Jackson was “new, fresh and fascinating”

A poster of Jackson with fan greetings at the Motown Records Museum in Detroit Keystone

News of Michael Jackson's death has been monopolising large sections of the media for over a week, but few people have examined his life in detail.

London-based Swiss musical journalist Hanspeter Kuenzler has just completed a biography of the 50-year-old entertainer, which was at the printers when his death was announced on June 25.

Kuenzler, who never met Jackson, had to rewrite his introduction and add a chapter to the book, commissioned by Austrian German-language publisher Hannibal.

And nobody could accuse the journalist of hero worship: he recently described Jackson of being the “most deluded, wrong-headed and misguided super-superstar”.

swissinfo.ch: When did you hear of Michael Jackson’s death?

Hanspeter Kuenzler: I remember very clearly: it was around 12:30 at night and I was in a bar in Zurich. A young man walked by in a white T-shirt that had something scribbled on it. I took a closer look and saw it said “Michael Jackson is dead”. We were all shocked: people were grabbing their phones to check the news and his death was confirmed.

swissinfo.ch: What was your reaction?

H.K.: First of all complete shock. I wasn’t able to sleep afterwards. I’d never reacted so strongly to a pop star’s death before. But deep down I had a feeling it wasn’t so much of a surprise.

There were always questions whether his 50 planned concerts [in London] would go ahead because of health concerns. But I saw him in March at the press conference to announce the concerts and he actually looked healthy. That’s why I thought he knew what he was capable of. But it seems that might not have been the case.

swissinfo.ch: The print run for your biography began just two days before his death. That meant stopping everything and rewriting part of it in a hurry. But in a way you have been lucky…

H.K.: I can’t deny it. But obviously it wasn’t planned that way either, so there is nothing cynical about it.

We managed to stop the presses and last weekend I rewrote the introduction and added a chapter at the end. The printer and bookbinders are now working three shifts a day to make sure we can get it out on bookshelves on July 7.

swissinfo.ch: You never met Michael Jackson. How did you end up writing a book about him?

H.K.: When I moved to London in 1978, disco music was becoming a big thing. For me, that was the new type of music. Back in Switzerland I listened to punk music and a bit of reggae.

In London I worked in a mixed-race school – one third Jamaican, one third Indian and one third from everywhere else. The pupils were all funk music fans who listened to groups like the Jacksons.

That’s when Michael’s first big solo album – Off The Wall – came out. I stumbled upon it somehow. This funky music was new, fresh and totally fascinating.

swissinfo.ch: What does your book offer that others don’t?

H.K.: What’s missing in other biographies is the social and political context of the Jackson family and their music. I’ve tried to use the political context as a framework, in particular racial policies during the time the Jacksons were growing up and the end of the 1960s and the early 1970s when they became famous.

I’ve also tried to show where his music fits into music history. Afro-American music developed at the same time as the civil rights movement in the United States. You don’t find that perspective in other biographies.

Another point you don’t see is the role played by sexuality in the African-American community at that time – there has always been speculation over Michael Jackson’s sexuality.

swissinfo.ch: What fascinates you about Michael Jackson? Are you a fan?

H.K.: I think he’s great, but I’m not fanatical about him, rather an admirer. What I find fascinating is his music and the way he danced.

But I have my reservations. I don’t understand how someone who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s could show so little interest in anything else besides his own work.

He is a tragic figure and is interesting because he was so materialistic yet also claimed to believe in higher values. He was representative of the contradictions and paradoxes of the late 20th century.

swissinfo.ch: So who was Michael Jackson?

H.K.: He had two faces. He made escapism a central theme of his music. He was basically saying music and dance could help us get rid of the chains of everyday life and find fulfilment.

His other side was his incredible materialism. He wanted to be rich. He was richer than any other pop star around, as his manager once explained to him.

When these two unrelated elements came together, it was enough to tear him apart.

swissinfo.ch: What remains of Jackson the musician?

H.K.: A lot remains. His music, of course, his desire to make racially neutral music for everyone, his vision that music should bring us together. He was also a video visionary. His videos added something to the music.

And of course his talent as a dancer. He was definitely one of the greatest dancers in pop history. Music fans will remember him for those three things.

Christian Raaflaub, swissinfo.ch (translated from German by Scott Capper)

Hanspeter Kuenzler

The Swiss music journalist has lived for over 30 years in London.

His book “Michael Jackson: Black Or White – Die ganze Geschichte” will be released on July 6 by Hannibal publishers, which specialises in books about music.

Kuenzler works regularly for various media, including Swiss newspapers and Swiss public radio.

Michael Jackson

August 29, 1958: Michael Joseph Jackson is born in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children.

1963: After several years of training, The Jackson 5 begin to perform in public.

1972: While still singing with the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson puts out his first solo album, “Got to Be There”.

1979: Jackson’s first solo album as an adult, “Off the Wall”, is released. He becomes the first solo artist to place four singles from the same record in the top 10.

1982: His album “Thriller” wins a record eight Grammys and becomes the world’s biggest selling record of all time.

1985: Jackson and Lionel Richie write what becomes one of the fastest-selling singles ever with “We Are the World”. The song was produced to raise money for victims of the Ethiopian famine. Jackson also pays $47.5 million for the rights to more than 250 songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

1993: Jackson claims in a TV interview that he has an inherited disorder that caused his skin pigmentation to fade. He was also accused of molesting a boy who often stayed at his home. The singer denied any wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the boy’s family – reported to be $20 million – and criminal charges were never filed.

1994: Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis. They divorce two years later.

1995: Releases the album “HIStory: Past, Present, and Future Book I”. The song “You Are Not Alone” becomes the first single in pop music history to enter the Billboard chart at No. 1.

2003: ABC airs the British documentary, “Living With Michael Jackson”. Jackson’s comments about allowing kids to spend the night in his bedroom prompted authorities to look into his relationships with children.

2005: A judge clears Jackson of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor in 2003.

2006: Plagued by financial problems since his trial, Jackson closes the house on his 2,600-acre (1,052-hectare) Neverland Ranch estate in California.