When I read on Facebook that Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard's, better known in the MJ fan community as the MJ Bodyguards, were finally going to released their book, Remember the Time, Protecting Michael Jackson In His Final Days, I knew I had to get their book. I pre-ordered the book and reached out to them to do a Q & A Session for the blog. Luckily, they responded and immediately was interested. I have to admit, I did not know what to expect because there were fans who were against the whole idea of these men doing a book on Michael. However, unlike a lot of people who worked for and with Michael, these men never maliciously try to bash Michael or his children. I cannot ignore that fact. I hope that everyone, regardless of the their opinions about the book, read this session and come away with understanding their stance on their reasons.
https://twitter.com/MJBODYGUARDS
Michael in 2007.
Q: How did you get the job working for Michael? When you
first met him and his children, what were they like?
Bill & Javon:
We both started working for Mr. Jackson in December of 2006 through the
recommendation of Jeff Adams, who had handled security for Mr. Jackson on
previous occasions. When we first met Mr. Jackson, he was very polite and
cordial, but naturally a bit guarded and distant, given that we were new. The
same was true of the children; they seemed used to new, different people coming
in and out of their lives.
For the first couple months, we didn’t even speak with
them much. Security is a speak-when-spoken-to type of job. Most of our
communications and instructions went through Mr. Jackson’s assistant. Then,
rather suddenly, Mr. Jackson fired his personal assistant and we moved into the
role of being the primary gatekeepers. Once that happened, we were in greater
daily contact with the family and they began to open up and be themselves a
little more around us. It was still an employer-employee relationship; we don’t
pretend to be closer to the family than we were. But we developed a good
working relationship based on trust and respect.
Michael with his children in 2006 or 2007.
Q: I know his death must have left a deep cut in your
hearts, so is that why it has it taken you guys this long since then to write
your book, five years, and also because you were wanting to put great time and
effort into your literary insight? Also, how are the two of you preparing
yourselves from the backlash of the haters, the stubborn ignorant people who,
still to this day, will stop at nothing to manipulate Michael’s image and
identity as a freak of nature and one of the world’s most hated
monsters. Do you believe this will be able to turn the tables on their
hateful mindsets?
Bill & Javon: The
book took five years simply because it takes a long time to do things right. We
wanted a book that added something meaningful to the world’s understanding of
Mr. Jackson, not something rushed out to capitalize on his passing, as many
other books were. We spent over a year talking to publishers and writers to
find partners who believed in our vision and who we could trust. Then the actual
writing of the book took about a year and a half, and finally there were many
months of post-production work of getting the books edited and printed and
circulated to stores.
As for the haters and the ignorant people in the world,
we’re prepared for them but not particularly concerned about them. Those people
are out there and, frankly, the best thing to do is ignore them. We wrote this
book for the fans: for the hardcore, devoted fans who deserve a thoughtful,
respectful account of Mr. Jackson’s final days, and also for the casual fans,
the people who loved his albums in their youth but may have drifted away from
Mr. Jackson is his later years and who might be interested in understanding
more about the man behind the music. We cannot stop haters from spouting lies,
but if we get enough people thinking and talking about the truth, together we
can hopefully drown them out.
Michael at James Brown funeral in 2006.
Q: Knowing that some people would find you writing a book
on Michael questionable, why write a book on him?
Bill & Javon:
We wrote the book because we had a story to tell about the Michael Jackson we
knew. It’s not about clearing up matters that have been written in the media.
It’s about sharing what we personally witnessed and were a part of. If you’re a
Michael Jackson fan and supporter, you deserve to know him more on a personal
side—not just who he was but what he endured as a man and as a father. You
deserve a true account from those that were there, not from those repeating
second-hand information. If the world ever wants to fully understand what
happened to this beloved and incredible man, this is a story that needs to be
told. We already know how Michael Jackson died. Our aim was to help people
understand why.
Q: There are fans who feel that you are exposing
Michael’s privacy by revealing private information. What do you say about that?
Bill & Javon:
We wrestled a long time with whether or not we should write a book. But
ultimately we came to the conclusion that his fans deserve to know what really
happened, and hopefully in some way this will bring closure to some and truth
to others. We’ve been very careful about the information we put in the book,
what to reveal and what to keep private. There are some things about Mr.
Jackson that we will take to our graves.
Normally we would agree with those who say not to reveal
anything at all. The problem with that is the time in which we served Mr.
Jackson, from his return from Ireland through the start of “This Is It,” was a
time when very few people were around. Even Grace Rwaramba was gone for long
stretches of that period. It was often just Mr. Jackson, the kids, and us. Mr.
Jackson was robbed of the chance to tell his own story, and the kids were too
young to really know what was happening. So this is a story that only we can
tell, and therefore we feel a responsibility to tell it.
This book is about the years leading up to Mr. Jackson’s
decision to do “This Is It.” You can’t understand that decision without
understanding what came before it. You can’t understand the full tragedy of his
death without seeing what a wonderful man and father he was and would have
continued to be without the vultures and problems circling around him. So we
feel that this book is important. We understand and respect the fact that some
fans will disagree with that, but we believe in our hearts that we’ve done our
best to balance the needs of honesty and privacy, and where personal details
about Mr. Jackson were used, we always approach their use from a place of
empathy and respect.
Michael shopping in 2008.
Q: Around the time you were working for him, he was
working on new music. Did he ever share any plans for his comeback to you?
Bill & Javon:
Mr. Jackson was constantly working on new music, meeting with artists like
Akon, Ne-Yo, Kanye West and others, collaborating on ideas, working songs out
in his head or in his private studio. As for plans for a “comeback,” we heard
literally dozens of different plans—a Las Vegas headliner gig, a new album,
appearances on American Idol—but none of them ever panned out. From what we
witnessed, Mr. Jackson was still interested in music from the purely creative
side, but for two years he backed out of nearly every professional commitment
people pitched to him. He wasn’t enthusiastic about working at the time. His
focus was almost entirely on raising his children.
Q: When you worked for Michael, what was some of the
music that he listened to?
Bill & Javon:
Mr. Jackson listened to classical music almost all of the time, usually in the
car. Sometimes, if one of us had the radio on an R&B station, he’d ask us
to leave it, but otherwise it was pretty much always classical—with one
exception. There was one song he asked us to play over and over, a song that
really spoke to him and the challenges he was dealing with, but for that you
have to read the book.
Q: Did you ever had to deal with fans who were
disrespectful or unable to control themselves when they were around Michael?
Bill & Javon:
A few times we got caught out in public at a casino or at the mall, and in
those instances the crowds turned into mobs and we had to evacuate Mr. Jackson
from the scene. But the fans who came to the house, the people who were loyal
members of the fan community, no. One or two of them might have gotten
over-excited from time to time, but those fans were always courteous and
respectful in Mr. Jackson’s presence.
Michael with his fans in Japan in 2006.
Q: Did Michael have anything cool that he liked to do in
his spare time?
Bill & Javon:
Most of Mr. Jackson’s spare time was spent reading or in his studio, singing
and dancing and working on new music. One of his other hobbies was film. He
bought high-end digital cameras, green-screen equipment, and spent a lot of
time making elaborate short films. When he just wanted to relax, one of his
favorite pastimes was playing basketball. During the months we lived in Las
Vegas, he would go out all the time and just shoot hoops by himself for a few
hours to help him relax and unwind. Sometimes he’d ask us to join him and we’d
play a game of HORSE.
Q: Did Michael have a Facebook and/or Twitter account?
Did Michael ever watch television and if he did, what were the television shows
that he would watch?
Bill & Javon:
Mr. Jackson didn’t have Facebook or Twitter and almost never went on the
Internet, because he didn’t want to see, and he didn’t want his kids to see,
all the negative tabloid rumors about himself. He didn’t have broadcast or
cable television for the same reason. Everything they watched was on DVD. His
favorite TV show had to be The Simpsons. He owned every season that was
available. His favorite films were the big summer action movies like Spider
Man and Transformers, which he always liked to sneak into the
theater to see with a full audience.
Q: You stated that Michael loved going on eBay. Do
you know what things he purchased on eBay?
Bill & Javon:
He bought mostly collectibles. Peter Pan memorabilia, entertainment
memorabilia, that sort of thing.
Q: What was his favorite meal to eat?
Bill & Javon:
At home, Mr. Jackson and the kids always ate healthy, organic meals, either
from Whole Foods or prepared by a personal chef. When we went out, his favorite
guilty pleasures were Chinese food, pizza, and hot wings.
Q: Did Michael ever played a silly prank on you guys and
if he did, did you get him back?
Bill & Javon:
One time, as a prank, Mr. Jackson gave us a plate of hot wings so spicy that
even chugging a glass of water wouldn’t make the pain go away. But no, we did
not get him back.
Q: Michael had a lot of problems with Sony music and
they, along with the Estate of Michael Jackson, have released the album Xscape.
If Michael was alive today, would Michael want his music to be distributed by
Sony? Were you shocked when in the summer of 2012, when the Jacksons had a feud
with one another and the executors of Michael’s estate? Do you think that the
Estate of Michael Jackson is doing a good job with Michael’s legacy?
Bill & Javon:
There is a lot of passionate debate in the fan community about Mr. Jackson’s
family and Sony and the estate, and we certainly have our own personal opinions
on those matters. However, we prefer only to speak on the things we know and
experienced directly. As far as Mr. Jackson’s legacy goes, there are certain
valuable things we feel we can contribute, and beyond that we don’t feel it’s
our place to speculate or offer opinions.
Michael with a couple of women back in 2006.
Q: I don’t know if this information is correct, but there
were rumors that you all said that MJ used to “hire” women. If it’s true that
you all have written this information in your book, don’t you think that it is
a gross invasion of privacy and perhaps a bit of exaggeration when it comes to
trying to convince the public of Michael’s love for women or his masculinity?
Bill & Javon:
That information is incorrect, just another example of how false stories about
Mr. Jackson spread around the Internet. There are, as everyone knows, a lot of
“working girls” in Las Vegas, and we did discuss that fact with Mr. Jackson
during some of our conversations about life in Las Vegas in general. But Mr.
Jackson never “hired” women. We never said that he did, and there is no such
claim made in the book.
Q: It is known that Michael liked a drink or two. What
was his favorite alcoholic drink? The AEG Trial was very difficult to deal
with. One of the things that were discussed was Michael’s dependency on drugs.
When you worked for him, did you ever see him under the influence of pain
medication?
Bill & Javon:
Mr. Jackson did enjoy a couple of glasses of wine to unwind in the evening, but
no more so than the average person from what we saw. We do have one story in
the book directly related to Mr. Jackson procuring a prescription for pain
medication. In over two years, it was the only such incident we witnessed.
Readers can judge for themselves how much it does or does not indicate that he
had a problem or a dependency. We also can’t comment on things we didn’t see:
what his use of medication was before we were hired, what was discussed in
private meetings between him and his doctors. What we can say is that the man
we worked for was always thoughtful, attentive, and present as a father. Most
evenings you’d find him reading a book or helping the children with their
homework. At no time in working for him did we think of him as someone with a
drug or alcohol problem.
Q: Do you feel by releasing your book that you will have
a hard time finding work as far as being a bodyguard for celebrities?
Bill & Javon:
That was a concern, of course, but we discussed this book with all of our
celebrity clients before starting the project, and they understand that our
work with Mr. Jackson and the need to share the truth about it is a unique,
once-in-a-lifetime circumstance that has no bearing on our ability to handle
their affairs in 100 percent confidentiality.
Q: Ever since you have come forward to tell your stories
about your time working for Michael, how have you been received by the public
and fans?
Bill & Javon:
The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Many in the fan community
knew us from the time we worked for Mr. Jackson and know that our intentions
are honorable. The small amount of negative feedback we’ve received has mostly
been based on false or inaccurate information that has been spread about the
project. (False and inaccurate information about a project related to Michael
Jackson—imagine that!) We believe that when the book is out and people can
judge for themselves, a lot of the negativity will fade away.
The Jacksons in 2009.
Q: Were there some family members that were reasonable to
Michael besides his children? When Michael told you not to allow certain family
members contact him, who were the family members and why did Michael not want
to be contacted by them?
Bill & Javon:
Mr. Jackson’s mother stood by him at all times. She was the most loyal an
trusted person in his life. She was the only person in the family who had his
phone number, and she was the only family member who could drop by the house
unannounced. Everyone else had to have an appointment to see him. Even Janet.
Whatever Mr. Jackson’s reasons were for not talking to any particular family
member, he never confided that to us. He only gave us the instructions and we carried
them out.
Q: Is it possible for you all to give us insight into how
Michael was being treated by the people at AEG whom he worked with? It is known
that Randy Phillips physically hit MJ and yelled at him. Were any of you there
to witness this? Also, were you all under obligation to AEG or to Michael when
the company was paying for his expenses during the This is it tour, including
the cost for security?
Bill & Javon:
We did not work for AEG and were not in Los Angeles during the rehearsals for
“This Is It,” nor were we stationed at the Carolwood mansion. We were Mr.
Jackson’s personal security team, not the “This Is It” security team. We
handled his affairs at his home in Las Vegas, and when he died we were making
preparations to run security for the estate he rented outside London. But we
were never directly involved with AEG. For reasons that you will see in the
book, we kept our distance from that production because we never had a good
feeling about it. But we can’t tell you anything about AEG other than what has
already been revealed in the civil trial against them.
Michael in 2009.
Q: Do you still communicate with anyone in the Jackson
family? Have they been against what you are doing in regards to your book?
Bill & Javon:
We have communicated with members of the family from time to time. We do not
know what their position is regarding the book.
Q: If the Jacksons called you today to come and work for
them, would you?
Bill & Javon:
If any of Mr. Jackson’s children called us for anything, we would be there for
them without question.
Q: What is your fondest memory of Michael?
Bill & Javon:
Our fondest memories are the quiet times when we just got to hang out and chat
with Mr. Jackson and get to know him as a person. He’d often drop by the
security trailer just to ask how our families were doing. We’d take him on long
drives and he’d want to talk about the challenges of being a father and raising
kids. He also liked to unwind by shooting hoops. He told us he and his brothers
had learned how to play at Marvin Gaye’s house growing up, and he used to call
us out of the security trailer to go out in the drive way and play a game of
HORSE. Those simple moments are really the best.
Q: What is the one thing that you want people to know
about Michael?
Bill & Javon:
That he was good man and a loving father, the complete opposite of the way the
tabloids portrayed him. He was a human being, always struggling to fight off
the people trying to exploit him and take advantage of his kindness and pure
heart. He was not perfect—none of us are— but he was far from what the media
labeled him as.
Q: What do you want this book to accomplish?
Bill & Javon:
We want this book to bring truth and closure to those who are still seeking
answers about the final days of Mr. Jackson’s life. We want to let the
fans know that, other than Mr. Jackson’s mother and his children, they were the
number one priority in his life. He always cherished the support they gave him
through all the ups and downs, and he loved them for never turning their back
on him.
Michael with his children and actress Carrie Fisher, 2008.
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Remember the Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His
Final Days is on sale June 3rd in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia,
and New Zealand. It will be available in India on June 15th.
Visit
Bill & Javon at:
*I would like to thank Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard for doing this session for my blog and thank the fans who participated in submitting the questions.*
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References:
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References:
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The pictures came from my personal harddrive.
Update: I did a book review of the Bodyguards book which explains my actual feelings of their book. Please check it out here -
http://michaelandthetruth.blogspot.com/2014/07/remember-time-protecting-michael.html
http://michaelandthetruth.blogspot.com/2014/07/remember-time-protecting-michael.html
