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Michael Jackson: The Man behind the Mask
A former public relations consultant for Michael Jackson describes the singer's life and music career.
- GenresMusic
176 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 4, 2010
This book, a poorly slapped-together compendium of randomly connected quotes from Bob Jones (not much of a writer I guess) stitched together with witless exposition by his ghostwriter, was a pain and aggravation to read. Bob Jones, apparently really bitter and angry about the method of his dismissal from Jackson's employ after 30 years (without explanation or pension plan), releases in this slim volume a torrent of vitriolic lies and highly biased opinions.
According to Jones, Jackson is a racist who hates black people (nevermind the many times he appeared on television declaring how proud he was of his race and his connections to the NAACP), a person who hated his family (nevermind his many public declarations of love for them) and actively prevented them from ever being independent, a person who caused his own skin problems with bleaching agents (nevermind the confirmed case of vitiligo), a homosexual (implied by Jones with no proof) and, how could we forget, a pedophile (again implied repeatedly by Jones with no proof).
This book is full of typos and grammar mistakes, but that doesn't bother me nearly as much as the blanket of lies and assumptions spread over every facet of Jackson's life. Jones even lies about small things with no real reason--examples include his statements that Princess Diana avoided Jackson when all other accounts claim she was a fan and excited to meet him; that Jackson refused to eat "soul food" because (why else?) he hated black people, when it's well-documented that he actually demanded a regular diet of fried chicken; and that he refused to go to Harrod's in London, when actually, you can easily find photographs of him at Harrod's in London on Getty and elsewhere! (Seriously, why make up lies so easily shown false?) He also declares the 'Dangerous' tour was "doomed," which just confuses me as that is not the word I'd use to describe a world tour attended by thousands of screaming fans that grossed $100 million. Finally, he refers to Diane Diamond, a TV tabloid gossipmonger for distinguished shows like "Hard Copy," as an "award-winning journalist" so I guess that's fair warning of where the bar is set.
That's all small stuff compared to this, though: The biggest and most damaging lie of all comes about halfway through the book. As fans will recall, Jackson was strip searched by police in 1993 following the accusations of sexual abuse of a 13 year old boy. The boy provided detailed descriptions of Jackson's genitalia that were revealed during that search to be incorrect and casting irremovable doubt over the accusations. Jones claims the exact opposite occurred and uses the incident to drive home his suspicions of Jackson's wrongdoing. Why Jones continued to work for Jackson if he was so sure of the star's guilt is another matter, I guess?
Fan or not, I would not recommend wasting time on this semi-literate volume of tabloid trash. If you want to read about the Jacksons, I would recommend "Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story" by JR Taraborrelli over this.
According to Jones, Jackson is a racist who hates black people (nevermind the many times he appeared on television declaring how proud he was of his race and his connections to the NAACP), a person who hated his family (nevermind his many public declarations of love for them) and actively prevented them from ever being independent, a person who caused his own skin problems with bleaching agents (nevermind the confirmed case of vitiligo), a homosexual (implied by Jones with no proof) and, how could we forget, a pedophile (again implied repeatedly by Jones with no proof).
This book is full of typos and grammar mistakes, but that doesn't bother me nearly as much as the blanket of lies and assumptions spread over every facet of Jackson's life. Jones even lies about small things with no real reason--examples include his statements that Princess Diana avoided Jackson when all other accounts claim she was a fan and excited to meet him; that Jackson refused to eat "soul food" because (why else?) he hated black people, when it's well-documented that he actually demanded a regular diet of fried chicken; and that he refused to go to Harrod's in London, when actually, you can easily find photographs of him at Harrod's in London on Getty and elsewhere! (Seriously, why make up lies so easily shown false?) He also declares the 'Dangerous' tour was "doomed," which just confuses me as that is not the word I'd use to describe a world tour attended by thousands of screaming fans that grossed $100 million. Finally, he refers to Diane Diamond, a TV tabloid gossipmonger for distinguished shows like "Hard Copy," as an "award-winning journalist" so I guess that's fair warning of where the bar is set.
That's all small stuff compared to this, though: The biggest and most damaging lie of all comes about halfway through the book. As fans will recall, Jackson was strip searched by police in 1993 following the accusations of sexual abuse of a 13 year old boy. The boy provided detailed descriptions of Jackson's genitalia that were revealed during that search to be incorrect and casting irremovable doubt over the accusations. Jones claims the exact opposite occurred and uses the incident to drive home his suspicions of Jackson's wrongdoing. Why Jones continued to work for Jackson if he was so sure of the star's guilt is another matter, I guess?
Fan or not, I would not recommend wasting time on this semi-literate volume of tabloid trash. If you want to read about the Jacksons, I would recommend "Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story" by JR Taraborrelli over this.
April 14, 2009
I read this because I always swore that if Michael Jackson staged a comeback, that I'd go... I'm not exactly a fan, but I think he's an amazing performer, and would like to experience it... I'm not going to London, but all this talk of him made me curious who he is exactly. Interesting read. The guy is wacked.
January 9, 2010
Bob Jones worked as a journalist in the 1960s before going to work with Motown as a publicity manager. Leaving Motown in 1987, Michael Jackson hired him as VP of MJJ Productions. Stacy Brown knew Michael and other members of the Jackson family on a personal basis for over twenty years. The two authors have very strong ideas about Michael Jackson and their work with him and his family. It is up to the individual reader as to what is to be believed as unvarnished truth and what is to be discarded as disgruntled rambling.
It is easy to understand that Mr. Jones was unhappy because he was fired via a short letter instead of being told why or even in person. Later, he was further shocked because the contents of his office was removed. After years of what he felt was devoted Public Relations service, Mr. Jones felt betrayed and decided to write this book to tell his version of working with Michael and the other members of the Jackson family.
Claiming to have originated the term “the King of Pop”, Jones describes the Jackson in a definitely unfavorable light throughout the book. Early on, he includes an excerpt from Michael Roberts’ Westword.com article where Jackson family members are given derogatory titles such as Best Scapegoat, Best Phrasemaker, and Most Supportive Parent, which include snidely explanatory definitions.
Numerous passages portray various family members as manipulative, jealous, and just plain untalented. “Facts” are revealed and then italicized opinionated information is provided by the author on nearly every page of this unflattering book. 6 of the 12 photos in the book include Jones smiling as if he enjoys his job; which is hard to understand as the reader peruses the stories he tells. Jones “spills” a lot of unseemly information that is meant to be unquestioned and regarded as unmitigated truth because of his included personal involvement.
The first ten pages alone give Jones’ belittling recounting of Michael’s charity work, allegation cover ups, and reckless personal choices. If one makes it through those beginning remarks, there are more unhappy “revelations” throughout the balance of the book. With chapter names promoting innuendo of racism, haughtiness, and financial instability, it doesn’t matter where the reader begins; it’s all disheartening, page by awful page.
In the first chapter, Jones depicts Michael as the man in the “surgically-meshed-together face” who has absolutely no positive regard for any person in his family and supports the statements by providing supposed quotes from the entertainer himself. As a sudden about face, Mr. Jones then describes the excitement and enjoyment he derived from working with Motown and the Jacksons by stating that it was a chaotic “ride.” He does make a few positive, irrefutable remarks about the successful recordings produced which include the “Off the Wall” and “Triumph” albums, but merges it with how tough his job was doing damage control during the molestation allegations of 1993.
Later chapters portray Michael Jackson as someone that has deluded himself into believing he knows Princess Diana, but that she never returned contact that Mr. Jones tried to make on Michael’s behalf. Still later in the book, both of Michael’s marriages are reported to be shams because he only wanted to have white children, yet had no need for an actual life mate. Although both Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe have stated that they loved Michael Jackson and that the reasons they divorced him were brought on not so much by his manner as the lifestyle the superstar was required to live due to his immense popularity and their individual dislike of the same, Jones conveniently does not include this information in the book.
Other chapters pervade the ideas that Michael faked injuries and illnesses to avoid responsibilities, charged for charitable personal appearances, and rarely paid his bills. The collaborating authors further state that fans had to be transported in to some venues to prove that Michael’s popularity had not waned.
Near the end of the book, one of the final insults is a copy of the actual 2004 indictment documents. Jones refers to Michael Jackson as no longer having “artistic influence”, that his star had peaked 15 years ago, and by calling him a “disaster”.
In all fairness, regarding record release dates, and strictly musical information such as song and album titles, this book is mostly correct. Motown, Havenhurst, and Encino are correctly placed on the map as well. The glossy cover sports a nice vintage photo of Michael on the back and this reviewer did not see any misspelled words in the text. However, the bulk of this tome can be highly regarded as Mr. Jones’ extremely slanted personal opinion and innuendo.
If the reader never liked Michael Jackson, this book contains a plethora of enumerated suspicions. However, if one admired Michael Jackson, this is not a book that will be taken seriously; in fact, a lot of readers will not make it through the first chapter due to its questionable content and salacious nature.
It is easy to understand that Mr. Jones was unhappy because he was fired via a short letter instead of being told why or even in person. Later, he was further shocked because the contents of his office was removed. After years of what he felt was devoted Public Relations service, Mr. Jones felt betrayed and decided to write this book to tell his version of working with Michael and the other members of the Jackson family.
Claiming to have originated the term “the King of Pop”, Jones describes the Jackson in a definitely unfavorable light throughout the book. Early on, he includes an excerpt from Michael Roberts’ Westword.com article where Jackson family members are given derogatory titles such as Best Scapegoat, Best Phrasemaker, and Most Supportive Parent, which include snidely explanatory definitions.
Numerous passages portray various family members as manipulative, jealous, and just plain untalented. “Facts” are revealed and then italicized opinionated information is provided by the author on nearly every page of this unflattering book. 6 of the 12 photos in the book include Jones smiling as if he enjoys his job; which is hard to understand as the reader peruses the stories he tells. Jones “spills” a lot of unseemly information that is meant to be unquestioned and regarded as unmitigated truth because of his included personal involvement.
The first ten pages alone give Jones’ belittling recounting of Michael’s charity work, allegation cover ups, and reckless personal choices. If one makes it through those beginning remarks, there are more unhappy “revelations” throughout the balance of the book. With chapter names promoting innuendo of racism, haughtiness, and financial instability, it doesn’t matter where the reader begins; it’s all disheartening, page by awful page.
In the first chapter, Jones depicts Michael as the man in the “surgically-meshed-together face” who has absolutely no positive regard for any person in his family and supports the statements by providing supposed quotes from the entertainer himself. As a sudden about face, Mr. Jones then describes the excitement and enjoyment he derived from working with Motown and the Jacksons by stating that it was a chaotic “ride.” He does make a few positive, irrefutable remarks about the successful recordings produced which include the “Off the Wall” and “Triumph” albums, but merges it with how tough his job was doing damage control during the molestation allegations of 1993.
Later chapters portray Michael Jackson as someone that has deluded himself into believing he knows Princess Diana, but that she never returned contact that Mr. Jones tried to make on Michael’s behalf. Still later in the book, both of Michael’s marriages are reported to be shams because he only wanted to have white children, yet had no need for an actual life mate. Although both Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe have stated that they loved Michael Jackson and that the reasons they divorced him were brought on not so much by his manner as the lifestyle the superstar was required to live due to his immense popularity and their individual dislike of the same, Jones conveniently does not include this information in the book.
Other chapters pervade the ideas that Michael faked injuries and illnesses to avoid responsibilities, charged for charitable personal appearances, and rarely paid his bills. The collaborating authors further state that fans had to be transported in to some venues to prove that Michael’s popularity had not waned.
Near the end of the book, one of the final insults is a copy of the actual 2004 indictment documents. Jones refers to Michael Jackson as no longer having “artistic influence”, that his star had peaked 15 years ago, and by calling him a “disaster”.
In all fairness, regarding record release dates, and strictly musical information such as song and album titles, this book is mostly correct. Motown, Havenhurst, and Encino are correctly placed on the map as well. The glossy cover sports a nice vintage photo of Michael on the back and this reviewer did not see any misspelled words in the text. However, the bulk of this tome can be highly regarded as Mr. Jones’ extremely slanted personal opinion and innuendo.
If the reader never liked Michael Jackson, this book contains a plethora of enumerated suspicions. However, if one admired Michael Jackson, this is not a book that will be taken seriously; in fact, a lot of readers will not make it through the first chapter due to its questionable content and salacious nature.
December 10, 2016
The beginning of the book is a sales pitch. "If I am going to write a book I intend to give the readers what they want." That quote says it all...what they want. Be it truth or twisted truth. The words he use makes it colorful and funny. Adjectives and verb used to describe events and people keeps you laughing.
The last statement made in his afterwords, tells his true thoughts.
The last statement made in his afterwords, tells his true thoughts.
July 14, 2009
This is a book written by a former Jackson employee. He had been employed by Jackson for 30 yrs until his dismissal. This is a very very good read. It in my opinion gives a fair account of what he was while working with Jackson for some 30 yrs.
January 21, 2025
Aside from a few minor details, Bob Jones doesn't really offer any new or interesting stories about Jackson that you can't already find in other publications or media. As the author admitted himself, it is more of a quick cash grab in response to people asking him whether he knows anything related to the second lawsuit against Jackson. And having read the whole thing, he didn't -well aside from having a great suspicion from having worked with him (only from a pure business standpoint), hearing stories from others, and reading other people's books. Just highlight the cited references in this book and use those as a starting point for research, as I think that's the most useful thing I got from this book. Or avoid it altogether, save that $14.95, and find a good list of books about the Jackson downfall arc elsewhere instead.
August 5, 2024
Jag tänker inte anstränga mig att skriva något mer om dena skräpbok, och det är skam att dens ens blev utgiven och översatt.
Handling & Tema :1/5
Karaktärerna: 1/5
Miljöbeskrivning: 1/5
Språk & berättar konst: 1/5
Handling & Tema :1/5
Karaktärerna: 1/5
Miljöbeskrivning: 1/5
Språk & berättar konst: 1/5
July 5, 2009
Michael Jackson is dead, and I have a new interest in him. Didn't give him the time of day before. I wanted to believe that he was just an innocent and naive weirdo. After reading this book...although it is not black and white in outlining his guilt....I'm afraid I have to remove the words innocent and naive from my description. He was just plain weird.
Want to read
October 15, 2009I want to read this book because I really never got to meet THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK :(...... and I guess now I never will I LOVE YOU MICHEAL JACKSON MAY U REST IN PEACE.......:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :...(
September 25, 2009
bet it would be good.
January 26, 2010
Very informative, but from a negative standpoint.
February 9, 2010
I really don't remember much about this book other than I was not that impressed with it. This book was written before his death when there was alot of money to be made by bashing him.
November 26, 2011
Who knew?
Read
June 10, 2014it was ok. Gave me a new perspective on MJ that one wouldn't think of. I still love his music though.
April 10, 2013
this was a negative hateful book :(
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews