Why
It was that Dad of his, Joe Jackson.was that Dad of his, Joe Jackson.
It’s well documented that his father was over-driving, trying to produce a super-talent son. Hence, I don’t blame Michael for any of his weirdness.
You’ve all seen this story before: the successful, miserable kid.
Many of us had pushy parents that wanted us to succeed, but Joe Jackson was on an entirely different level. He worked his kids into the ground with rehearsals and unfair demands. He also routinely beat Michael when he performed poorly.
Mike was clearly a sensitive guy. I suspect that hyper-intense, abusive childhood did nothing good for his long term mental stability and well-being. For example, Joe frequently referred to Michael as “big nose” as a kid. And we saw what happened with that.
Joe Jackson is a cautionary tale to the demanding parents of the world. Sure, his hard-driving succeeded in its intent: producing — perhaps — the most talented entertainer of the 20th century.
But he ruined his son in the process.
RIP Mike.
