164: Back in the Saddle

Jamon Bull and Charles Thomson kick off Season 10 of The MJCast with a big round-up of news in the world of Michael Jackson and the Jackson family. They discuss loads of updates around the MJ biopic, the “Estate vs Katherine Jackson” case, the Robson and Safechuck trials, Sony’s acquisition of a stake in Michael Jackson’s music catalogue, new recordings of interviews with the King of Pop, unreleased music being auctioned off, and more. Plus, the guys discuss their thoughts on two new documentaries: “The Greatest Night in Pop”, about the recording of “We Are the World”, and “The Three Michaels”, which follows a group of young MJ impersonators chasing their dreams.

Welcome to Season 10 of The MJCast!

This episode was edited by Jamon Bull and Charlie Carter.

Discussion Topics
• New pics of Michael on the “Remember the Time” set have been released.
• New recordings of Michael being interviewed for his autobiography have been released.
• Unreleased Michael Jackson song “Seven Digits” is being auctioned after a range of other songs were also auctioned late last year.
• Sony Music buys stake in Michael Jackson’s music catalogue.
• More details have been revealed in the “Estate vs Katherine Jackson” case.
• Susan Yu joins the defence team in the Robson/Safechuck cases.
• The Biopic is full steam ahead.
• We watched “The Three Michaels”.
• We watched “The Greatest Night in Pop”.

Like this episode?
• If you have the means, consider a donation in any amount through PayPal to help cover our costs. All proceeds go towards online running costs, upgrading equipment, and charity donations. Learn all about the various ways you can support The MJCast through visiting our website.
• We also have an official merchandise shop. Support The MJCast and Michael Jackson all at the same time by buying some of our fun merch.

Connect with Us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Mastodon
• X
• Threads
• YouTube

If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

158: Things Just Blow in Through the Window

John Cameron joins Jamon Bull and Charlie Thomson for a discussion on loads of recent news updates in the world of Michael Jackson, including a chat around John’s latest episode of his excellent podcast, #JCsMusicology, “Michael Jackson (1983-1988)”. The guys also talk about a range of fan-led projects, including the upcoming Kingvention, developments on Jin Chohan’s documentary, “Trial By Media” as well as a new YouTube documentary by Hannah Savage, “The Dark Side of Michael Jackson’s This Is It”, and Paul Dwyer’s podcast based on his book, “Humanitarian: The Real Michael Jackson”. Plus, they talk about the confirmation of the #Thriller40 documentary, a statement from Katherine Jackson, and a major update in Wade Robson’s legal case against Michael Jackson.

This episode was edited by Charlie Carter.

Discussion Topics
• Kingvention have announced special guests for their 2023 convention. 
• Jin Chohan has offered an update on his upcoming documentary, “Trial By Media”.
• Hannah Savage has released a teaser for her upcoming YouTube documentary, “The Dark Side of Michael Jackson’s This Is It”.
• Paul Dwyer has launched his podcast “Humanitarian: The Real Michael Jackson”.
• John Branca has confirmed that the #Thriller40 documentary is still coming this year. So… #Thriller41?
• Katherine Jackson has responded to the Estate over the ’deal’ saga. 
• La Toya Jackson is to be called as a witness in the legal battle between the Estate and Jeffré Phillips.
• Wade Robson’s case will most likely proceed to trial.
• John Cameron has released his latest episode of podcast #JCsMusicology, “Michael Jackson (1983 – 1988)”.

Support Us
• Please consider donating through PayPal to help cover our costs. All proceeds go towards online running costs, upgrading equipment, and charity donations.
• We also have an official official merchandise shop. Support The MJCast and Michael Jackson all at the same time by buying some of our fun merch. 
• Learn all about the various ways you can support The MJCast through visiting our website.

Connect with Us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Mastodon
• Twitter
• YouTube

If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

157: Vindication Day Special with Geraldine Hughes

Geraldine Hughes first came to the world’s attention as an anonymous whistleblower. In 1994, the decorated investigative journalist Mary A Fischer published an article about the child molestation allegations levelled against Michael Jackson by Jordan Chandler and his father Evan. Fischer’s story included information attributed to a source inside the office of attorney Barry Rothman, suggesting that he and his client, Evan Chandler, had cooked up an extortion plot against Michael Jackson. The story was published in more than one major, glossy magazine and was covered by broadcast media – but the whistleblower’s identity was never revealed.

In 2003, however, Geraldine decided to out herself. In 1993, as the Michael Jackson scandal unfolded, she had been working as Barry Rothman’s personal legal secretary. She had unrivalled, insider access to the nerve centre of the celebrity scandal of the century, bearing witness to many meetings and discussions which took place just metres from her desk. Geraldine had been highly disturbed by what she witnessed, and she felt the public would too – but most of the media seemed to have adopted the position that Michael Jackson was guilty and in her view, the full story had never been told. Geraldine’s conscience demanded that she tell the wider public what she knew.

In 2003, as she began work on a tell-all memoir, news suddenly broke that Michael Jackson was being accused again. Her publishers fast-tracked a press release about the impending book, titled Redemption, and Geraldine found herself on a whirlwind media tour. But once again, the media overwhelmingly adopted an anti-Jackson position. While Geraldine’s book would become well-known within the Jackson fan community, her information was largely ignored. 

But in 2019, award-winning filmmaker Danny Wu interviewed Geraldine as he investigated the Chandler case for his feature documentary Square One. Upon its release, Square One became the number one Amazon Prime documentary in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, finally bringing Geraldine Hughes’s story to a much wider audience. But in Square One, Geraldine was one voice among many. For the MJCast’s 2023 Vindication Day episode, we decided to sit down with Geraldine.

Unfortunately, technical problems meant the interview ended abruptly and we were unable to reschedule with Geraldine to ask her several more questions. But this episode is nonetheless the most in-depth, one-on-one broadcast interview she had ever given. 

This episode was edited by Charlie Carter and Jamon Bull.

Additional Links
• Geraldine Hughes on Twitter.
• Geraldine’s website for music.
• Purchase Geraldine’s book, Redemption.
• Please consider donating through PayPal to help cover our costs. All proceeds go towards online running costs, upgrading equipment, and charity donations. Learn all about the various ways you can support The MJCast through visiting our website.
• We also have an official merchandise shop. Support The MJCast and Michael Jackson all at the same time by buying some of our fun merch.

Connect with Us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Mastodon
• Twitter
• YouTube

If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

153: Season Eight Christmas Special

Taj Jackson joins Jamon Bull, Elise CapronCharlie Carter, and Charles Thomson to celebrate the holidays and reflect on this past year… Welcome to The MJCast’s eighth annual Christmas special!

The crew discusses loads of news updates and developments in the world of Michael Jackson, including the Thriller Night party at Hayvenhurst, the strange turn John Branca’s social media has taken, the Estate’s hiring of creators such as Lynn Nottage and Nelson George, incredible found footage of Michael Jackson’s Sega game, updates in Taj Jackson’s life and with his docuseries project, and much more. Plus, the team reflects on the year that was at the podcast, and what we have coming up in Season 9.

We want to give a special thank-you to all of our listeners; to the wider MJ fan community; to our amazing fellow content creators (who all do this our of love for MJ’s legacy!); to our long-time back-end team (Q, James Alay, Jason Garcia); to frequent guests on the show who have contributed so much (Shawn Shackelford, Damien Shields, Velo Kristina, and more); to all the guests we’ve had on, including Jackson family members, studio collaborators, and long-time fans; to all of those who have provided logistical and emotional support along the way; and to our families, who put up with the many hours we spend working on this show. And, of course, to the King of Pop, who is the one who brings us all together in the first place. Happy holidays, #MJFam.

This episode was edited by Charlie Carter.

Participants
• Taj Jackson (Donate to Taj’s docuseries, Re-Righting HIStory, here.)
• Jamon Bull
• Elise Capron
• Charlie Carter
• Charles Thomson

Discussion Topics
• Thriller Night party. What a night!
• What is going on with John Branca’s new social media presence?
• Lynn Nottage still on the fence regarding Michael Jackson.
• Charlie Thomson’s review of the Broadway show.
• Charlie Thomson’s review of the early showing of Nelson George’s Thriller 40 documentary.
• Incredible lost Michael Jackson Sega game footage uncovered by fans.
• Taj’s updates on life and projects!
• 2022: The year that was, and what we have coming up in 2023.
• Thank yous
• Bloopers

Additional Links
• 100% of The MJCast’s content is, and will remain, free. If you enjoy our show, consider a donation to help support us. All donations go directly towards off-setting our costs of running the show: Website hosting, equipment purchases, and more. You can donate any amount via PayPal. Thank you so much for your support!

Connect with Us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

147: The Big British Q&A

It’s been quite a while since the team’s last Q&A episode, and this round features three of our favorite Brits in the fan community: Charles Thomson, Samar Habib, and Charlie Carter. With nearly 100 questions received, the guys tackle a wide range of topics, from the allegations, to Taj Jackson’s documentary project, to favorite Michael Jackson books, insights on MJ’s lyrics and politics, and much more. A huge thank-you to all those listeners who submitted questions! We wish we could have gotten to them all. Grab yourself some tea and biscuits and enjoy this deep-dive fan chat.

Questions
Emma (Twitter) – South Wales, UK
1) Aside from the Brett Barnes episode (which I think everyone needs to listen to at least once), what would be your Top 3 episodes that a new listener (but lifelong MJ supporter) should listen when delving into previous MJCast podcasts? Emma.

GNTalk (Twitter)
2) Sorry – allegation question. Do the guys think there will ever be a day when one of the accusers, JC in particular, may come public and give their true account?

Dane Thomson (Twitter) – Brisbane, Australia
3) Are British tabloids worse than American tabloids? If so, why do you think this is?

Sydni Taylor (email)
4) Taj said on his Livestream earlier this year that he still believes Jordan Chandler will come forward, do you think Taj is saying this because he contacted Jordan or is it just wishful thinking. Do you believe Jordan will ever come forward. I personally don’t think he’ll ever tell his story.

Rob Seymour (Facebook) – Watford (Near London), UK
5) I’d be interested to know how things worked with regards to the 93 Chandler extortion attempt, if it was actually reported to the Police and whether they actually investigated it? Also Was it part of the settlement that the extortion charge was dropped? And how would that work as you cannot pay someone off to stop them testifying so how would it be legal to drop the extortion charges?

Dr. Andrew Greene (Twitter) – United States
6) My question is for Samar. Samar, I follow you on social media and admire the fact that you aren’t afraid to get a little political. Michael Jackson transcended a lot of barriers, one of those barriers was politics as is evident by his fans from around the world and people around him. From rubbing shoulders with the likes of Ronald Reagan and George H. Bush, to performing for Bill Clinton at his inauguration and later the Democratic Party, to being beloved by those in countries like communist Russia. What is it about Michael Jackson that you believe attracts people from all political spectrums to Michael Jackson? Also, do you believe that Jackson’s music reveals an evolution of his own [political] beliefs as he got older?

Kris (Twitter) – Kansas, USA
7) Yes, if a gun was at your head, what do you guys think are the top 3 MJ songs that never had videos that absolutely HAVE to be turned into videos? Kris from the US.

Andrew Gray (email) – Chicago, USA
8) What are your favorite MJ books?

MJUnreleasedMix (Twitter)
9) How different do you think the last decade of Michael’s life would have been if the bridge collapse in Munich ’99 at MJ & Friends never happened? If he isn’t on painkillers, does the Bashir documentary still happen? The trial? This Is It? Might he still be here today?

Eva (email) – Amsterdam
10) Hey MJ friends! This is Eva from Amsterdam. I have a very specific question but it’s been on my mind for a while and I’m curious to hear your thoughts about it. Do you believe that the song Morphine was a cry for help? And are you aware if anyone responded to that at the time? I remember when the Blood on the Dance Floor album came out I thought “oh, that’s a cool and interesting song,” but I thought nothing else of it (granted, I was only 12 years old at the time). Also throughout my later years as a fan I never looked for a deeper meaning behind it. After Michael’s death, the song suddenly seemed like an ominous foreboding. The extent of MJs addiction to pain killers was widely exposed after he died and some of the lyrics in the song sounded like he predicted his own death and also talked about his own struggle with addiction during his lifetime. “A heart attack, baby”, “Demerol, oh god he’s taking Demerol”; “He’s tried / Hard to convince her / To be over what he had / Today he wants it twice as bad / Don’t cry / I won’t resent you / Yesterday you had his trust / Today he’s taking twice as much / Demerol”, “Relax / This won’t hurt you / Before I put it in / Close your eyes and count to ten /Don’t cry / I won’t convert you / There’s no need to dismay / Close your eyes and drift away”. Those last lines could even be the soundtrack to the scene between ‘doctor’ Murray and MJ in the moments before he died. Looking back, it feels like Michael may have written this song with great self-awareness and consciousness of his addiction. Could this have been a way for him to ask for help? As far as I am aware he never spoke publicly about the extent of his addiction and from what I’ve learned he also kept people who were close to him away from it. And then suddenly he releases this song, which in retrospect seems to be fully autobiographical. Do you know if after he wrote and released this song, there was anyone reaching out to him about it or asking about it? Or was everyone just like me, “hey that’s a cool song bro” and that’s it. When I imagine the loneliness he must have felt if that was indeed the case, it breaks my heart. Imagine sharing your darkest problems in a song (and how desperate you must be to do so, especially as such a public figure) and no one responds to it. Curious to hear your thoughts! I’m also sending this question to Brad Sundberg btw because he may have a perspective on whether anyone in the studio heard any alarm bells when they recorded this song. Warm regards and thank you so much for all the great episodes, Eva.

Rachel Doosti (email) – Dubai
11) Hi Jamon, You and Elise are doing a phenomenal job, love love love the direction of the podcast. Thank you so much to both of you for taking the time and providing great episodes with small children, full-time jobs, and family life. Bless you, both. I recall in one of the episodes Charles went to US and was helping Taj for his doc and reviewing materials and he shared da story of a video of Michael dancing with Jermaine while having a bandage on his nose but he did not share anything else with us. If it is not an intrusion, I love to have more insights on what he saw and reviewed in that trip and share more insights with us. Best Rachel Doosti

David Edwards (email)
12) Here’s my question for Charles Thomson: Are you still involved with Taj Jackson’s documentary “Re-Righting HIStory”, and if so, can you give any updates on its status? Thanks, David Edwards.

Anonymous (email) – Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
13) Why do you think it is that fans invest so heavily in the reporting of Roger Friedman around certain subjects (like the allegations) given that Michael publicly denounced his journalistic integrity while accusing Friedman of writing what Michael described as “vicious and untrue stories in an attempt to destroy my image” throughout the last decade of Michael’s life? Moreover, since Michael’s death Friedman has spent 12 years relentlessly perpetuating the lies of Eddie Cascio, James Porte, Sony and the estate regarding their fake songs, during which he has used his platform to call fans “deranged, bitter, stupid, nuisances” and Michael’s family “greedy and jealous.” Why do fans hold this man up so highly regarding some topics given his egregious conduct on others?

Emmet (email) – Ireland
14) Hi lads, I’ve always been fascinated with the cancelled HBO December 1995 show that MJ had planned but obviously didn’t happen. We always had the visual of MJ performing in stadiums to a sea of people, but I’m sure there is a large proportion of MJ’s fanbase that would’ve loved to have seen a more intimate, less pomp and circumstance concert that focused on his singing ability rather than the usual MJ style that we got from the Bad to History world tours. From what I understand, this concert was going to be just that, and it’s always been a sore spot for me that we never got to see it. Does any of the panel know if any footage exists of MJ rehearsing for that show? We all know he recorded nearly everything relating to his performances, so perhaps there is something in a vault somewhere? Why was the show never rescheduled? Was he unhappy with the production of it? I always wished he’d done a stripped down show, but unfortunately it was never to be. Long-time listener and love the show, keep up the great work! Emmet, Ireland

Jamon Bull – Brisbane, Australia
15) Charlie and Samar. You’ve both spoken about Invincible before, with Charlie being critical of the album and Samar being supportive of it. Is there some common ground that could be reached?

Jamon Bull – Brisbane, Australia
16) Charlie and Samar. Similarly to my Invincible question, you’ve both got very different opinions on Janet Jackson as an artist. Again, could some common ground be reached?

Seány (Twitter) – Russia
17) I felt the discussion reg #MJtheMusical on a past ep was rather unfair & I disagreed with almost 100% of the guests review (I had seen the show 3 times by the time that particular ep had aired) Since its continued successes & accolades, are you more inclined to now want to see it?

Jamon Bull – Brisbane, Australia
18) Charlie, you told me once that you wish you’d had a chance to speak on the episode Elise, Q and Björn did together about whether Michael was a gay icon. Tell me your thoughts.

Jamon Bull – Brisbane, Australia
19) Carter. What was it like looking down on Neverland while flying over it? How much would you like to walk the grounds of Neverland one day?

Mookie864 (Instagram)
20) My question is for CET. Charles, after finishing your Podcast, ‘Unfinished’, last year, I was left feeling like there may be more coming in the future. Can you reveal if you are still investigating the Shoebury topic and if there will be a season 2?

This episode was edited by Charlie Carter.

Additional Links
• TheMJCast 063: Q Q&A
• TheMJCast 069: C Q&A
• TheMJCast 074: J Q&A
• TheMJCast 099: Leaving Neverland Q&A
• TheMJCast130: An Evening With Charlie and Jamon

Connect with Us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

If you have any thoughts, opinions, or feedback on the show, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.comKeep Michaeling!

146: Cascio Tracks Removal Roundtable

On November 8, 2010, Sony Music and the Estate of Michael Jackson unveiled the first song from their new Michael Jackson album in a worldwide premiere via michaeljackson.com. The song, called “Breaking News,” was said to have been written and produced by Eddie Cascio, James Porte and Michael Jackson. But there was one problem… The Jackson family, several of Michael’s former collaborators, and thousands of fans around the world believed the track was fake, with vocals sung by an impostor.

Five weeks after the premiere, “Breaking News” and two other songs also believed to be fakes were commercially released on the album, simply titled “Michael”. Despite the ongoing protests of fans around the world (including The MJCast), the album would remain commercially available in music stores, via online retailers and on streaming platforms for nearly twelve years. One fan in particular, Vera Serova, filed a class action lawsuit against the Estate, Sony, Cascio, Porte and their production company in 2014, which remains unresolved to this day.

Finally, in 2022, the three tracks in question have been removed from digital platforms.

In this conversation, host Jamon Bull is joined by author and Cascio track expert Damien Shields, studio engineer Dan Villalobos, award-winning journalist Charles Thomson, and Friends of the Show James Alay and Samar Habib. The panel discusses the impact of the Cascio Tracks, the long-running lawsuit to have them removed, emerging news that the songs have been removed, and also a statement from the Michael Jackson Estate’s online team that they have removed the songs from sale not because of their legitimacy, but because they have been distracting fans from buying more posthumous products.

This episode was edited by Charlie Carter.

Participants
• Jamon Bull
• Damien Shields
• Dan Villalobos
• James Alay
• Charles Thomson
• Samar Habib

Additional Links
• The MJCast’s Remove the Cascio Tracks Now campaign
• #TheMJCast067: Joseph Vogel Special
• Damien Shields’s website, with a section dedicated to the Cascio Tracks.
• Damien’s upcoming Faking Michael podcast
• Damien’s book, Michael Jackson: Songs & Stories From The Vault

Connect with us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

145: Vindication Day Special with Brett Barnes

It is almost thirty years since Brett Barnes last spoke to a journalist. The last time he gave an interview was in 1993, aged eleven, when he took to the airwaves to defend his friend Michael Jackson against allegations that he was a molester of young boys. But the Barnes family quickly learned not to engage with the media when it came to Jackson. Attempts by tabloid reporters to hunt them down after that became so intrusive that they were driven from their home for months. When they went off grid, media outlets instead began offering tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to anybody who was prepared to say they’d seen him behave inappropriately with young friends like Brett Barnes.

Ever since then, ugly, graphic sexual allegations about Jackson and Brett have been published in books, magazines and newspapers and have been broadcast by trashy tabloid TV shows. Rarely, if ever, has anybody sought to fact-check the stories – nor have outlets ever really seemed to care when Brett explicitly refuted them. But for almost three decades, he chose to bite his tongue rather than engage with a media industry that seemed to have its own agenda.

In 2019, Brett – by then happily settled down with his wife and their young children – had his peace shattered by a reality TV show called Leaving Neverland. Strangers on the internet began contacting him to warn him that the show included his name and likeness and strongly insinuated that Jackson had sexually abused him – something nobody involved in making the show had seen fit to inform him of. He immediately contacted its maker, HBO, to strenuously deny the claims and request that they be removed. HBO told him to get lost and the show was sold all over the world, for consumption by millions of people. 

Since then, Brett’s world has been turned upside-down. Aggressive journalists have shown up on his doorstep and told him lies to try to trick him into giving them interviews. He has been harassed and trolled on a constant basis for three years by anonymous social media accounts, accusing him of being a liar, an enemy of abuse victims and a shill for a child molester. 

After three years of relentless abuse, defamation and invasion of his privacy, Brett decided it was finally time to speak out. On May 14th, 2022, he granted Charles Thomson a world exclusive, no-holds-barred interview. No question or topic was off limits. There was only one platform he was prepared to let broadcast it: The MJCast.

For the first time ever, he spoke in depth about his relationship with Jackson, starting from the very beginning and explaining how it evolved over almost 20 years – from witnessing first-hand the 1993 police raid of Neverland Ranch, to testifying at Jackson’s 2005 criminal trial, and all the way up to his final conversation with Jackson just days before his death. Along the way, for the first time ever, he had the opportunity to give unequivocal answers to the many allegations which had been published and broadcast about him over the years – a subject which caused him to become emotional on more than one occasion.

The conversation is being released on June 13th, 2022 – the 17th anniversary of the verdicts in Jackson’s 2005 criminal trial.

This episode was edited by Charlie Carter.

Additional Links
• Charles Thomson’s article “One of the Most Shameful Episodes In Journalistic History“.
• #TheMJCast133: Vindication Day Special With Carol LaMere
• #TheMJCast103: Vindication Day Special with Larry Nimmer
• #TheMJCast081: Vindication Day Special with Aphrodite Jones
• #TheMJCast058: Vindication Day Special (Pirates in Neverland: The Michael Jackson Allegations)
• #TheMJCast033: Vindication Day Special with Scott Ross
• #TheMJCast010: Vindication Day 10th Anniversary Special with Tom Mesereau

Connect with Us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

141: Janet Jackson Documentary Roundtable

The team is back for Season Eight of the The MJCast! Host Jamon Bull is joined by Charles Thomson, Charlie Carter, and Courtney Stribling and Cuzin Kam (co-hosts of the Janet Jackson podcast, Janet Today, Janet Tomorrow, Janet Forever) for a Roundtable to discuss the recent multi-part documentary series, JANET JACKSON. In this in-depth, lively chat, the guys and gals dissect their thoughts on pluses and minuses of the series, from the promos, to the rare footage, to representations of Janet, Michael, as well as other Jackson family members, and much more.

The MJCast team has a great season planned. Thank you for joining us!

This episode was edited by Charlie Carter.

Additional Links
• 10 things we learned about Michael from the Janet Jackson documentary
• Links to listen to Janet Today, Janet Tomorrow, Janet Forever podcast

Connect with Us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube

If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

139: Invincible 20 Roundtable

Released in 2001, Invincible was the seventh adult, solo studio album from Michael Jackson. Having released HIStory and Blood on the Dance Floor in uncharacteristically quick succession, Jackson had then largely retreated from the limelight for four years, appearing only at a handful of awards ceremonies and benefit concerts between 1998 and 2001.

Anticipation in the fan community was high. Appearing at the World Music Awards in 2000, to be honoured for his unparalleled success in the music industry, Jackson had teased in his acceptance speech: “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” But whether the eventual album lived up to Jackson’s hype has split fans for the past two decades.

Invincible would be released in 2001 to a lukewarm critical reception, with many reviewers saying the man dubbed the King of Pop for his trendsetting career was now reduced to following trends instead, bringing in younger artists and lending his vocals to their work. With just two entirely self-penned songs on the 16-track album, Jackson seemed to be something of a passenger on his own album.

With his physical appearance attracting more interest than his art, and coverage of the album’s release unfortunately coinciding with the biggest news event of the century – the 9/11 terror attacks – the album charted well upon release but quickly sank, receiving little promotion from either Jackson or his record label.

By summer 2002, artist and label were locked in a vicious battle, with Jackson accusing Sony of sabotaging the project as part of a racist conspiracy, and the label countering that Jackson’s career had been killed by allegations of child molestation.

So what is Invincible’s true place in Jackson’s legacy? Did it deserve the critical pasting it received? Have the songs aged well? Would they have fared better if they had been released at a different time? In what is bound to be one of the most controversial episodes in this podcast’s history, our panellists (Jamon Bull, Shawn Shackelford, James Alay, John Cameron and Charles Thomson) ask and answer these questions, and many more.

This episode was edited by Jamon Bull.

Participants
• Jamon Bull
• Shawn Shackelford
• James Alay
• John Cameron
• Charles Thomson

Connect with us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

138: 30th Anniversary Celebration Roundtable

In 2001, the who’s who of the entertainment industry poured into New York’s Madison Square Garden arena to celebrate the career of Michael Jackson. To mark the 30th anniversary of his solo recording career, Jackson had agreed to appear at two concerts – his first on US soil since January 27th, 1989, and his first with his brothers since 1984.

Produced by Jackson and long-time friend David Gest, the shows would kick off with all-star salute to the King of Pop. Icons taking to the stage to pay tribute included Gladys Knight, Ray Charles, Destiny’s Child, Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston and Marlon Brando. Then Jackson and his brothers would reunite to perform their greatest hits, before Jackson closed out the show with some of his most famous solo songs. The rights to the concerts were eventually sold to CBS and it was aired during prime time all around the world. Ratings reached 30 000 000 people in the US alone. Jackson and Gest generated a fortune in profits. The concerts should have been a legendary affair, but all was not well behind the scenes, and this potentially historic event turned into a damp squib.

So what went wrong? Was it a complete write-off? And how do these two shows – the last concerts Michael Jackson ever performed – factor into his legacy? Our roundtable guests get together to ask and answer these questions, whilst sharing their own memories and reflections on the shows.

This episode was edited by Charlie Carter.

Participants
Jamon Bull
Charles Thomson
Vernay Lewis O’Neal
Charlie Carter
Shawn Shackelford

Connect with us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!