If you can, read us a piece of your poetry.
Michael: Brilliant and gleaming… with magnificent light… you were here today… you went away… how quickly you went…
Barbara Walters: Michael, you’ve said, ”I grew up in a big fish tank. I won’t let this happen to my son.“ And yet, when your son was born, you sold his photos to European newspapers and tabloids. Why did you do that?
Michael: Why?
Barbara Walters: Why?
Michael: Because they were competing to get the photos. Because some illegal photos were released. Someone took illegal photos of a child and claimed that this boy was Mike’s son, and he sold the photos—and he got millions of dollars.
Barbara Walters: And as far as I’m concerned, those weren’t photos of your son.
Michael: Yes, they weren’t photos of my son… Well, I took photos of my son. I said, ”They’re forcing me to take those photos.“ Helicopters are flying over us. They circle around my house. Around the hospital. Cars and satellites are everywhere. Even the hospital administrator told me, ”Michael, we’ve had all kinds of famous people here… but it’s never been like this. It’s unbelievable!“ And I said, ”The photos are here… take them…“ And I donated the money to charities.
Barbara Walters: So, more or less… what you’re saying is that you did it to get rid of them?
Michael: Yes, and now they want to do it again and I don’t want that. Maybe I don’t want to show my son to the world like that. I want him to have his own place where he can go to school. I don’t want them to call him « Jaco »—that’s not good. They call his father that way. That’s not good… right?
Barbara Walters: You said you don’t want your son to be called « Jaco’s son » [she looks down; she’s clearly not happy about having to repeat that offensive nickname]; how do you stop that? So they don’t do it with your son.
Michael: Maybe you should help me by giving me an idea.
Barbara Walters: You’re his father.
Michael: You’re right. They made up that name. They were even thinking that maybe one day I’d have a child… or that I have a heart. This topic hurts my heart. Why would I give that nickname to my son?
Barbara Walters: Do you like being a father?
Michael: I love it [he answers immediately, with a big smile]
Barbara Walters: You’re really into your work?
Michael: Yes [laughs]
Barbara Walters: Do you want more children?
Michael: Yes [he laughs awkwardly]
Barbara Walters: Since you were a child, you’ve been in the spotlight.
Michael: Yes.
Barbara Walters: If your son showed talent… by the way, does he really show talent at 9 months old?
Michael: Well, I’ll tell you this much… when he cries… to make him stop, I have to do something.
Barbara Walters: What?
Michael: I have to stand in front of him and dance.
Barbara Walters: Seriously???!!!
Michael: Yes. And the crying stops. His crying turns into laughter… and now he’s happy [Michael claps his hands together], and he smiles.
Barbara Walters: And you do « Moonwalk » for him too?
Michael: Yes, I do all kinds of moves [suddenly he mimics his dancing]… [he laughs]
Barbara Walters: And then he doesn’t cry anymore?
Michael: He doesn’t cry anymore.
Barbara Walters: You must dance a lot.
Michael: [laughs louder] I dance a lot, yes.
Barbara Walters: Michael, if this little boy says, ”Dad, I want to go on stage…“
[Michael laughs while pounding his hand on his leg]
Barbara Walters: After all the things you’ve experienced…
Michael: Well, I was saying, ”Wait, now. Wait. If you choose this path, expect… expect that… expect this… expect that…“ [he counts on his fingers]
Barbara Walters: You’d lay everything out for him?
Michael: I’d lay everything out for him… ”Look, you’re going to go out there and face all of this…
[he gestures toward one of the cameras], and this one [he gestures toward another camera], and this one [he gestures toward a third camera].
Now are you ready to do it?”… If he said, ”Yes, I can’t wait”… I’d say, ”Go ahead and do it better than I did…“
Barbara Walters: But you know why you’re here…
Michael: You know why you’re here.
Barbara Walters: Our interview was over. We hadn’t told anyone, not even the hotel manager, that he was there. But when Jackson wanted to sneak out through the back entrance, a huge crowd had gathered and everyone was waiting.
Hugh Downs: Barbara, we now know that Diana didn’t have enough proper protection on the last day of her life. What kind of protection did Michael Jackson have?
Barbara Walters: Well, we saw at least four guards… and Michael needed them… Actually, I spoke with a female super star, and she told me that when she goes out, she has at least four guards… and a car moves in front of them, and another one behind them.
Hugh Downs: That’s really what they need, isn’t it?
Barbara Walters: Unfortunately, yes. That’s how it is.
Hugh Downs: Well, you told me that Michael told you why he only wears one glove?
Barbara Walters: Yes.
Hugh Downs: What’s the story behind that?
Barbara Walters: Well, he has a sense of humor. As I think you’ve seen yourselves… he said, ”Why one glove? Well, it’s cooler than two…“
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* September 12, 1997 / televised on ABC *
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* Princess Diana died in 1997 in a car accident. Evidence suggested that the car carrying Princess Diana was being chased by paparazzi, and that the speeding that ultimately led to the deaths of all the passengers was an attempt to escape the paparazzi. After all these years, the main cause of the accident still hasn’t been determined.
During her lifetime, Princess Diana was extremely popular in England because of her charitable activities.