Tommy Mottola Mentions MJ In His Memoir

(۱-۲-۲۰۱۳) Tommy Mottola, former Sony Music CEO, mentions Michael in his memoir. Mottola, a Bronx native, is a former singer and song pitcher who went on to manage Hall & Oates before joining future Sony acquisition CBS Records. He helped guide Sony into the record business and eventually took over the worldwide chairmanship of the company for ۱۵ years.

A decade after leaving Sony Music Entertainment, Tommy Mottola tells his story in a new book, "Hitmaker: The Man and His Music." In the book and in an interview to promote it he of course also talks about Michael Jackson:

"Michael Jackson was the most brilliant artist of our time. He went through tons of abuse in early childhood that scarred him for life, monumentally overwhelming success, public scrutiny, and various surgeries. That can take over someone's psyche and isolate him.

On top of that, he had an army of yes men who were there to grant his every request. Yes, Michael, yes, Michael, yes, Michael, yes. There was absolutely no one who stood up and told Michael Jackson reality.

When sales of Invincible completely stalled, I was the one who had to deliver reality. I was the one who had to say, \"No, Michael, we cannot and will not put millions more into the promotion of this album.\" When somebody who's accustomed to hearing only yes suddenly hears no, it's only natural for him lash out."

Mottola says Michael Jackson "snapped" when he lashed out at his label - and Mottola personally - amid accusations of child molestation and declining record sales. Michael Jackson called Mottola the devil and waged a public campaign to be released from his recording contract. Over time, Mottola said, the two repaired the rift:

"That blew over and we ended up being great friends."

But as the label's chairman, Mottola says, he was in the uncomfortable position of being the only person telling Michael Jackson no when expenses began to mount on his increasingly extravagant projects.

"We tried on his behalf, for his sake, to put the brakes on many times .... And we did the best we could. But at the end of the day Michael was an adult. M was a man in his ۳۰s and ۴۰s when I worked with him and he could make his own decisions at the end of the day even though his advisers may be telling him different."

As for Michael's legal troubles, Mottola said the label played the role of supporter without forming an opinion about the charges.

"It wasn't our position to pass judgment. It was really our position to support Michael and that's what we did. We were there and we supported Michael to the best of our ability."

Source: MJFC / The Urban Daily / WPVI-TV / ۶ABC