Jermaine Jackson on Al-Arabiya, Exclusive Today
Don't miss out the first Exclusive Arabic interview of Jermain Jackson on Al-Arabiya, today, 21.01.2010 at 11:00 pm KSA.
He's going to talk about Michael, discussing his life, career, & sad passing.
Here: You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
LoginTranslation of the interview: You are not allowed to view links.
Register or
Loginand then this:
Transcript of first part of interview:
Interviewer: Thank you so much Mr Jermaine, for being with us. Your first interview for the Middle East and the Arab world. You said: ‘I wish it was me.’ Why you said that?
Jermaine: I said that because my brother…I’ve always been…I felt that his…his support, his backbone. Throughout all the false allegations that were put against him, for him to come out and speak…I sort of looked at it like Moses and Aaron. If he was Moses, I was Aaron. I’d say things and people would listen. If he would say them, they would not…would not listen. And I felt that…that…I just felt that when this happened, I just wish it wasn’t him. And unfortunately, it happened that way.
Interviewer: Yes. In his book, Michael mentioned that you were so close that you used to take care of him. You would walk him to his kindergarten. Tell us about the childhood with your brother.
Jermaine: Yes…well, we’ve always had a connection when we were young, like in elementary school. Walking him to his class, then going to mine. My father…us being the lead singers in the Jackson 5 way before the success…just around our local home in Gary, Indiana…doing local talent shows and us being the two lead singers…there was always a bond between us. Then we came to Motown and had songs like ‘I Want You Back’, ‘ABC’, ‘Stop! The Love You Save’, ‘I’ll Be There’ and on and on. We were always told that we can’t stay up too late…my father made us share a room together and we were the ones that were doing all the lead singing so our voices had to be rested.
Interviewer: When was the last time you saw Michael and you met and you talked together?
Jermaine: The last time I saw Michael was when we had a special family gathering in…I was in…but before this, we were in the South of France with my sister Janet, for the Formula 1. We sort of put it together then; we said that we should do something for my mother and father and invite the whole entire family and the siblings. So that…after that trip, we all planned something and Michael came with his kids and all my brothers and their kids. And my mother and father was really surprised and my last words to him was…he was…I told him I had admired this song that he was singing and the way he did the backgrounds on it. And he said to me: ‘That means a lot to me, coming from you Jermaine.’ Then he walked out the door with his kids, because we were finished with that evening. He said: ‘I’ll see you at the O2 theatre’. The shows.
Interviewer: So he was happy about ‘This Is It.’?
Jermaine: Very excited. Very, very, very excited.
Interviewer: How did you find ‘This Is It’?
Jermaine: I loved it. I loved it because it was a chance to see my brother in his moments which we call preparation. Getting ready for the big show. Knowing how he takes charge and how he’s most concerned about featuring everyone and making sure that everybody gets the spotlight and him just giving a little bit. A lot of those who saw ‘This Is It’…he was only giving 30%...I mean, because he was making sure of lighting cues and the musicians and the dancers and the sound…everybody knew what they were supposed to do.
Interviewer: So many people say that he was a perfectionist and wouldn’t be happy or accept putting his rehearsals in public. What do you say?
Jermaine: Michael was a perfectionist. And I would still say he is a perfectionist, because I think his work will live on forever. You’ll see just what he …he’s truly a blessing. He’s a blessing from Allah and the reason why I say this is because he was blessed with so much talent and so much ability and usually, in this world, people take that and they don’t give back and they don’t use that for the right things. Michael took Allah’s blessings and he gave back…to inspire children, to inspire people. And in this sick world we live in, they tried to bring him down with the very thing that he loved, which is children. And he was the voice for children who were less fortunate. And that’s how these false allegations came about and all these things, about the false child molestation. Then you have the news media who create sensationalism, because it sells papers for them; it gets the viewers and they just say these things because he’s such a big icon. But Michael was a blessing from Allah.
Interviewer: I’m sorry to remind of you of a very emotionally painful moment: tell us, how did you find out that your brother died.
Jermaine: Well, I was with my wife, Halima, across town…we were on the other side of Pasadena, California…and my mother called…no; CNN called Halima’s phone. And Larry King called, and said: ‘Do you know anything about your brother being rushed to the hospital?’ We said: ‘No.’ And then I immediately called my mother and she said she’s on her way down with my cousin. And during that process, Janet had called me and then I spoke to an attorney by the name of Joel Kadson (?) Then I called my mother back… and the most horrible feeling I had when I spoke to her. And I thought he was going to be OK and everything. And I heard her say: ‘He’s dead.’ And it was just the most horrifying moment for me…so I bursted out tearing and crying…so Halima and I, we got in our car and we rushed across town and we were on the other side of town. As we got closer to Westwood, where he was at UCLA hospital, we saw all the helicopters in the sky; all of Westwood was blocked off… tape everywhere. They saw my face and they let me in. And immediately when I got there, I was just saying: ‘This can’t be…this can’t be.’
Interviewer: You were able to see him after he died?Jermaine: Yes. When I was walking down the corridor, I went straight to my mother…she was just in a daze. So I caressed her and made sure she was OK and then I said: ‘I want to see him.’ [Jermaine starts to break down here.] And I went in the room…he was there.
Interviewer: I’m sorry…to remind you about that moment. Have you ever met Doctor Conrad Murray?
Jermaine: I saw the doctor…in that moment…when the doctor came in, he was sitting at the table, fidgety and nervous. And I said to myself: ‘Something’s wrong…this guy is very, very nervous. He’s acting strange.’
Interviewer: Are you surprised that Conrad Murray is back in his clinic; back practicing medicine? Are you surprised?
Jermaine: I am very, very unhappy with that. And I would say this: He just took the life of one of the most wonderful human beings. Not because of his talent and his artistry, but the person he was. To take Allah’s blessings and to not get concerned about the homes and the cars but to give back to people…and to inspire….that’s what hurts. [Starts crying again]
Interviewer: Yes…it hurts. So, as a family; as a brother, what do you want to see happen to Conrad Murray? What should happen? What do you think?
Jermaine: Justice should take its toll, and I think there’s an ongoing investigation. But, like I said, everybody that smiles in your face and pats you on your back is not your friend. And Michael was…he never grew up. And he saw love in everyone. And he saw good in everyone. And a lot of people took advantage of that. And someone that was loved by so many…and then you have the media who have a whole other agenda. And I say that because a lot of the things you guys have heard in the Middle East is absolutely absurd and totally just sensationalism and not the truth. It starts with all the media outlets in the UK and Europe and Eurovision, SKY channel and even a lot of them in the states. I would say that they didn’t look at the person in him. It’s like, in this world…in the Western world…they build you up but they can’t wait to tear you down. And they found the very thing that he loved…which was children. The reason why he loved children…that was his communication. He used to always say: ‘Children are innocent. They don’t look at you and want to ask you things to make you feel bad. Their questions are pure and clean.’ And he was a child who never grew up, so he related to that. So he took those blessings and he wanted to help children around the world.
Interviewer: Michael had to endure painful and hurtful allegations and he had to undergo a fourteen week trial during 2005, to prove to the world his innocence. And every time he came to the court, you were there by his side. Tell us about that time; how hard was it for Michael?
Jermaine: It was very tough. It was very hard for him and even before that…this was all planned. It was part of a conspiracy; it was part of the American government, the FBI to do an investigation for seventeen years on Michael Jackson. And for what? They found nothing. And they tried and tried and tried to bring him down; to diminish his popularity and that is what is so…just, unbelievably misunderstood by the world. They put these allegations out there, because they wanted the world to think that he did this. I know my brother. We know each other. My mother raised us to have God in our lives, from the very beginning. Michael never would do such a thing. But this was a way to put the world’s focus on this while they are trying to steal his publishing, his catalogue. He was so powerful in success; I just wish he would have embraced Islam…and I tried very, very hard because I think that would have been his protection. I was fortunate enough to have met someone named Ali Gambor (?) back in ’84 and then we made a journey in ’89, to Bahrain and to Mecca and that was my support and my guidance. And I wanted that for him.
Interviewer: So was Michael Muslim the time he died?
Jermaine: He was studying a lot. His whole protection, his security were all Muslims and he was ready to make that journey. And I felt…that because my first trip…I’d brought him so many books, and he reads everything…but…getting back to the whole trial…this was all a conspiracy and they finally said: ‘We got him.’
Interviewer: The government in the US was behind that?
Jermaine: I feel that the investigations…to investigate someone for seventeen years and you don’t have anything on them and you leave the investigation is open…they have ways of doing things. That’s why the system is what it is and that’s what disturbs me, because now, they just released all these FBI files and they found nothing.
Interviewer: I read the report: it’s there on the internet. And they had nothing on Michael.
Jermaine: They had nothing against him from the very beginning. Do you know how this would have made him feel, while he was alive? To show? But the reason why they didn’t release these was because they would have helped him. Mentally, his image; his whole demeanor. To people who wanted to believe these ugly things. So they knew what they were doing …so now they released them when while he’s dead. Because they want him out of the way. And I’m speaking like this because I’m very disturbed. I’m very disturbed by the system; I’m very disturbed by the way things were handled, because he became so successful, his kindness became a threat.
Interviewer: Why? Why he was a threat?
Jermaine: Because that’s the way it is in this world. He ‘s not interested in politics, he’s not interested in anything but helping people. That’s it.
Interviewer: I want you to take us back to the moment the judge announced: ‘not guilty’ in June 2005.
Show Posts
