Michael Jackson on the Press, Wacko Jacko and Black Music History

Talked about the press in 1997. How do you feel when they

call you wacko Jacko?

Yeah, wacko Jacko. It's not nice. I'm not a wacko.

There are those who would say

that you add to the attention.

No, I don't.

Well, the masks, the, the mysterious

behavior.

There's... No, there's no mysterious behavior.

Maybe I like to live that way.

I like to dress that way. I like to dress that way, you know?

You should not say he's an animal. He's a... You should not say he's Jacko.

I'm not a Jacko. I'm Jackson. I have a heart, and I have feelings.

I feel that when you do that to me. It's not nice.

Don't do it.

Very important, what we're fighting for.

Because I'm tired.

I'm really,

really tired of the, of the manipulation.

I'm tired of how the press is manipulating

everything that's been happening in this situation.

They do not tell the truth. They're liars.

They're manipulating, they're manipulating our,

they're manipulating our history

books. The history books are not true. It's a lie.

What of?

The history books are lying.

You need to know this. You must know that.

All the forms of popular music from jazz to hip hop

to bebop to, uh, to, to soul, you know, to, uh, uh,

talk about the different dances from the Cakewalk to the Jitterbug to the

Charleston to, uh, break dancing, all these are forms

of Black dancing.

Then

it became the all-time best-selling album in the history of the Guinness Book of

World Records overnight. They called me a freak.

They called me a homosexual.

They called me a child molester. They

said that I bleached my skin. They did everything to turn the

public against me.

This is all a

piece of complete conspiracy. We

have

to know that. You know, it's time.

It's time for a

change.

And, and let's not leave this building and forget what, what has

been said.

Feel it in your heart.

Put it in the difference of conscious mind, and let's do something about

it. We have to. We have to. Because

we've got a long, long time coming, and a

change has got to come.

So let's,

let's hold our torches high

and get the respect that we deserve.

I love you.

I

love

you.

Please don't put this in your heart today and forget it tomorrow.

We

would have not accomplished our purpose.

We would have not accomplished our purpose if that happened.

This has got to

stop.