Michael Jackson_ The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story, 1958-2009 Part 21

The next day, Janet telephoned LaToya to tell her the news of her marriage. LaToya was then charged with breaking the startling news to Joseph and Katherine who, predictably, did not take it well. She also telephoned each brother, except Michael. They were all upset and angry, Jermaine in particular. 'I know that he would have killed her if he could've gotten his hands on Janet,' LaToya would remember.

The question, then, was how to tell Michael. Actually, no member of the family wanted to be the one to do it. It was as if they felt they would somehow be forever tainted in his eyes by being the person most remembered for having pa.s.sed on such awful news. Michael had always felt protective of Janet; he used to say that she was his best friend in the family, 'like a twin'. The news was sure to be upsetting, and the Victory tour was difficult enough for him without having to deal with such domestic turmoil. So, no one wanted to be 'the one'. Finally, Quincy Jones's daughter, a friend of the family's, called Michael to tell him; she didn't have anything to lose. As expected, he was filled with anxiety by the news. 'It killed me to see her go off and get married,' Michael would say later. 'I didn't know how to handle it.'

For a month, Janet and James lived at Hayvenhurst with Janet's family, much to James's dismay. 'He wanted them to have their own place,' explained his mother, Etterlene. 'He felt that they needed to be alone to give themselves a chance to grow in their marriage. However, Janet didn't want to leave that house. She was still like a little girl, who never wanted to leave her bedroom.'

'James DeBarge would come to the house completely out of his mind on drugs,' Steve Howell remembered. 'He would be so high on c.o.ke and alcohol that, on two occasions, the guards tried to stop him from going inside Hayvenhurst. "If you do, Mr Jackson will kill you," they'd warn him, speaking of Joseph. However, he was belligerent and didn't care. The funny thing was that when he wasn't high, James was the nicest guy in the world. He was like Dr Jekyll and Mr DeBarge.'

'You leave my husband alone!' Janet was heard screaming at Joseph on several occasions.

'He's not good for you, you, Janet,' Joseph shot back. 'And if you think you're going to ruin this family by staying married to this guy, you can forget it.' Janet,' Joseph shot back. 'And if you think you're going to ruin this family by staying married to this guy, you can forget it.'

Katherine tried to find a reasonable solution to the problem: she offered to enroll James in a rehabilitation programme. He refused to go.

In an interview, James DeBarge remembered the Encino estate as 'The House of Fears' and painted an eerie picture of Michael, who was at home for a short time in the middle of the tour schedule. 'It was while I lived there that I came to realize what a sad, lonely figure he is,' James said. 'He was like a ghost, wandering around the place looking for friends.h.i.+p. He would come to our room late at night, tap softly on the door, and say, "Is it all right if I come in?" One time, Janet and I were making love, and he came right on in! He got into bed with us and poured his heart out. He said, "I envy you two, because you have each other and love each other. But, I haven't got anyone." There was never a sign of a woman in his life, ever.'

'He really was a very lonely man-child,' James DeBarge recalled of his brother-in-law, Michael. 'The only time he had any fun was when he had friends over to play in his two-million-dollar amus.e.m.e.nt arcade, but they had to let Michael win most of the time. If they didn't, they wouldn't be asked to come back.'

James has a litany of amazing memories about his life in the 'House of Fears'. He recalls the day it rained and Michael danced naked around the pool. 'His mother screamed from the house, "Put your clothes on, Michael. Your father will be home soon." Fear of Joseph was what controlled them all,' James said. (Of course, James was on drugs, so who knows how reliable his memory is of that time.) After a few months, James and Janet moved into their own condominium at 12546 The Vista, in Brentwood. 'They moved out of the house because Joseph was gonna kill James,' recalled Steve Howell. 'I'm serious.'

'James had it out with Joseph a number of times,' confirmed his mother, Etterlene. 'They were enemies. They detested each other.'

Janet wanted nothing to do with her family as long as they could not accept her husband. Actually, Janet had begun distancing herself a couple of years earlier when she began working as an actress on the TV show Fame. Fame. 'My parents were very strict while I was growing up,' she once told me. 'It was really our music and our work. We missed out on our childhood, getting to know what really goes on out there. It was bad, because once you step out there for the first time, it stuns you. I saw a lot of things I'd never seen before.' 'My parents were very strict while I was growing up,' she once told me. 'It was really our music and our work. We missed out on our childhood, getting to know what really goes on out there. It was bad, because once you step out there for the first time, it stuns you. I saw a lot of things I'd never seen before.'

In a short time, Janet was miserable in her new marriage. She had wanted her independence, and she got it, but at what cost? Now, she found herself staying up nights worrying about James, who was rarely at home.

According to Jerome Howard, Joseph and Katherine's former business manager, 'Janet would get phone calls in the middle of the night from James's friends telling her where he was, which was usually out in the ghetto, about twenty-five miles from Encino, buying or doing drugs. Janet, who'd never been there in her lifetime, would get up and drive out to the ghetto to find him. In time, she got to know the ghetto better than any other Jackson. She loved him and would do anything for him.'

With the entire Jackson family opposed to the marriage, each member took turns trying to persuade Janet to end it with James. The problems the newlyweds were having in their marriage, especially the drugs, went against everything Michael stood for personally and spiritually. Besides, he could see what the marriage had done to his sister emotionally. At one point she collapsed and had to be rushed to a hospital. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally. Michael was the only person to whom she would now listen. He begged her to leave James, crying on the phone with her from different stops along the Victory tour. Janet was finally convinced.

'G.o.d, I felt like my whole life was falling down, and I could see him [James] going down, but there was nothing I could do,' Janet said. 'And he said to me, "Well, you haven't tried to help me," but I thought, What about helping yourself? I thought, Well, I can either go down with him and that's the end of my life, or I can let go and continue on, alone.'

Janet left James on 7 January 1985, and immediately filed for a pet.i.tion to nullify her marriage and restore her former name, Janet Dameta Jackson. On the pet.i.tion, she listed her total gross monthly income as just $3000 a minuscule amount considering the millions she would earn later. She said the amount of her husband's income was 'unknown' to her. When she got home from the courthouse, she called her friend Rene Elizondo and said, 'G.o.d, I can't believe what I've just done.'

(The annulment was finally granted on 18 November 1985. By then, Janet was back at Hayvenhurst.) James claims that Janet terminated a pregnancy while he was married to her. 'I don't think she told many family members,' he said, 'but, her mother knew. I wouldn't have minded a child, but it had to be Janet's decision. I think her career, her plans, her family had a lot to do with it. We went to a clinic in Los Angeles but we had to go in and out the back door because we were so well known. It was real scary. Afterward, I took her home and held her in my arms and told her everything would be okay.'

For years, Janet has dealt with the rumour that she actually did have the baby she was carrying at the time, and that this child is secretly being raised in Europe. Janet denies it. Of course, she spent almost ten years denying that she was married to Rene Elizondo when, the entire time, she actually was. was. It was only when he filed for divorce that the truth came out... would it surprise anyone, then, if Janet Jackson one day reveals that she and James de Barge had a child so many years ago, and that rather than having an abortion she thought it better if he or she was raised away from the limelight? It was only when he filed for divorce that the truth came out... would it surprise anyone, then, if Janet Jackson one day reveals that she and James de Barge had a child so many years ago, and that rather than having an abortion she thought it better if he or she was raised away from the limelight?

'Michael is not gay not gay'

It was difficult to imagine Michael Jackson viewing romantic relations.h.i.+ps in a positive light when he was surrounded by such poor examples. His parents' marriage had rarely been happy. Marlon's marriage to Carol had been troubled, though they had reconciled. It was difficult to know what was going on with Jermaine's relations.h.i.+p, but Hazel seemed domineering to most observers. Jackie's marriage was also in trouble at this time, because he had cheated on Enid. The two would end up divorcing, and the final decree would not occur until August 1987, after they had put each other through as much misery and litigation as possible. Luckily, t.i.to seemed to be faring well with Dee Dee. Still, Michael had learned early on to be cautious before committing himself to any relations.h.i.+p that could become serious. Therefore, he stayed alone except for the occasional youth, such as Emmanuel Lewis and, in 1984, a ten-year-old kid named Jonathan Spence who had become a constant companion. The two were seen nuzzling and hugging throughout the fall of 1984.

Along with Michael's huge success came a resurgence of rumours about his s.e.xuality. Michael had always been extremely sensitive about the issues of s.e.xuality, and nothing annoyed him more than the fact that it kept coming up every few years. Yet, by September 1984, the question remained: was Michael gay?

However, being a twenty-six-year-old virgin teen idol devoted to a s.e.xually repressive religion is not easy, especially when show business dictates that a male celebrity be 'romantically involved' to use Michael Jackson's words with a woman, thus the existence of Tatum O'Neal and Brooke s.h.i.+elds in his life. But the public could see through those charades, and tongues continued to wag.

One rumour had it that, when Michael was younger, Joseph had ordered him to be injected with female hormones to ensure that his voice would not change with maturity. He wanted it to remain high-pitched and, thus, commercial. 'Not true,' said Michael's vocal coach, Seth Riggs. 'He started out with a high voice, and I've taken it even higher. It's ridiculous. I don't even know if it's possible to do that.'

During one break in a vocal lesson, according to Seth, he said to Michael, 'You know, everybody thinks you're gay.'

Michael nodded his head and told Riggs this story: a tall good-looking blond approached him one day and said, 'Michael, I think you're wonderful. I sure would like to go to bed with you.'

Michael glared at him. 'When's the last time you read the Bible?' he asked.

The blond said nothing.

'You know, you really should read it, because there is some real information in there about h.o.m.os.e.xuality.'

'Sure, I guess if I was a girl, it would be different story,' said the fellow. 'Then you'd have s.e.x with me.' you'd have s.e.x with me.'

'No, I wouldn't,' Michael told him. 'There are some very direct words on that that in the Bible too.' in the Bible too.'

Still, there were some odd reports about Michael. For instance, reporter Denise Worrell was writing a story about him for Time Time and had tried to arrange an interview with him, but to no avail. Instead, she interviewed his parents. Unbeknownst to Michael, Joseph decided to give the reporter a tour of the house. He knocked on Michael's bedroom door. There was no answer. 'Michael I have someone I want you to meet,' Joseph said. He opened the door. 'Can I bring her into your room?' and had tried to arrange an interview with him, but to no avail. Instead, she interviewed his parents. Unbeknownst to Michael, Joseph decided to give the reporter a tour of the house. He knocked on Michael's bedroom door. There was no answer. 'Michael I have someone I want you to meet,' Joseph said. He opened the door. 'Can I bring her into your room?'

Denise reported that Michael was inside with a male friend, about twenty years old, watching television. The glow from the set was the only light in the room. She noticed the outline of Michael's mannequins against a wall.

Michael was startled by the presence of his father and his guest. He nervously introduced Joseph to his friend, using just a first name. Michael then shook hands with the journalist who reported that his handshake 'felt like a cloud'. He 'barely said h.e.l.lo'. Michael's friend then nervously extended his hand; she reported that it was 'damp'. Michael stared at the writer for a moment and then began watching television, again.

As Joseph and Denise backed out of the room, Joseph had the look of a man who'd just opened Pandora's box. 'Michael has a friend over,' Joseph explained. 'He isn't about to give any interviews. You got pretty close, though,' he added, with a nervous chuckle.

After Denise left the house, a security guard came running after her. Joseph and Katherine wanted to speak to her again. Joseph must have told his wife what had occurred in the bedroom.

'We were hoping you'd set the record straight and put a stop to the rumours,' Katherine said as soon as she saw Denise. 'They say Michael is gay. Michael is not gay. It's against his religion. It's against G.o.d. The Bible speaks against it.'

'Michael is not gay not gay,' repeated Joseph, emphatically.

Perhaps Michael is not gay, not gay, but he was curious about the lifestyle just the same. One friend remembered the day he and Michael went into a gay bar on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. 'Michael was recording at Larrabe studios, which is across the street from a bar in a predominantly gay section of Hollywood,' the friend recalled. 'I said to him, "Hey, man, let's go get a drink at that bar." He told me he didn't drink, but perhaps he could get an orange juice. "You know, it's a gay bar," I warned him. "Really? I've never been to a gay bar," he said. "What goes on there?" he asked. I told him he should go and see for himself. He hesitated. "Well, I've always wanted to. Okay, let's do it." So, in we went. but he was curious about the lifestyle just the same. One friend remembered the day he and Michael went into a gay bar on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. 'Michael was recording at Larrabe studios, which is across the street from a bar in a predominantly gay section of Hollywood,' the friend recalled. 'I said to him, "Hey, man, let's go get a drink at that bar." He told me he didn't drink, but perhaps he could get an orange juice. "You know, it's a gay bar," I warned him. "Really? I've never been to a gay bar," he said. "What goes on there?" he asked. I told him he should go and see for himself. He hesitated. "Well, I've always wanted to. Okay, let's do it." So, in we went.

'"Why is it so dark in here?" Michael wanted to know. I had the impression he had never been in any any bar, let alone a gay one. There were a few guys in there, but it was early, so there weren't many. Michael took a deep breath and went up to the bartender and ordered an orange juice. The bartender said, "Hey, aren't you Michael Jackson?" He said, "Nope. But I'm told I look like him." He turned to me and winked. bar, let alone a gay one. There were a few guys in there, but it was early, so there weren't many. Michael took a deep breath and went up to the bartender and ordered an orange juice. The bartender said, "Hey, aren't you Michael Jackson?" He said, "Nope. But I'm told I look like him." He turned to me and winked.

'He and I sat in a corner and watched all the guys. He was recognized by a few, but they left him alone. Not one person came up to him.

'"Is this all they do here?" Michael asked me. "They just drink and talk and watch videos?" I wondered what he thought thought people did in bars. As we were sitting there, two men walked in and immediately began kissing each other. When Michael saw them making out, I could feel him tense up. Finally he said, "Okay, I've seen enough. Let's leave." So we got up and walked out. On the way out, Michael said, "I can't believe those two guys kissed one another. How can they do that?" people did in bars. As we were sitting there, two men walked in and immediately began kissing each other. When Michael saw them making out, I could feel him tense up. Finally he said, "Okay, I've seen enough. Let's leave." So we got up and walked out. On the way out, Michael said, "I can't believe those two guys kissed one another. How can they do that?"

'"Maybe they liked each other," I told him.

'"Well, if that's what they do in gay bars, then I don't think I'll be going to any more," Michael decided.'

This same friend remembered the day he and Michael went into Drakes, a novelty store on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood that specializes in s.e.x toys and p.o.r.nography. In the back of the shop, behind a gated area, a browser could find gay reading material and photo magazines.

'Hey, what's back there?' Michael wanted to know as soon as he walked in.

'You don't want to know,' said his friend.

'Yeah, I do do want to know,' Michael insisted. He then proceeded to go boldly where probably no Jackson had ever gone before. want to know,' Michael insisted. He then proceeded to go boldly where probably no Jackson had ever gone before.

Thirty seconds later, he came running back. He looked shaken, as if he had just seen a ghost. 'We gotta go, now,' he said nervously.

'Why?'

'You don't want to know,' Michael answered.

The more enigmatic Michael remained, the more people would talk, and even joke, about him. His videographer, Steve Howell, once asked him about a comedy sketch Eddie Murphy had performed on Sat.u.r.day Night Live Sat.u.r.day Night Live in which he played an effeminate and affected Michael as a guest on a fictional talk show, in which he played an effeminate and affected Michael as a guest on a fictional talk show, Guy Talk, Guy Talk, along with an equally fey Liberace played by another actor. The two bragged about their s.e.xual exploits with women; it was ludicrous and extremely funny. along with an equally fey Liberace played by another actor. The two bragged about their s.e.xual exploits with women; it was ludicrous and extremely funny.

Michael had smiled. 'I don't mind it,' he said softly. 'The more they make fun of me, the more people are going to wonder what I really am. I don't care when people call me a f.a.g. No one knows the truth. No one knows who, or what I am.'

'You don't care what people say about you?'

'They can say what they want to say, because the bottom line is they don't know know and everyone is going to continue searching to find out whether I'm gay, straight or whatever,' Michael explained. 'It doesn't bother me, and the longer it takes them to discover this, the more famous I will be.' and everyone is going to continue searching to find out whether I'm gay, straight or whatever,' Michael explained. 'It doesn't bother me, and the longer it takes them to discover this, the more famous I will be.'

Perhaps that's how Michael sometimes sometimes felt, but he was also a man who told felt, but he was also a man who told Rolling Stone Rolling Stone writer Gerri Hirshey that he lives his life with obsessive caution, 'just like a haemophiliac who can't afford to be scratched in any way.' writer Gerri Hirshey that he lives his life with obsessive caution, 'just like a haemophiliac who can't afford to be scratched in any way.'

In August 1984, a tabloid alleged that Michael was having an affair with British pop star Boy George, an allegation which was not true. Michael was livid. His publicist, Norman Winter, recalled, 'Michael was angry that there were these stories about him being gay, that little kids who could barely read were hearing about these rumours, maybe from their mothers who buy the tabloids and talk to others about them. Who knows? The point is that he felt that he was getting a reputation he didn't want. He told me that he wanted to organize a press conference to refute the stories. I told him I thought it might not be a good idea. 'Why give them any credibility? Maybe they'll just blow over,' he said. 'No, they just keep getting worse. I have to do something now.'

'Frank [Dileo] was against the idea, but Michael is a very strong-minded person. He told me what he wanted to say, I wrote the text of the statement, he approved it, and we went from there.'

The problem was that Michael decided that he did not want to appear at the press conference; he was too shy to face the press and discuss such a personal matter.

On 5 September 1984, a major news conference was arranged in a West Hollywood sound studio. Frank Dileo in dark sungla.s.ses and with a cigar in his mouth stepped in front of a podium to announce that he was about to read a two-page statement from Michael, 'who, as you all know, has risen to the pinnacle of success in his field.'

In a gruff, tough-guy voice, the burly manager read: 'For some time now, I have been searching my conscience as to whether or not I should publicly react to the many falsehoods that have been spread about me. I have decided to make this statement based on the injustice of these allegations and the far-reaching trauma those who feel close to me are suffering.

'I feel very fortunate to have been blessed with recognition for my efforts. This recognition also brings with it a responsibility to one's admirers throughout the world. Performers should always serve as role models who set an example for young people. It saddens me that many may actually believe the present flurry of false accusations. To this end, and I do mean END END: NO! I've never taken hormones to maintain my high voice; NO! I've never had my cheekbones altered in any way; NO! I've never had cosmetic surgery on my eyes. YES! One day in the future I plan to get married and have a family. Any statements to the contrary are simply untrue.

'Henceforth, as new fantasies are printed, I have advised my attorneys of my willingness to inst.i.tute legal action and subsequently prosecute all guilty to the fullest extent of the law.

'As noted earlier, I love children. We all know that kids are very impressionable and therefore susceptible to such stories. I'm certain that some have already been hurt by this terrible slander. In addition to their admiration, I would like to keep their respect.'

After reading the statement, Frank refused to answer questions from the a.s.semblage of reporters, and left the podium.

No celebrity had ever gone to such lengths to proclaim his or her heteros.e.xuality. The fact that Michael didn't appear in person dampened his declaration. Also, his statement was full of half-truths. Perhaps he hadn't had surgery on his eyes, as he claimed, but he certainly had surgery on his nose, and three times. How could he repudiate one story relating to plastic surgery without admitting the whole truth about work done on his nose? Because of this obvious omission, one was forced to wonder what else Michael was not revealing. In the end, the press conference backfired; if anything, it raised more questions than it answered.

PART SEVEN.

Michael Buys the Beatles' Songs.

While Michael Jackson was on the road with the Victory tour, he made further headlines this time on the business pages by purchasing the ATV Music Publis.h.i.+ng Company for an astounding $47.5 million. The purchase, believed to be the biggest publis.h.i.+ng acquisition of its kind ever by an individual, was actually the culmination of ten intense months of negotiation. The seed of this venture had been planted a few years earlier when Michael was in London to record the number one hit ' Say, Say, Say' with Paul McCartney at Abbey Road Studios. Michael had become friendly with Paul and Linda McCartney during his stay; he ate most of his meals at their home outside of London. One evening after dinner, Paul displayed a thick booklet of song t.i.tles to which he owned the rights, including most of Buddy Holly's material, and standards such as 'Autumn Leaves', 'Sentimental Journey' and 'Stormy Weather'.

'This is the way to make big money,' Paul said. 'Every time someone records one of these songs, I get paid. Every time someone plays these songs on the radio, or in live performances, I get paid.'

'You're kidding me, right?' Michael said.

'Do I look like I'm kidding you?' Paul answered, seriously. In truth, Paul reportedly earns more than forty million dollars a year from record and song royalties not of his own personal composition.

Michael was intrigued. He owned the publis.h.i.+ng rights to his own songs obtaining that right was one of the reasons he and his family had left Motown and Berry Gordy's Jobete publis.h.i.+ng house but he always thought of publis.h.i.+ng as a tedious business primarily concerned with collecting royalties and licensing material for other media. Paul explained that the world of publis.h.i.+ng can prove lucrative, especially thanks to the CD explosion and the increased use of popular songs in advertis.e.m.e.nts, movies and televisions. Songwriters often lose their copyrights for one reason or another: sometimes they sell them for profit a shortsighted thing to do, especially nowadays when so much money is generated in the music industry and often they lose them out of ignorance, as in the case of The Beatles, who simply signed away their rights when they were naive and didn't know any better.

As it happened, Paul McCartney and John Lennon had sold their copyrights to a publisher named d.i.c.k James when they were young. James ended up making a fortune on The Beatles' songs. Then, in the late sixties, while McCarney and Lennon were each on their respective honeymoons James sold Northern Songs the company that continued to hold the rights to the Beatles' compositions to Sir Lew Grade's ATV Music Limited. ATV's a.s.sets were later purchased by Australian businessman Robert Holmes a Court's Bell Group. McCartney and Lennon's estate split with ATV the songwriting revenue generated by 251 of their songs written between 1964 and 1971 including 'Yesterday', 'Mich.e.l.le', 'Help', 'A Hard Day's Night', 'The Long and Winding Road', 'Hey Jude', 'Let It Be', and many others. ATV also held the publis.h.i.+ng rights to thousands of other compositions, including songs by The Pointer Sisters, Pat Benatar and Little Richard (including 'Tutti Frutti', 'Long Tall Sally', 'Rip It Up' and 'Lucille').

When Michael told Paul, 'Maybe someday I'll buy your songs,' Paul laughed.

'Great,' he said. 'Good joke.'

Michael wasn't joking. Paul would one day regret their conversation.

'I gave him a lot of free advice,' he would later say. 'And you know what? A fish gets caught by opening his mouth.

'Michael's the kind of guy who picks brains. When we worked together, I don't even think he'd had the cosmetic surgery. [He actually did have surgery by that time.] I've got photos of me and him at our house, and he looks quite different. He's had a lot of facial surgery since then. He actually told me he was going to a religious retreat, and I believed him. But he came out of that religious retreat with a new nose. The power of prayer, I guess.'

Michael and Paul remained somewhat friendly, but Michael also kept his distance. He didn't want Paul to perceive him as being anything more than an acquaintance, perhaps because he had a plan.

When Michael returned to the United States, he mentioned Paul's book of t.i.tles to John Branca and said that he wanted to buy some copyrights himself, 'like Paul'. John did his research and presented Michael with a list of songs that were for sale. Michael's first purchase was the Sly Stone catalogue, including all of Sly's pop cla.s.sics of the 1970s, such as 'Everyday People', 'Hot Fun in the Summertime', and 'Stand!' ('Stand!' was the song The Jackson 5 performed the first time they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The Ed Sullivan Show. Now, Michael owned it.) For less than a million dollars, Michael also secured a few other t.i.tles, including two of Dion's. .h.i.ts, 'The Wanderer' and 'Runaround Sue', Len Barry's '1-2-3' and the Soul Survivors' 'Expressway to Your Heart'. Now, Michael owned it.) For less than a million dollars, Michael also secured a few other t.i.tles, including two of Dion's. .h.i.ts, 'The Wanderer' and 'Runaround Sue', Len Barry's '1-2-3' and the Soul Survivors' 'Expressway to Your Heart'.

For the next couple of months, Michael was too preoccupied with the Victory tour to concentrate on any publis.h.i.+ng deals. But then in September 1984, when John Branca flew to Philadelphia to meet with Frank Dileo and Michael about the Victory tour's problems, John casually mentioned the availability of the ATV catalogue. Michael wasn't sure what kind of music ATV represented.

'Well, it happens to include a few things you might be interested in,' John teased.

'Like?' Michael asked.

'Northern Songs.'

Michael became excited. 'You don't mean the the Northern Songs, do you?' Northern Songs, do you?'

'Yeah, Mike,' John said. He couldn't contain his enthusiasm. 'We're talking The Beatles, man. The Beatles.' The Beatles.'

In fact, Paul McCartney had tried to buy ATV in 1981. He asked Yoko Ono to purchase the publis.h.i.+ng house with him for twenty million dollars, ten million each, but she thought that was too much money and declined. Because Paul didn't want to spend the twenty million dollars himself, the deal fell through.

As Michael skipped about the room, whooping and hollering, John warned him that there would be stiff compet.i.tion in a bidding war for such popular songs. 'I don't care,' Michael declared. 'I want those songs. Get me those songs, Branca.'

John said he would see what he could do. He then telephoned John Eastman, Paul McCartney's attorney and brother-in-law, and asked if Paul was planning to bid on the catalogue. 'No,' Eastman said. 'It's too pricey.'

A few days later, Yoko Ono telephoned John and said that she had heard a rumour that Michael was interested in purchasing ATV. Then, she spent forty-five minutes trying to make John believe that buying the catalogue was a terrible idea. John discussed the conversation with Michael. 'Man, she obviously just wants it for herself,' Michael said, 'but doesn't want to spend the bucks. She's hoping the price will go down if I don't buy it. So, buy it, Branca.'

The next few months were filled with intensive and frustrating negotiations. Bidding against Michael were Charles Koppelman and Marty Bandier's Entertainment Company; Virgin Records; real estate tyc.o.o.n Samual J. Lefrak; and financier Charles Knapp. At one point, John Branca called off the negotiations, completely.

During those eight tense months, Paul McCartney again tried to convince Yoko Ono to join him in a bid. When Yoko repeated that she was not interested, Paul decided not to bid.

Meanwhile, Michael telephoned John Branca once a week for news.

When Koppelman and Bandier had beaten Michael's offer of $47.5 million with one of $50 million, Michael was crushed. 'Branca, we can't lose this, now,' he said. 'You gotta do something. I know we agreed that we wouldn't spend more than $41 million, but I'm willing to do it.'