Insightful, surprising and heartbreaking, The Michael Jackson Tapes is a stunningly honest look under the surface of the late pop superstar.
Penned lovingly and carefully by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the book is revealing and intimate without feeling exploitative or over-sentimental. The conversations outlined in The Michael Jackson Tapes came from a selection of recorded conversations in 2000-2001 between Jackson and Boteach. Jackson wanted Boteach, a rare trusted friend, to write the book upon completion of the tapes, but a series of events caused the Rabbi to reconsider.
Boteach goes to great lengths to explain why he thought now, after Jackson’s death, was the best time to complete and release the book. One senses the author’s pain when he describes how he and Jackson grew apart over time and how he was unable to be a positive influence in the pop star's life. Having been relegated to the sidelines in favor of Jackson’s parade of “yes-men,” Boteach withdrew from his friend’s life and watched the destruction overwhelm Michael from afar.
Boteach, shocked yet not surprised by the death of Michael Jackson, eventually chose to release the book some eight years after the interviews because he believed Jackson’s wishes should be finally fulfilled.
The conversations are arranged by subject matter in The Michael Jackson Tapes. Boteach interjects his “present day” self into the conversations frequently, offering a heartbreaking account of things he wished he would have said or things he was thinking. In this way, the book becomes a sort of disheartening record of a friendship shattered by time, fame and ego.
To say Jackson was a tragic figure would be an obvious understatement, but Boteach, in revealing these startlingly honest conversations, shows us a Michael Jackson motivated by one thing: love.
In talking to Boteach, Jackson reveals that his pursuit of fame and attention came out of a desire to be loved. He describes his relationship with his father, with women and with children. Through it all, through all the strangeness and deluded thoughts, Jackson’s motivation to be loved remains shockingly clear. The problem, according to Boteach, is that the King of Pop confused attention and adulation with love.
Judging from some of the reaction to the book, there are many who may think that Rabbi Boteach is overstepping his boundaries here or that he is being critical. I do not believe this to be the case for a number of reasons, the least of which is that Jackson wanted the tapes to be released.
Boteach’s interjections do, at times, come across as slightly disapproving, but one has to understand the standpoint of the author here. He was never a friend of Michael Jackson’s because he was a fan; he was, instead, a friend of Jackson’s because the pop star trusted him and craved his structure and opinion. For Boteach to gutlessly refuse to hold Jackson to the standards of their friendship, even after Jackson’s death, would be, in my view, the ultimate cruel evasion.
Article comments
1 - sue
I wonder if he's just not "cashing in" like everybody else. How many YEARS had it been since he had spoken to Michael? Eight?
I think he could at least have waited until AFTER THE FUNERAL. What would God think about that?
2 - LibelFreeZone
"Penned lovingly and carefully..." my ass. This awful book is laced liberally with Boteach's judgmental and sanctimonious commentary about someone on whom Jackson depended to tell Jackson's side of the story. We have no evidence that Jackson authorized the release of these tapes.
3 - Jordan Richardson
From what I could tell, Boteach wasn't about to let Jackson off the hook. As their friendship was based around the structure and advice (you can call it sanctimonious if you wish) brought to the table by Boteach, the book rightly reflects the same tone.
Obviously I wrote this review and read the book quite a while ago, but I still can't really recall Boteach stepping outside of his boundaries. I also don't remember any outcry over the book or any legal issue with the release of the material.