Michael Jackson The Man Behind the Mask

By Lee Spelling
Michael Jackson: The Man behind the Mask

Michael Jackson fans and foes are getting their fill of the behind the scenes madness of the international superstar, straight from the mouth of Bob Jones, his public relations chief for more than 16 years. The tell-all book “Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask” (Select Books, Inc.) hit shelves in June 2005.

Jones, who sparked Jackson’s title of King of Pop, was one of the veterans of the Mijac entourage, and left the camp without signing a confidentiality agreement. Which subsequently means, details and intriguing information about a number of guarded facts including the three high-profile accusations of child molestation, Jackson’s alleged sabotage scheme against his family, and the insinuation of Jackson’s dislike for black people, are throughout the book’s pages.

Whether or not you cheered for his acquittal, winced at his appearance, or bought his greatest hits release, Jones’ “Man Behind the Mask” boasts much more of the inside story of the rumors, ugliness and mystery surrounding Michael Jackson.

“He is – a man behind the mask,” Jones said, explaining the concept behind the book’s title. “I think many of the things that are revealed in that book, the public certainly wasn’t aware of. They were aware that he was bizarre and that he wanted to be bizarre, and referred to as bizarre.” But, Jones told EUR’s Lee Bailey that the mask goes even deeper. “They weren’t aware of how far this mind operated and manipulated,” he continued. “He was one of the great manipulators of all time. You’ve got to give him credit for that.”

Perhaps we can now. Still, many are not so quick to swallow the stories wholeheartedly. The tales of voodoo, manipulation, and frivolous spending don’t go down that easy for some critics and Jackson fans. After all, Jones authored the book after being released from Jackson’s employ and the book was released during the height of the Jackson child molestation case. However, Jones only responds, “I have no reason to lie.” Nonetheless, Jones has been continuously accused of playing the disgruntled employee out to make a buck off of Jackson, since his dismissal.

“[Michael Jackson] has a reputation for throwing rocks and hiding behind others,” Jones revealed. “He never wants to be thought of as the bad guy. I really don’t know [how the discharge] happened as it did. I do know that during the last year of my employment, continuously they did mail me confidentiality agreements, which I just put to the side. I had been told `don’t dare sign that. If you do, you’re signing a death warrant.’ You were going to be let go – once they got your [agreement] where you could not say anything where if you did they could sue you and collect from you.” While Jones dodged confidentiality agreements, the day came when he received his final paycheck and was later sent a note.

“A messenger arrived with an envelope which said, `Your services have been appreciated, we’re going in a different direction, we no longer need you, good luck in your future. It was superimposed, but it was [Michael's] signature. It was a bit shocking,” Jones stated.

However, turns out that Jones did write the book for money, just not in the scheming, backlash sense he’s been accused of. Jones confessed that having no income posed a problem:

“When you’re just dumped with no income, why not write a book? Other people have written books and they had confidentiality agreements. A lot of them talked and did interviews with the tabloids. I decided to put my down in a book. It gave me more control over what was in there and what was said.” Jones confessed that the book does not include all the details or all the stories experienced in his life with Mikey. “I think I was very kind.”

While the focus of the book is, in general, how Jackson is actually very shrewd and manipulative; that his outer image of a befallen victim is just that – an image. But Jones uncovers that Jackson is hardly the victim, particularly in regard to the child molestation allegations. Furthermore, in the book Jones alludes to Jackson’s disdain for black people, including his family, as well as illusions of grandeur.

“He’s brilliant, career-wise. What entertainer do you know, or have you seen – particularly Afro-American, although I don’t know if he really considers himself Afro-American, that has gone as far as he had? His whole life is tied up into figuring, `What’s the next step to keep me the biggest thing in the world?’ That’s how he thinks. For instance, as soon as the first allegations came down, he wanted to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth. [Through] Pepsi Cola, he gave $400,000 to the Prince’s Trust to get the Prince and Princess Di to come to the show – you make a donation and they will come to the show. He is so enthralled with royalty. For instance, I didn’t know he was doing that Bashir interview, his attorneys didn’t know he was doing the Bashir interview, but Bashir had interviewed Princess Di and (Michael) felt he was royalty too… He wanted to sit up there on the top of his throne. As a matter of fact he has a throne in his house. And in his bedroom, he has a picture of the Last Supper with his face in there as Jesus Christ.”

That interview turned out to be a big mistake as it played a major role in sparking the Jackson trial.

When asked how he continued to work with Jackson, knowing everything he’s claimed in the book, Jones referred to his attempts to steer Jackson in the right direction.

“I tried on many occasions my damnedest to try to talk to him. I’ve tried to get him to deal more on a reality basis. But let’s face it; [I] was handling the biggest star in the world. Where else do you go after that?”

And in regard to the alleged inappropriate relationships with young boys, Jones claims no culpability.

“There were parents there. Every situation that I speak of, the parents were there with those kids. If you notice, none of them were African-American, but the parents were there. The mother, the daddy, a sister, a tutor were all there on the tour. What do you say, when you see a parent allow their child to lock up with a man in room, nightly and they don’t question it? Who am I?”

The book also reveals Jackson’s sabotage of his sibling’s careers. That part of the book, Jones says, was authored by the co-writer Stacy Brown, who was very close to Rebe [Jackson] and her husband.

“I never experienced him turning them down,” Jones said, “but I know they couldn’t reach him. If my mother were alive today, there is no way that she could not reach me on the telephone. His mother had to go through secretaries. She did not have a direct phone number to him.”

Given the image of Jackson familyhood, this seems incredible, but Jones even explains that the 1991 Jermaine Jackson hit “Word to the Badd” was merely Jermaine’s attempt to communicate with Michael.

“According to my co-writer, that was done when Jermaine could not reach him on the phone.”

Still, in the grand tradition of forgiveness, the family rallied behind Michael during his trial.

“I would imagine that it’s part of the show,” Jones said and added that Michael is clearly and financially the Jackson head of household, but that the family has done nothing to get out from under him.

“The Man Behind the Mask” also brings to light Jackson’s issues of self-hatred and its connection to black culture, but Jones stops short of calling Jackson prejudiced against his own race.

“It could be a self-hate thing. It is very limited, the amount of black people in any position of significance. Up at Neverland, it was practically all white,” Jones described. “He has a special name for the average everyday black person – Splaboos. He would say to his security man, `Look at those Splaboos over there.’” Jones also described an incident where Michael met the pop and R&B employees at Sony. Apparently, after the white people got to go in and meet the star, Jackson’s handlers said there was no more time. However, Jones claims to have made sure that the black employees got to visit with Jackson with reluctance from his entourage. In another instance, Jones had to insist that BET be given a Jackson video the same time it was given to MTV.

In addition to cultural denials from the King of Pop, child molestation allegations, and familial sabotage, and manipulative methods, the book also touches on the singer’s habit of frivolous spending, his false Vitiligo skin disease claims, and voodoo curses on Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen (of DreamWorks SKG). But in the end, Jones says that while Jackson’s career is not over, his infamy is connected to a certain degree of insanity.

“I don’t think his career is over. He can play `Vegas and things like that, but I think the legacy that he wanted to create – to be the biggest and baddest thing to come along – I don’t think will ever exist. (People) will always remember him and the little boy. And because of his attitude and the way he comes forth with people, I think every time the name comes up, he will be remembered as the master manipulator. Look at late night TV – Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel. Every night they got a joke. He’s become a joke. And above all, he didn’t want that,” Jones says. “He’s different. He’s bizarre. He likes the word `bizarre.’ It keeps people talking about him.

Of his career with the superstar, Jones called it `a good ride.’ But admits that he too, is mesmerized by the talent and superstardom of Michael Jackson. He says that even knowing what he knows now, he can’t say he’d walk away from the opportunity to spend almost 20 years with one of the biggest entertainers in the world.

“I would think a little closer, though” he said.

“Michael Jackson: The Man Behind The Mask” is available at booksellers nationwide including Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.  Buy: Michael Jackson: The Man behind the Mask