
MJ
The Genius of Michael Jackson
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Narrated by:
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Eric Michael Summerer
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By:
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Steve Knopper
About this listen
From the moment in 1965 when he first stepped onstage with his brothers at a local talent show in Gary, Indiana, Michael Jackson was destined to become the undisputed king of pop. In a career spanning four decades, he became a global icon, selling over 400 million albums, earning 13 Grammy Awards, and spinning dance moves that captivated the world.
Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper delves deeply into Michael Jackson's music and talent. From the artist's early days with the Jackson 5 to his stratospheric success as a solo artist,to "Beat It" and "Thriller", "Bad", and "The Man in the Mirror", to his volatile final years, his attempted comeback, and his untimely death, Knopper explores the beguiling and often contradictory forces that fueled Michael Jackson's genius. Drawing on an amazing 400 interviews, this critical biography puts all the elements of his career into perspective and celebrates his triumph in art and music.
©2015 Steve Knopper (P)2015 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Full of inaccuracies, hearsay and sensationalism
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Untouchable
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Beginning with his final departure from Neverland, Untouchable takes listeners through Jackson's final four years, as he shuttled from California to the Middle East, Ireland, Asia, the East Coast, and Las Vegas, planning to recapture his wealth and reputation with a comeback album and a series of 50 mega-concerts, for which he was rehearsing until the day before his death. Sullivan has never-before-reported information about Jackson's business dealings and the pedophilia allegations that irreparably marked his reputation, and he had exclusive access to inner-circle figures.
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Don't expect a definitive biography
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Beginning with his final departure from Neverland, Untouchable takes listeners through Jackson's final four years, as he shuttled from California to the Middle East, Ireland, Asia, the East Coast, and Las Vegas, planning to recapture his wealth and reputation with a comeback album and a series of 50 mega-concerts, for which he was rehearsing until the day before his death. Sullivan has never-before-reported information about Jackson's business dealings and the pedophilia allegations that irreparably marked his reputation, and he had exclusive access to inner-circle figures.
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By: Randall Sullivan
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Before You Judge Me
- The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson's Last Days
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- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
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Wisdom and musings on creativity and life from one of the world’s most beloved musicians, producers, and mentors, Quincy Jones. 12 Notes is a self-development guide that will affirm that creativity is a calling that can and should be answered, no matter your age or experience.
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I lived these notes with Quincy
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You Are Not Alone
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Jermaine Jackson—older than Michael by four years—offers a keenly observed and surprisingly candid memoir tracing Michael’s life starting with their shared childhood and extending through the Jackson 5 years, Michael’s phenomenal solo career, his loves, his suffering, and his tragic end which sparked worldwide grief. It is a sophisticated, no-holds-barred examination of the man, aimed at fostering a true and final understanding of who he was, why he was, and what shaped him.
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Not credible
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Listeners will learn about Michael Jackson’s keen sense of the historical challenges faced by African-American entertainers, and Michael’s feelings toward the inequitable relationship between entertainers and the professionals (i.e., lawyers, accountants) that often gain more financially than the artists themselves. And most compelling, listeners will gain an appreciation for Michael’s business genius and the visionary purchases and partnerships he conceived, including with Marvel Comics and Disney.
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Facts with MJ Voice
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Hounded by the tabloid media, driven from his self-made sanctuary at Neverland, Michael Jackson spent his final years moving from city to city, living with his three children in virtual seclusion - a futile attempt to escape a world that wouldn’t leave him alone. During that time, two men served as the singer’s personal security team: Bill Whitfield, a former cop and veteran of the security profession, and Javon Beard, a brash, untested rookie, both single fathers themselves. Stationed at his side nearly 24/7, their job was to see and hear everything that transpired.
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Amazing Book! I didn't feel dirty listening to it
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Killing Jesus
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Millions of people have thrilled to best-selling authors Bill O'Reilly and historian Martin Dugard's Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln, works of nonfiction that have changed the way we view history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor details the events leading up to the murder of the most influential man in history: Jesus of Nazareth. Nearly 2,000 years after this beloved and controversial young revolutionary was brutally killed by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion human beings attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God.
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The Jesus story in context
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Chronicling his embodiment of the American Dream, Total Recall covers Schwarzenegger's high-stakes journey to the United States, from creating the international bodybuilding industry out of the sands of Venice Beach, to breathing life into cinema's most iconic characters, and becoming one of the leading political figures of our time. Proud of his accomplishments and honest about his regrets, Schwarzenegger spares nothing in sharing his amazing story.
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True LIES and Alibis~ Brilliant ~ 5 STARS
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The Murder of Michael Jackson: The Cover Up & Conspiracy
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For Dr. Conrad Murray, the real motive should have been to keep Michael Jackson alive. That way he could get paid. But it wasn't Dr. Murray that was the only person in Michael Jackson's life at the end.
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The Murder of Michael Jackson: The Cover Up &Conspiracy....
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Elvis and Me
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The inspiration for the major motion picture Priscilla directed by Sofia Coppola, this New York Times best seller reveals the intimate story of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, told by the woman who lived it.
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What a story!
- By Pen Name on 08-28-22
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Jackson Family Values
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- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
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For years, Margaret Maldonado Jackson was a celebrant of the good life, living with her Prince Charming - Jermaine - at the Jackson family estate in Encino, California. A former teenage runaway who had barely survived life in the fast lane, she had felt fortunate to be welcomed into the Jackson clan. So why, in 1993, was she running for her life with her children? What had happened to this young woman to make her feel so threatened and so alone?
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believable
- By Joy C. on 05-02-16
By: Margaret Jackson, and others
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Where Did Our Love Go?
- The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound
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- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Nelson George's chronicle of Motown Records' rise and fall remains a classic account of an essential American music company and its dynamic founder, Berry Gordy Jr. Gordy's uncanny instinct for finding extraordinary talent - from performers and musicians to songwriters and producers - packed the label's roster with a who's who of historic artists and hitmakers.
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Nice
- By Shop... Nah on 02-13-22
By: Nelson George
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Gold Dust Woman
- The Biography of Stevie Nicks
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- Length: 14 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Gold Dust Woman gives "the gold standard of rock biographers" (the Boston Globe) his ideal topic: Nicks' work and life are equally sexy and interesting, and Davis delves deeply into each, unearthing fresh details from new, intimate interviews and interpreting them to present a rich new portrait of the star. Just as Nicks (and Lindsay Buckingham) gave Fleetwood Mac the "shot of adrenaline" they needed to become real rock stars - according to Christine McVie - Gold Dust Woman is vibrant with stories and with a life lived large and hard.
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Disappointed
- By Amazon Customer on 12-22-17
By: Stephen Davis
Critic reviews
What listeners say about MJ
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- tabitha jones
- 07-05-19
Ok, just cookie cutter in a since.
A good book just sounds like every other book out there. Very cookie cutter not much feeling at all. The same phrasing and wordage in this book as well as many other works. I've read it twice just to make sure I got it and, I still feel like it missed true personallity. Now don't get me wrong, I love Michael Jackson but I feel as if his story is muffled here.
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Overall
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- Lauren Padgett
- 10-22-23
MJ as told from the white insiders perspective
If you are looking for a story that tells MJs story through a white music industry insiders perspective and doesn't really acknowledge racism or how racism played a large part in MJs life and his brand and influenced a lot of decisions he did (or did not) make...and you don't mind time warping around as its not told in chronological order....and you don't mind the fact MJs manager threatened the life of someone where he currently is employed and all the bias that brings into the story, this book is decent. As long as you know that there's a lot of racial bias and industry bias here you should be fine. There are some inaccuracies. Sometimes there are things I never heard before and I am unsure where the info came from. The thing I struggled most with that irritated me the most was the inability to acknowledge race in the situation, and that he had to deal with not triggering white peoples white fragility to survive. I feel like racial persecution was a huge part of Michael Jackson's demise, and that isn't even touched on. In fact, his demise is just kind of a blip in the book. This is more so a book about his entire life, but told from the perspective, white industry person. Which I think doesn't bring into focus the reason he was so traumatized and hurt. It feels like it's not told from a compassionate perspective from someone who could truly empathize with him so it's a story about him but it feels detached from his experience and perspective.
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- Isaac Stevens
- 11-28-22
The Troubled Genius
Im a huge MJ fan and this strengthened my admiration and talent and business acumen but also showed me how deep this man’s hurts and troubles really were. After years of torture and abuse I’m sure psychologically he was devastated when he passed.
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- Gi_Da
- 05-08-24
Thorough
It was very lengthy which I liked and it had some new information I didn’t know even as a fan of Michael’s for 45 years.
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- Jay
- 02-25-16
It is ok but no details of his creativity in here
As other reviewers have pointed out, this is not a book for a musical fan of Michael Jackson. I made the mistake of not reading the reviews myself. It sounded like it was authored by an accountant or an attorney. I was more looking forward to knowing about the creativity that went into the making of his landmark albums. But I was left disappointed and will have to look else where.
But you will get the answers to why Michael's life ended the way it did. It is interesting that there are contradictions regarding anything related to Michael. He was carefree with his spending. His family and law suits were constantly preying on him. His failing health and addictions would ultimately take him out. In the end, its an unfortunate tragedy of a exceptional talent.
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3 people found this helpful