MJFC Interview with Darren Julien

The MJFC, a Michael Jackson fansite in America, conducted an interview with the founder and CEO of Julien’s Auctions, which is reproduced below: MJFC: How exactly did this auction come about? Darren Julien: Michael’s representative, Tohme Tohme, contacted us in July 2008 and informed us that Michael Jackson is familiar with our auction house and wants us to hold a first-class auction for his assets at Neverland and his personal collection. I personally spoke with Michael, and he wanted to make sure this would be a first-class auction, and we assured him. Catalogs were very important to him, and that’s why we spent more money on designing and producing the catalogs for Michael’s assets than we would for other celebrities we’ve worked with. Tohme Tohme told us that Michael Jackson instructed Joe Marcus, the manager of the team, to remove from Neverland any items that he did not want to be included in the auction. He said that for everything else that remained at Neverland and that we think is valuable, photos and catalogs should be prepared and made ready for the auction. MJFC: When you went into Neverland to remove these items, what was your personal impression? Darren Julien: The grandeur of Neverland was very impressive and captivating, and honestly, it was very moving. I was disappointed to see that the property had been shut down and covered in grass. Only the shell of Neverland’s former glory remained. When I asked Joe Marcus why the property had ended up like this, he told me that Michael had left Neverland in 2005 and never returned. When I spoke with Michael the second time, I assured him that we would document the history of his assets in the catalogs, and that he and his fans would be proud to see his assets displayed in Beverly Hills. MJFC: Which items were the most difficult to remove from Neverland? Darren Julien: That’s a hard question because there were many items that were difficult to remove. Tohme Tohme asked us to remove chandeliers, light switches, and anything else that could be moved from Neverland, but we told him that doing so would lower the value of Michael Jackson’s auction, and we only wanted to do what was best for Michael Jackson. To separate and move the gates, we needed a crane and 10 men, but the hardest of all was the 360-degree machine that was in the game room. We had to remove part of the wall in order to get that device out of the building. And unfortunately for us, Michael loves marble and bronze, and he had a lot of heavy assets—so moving them required several men. MJFC: What was his most amazing or interesting asset? Darren Julien: That’s another difficult question because Michael collected so many amazing items over the years, but I have to say that the clothes were the most striking to me. Michael had kept many of his iconic outfits, like the Thriller jacket. We were excited when he made many of these outfits available to us for the auction. MJFC: Which items do you think will attract the most attention and highest bids? Darren Julien: I think the gates and his white gloves will attract the most attention and bids. The gates are symbols of Neverland, and the gloves are symbols of his professionalism. It’s hard to mention only a few items because there are so many of these iconic assets in the auction. We didn’t just put Michael’s assets up for sale—we also put the property’s real estate items from Neverland up for auction, which will be part of pop music history forever. MJFC: Do you personally have a favorite item among them? Darren Julien: Yes, I do. Maybe you wouldn’t expect it, but my favorite asset was the castles that were in the living room. When I first entered the home at Neverland, seeing that incredible, grand castle inside the living room was very moving for me, and I felt the place I was standing in. There aren’t many living rooms where a castle replica can fit, and I realized that Michael truly wanted to create a magical place. MJFC: Is there anything else about displaying these assets in Beverly Hills (April 14 to 21) that fans should know? Darren Julien: I don’t think fans—or anyone else—will fully understand the magnitude of the display we set up near the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills. Just setting up this display cost us $500,000. When I spoke with Michael, he told us he wanted this display to be amazing, and we put ourselves through hell and high water to fulfill his wishes. I can honestly say that there has never been—and won’t be—such a display of someone else’s personal collection in history. One reason is that no one will ever come along who can be compared to Michael Jackson or carry out his work and achieve his accomplishments. This will be a display that will stay in the memories of his fans forever. MJFC: For fans who live in countries around the world and can’t personally attend the auction, what’s the best way for them to participate in the auction of their favorite items? Darren Julien: If they can’t attend the auction, the best way for them is to announce their highest bid online through LiveAuctioneers before the auction begins, or do it at the same time as the auction is taking place. They must register on the site before the auction starts, and as soon as the auction begins, they can watch the bidding process. That way, when it’s time for the item they want, they’ll be ready. MJFC: Overall, what’s your impression of Michael Jackson’s fans? Many people know them as the most loyal fans of an artist in the world. Darren Julien: We work with many well-known people, and I agree that among all of them, Michael Jackson has the most loyal fans. Another thing I really like and appreciate about Michael Jackson’s fans is that they are fair and honest. We’ve received many emails from all over the world thanking us for holding a first-class auction in honor of his life and career. We feel proud and honored, and it’s a great source of pride for us that we were given the opportunity to carry out this auction. MJFC: Unfortunately, recently some legal issues have formed around this auction. Could you share your personal opinion with us? Will the auction definitely take place under these circumstances? Darren Julien: We are very disappointed and disheartened by what happened, and honestly, we don’t understand it. We were hired by Michael Jackson and by Tohme Tohme to arrange a first-class auction for him, and both sides had the same intention. We are an auction house—and that’s what we do. We are trying to understand why their decision changed, and we have asked for someone from their side to contact us and tell us what they want and how the issue should be resolved, but we haven’t heard anything yet. We are looking for a solution that will satisfy everyone and especially Michael Jackson. But for that to happen, first someone needs to enter into discussions with us. Because no one has tried to resolve this issue with us so far—we have to continue and complete the display and auction that we were hired to carry out. Our greatest wish is that this auction brings pride and honor to Michael Jackson and his fans, and later Michael will look back and feel that his decision to hand the auction over to us was the right one. Source: eMJey / MJFC