Announcement: I will be joining the Michael Jackson Book Club for a livestream event on Saturday April 18th on MJBC Events on Facebook. We will be discussing biographies about Michael Jackson as a lead up to the release of Michael. If you are interested in attending, check out the Michael Jackson Book Club on Facebook!

In this week's episode of Reading Michael Jackson, we finally finish our reading of "Moonwalk"! Closing out chapter 6, and the book as a whole, Michael briefly reviews his experience recording the Bad album, while devoting most of his energy in these last few pages to making several "final" statements about his relationship to fame, his admiration for children, passion for performance, and devotion to humanitarian causes. It is evident here that Michael is making one final stitch effort to be "known" by the reader and to reveal something of his true nature in the pages. He even reveals how uncomfortable the concept of a book like this makes him, but the appeal of finally letting people in just a bit more. Despite an overall rushed ending, with many elements of his life post-Thriller jammed into one long final chapter, Michael closes Moonwalk with heart.

Join me for the next episode for a final "review" of "Moonwalk."

As mentioned in the episode...

Jaafar Jackson Interview Magazine: https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/jaafar-jackson-tells-miles-teller-how-he-unlocked-the-king-of-pop

Michael Jackson Interview Magazine: https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/michael-jackson-1982

Chris Liepe "Speed Demon" Breakdown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_iL8HkUVJI

This week as we continue reading Chapter 6 of "Moonwalk," it becomes increasingly apparent that as this book winds down, we have a tremendous number of topics left to cover! In this section alone we learn about Michael's relationship with his sister's, most notably Janet. He also highlights his work on Captain EO, "We are the World" and the early stages of recording the Bad album. In the discussion portion of the episode, I do my best to fill in some additional details that Michael leaves out. As we reach the Bad era, what are some details YOU wish Michael spent more time with?

For questions or comments feel free to email me at readingmichaeljackson@yahoo.com

This week we kick off the final chapter of "Moonwalk," starting with Michael's recollection of the infamous "Pepsi burn," altering the course of his life forever. He also spends some time describing the connection he feels with fans. Recounting memories of the good and bad of the Victory Tour, Michael opens up about the challenges of touring before he was ready to, but giving it his all every show.

In the discussion portion of this episode, I spend some time dissecting the impact of the Pepsi incident and, specifically, the ways in which Michael was silenced throughout his life from sharing the incredible physical (and emotional) pain this caused him. I discuss ways in which the media and public response to this incident represents the level of dehumanization Michael faced throughout his life, as well as the nuances of his family encouraging him to tour far before he was physically ready to do so.

In this episode, I include clips from Michael's 2005 interview with Geraldo Rivera, as well as the leaked "memoir tapes" in which Michael discusses his frustration with the Victory Tour.

For questions or comments, email me at readingmichaeljackson@yahoo.com.

Geraldo Rivera 2005 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhIXedgZAZY

Memoir Tapes - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qITnlw5FB38