Reading Between The Lines

Michael 15 May 2009

In my first post, I listed a timeline of what was happening in Michael Jackson’s life in 2009. I know that I cannot possibly include ALL the details of his life at that time, because I do not have access to that kind of personal data, but I do feel that the timeline is crucial in understanding how events tie in with each other.

In this post I want to speculate on what was going on in the background of this timeline, what was happening that no one working with Michael has yet admitted to, possibly because they have signed a confidentiality agreement. Or maybe no one has said anything because no one was there for the whole story. As you can see from my timeline, Tohme Tohme was Michael’s manager  in 2009 until March 25^th, when Leonard Rowe took over. At some point during April/May, Frank DiLeo also came back into the picture (he had been Michael’s manager for years in the past), and he took over from Rowe when Rowe was fired on May 25^th. (Off topic – the 25^th seems to be a key date in all this!). So maybe none of these people have put all the pieces together, because they were only present for a few months at a time?

 I believe the meeting of 15^th May 2009 was pivotal in the story. Michael had requested the meeting, and Joe Jackson, Katherine Jackson, Leonard Rowe, Randy Philips and Paul Gongaware attended. According to Leonard Rowe, Michael had already wanted to reschedule the This Is It shows back in March, after the O2 press conference. Rowe had tried to renegotiate the schedule, and Philips had said No. At the meeting on 15^th May, Rowe discussed what he believed were the ‘unethical business practices’ of AEG. At this point Joe got very upset, and had to be calmed down, and Joe himself says that Katherine and Michael were laughing at him.

To me it sounds like Michael was not happy with AEG, and was expecting Rowe to sort things out for him. Rowe had failed to do that once back in March, and although he seems to understand the problems, he doesn’t appear to have any solutions. Anyone who has worked with top executives will know that they will listen to problems, as long as you also deliver some alternative solutions. It is telling that Rowe is fired just 5 days after this meeting, and on the 6^th day DiLeo manages to reschedule some of the This Is It shows AND contact John Branca on Michael’s behalf. DiLeo seems to have done more in one day than Rowe achieved in 2 months. But was it enough?

Perhaps at this point Michael wanted to cancel all the shows? Perhaps he was so unhappy with the way AEG had handled the arrangements, that he just wanted out? The schedule for This Is It was pretty heavy for a 50 year old, even a fit 50 year old. For three months Michael would be performing roughly once every other night, which may have been achievable if Michael was the kind of performer who sat on a stool for 2 hours each show. But Michael had lots of dance routines to perform whilst he was singing, which is even more strenuous. After a break of about 3 months, there would be another stint of shows every other night, for about 2 months. It sounds like AEG were not willing to negotiate any further, so maybe Michael found himself in a tight spot. There have been some reports that Michael wanted to perform only one concert, film it, and sell the rights of the live performance to TV networks worldwide.

Rehearsals continued, and after 30^th May that fans who saw Michael every day noticed a sharp decline in his weight. They also say he looked unwell and unhappy at times, after this date. If my speculations are correct, then the stress must have been unbearable from this point onwards. He worked on the 3D segments for This Is It (to be showed during the concert) from 1^st to 11^th June, and I’m wondering if once those were completed, he lost interest? Or perhaps he went on strike? There are reports that he did not go onstage at 3 rehearsals after 12^th June, but John Branca did visit him at The Forum on 17th, where rehearsals were taking place. Who knows what they discussed? Officially, they were discussing a concert movie, a coffee table book, and merchandising, but I’m speculating that Michael wanted Branca to get him out of the AEG contract. Maybe AEG got wind of this, prompting the visit to Michael’s house the very next day (18^th), where Philips read Michael the riot act, and threatened to pull the plug on the shows altogether, which would mean Michael would have to pay back the advance he’d received and all the other costs incurred by AEG?

So what was Michael to do now? If he cancelled the 50 shows, he would have to pay back AEG. If he continued with the shows, the stress may have caused him to cancel due to ill health. Michael had already gone on record saying that preparation and touring had a detrimental effect on his health. He worked long hours, forgot to eat or drink, and was unable to sleep. At one point on a past tour, he had to walk around with an IV in his arm to replace lost fluids. His health may have been able to take that kind of long-term abuse when he was in his 20s or 30s, but he was now 50 and already underweight (his waist had been a healthy 32” in the 80’s but had shrunk to an alarming 28” in June 2009). How was he going to survive 3 months of strenuous concerts, if he continued in his normal concert mode?

Michael 16 June 2009

I believe that Michael needed a plan of escape from the AEG contract.

He needed a plan that ensured that AEG did not incur any financial losses,

A plan that ensured he himself and his family did not incur any financial losses,

That ensured his fans had access to his recent work, and his legacy work,

That ensured his reputation was restored and his legacy once more celebrated.

Michael never accepted the word ‘impossible’.

If anyone knew how to achieve the impossible, I believe Branca did.