I loved this speech so much, I wanted everyone to read it again instead of just watching and listening to it. So I transcribed it.Ü
Michael Jackson was born in August 1958, so was I, Michael Jackson grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest - so did I, Michael Jackson had 8 brothers and sisters - so do I, when Michael Jackson was 6 he became a superstar and was perhaps the worlds most beloved child, when I was 6 my mother died, I think he had the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood - and when you never get to have something you become obsessed by it. I spent my childhood searching for my mother figures. Sometimes I was successful, but how do you recreate your childhood when you’re under the magnifying glass of the world for your entire life? There is no question that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest talents the world has ever known (Claps). That, when he sang a song at a ripefulled age of 8, he could make you feel like an experienced adult was squeezing your heart with his words, that the way he moved had the elegance of Fred Astaire and packed the punch of Muhammad Ali, that his music had an extra layer of inexplicable magic that didn’t just make you wanna dance – but actually made you believe that you could FLY, dare to dream, be ANYTHING that you wanted to be, because THAT is what heroes do. And Michael Jackson was a HERO (Claps).
He performed in soccer stadiums around the world, he sold hundreds of millions of records, he dined with prime ministers and presidents – girls fell in love with, boys fell in love him - everyone wanted to dance like him. He seemed other worldly - but he was also a human being. Like most performers he was shy and plagued with insecurities.
I can't say we were great friends, but in 1991 I decided I wanted to get to know him better. I asked him out to dinner: I said, 'My treat, I'll drive, just you and me.' He agreed and showed up to my house without any bodyguards. We drove to the restaurant in my car. It was dark out, but he was still wearing sunglasses. I said, 'Michael, I feel like I'm talking to a limousine, do you think you could take off those glasses so I could see your eyes?' He paused for a moment, then he tossed the glasses out the window, looked at me with a wink and a smile and said, 'Can you see me now, is that better?' In that moment, I can see both his vulnerability and his charm, the rest of the dinner I was hell-bent on getting him to eat French fries, drink wine, have desert and say bad words, things he never seem to allow himself to do. Later we went back to my house to watch a movie and we sat on the couch like 2 kids, and somewhere in the middle of the film his hands snuck over and held mine, it felt like he was looking for a friend more than a romance and I was happy to oblige him and in that moment he didn’t feel like a superstar - he felt like a human being. We went out a few more times together and then for one reason or another we fell out of touch.
Then the witch-hunt began.
And it seemed like one negative story after the other was coming out about Michael. I felt his pain. I know what it’s like to walk down the street and feel like the whole world has turned against you. I know what it’s like to feel helpless and unable to defend yourself because the roar of the lynch mob is SO loud that you are convinced that your voice can never be heard BUT I had a childhood and I was allowed to make mistakes and find my own way in the world without the glare of the spotlight.
When I first heard that Michael had died, I was in London days away from the opening of my tour. Michael was gonna perform in the same venue as me week later. All I could think about in that moment was – I had abandoned him, that WE HAD ABANDONED HIM. That we had allowed this magnificent creature that once set the world on fire to somehow slip through the cracks. While he was trying to build a family and rebuild his career we were all busy passing judgment. Most of us had turned our backs on him.
In a desperate attempt to hold on to his memory. I went on the internet to watch old clips of him dancing and singing on TV and on stage and I thought ‘My God, he was so unique, so original, so rare and there will NEVER be anyone like him again. HE WAS A KING. (Claps) – But he was also a human being, and alas we are all human beings and sometimes we have to lose things before we can truly appreciate them.
I want to end this in a positive note and say that my sons – age 9 and 4 are obsessed with Michael Jackson, there a whole lot of crotch grabbing and moonwalking going on in my house and it seems like a whole new generation of kids has discovered his genius and are bringing him to life again. I hope that wherever Michael is right now - he is smiling about this. (Claps)
Yes, Michael Jackson was a human being, but damnit he was a king. Long live the King!!! (APPLAUSE)
transcribed by: Lea Lomagos
