Quincy Jones: Jackson 'Obviously Didn't Want To Be Black'

Quincy Jones, the record producer who collaborated with Michael Jackson on Thriller, Bad and Off the Wall, has opened up to Details about his memories of his friend's life and speculations about his death.

You can read the Details interview here.

On Jackson's ever-changing appearance:

Oh, we talked about it all the time. But he'd come up with, "Man, I promise you I have this disease," and so forth, and "I have a blister on my lungs," and all that kind of b.s. It's hard, because Michael's a Virgo, man--he's very set in his ways. You can't talk him out of it. Chemical peels and all that stuff.

On Jackson's skin condition:

It's ridiculous, man! Chemical peels and all of it. And I don't understand it. But he obviously didn't want to be black.

He also speculated on what exactly caused Jackson's death, citing recent comments made by Jackson's first wife Lisa Marie Presley:

I don't know, man. I'm a musician. I'm not a psychiatrist. I would think that the pressure of the concerts and the debt and everything else...I know that Lisa Marie Presley said that she always thought he was going to die like Elvis .

You can read the Details interview here.

Comments

[xtherocksx]

Jackson looks like a completely different person on each of his album covers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F166o1QO6Y8 - Michael Jackson Tribute Video!

[ccmd]

"I know my race...... I know I'm black." -Michael Jackson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNZ1lOxsYYQ&feature=related

[ObamacratInCA]

Quincy's comments are offensive because he's not a doctor and cannot confirm whether Michael Jackson's claim were true or untrue but more importantly, the man we heard nothing from during the year long trial of his "friend," makes these claims after he's dead. At least he could have given his uninformed diagnosis while Michael was living so he could counter them.

[norumorpls]

Quincy either lied or didn't know the truth. There are many evidences of MJ's vitiligo. For example, if you go to the following wiki page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_child_sexual_abuse_accusations_against_Michael_Jackson

in the "strip search" section, you will find that the police were trying to verify the vitiligo blotches described by Chandler.

[Maschine]

it's simple, he wanted to be Peter Pan so much he actually belieed he was Peter Pan.

And Pan was white, elfish, and surrounded by boys in a world called Neverland

[shaaronie]

I have been a MJ fan since the Jackson 5, and I never really noticed any changes in him until people would point them out; skin lighter, nose narrower etc. I was just so enthralled with Michael's talent that he always looked beautiful to me when he performed. The only image that kind of bothered me was his mug shot photo, but I just assumed it was a bad take, a really bad one but it did nothing to quell for even a second, my admiration for this talented human being. He was magical!

[miranda2060]

Yes. Why does any of this other stuff matter? I don't believe a person could really make his skin lighter through "chemical peels."

[LyssaBarnes]

Okay, this opening line is just a joke. "I wouldn't blame him seeing how some folks behave. It's embarrassing."

But on the serious side of things, it is hard being of a mixed lineage and having to deal with skin issues. I live with it everyday. I had the great fortune of being born and raised outside the continental US so I didn't have to grow up with the stigma that so many mixed race individuals deal with here. QJ is an old school black man. You would be surprised how much baggage he is still carrying around just like a lot of people from that era (Rev. Jeremiah Wright, anyone?).

Granted, MJ did have some personal issues and the plastic surgery went a bit too far. Still, he should be recognized by his seniors in the business for his talent, not for being a freak or not being "black" enough.

[OverIt]

Who is of "mixed lineage"???

[briant123]

Quincy Jones has no idea what he is talking about, making comments about Michael Jackson’s Vitiligo. I have Vitiligo and guess where it started. On my hand! If I could have gotten away with wearing one glove, I would have. My Doctor’s advice was to keep your skin as light/white as possible so the effects don’t show up as badly. (Perhaps you understand his umbrellas now.) There is no cure. Quincy Jones would do himself some good if he looked into the disease before insulting his “friend” publicly. And also insulting everyone else who understood Michael’s struggle.

[Changeling]

Jones spent a lot more time around Jackson than I'll wager you have, so between the two of you, so guess who likely has the better idea what they're talking about.

[ObamacratInCA]

Jones knows more about vitiligo than someone who has vitiligo? When did Quincy become an MD able to make diagnoses on skin disorders based on his hunches?

[AlsoSarah]

If you have vitiligo you know that Jacksons whiteness wasn't it. He was bleached. Vitiligo are spots, not an all over skin color. I suppose he never had any surgery either. He at one time claimed he never had surgery either.

[glesslib]

I have a couple of friends with vitiligo. You do not lose pigment as evening as Michael Jackson did, nor as quickly. Granted, he may have used makeup to help it appear more evenly, but others would have been able to detect the start of this disease.

[JenniferWest]

Mj bleached his skin as a result of vitiligo. No one is saying overall lighter skin is a result of vitiligo. He bleached his skin to even out the areas void of pigmentation. I too have vitiligo. It only makes sense that MJ would take drastic measures to combat the disfigurement of this disease. And yes he is guilty of too much plastic surgery. Like many other people in the entertainment industry! It's well documented MJ had Vitiligo. And for someone who has insight into the disease, there's much evidence that he suffered from the disease. The gloves, umbrella's, etc. Quincy Jones comments were off base.

[johnosahon]

say the man who would not be caught dead with a black woman.

[littlebrowngirl]

Says the pot to the kettle . . ..

[boycottrightwingthings]

I was thinking that very same thing...weren't all of Quincey's wives and women white?? His children are half white!! Hypocrite!!

[Anonani]

Some things are predictable. Many children reared in heterogeneous environments, with all kinds of people, of all colors and backgrounds, will not believe that they are limited to any one group when they choose a mate. Why some people don't care if their children look like them, in any way, defies the imagination of the average person, but there are a lot of people who don't like the way that they look. Michael undoubtedly had major self-esteem issues and perhaps body dysmorphia. He also had the money to be able to do something about it...perhaps to his psychological detriment.

[NotWaldo]

It's possible to admire Michael Jackson for his multiple talents and at the same time recognize that he had some troubling behaviors.

First of all, a 45 year old man shouldn't share his bed with young buoys for ch... sake. It's a deviant behavior.

Some people say that he was some kind of angel sent by God and that he only did good things. These people should ask themselves one question : would you let your kid sleep with Michael Jackson ? Of course not. It's sick !!!

We're all responsible for our actions and so was he. We can't blame everything on an abusive father or a difficult childhood.

[AceOfSpades]

I won't pretend I know what was in MJ's head, but at least among myself and most of the other people I know, there was a suspicion that MJ's skin illness was less than a legitimate explanation for the changes in his appearance. It may not be precisely because he didn't want to be Black, but it could be that he didn't want to look anything like his father who is. However, the fact that he opted to have little white children made for him instead of children who looked like him and the fact that he was never romantically linked to anything other than white women does seem to imply that perhaps he thought there is something inherently wrong with being black.

[boycottrightwingthings]

That is untrue. Just because you have a dating preference for one race or the other (there are also famous white men who prefer and date only black women, mind you! DeNiro comes to mind, but there are others ) . That does not mean that you are ashamed of your race or don't want to be identified as your race at all. I don't buy that BS.

[robjh1]

Ha! So everyone has a story. Unless it is from the source don't believe. Hindsight is always 20/20 when you want to further your own cause. http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-289973

[katielady]

That poor guy had such a dark side, will anyone ever know????? He said in conversations, his father abused him. The mom didn't stop it.. so she became an enabler. All those kids had problems; what happened to LaToya??? So whether it was their skin color or anger at their father.. who knows???? It would be a wonderful world if we all just treated each other as we would want to be treated.

[GUSTOV]

make-up could easily be used to maintain a person's natural skin color if they so desired.

[JenniferWest]

Sorry, not true. I have vitiligo. I'm very fair skinned and it's not noticeable on my face. But how do I cover up the vitiligo on my hands, arms, and legs as I tan over the summer?

[papapj]

Indeed. Michael made the decision to go 'the whole hog' and use permanent monobenzylether of hydroquinone
(as opposed to the transient, commercially available hydroquinone) when he couldn't face the world with his very visible, superficial disability.

[AlsoSarah]

I have vitiligo also and mine are just white spots. Jackson was bleached.