1968 Conqueror of American Rock - Chapter 150



Only Noblemtl

150. Save the King of Pop (4)

The night before.

“Trauma?”

“Yes. Children who were abused in infancy have trauma, and there are things that remind them of that time. Unlike in Korea, where they use a whip, in the West, there are fathers who whip their children with a leather belt.”

“Wow, these people are really cruel. How can one person do that to another?”

“You are a beggar who still has bad habits from the old days when there were slaves······.”

I told Annie that anyone who has ever been whipped would definitely react to that sound with fear.

“So, depending on the situation, try pretending to slap a bug or catch a mouse.”

“Okay. I’ll try to figure it out.”

Annie, whose emotions control her body, already thinks that Michael is being abused by his father more than 90% of the time. If no one else can do it, Annie’s wit can.

“Hey, you said you were going to teach me how to operate the camera.”

“Oh, right. It’s probably evening, and if it’s indoors, open the aperture wide like this······.”

I gave Annie a 0.01% chance of success.

* * *

“Michael! What’s wrong all of a sudden? Where does it hurt?”

Diana was startled and ran to Michael.

“I’m sorry, Dad······ I was wrong······.”

Michael kept trembling and repeating the same words. Diana looked around to see if there was anything wrong with Michael.

“Hey! What did you just do to that kid!”

Annie remembered what James had said. Ignoring Joseph’s words, she quickly rolled up Michael’s sleeves. There were marks. She also pulled up his pants to check. There were more obvious marks. Anyone could tell that they were whip marks.

“Oh my god, what is this, Joseph?”

Diana glared at Joseph with a fierce face.

“Homeschooling. Michael, come here.”

Michael started shaking and then fainted.

“Butler! Please call the police and 911!”

“No, what are you guys doing! What are you guys doing! Why don’t you put this camera away right now?”

Joseph roughly snatched the camera from Stella’s hands and threw it on the floor.

“Joseph, what are you doing to the guest!”

“What the hell are you guys doing calling us here! Huh?”

“Why? You want us to hit you like Michael? Why don’t you hit me once!”

Annie stuck her head in Joseph’s face and talked back.

“Who are you to meddle in other people’s family affairs!”

“Joseph! Stop it. This is not just homeschooling; it’s a crime. I also wondered why my children performed in long sleeves and long pants even on hot days, and why they always wore long clothes at home.”

Diana looked at her other siblings, but they all avoided eye contact.

“Diana, there’s a misunderstanding.”

“Go to the police station to resolve any misunderstandings, Joseph!”

“I have to go back. Give me Michael.”

Then Raju and Diana’s bodyguards ran in and pointed their guns at Joseph.

“Mr. Joseph Jackson, please put your hands on your head and remain quiet until the police arrive.”

* * *

I received Annie’s call and ran to the police station.

Annie activated Michael’s trauma with a 0.01% chance, which led to Joseph Jackson and the Jackson Five being investigated.

“James, you were right. It seems like not only Michael, but other kids have been abused on a regular basis.”

Looking at Annie’s hair, I thought I knew what was going on.

After filming the ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ music video, Annie asked me how I would do this song live. I thought of a musical I had seen in the future and told her exactly what it was.

“What about Michael?”

“Diana and I are resting in the infirmary. The child was so shocked that she fainted, and I was so flustered. I’m so sorry······.”

I went to the infirmary and met Diana Ross. Michael was asleep.

“I heard from Annie. How did you know Michael was being abused?”

“I wasn’t sure either. I have a friend from Boston who worked on the staff of the Michigan and Indiana regional contests and he said he had witnessed suspicious behavior. I also heard from a coworker who worked with Joseph Jackson at the steel plant in Gary. Did you know that they were putting young kids in adult clubs with strip dancers?”

Diana covered her mouth with her hand when she heard the shocking story of the Jackson Five’s past. Of course, only good stories were told at her house.

“Do you have any pictures of Michael?”

“Yes, Michael loved drawing with me.”

“Please submit those drawings as evidence. I studied a lot about child psychology and trauma while writing this song, and they say that drawings clearly show the child’s emotions.”

Later, Michael Jackson’s album ‘History’ included a drawing of himself as a child. It was a picture of a young child crouching in a dark corner of a room, holding a microphone. His expression was dark and gloomy, the exact opposite of what he usually showed on stage.

The wounds and trauma he has already received will be something he will have to live with for the rest of his life, but if he were to cut off the bad relationship even now, wouldn’t the heavy burden of Michael Jackson’s life be a little lighter?

* * *

The police arrested Joseph Jackson and conducted an investigation, and as a temporary measure, Michael Jackson stayed at Diana Ross’s house for questioning, because Michael was also afraid of his brothers.

The police and a child psychologist came together to conduct an investigation. Michael did not speak for several days, but the psychologist obtained his notes and drawings.

After the investigation was over, Diana called Annie and me to her house. Michael seemed to have calmed down a bit.

“Michael, were you really scared back then? I’m really sorry about that.”

“No. It’s not your fault. It’s just that when I hear that sound, my heart feels like it’s going to burst······.”

Michael closed his eyes tightly, and Annie hugged him.

“Hi, Michael. My name is James Choi, and I’m in a band with this girl.”

“Yes, I know it because I’ve seen it on TV a lot. Thank you very much.”

“Michael, why didn’t you tell me before? You could have called the police. You could have told your mother or Diana.”

“Mom doesn’t know everything, but she knows something. After all, 11 of us lived in a two-room house. But it’s not just our family, we’re not the only ones in that neighborhood. And how could I tell Diana such an embarrassing story······.”

Michael looked down shyly.

“The Jackson Five might break up because of what you did. I’m really sorry about that.”

“No. I was planning on becoming a solo singer anyway. Even if we didn’t disband, I was planning on coming out on my own someday.”

Michael took a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and showed it to me.

[ MJ will be my new name, and I will no longer be Michael Jackson. I will have to become a completely new person, a completely new look, a completely different person, and I will not let myself be that little kid who sang in the Jackson 5 days. I will become a singer, actor, and dancer who will surprise the world. ]

This is clearly a handwritten note by Michael Jackson that was released in August 1979. It is known to have been around the time when his fifth solo album, and his first album as an adult, ‘Off the Wall’, was being completed.

I never thought that I would have been using this and carrying it around with me since I was little.

Diana shed tears as she read the note.

“Oh my goodness, how hard it was, Michael······.”

Michael had a rather calm expression.

Michael Jackson, you already had the qualifications to be the King of Pop.

* * *

Joseph Jackson was acquitted at trial because the other four sons testified that they had never been abused by their father and that the wounds were punishment for fighting among themselves. They all testified that Michael was mentally unstable.

Michael also did not actively reveal the fact that he had been abused during the investigation. A child psychologist submitted the results of analyzing Michael’s drawings as evidence, but they were not accepted.

Perhaps if this incident had been in the future, circumstantial evidence, notes, drawings, etc. would have been sufficient evidence. But this was 1970.

But Diana did not stay still.

She obtained a written agreement from Joseph that allowed her to remove Michael from the Jackson Five and take care of him as her guardian until he became an adult.

Motown executives knew that Joseph had been having an affair and had fathered a child out of wedlock. Diana threatened to expose the abuse and the illegitimate child to all the media if they did not give Michael to her.

Although she could not judge him by law, she knew the terrible power of public opinion.

Joseph continued the Jackson 5’s activities by adding his seventh son, Randy Jackson, to fill Michael’s absence. Motown Records explained to the press that Michael Jackson’s departure was to debut as a solo artist.

Even if this had not happened, two years later there would have been a feud with Motown, and the Jackson 5 led by Joseph would have entered a decline. This was because they had fallen behind the changing trends of the music industry and continued to stick to the same style.

I just gave Michael some mental stability and brought forward his solo debut.

Michael quickly found stability at Diana’s house. Whenever he wanted to see his mother, her bodyguard would take him home. But Michael said he never wanted to see his father again.

I plan to take him to an amusement park to relive his lost childhood, and create memories like Halloween, birthday parties, and Christmas.

More than anything, the most important thing to Michael is his friends. He has no friends since he started his activities at the age of five. Even if he goes to school now, he won’t be able to enjoy a proper school life.

So I brought my younger children to CW and played with them. We ate together, went shopping, watched movies, and went camping together.

Everything was a first for Michael.

Michael quickly became friends with our band members, as well as the Travelers, London Smog, and Van Halen. EGO, Aerosmith, and Tom Waits also adored the smart and polite Michael.

Naturally, Diana also began coming to our company more often.

“Seeing Michael like that makes me a little jealous.”

“Michael needed a friend.”

“This place called CW is really amazing. I debuted at a young age and I know a lot about the entertainment business world, but this is the first time I’ve seen a company with such a family-like atmosphere.”

She had a worried expression on her face as she watched Michael looking pleased.

Maybe it’s because of Michael’s solo album.

“Diana, I think it would be better to change agencies since Motown still has the Jackson Five and is still connected to your father.”

“Actually, I’m also worried about that. He says he never wants to see his father again, but I guess the image of black music is strongly associated with Motown······.”

“It’s not like Motown, but people can’t ignore the Kings. I can introduce Michael to the Kings. No, if the Kings were Michael Jackson, they would welcome it with open arms.”

At that moment, Michael and Eddie came running towards each other, playing around. The two who were the closest in age became particularly close.

“Michael, how can you come to someone else’s company and run around like this? It’s rude.”

Michael nodded to me as Diana gave him attention.

“It’s okay, Michael. You can run around in the practice hallway as much as you want, as long as it’s not in the upstairs office. But not inside the practice room.”

“See, Michael. I told you it was okay. There’s a comic book store over there. Let’s go and read some comics together, haha.”

Eddie ran with Michael.

“James, I have a feeling that Michael might be better suited here.”

She smiled happily as she watched Michael running away.