Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness
 | |
| Author | J. Randy Taraborrelli |
|---|---|
| Subject | Michael Jackson |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | Citadel Press |
Publication date | May 1991 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 625 |
| ISBN | 1559720646 |
Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness, later expanded and re-released as Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958–2009, is a book by American biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, chronicling the life of American singer Michael Jackson.[1][2] The book was originally released in May 1991 by Birch Lane/Carol Publishing Group,[1] and an updated version was released in August 2009, shortly after Jackson's death, by Grand Central Publishing.[3]
Summary
The book examines Jackson as well as his "contentious and litigious family" and the "consequences of great wealth and fame" on them.[1] The author describes the family as "dysfunctional", and attributes many of Jackson's characteristics to his contentious relationship with his abusive father.[2]
The updated version includes interviews with Lisa Marie Presley, who "revealed her thoughts on the child sex abuse charges Michael faced in 1993" in the book, saying: "I believed he didn't do anything wrong, and that he was wrongly accused and, yes, I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it".[4]
Writing and release
In writing the book, Taraborrelli claimed to have "interviewed 400 people and even hired a private detective to sniff out sources he'd been searching for", and asserted that an associate of Jackson's had offered "a cash settlement to squash publication".[2]
The book was originally released in May 1991 by Birch Lane/Carol Publishing Group, and an updated version was released in August 2009, shortly after Jackson's death, by Grand Central Publishing.[3] On the sixth anniversary of the death of Michael Jackson, Mehta Publishing House released the book in the Marathi language. It was translated into Marathi from English by Reshma Kulkarni.[5]
Critical response
Reviewing the updated release following Jackson's death Justin Moyer of The Washington Post praised the depth of access that Taraborrelli had with Jackson and his family, but found the writing itself less laudable, writing, "Taraborrelli plays Virgil on the Gloved One's Dantean descent, armed with an enthusiasm for all things Jackson but ill-served by clunky prose".[6] Michael Anderson of The New York Times was also critical, characterizing Taraborrelli as a "pruriently obsessive fan", and stating that the subject "seems to escape the author", and that the book "is crammed with nudge-nudge, wink-wink trivia... but does little to illuminate Mr. Jackson's irresistibly captivating stage presence".[1]
The Gay & Lesbian Review said that Michael Jackson – The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story was a "comprehensive and even-handed biography".[7]
In a 2015 retrospective on Jackson, NBC News noted that "Taraborrelli has written what might be the definitive biography of the star. Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The whole Story".[8]
References
- ^ a b c d Anderson, Michael (June 16, 1991). "In Short: Nonfiction". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Baer, Susan (May 23, 1991). "The GLOVE Comes Off Michael Jackson bio leaves some questions unanswered". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ a b "Jackson Bio Arrives Next Week", The Toronto Star (July 7, 2009), p. E2.
- ^ Bella, Timothy (January 13, 2023). "Lisa Marie Presley, Michael Jackson and the MTV kiss she 'didn't love'". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Michael Jackson's biography 'Magic and the Madness' now available in Marathi". DNA India. June 27, 2015.
- ^ Justin Moyer, The Washington Post (2009).
- ^ "'I Like Lovin' This Way'". The Gay & Lesbian Review. May 2011.
- ^ "The Secret Life of Michael Jackson". NBC News. February 5, 2010. Archived from the original on March 20, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
See also
- Madonna: An Intimate Biography, by J. Randy Taraborrelli
