June 14, 1995 (Hollywood, United States) - Prime Time
Live interview with Diane Sawyer and Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley—Jackson on the old M.G.M. soundstage at the Sony Pictures film studio in Hollywood. It was broadcast live on ABC in the United States and on television stations around the world.
Interview prelude
Diane Sawyer: Don’t doubt it. Despite all the speculation and the glitz, Michael Jackson is a real subject. In this town, ask anyone—ask the people at the music company Sony—and they’ll tell you that his next album and his videos alone could bring him close to a billion dollars worldwide. So it’s not hard to see why the wave of accusations from two years ago was recorded here as the last earthquake. What everyone wants to know is: is he really on his way back?
It seems like, at this hour, the old M.G.M. soundstage at the Sony Pictures film studio—where all those dreams are brought to film—might be the right place to begin. Because whatever you think about Michael Jackson, you can’t ignore what he’s achieved: a little boy with all the dreams that seem to ripple through his voice.
This is a “Once Upon a Time” story that all of us know, in our hearts.
From this little house in Gary, Indiana—where, out of nine children of a garbage worker, came a remarkable talent that shook “Motown.” It’s been said that Michael Jackson turns and guides his family within the boundaries reserved for stars.
But we’ve heard the other side of the story, too. The brothers claimed their father treated them brutally and beat them. This is the same man Michael said made him feel nauseous with fear.
Diane Sawyer: But onstage, the little boy had an invincible feeling and used the voice that would captivate people for the next 25 years. Even then, when he was a singer, he basically changed. We sat down a week and a half ago and talked about music, and we watched the 1970 show «The Ed Sullivan Show».
He remembered exactly what he was thinking about back then.
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(Recorded in a sound recording studio)
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” Michael: It was like everybody in the world was watching me. My dad always told me, ”Don’t mess up,” and you know, I felt like I knew everything, and if something went wrong, I felt like I could cover it up.
Diane Sawyer: But as he grew up, he lost something you can’t put a price on. He said it was a great sadness—that people stared at him while clearly wishing he were still that little, funny boy. Back then, his mother worried he would withdraw.
” Katherine Jackson: Michael is so quiet now. When he was younger, he wasn’t this quiet. I don’t know... I think being onstage did something to him. “
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(Interview with Sylvia Chase, late 1970s)
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” Michael: Going here and there every day, you know, people and crazy talk... I feel like a stranger.
Silvia Chase: Shy?
Michael: Yes “
Diane Sawyer: In 1979, he told Sylvia Chase that people wouldn’t let him just be natural.
” Michael: They wouldn’t... well, they wouldn’t talk to me like their neighbor would. “
Diane Sawyer: But Jackson used a kind of isolation to strengthen his feelings about things that were new.
In 1983, on the 25th anniversary of «Motown», another Michael Jackson emerged. Something he created himself—from music to muscles to magic. It was a victory... but he still sees what he lost.
” Michael: I wanted to do five turns and then stand on my left thumb and just stay there. You know, and I didn’t do it. But they didn’t know that. “
Diane Sawyer: It’s a double achievement: a perfectionist trying to give the audience more. A man who changes his voice and behavior to an infinite degree to match the people around him. It makes you wonder whether all of this is part of his plan—or whether it’s like a prison for him. Because even today, Jackson captures people’s minds with every word, every line, every sound.
What you hear now isn’t the sound of an electronic drum machine. It’s a digitally wired human being who can produce 48 different songs of his own.
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A recorded tape from Michael’s soundbox is playing, imitating the sounds of various musical instruments
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” Michael: You know what I mean? I take these sounds and use them as the foundation of the track. And I make all the sounds that are close to that. You know what I’m saying? “