Michael Jackson (41 page)

What's really interesting about Michael's
Thriller
videos, however, is how they boosted the popularity of the then-fledgling MTV network. MTV, the twenty-four-hour-a-day cable
station that plays only music videos, became a phenomenon when it began airing in 1981, yet by 1983 it rarely played the videos
of black artists. The station's format was ‘strictly rock and roll’, said Bob Pittman, the executive vice-president and chief
operating officer of Warner American Express Satellite Entertainment Company and the driving force behind MTV. Pittman's definition
of rock and roll excluded most black artists from the station's play lists. In fact, of the over 750 videos shown on MTV during
the channel's first eighteen months, fewer than two dozen featured black artists. It was acceptable to have Phil Collins sing
The Supremes' ‘You Can't Hurry Love’ and Hall and Oates singing other black-sounding material, yet the real thing was completely
unacceptable on MTV at that time. When videos of black artists were submitted, they were quickly rejected as not being ‘rock
and roll’.

MTV's research and marketing departments had somehow decided that white kids in the suburbs did not like black music and maybe
were intimidated by black people. There was nothing wrong with that, Bob Pittman reasoned; after all, ‘Bloomingdale's wouldn't
work if it carried every kind of clothing ever made.’

Bob Giraldi, director of Michael's ‘Beat It’ video, best summed up many black critics' opinions of MTV when he said that the
station was run by ‘racist bastards’. Motown recording artist Rick James, whose videos had been rejected by the station, also
charged that the network was racist and had set black people back four hundred years. Bob Pittman was probably not a racist,
but he and MTV certainly catered to white suburban racism.

When CBS submitted Michael Jackson's ‘Billie Jean’ to MTV, the cable station quickly rejected it. CBS then threatened to pull
all of its other videos from MTV unless they ran ‘Beat It’. Michael Jackson had become so popular, Bob Pittman – and suburban
white America – simply could not ignore him. Finally, in early March 1983, the ‘Billie Jean’ video was played on MTV, and in
so-called ‘heavy rotation’, meaning often during the day. ‘Beat It’ followed. After that, MTV began to play a few more videos
by black artists, and though the network still leans heavily towards white rock and roll, at least some black artists – though
not many – receive airtime, mostly as a result of the Michael Jackson breakthrough so many years ago.

By June 1983, Michael and his brothers had still not renegotiated their contract with their father, nor had they decided to
re-sign with co-managers, Ron Weisner and Freddy DeMann. Though the brothers were ambivalent about re-signing, they were willing.
They really didn't have any options, anyway. Of course, Michael was the holdout. He was disenchanted with his father and,
now, also with Ron Weisner and Freddy DeMann. Because Michael was taking his time in making a decision about the matter, everyone
involved was concerned. His decision meant a great deal to a lot of people, in terms of money and power. If he signed, everyone
else in the family would follow suit. If he didn't, it was possible that there could be other defections.

Joseph hadn't been doing much for Michael lately, especially since John Branca came into his life. Michael trusted John implicitly
and tried to make certain he – not Joseph – was involved in every decision. No surprise, then, that Joseph wasn't one of John's
biggest fans (and vice versa) and only spoke, begrudgingly, to him if he couldn't speak to Michael, directly. Ron and Freddy
handled whatever John chose not to, so in a sense, though not technically or officially (or, even legally, for that matter),
John Branca was as much a manager to Michael as he was an attorney.

Michael had complained to John during the last two years that Ron Weisner and Freddy DeMann were not creative individuals.
‘I don't even know why they're here,’ he said. ‘They don't know what they're doing, do they?’ But whenever John would discuss
Michael's feelings with Ron and Freddy, they wouldn't know what he was talking about. They both felt that Michael was pleased
with their work, since he had never told them otherwise. Michael picked up a lot of Joseph's business traits, but the art
of confrontation was not one of them. He'd do it, if he had to… but he'd rather not have to do it.

‘You remember their idea for the “Beat It” video,’ Michael reminded John. ‘They wanted me to have bows and arrows,’ Michael
complained. ‘Now, come on, Branca. That's stupid.’ It was true that Ron and Freddy had a concept for the ‘Beat It’ video that
would have seen Michael dressed as a Robin Hood character in England. However, why not? It's all in the implementation, isn't
it? If one was to describe the ‘Beat It’ video as it actually exists – Michael inspires two rival gangs to understand that
dancing
will bring about a peaceful solution of their disagreements – that might sound silly, too.

Because Joseph was nervous about his tenuous position with Michael, he reacted impulsively and hoped to force Michael's hand
where Weisner and DeMann were concerned – thereby leaving
him
the only sure thing in his son's career, just as it had been in the past. ‘It's over,’ Joseph told
Billboard
magazine of Ron and Freddy. ‘My boys are not re-signing with them. There are a lot of leeches trying to break up the group,’
he observed, possibly referring to Ron and Freddy's continued emphasis on Michael's solo career. ‘A lot of people are whispering
in Michael's ear, but we know who they are. They're only in it for the money.’ Then, as if to put pressure on Michael, he
added, ‘I was there before it started, and I'll be there when it ends.’

The brothers were not happy with Weisner and DeMann, anyway, because of all the attention the two had lavished upon Michael
in recent months. For that matter, they wanted to leave Joseph, too. However, they were waiting for Michael – not Joseph – to
make an announcement. They knew that there would be trouble now.

They were right. Michael was angry with Joseph for taking matters into his own hands, and even more outraged that his father
would talk to a reporter about their private business affairs. It was as if Joseph wanted the world to know what was happening
so that Michael would then be reluctant to move against his own father. However, the more Joseph talked, the worse things
got for him. ‘There was a time when I felt I needed white help in dealing with the corporate structure at CBS,’ Joseph explained.
‘And I thought Weisner-DeMann would be able to help. But they never gave me the respect you expect from a business partner.’

For their part, Weisner and DeMann said to the press that, yes, they did have problems with Joseph, ‘but we have no problems
with Michael or The Jacksons,’ and that Joseph had not been involved in any major business decisions in recent years. ‘We
don't have a good relationship with him,’ Freddy admitted, ‘but I don't think he enjoys a good relationship with anyone whose
skin is not black.’

‘People have called me a racist. I am not a racist,’ Joseph countered. ‘If I were a racist, I would not have hired a lot of
white people to work for me. I'm not a racist. I'm an American. I gave my children one hundred per cent of my know-how, knowledge
and time trying to develop them to be what they are today, and it has paid off and is still paying off.’

Finally, Michael realized that too much was being said to the press, especially about race. He decided to cut to the chase
and fire Weisner and DeMann; he was going to do it, anyway, so his father didn't really need to do anything but seal the deal.
‘They said
Thriller
would only go two million and it's
way
over that,’ Michael reasoned to John Branca. ‘So who needs them? They told me not to do
Motown 25.
And look what kind of bad advice
that
was.’

John reminded Michael that he had not wanted to do the Motown special, anyway. Michael argued, ‘That's not the point. Ron
and Freddy
agreed
with me when they
should have
tried to convince him otherwise. Do it,’ he told Branca. ‘They're finished.’

Ron Weisner and Freddy DeMann got their walking papers from Michael on 22 June. Oddly, Ron had talked to Michael earlier that
morning and, during their conversation, Michael acted as though no problem existed between them. When he then received the
letter of dismissal from John Branca, Ron was astonished. Obviously, it wasn't the bravest way to handle the problem, having
someone else do his dirty work, but for Michael it proved the easiest and, besides, John Branca made a lot of money doing
the things Michael would rather not have to do himself. Though Michael may not have been influenced by Joseph's contentious
nature, he was definitely his father's son when it came to dealing with those he felt crossed him, and he remains the same
today: once someone falls from Michael's grace, that person disappears from his thoughts – as though he or she never existed.

As for Joseph, Michael made a public statement to distance himself from his sentiments. ‘I don't know what would make him
say something like that,’ Michael told a reporter, referring to Joseph's comments about ‘white help’.

‘To hear him talk like that turns my stomach. I don't know where he gets that from. I happen to be colour-blind. I don't hire
colour. I hire competence. The individual can be of any race or creed as long as I get the best [representation]. Racism is
not my motto.’

With Ron and Freddy gone, and Joseph not re-signed, it looked like the number-one artist in the world, Michael Jackson, now
had no manager. His team now consisted of his attorney and chief adviser, John Branca; his security man, Bill Bray; his accountant,
Marshall Gelfand; and a secretary. When ‘Beat It’ and ‘Billie Jean’ were both in the Top Ten, Quincy Jones asked for a three-way-conference
telephone call among himself, Michael and John Branca.

‘It's unbelievable what's happening here, Michael,’ Quincy said. ‘You need a manager, man. How could you fire Weisner and
DeMann? What are you going to do now?’

‘Branca can handle it, Quincy,’ Michael said, according to Quincy's memory. ‘He's brilliant. I'm not nervous, why are you?’
Before Quincy could fully respond, Michael cut the conversation short and hung up.

Later, Quincy telephoned John Branca.

‘John, I'm worried, man. This thing, Michael's career, it's like a plane with no pilot,’ he said. ‘This kid's career is in
trouble.’

John couldn't believe his ears. ‘What? He's got two records in the Top Ten and his career is in trouble?’ he asked with a
laugh. ‘Hey man, don't worry about it. It's going to be fine.’

Quincy was perplexed; he didn't understand how Michael was going to have a flourishing career without managerial guidance.
If the sales of
Thriller
slowed down because there was no manager calling the shots, it would affect everybody's bank account, including Quincy's.
However, at this time Michael was the Golden Child; the public was pulling for him, and the music spoke for itself.

‘Mike knows what he's doing,’ John told Quincy. ‘This kid is a genius. And we got CBS and Walter [Yetnikoff] covering the
bases. All we have to do is follow Michael's instructions.’

‘But – ’ Quincy began again.

John cut him off. ‘This is our chance, man, and I'm just gonna go on out there and kick ass for this kid because he's got
it, Quincy. I love this kid and I just want to do his bidding.’

As angry as Michael was with Joseph, taking that next step – severing his professional relationship with him – was still difficult
for him to do.

Just as he had felt it important to give Berry Gordy a chance to redeem himself before the group took their first steps away
from Motown, Michael now hoped his father would do something to ingratiate himself. However, Joseph simply couldn't rise to
the challenge… mostly because he didn't even know he was being tested. Joseph never tried to impress his children. In his
view, getting them to Los Angeles and making them stars had been impressive enough. He had proved himself, he felt, and that
was the end of that.