The tabloid narrative of one of the most popular music stars of the 20th century is one of a man who slept in a hyperbaric chamber, bleached his face and lured young children into his bedroom.
As the lead voice of the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson grew up with fame and had exotic animals as pets before he was old enough to vote. With more success and more fame as a solo artist, Jackson became more eccentric. No matter how strange the singer’s lifestyle became, his music-making process was serious business.
“Michael kept those things separate,” says Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper. “When he was working on his music everything else got shut out.”
Knopper conducted over 400 interviews for his book “MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson.” He tells Steve Fast that Jackson may not have been distracted by his tabloid lifestyle when making music, but the “King of Pop” did see his unconventional life as an extension of his art. As an example, the biographer points to speculation over Jackson’s extensive plastic surgery operations.
“Some people say that he was self hating,” Knopper says about Jackson’s facial transformation. “Other people say it was part of his art… he wanted to live this boundless life where he could just experiment and tinker and that applied to his facial structure as well.”
Knopper also discussed the child molestation accusations Jackson faced and the star’s use of sleep drugs on “The Steve Fast Show.”
Listen to the interview: Steve Knopper on the Steve Fast Show
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