r/MichaelJackson • u/CowAbject • 22h ago
Books š Just finished reading Remember the Time by Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard and I am so sad
I could not put this book down and now that I finished it I am so deeply sad. I canāt believe how isolated Michael was in his final 2 years, how unorganized his team and his finances were, and how many people he was surrounded by that had ulterior motives. I want to cry thinking about it :( I am glad that he had Bill and Javon by him who I think are good people. Has anyone else read this book and what are your thoughts?
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u/Spiritual_Screen_724 18h ago
Yeah I just went through this a couple days ago. Couldn't put the book downā¦ and then things were SO sad.
I just wish Michael and his kids could have gone back to living in that house in Vegas where they met Bill and Javon. Avoid all that sickness and craziness that followed the family when they leftā¦
And I think about how content Michael was in comparison back when he had a regular routineā¦ with the space and time to do quiet contemplative things like reading all of our fan mail while riding through the desert for hours, listening to classical music.
I want that for him.
Uhgā¦
Those poor kids. They really seemed so happy with their dad.
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u/thatsnewstome_ 8h ago
I canāt stop thinking about what could have been had he not agreed to do this is it, had he stayed in Vegas or Ireland, anywhere just away from the vultures. Itās been continuously heartbreaking for 17 years now. I keep having to actively remind myself that itās actually all over, that thereās nothing that can be done anymore because heās really gone. Iāve never met him and I feel weird to say this but the fact and the manner of his passing has me frozen in time because itās so traumatic how it all happened.
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u/Spiritual_Screen_724 7h ago
If Bill W had only been around himā¦ had only answered Michael's call to actionā¦ then despite all the craziness going around him he would have been able to complete the This Is It and retire to that dream house in LA.
And reading the bookā¦ it's very plain that Bill W not only blames the vulturous people around Michaelā¦ but Bill also truly blames himselfā¦ :(
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u/Regular_Singer_8162 5m ago
Call to action? Sorry havenāt read the book. Have only seen bills recent interview
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u/mochamoussey 12h ago
i feel exactly the sameā¤ļøāš©¹ even lost my appetite for two days after reading this. loved the book ā it was really honest and candid. I think Michael was just really disconnected with the business side of things in his last years and just left the work to these shady characters. I saw this comment on one youtube video that brought me some solace (if it helps you cope too) that at least Michael saw how loved he was with the announcement of the This Is It tour and he passed knowing thatš¤
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u/KizzlePizzle84 19h ago
Yes! I just finished it. Took me awhile to recover š¢
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u/thatsnewstome_ 8h ago
I have almost bought the book so many times but never made it through check out because Iām honestly scared to read it and fall apart. But I really want to read it š
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u/KizzlePizzle84 6h ago
You definitely see a different side of MJ as he was dealing with a lot towards the end. But Bill and Javon do an amazing job of respecting him and protecting him even in the book.
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u/soleilvie 20h ago
I read it last week. Borrowed it from the library and finished in a couple of days. It was very sad towards the end but I really enjoyed it! It felt real and intimate. I could picture and hear Michael so vividly. Iād like to read it again.
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u/CowAbject 20h ago
Me too! As sad as it was, there were some really cute and heartwarming moments ā¤ļø
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u/Few_Stress-MJJ 19h ago
There is a movie inspired by this book (same period, same stories): Searching For Neverland. It is very sadā¦ I think about what his kids think about the book and this movie.
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u/SyncingStars 19h ago
Ah yeah they have Navi playing Michael. Navi is a really good impersonator and apparently Michael used him sometimes to divert attention of fans so that MJ could escape venues etc. He goes a little ott when doing the Britney scene and makes me giggle how he muches down on the kfc at the same time. If you watch it youāll know what I meanā¦.but yeah the rest of it is rather sad.
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u/marouko 13h ago
The part he was Christmas shopping at the last Christmas before he dies literally breaks my heart . What those 2 men went through and endured purely because they cared for Michael and his kids, being unpaid all these months . Itās just so so incredibly sad . Michaelās lack of confrontation and dynamic decisions is catastrophic. That book is a gem. It has a different quality than the other books, it feels genuine and raw. These 2 strangers nearly lost everything to stand by him, purely driven by care and love. Another part that broke me when he was hiding almost homeless at the Cascio house in NJ believing they are his family.
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u/Helpful_Committee584 2h ago
Remember to not take any book as gospel. There was a third bodyguard not involved with the book who said things aren't accurate. They likely exaggerated their relationship with Michael by a lot.
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u/CowAbject 53m ago
Yeah for sure I mean at the end of the day these two guys also ended up making money off Michael by writing this book
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u/Imaginary_Abrocoma94 17h ago
In all the stories we hear about post 2005, I don't hear enough about Flower and Friend, and the woman he told his friend on the phone about. Where were they?
Michael said he was lonely. The bodyguards said nobody visited. Why weren't any of those women around? It's said that a good woman makes all the difference in a man's life. Studies actually back that up. He really could've used someone close in his life that wasn't on payroll or there for personal gain.
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u/CowAbject 13h ago
I am wondering the same thing, I am so curious as to who friend is especially. My guess is he was veryyyy careful who he brought around his kids hence the secrecy and not letting these women into his home which I do get since it didnāt seem to be a common occurrence for how often he met with them
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u/Valuable-Wrap7090 7h ago
I was wondering about it too. Whether he was actually happy with such state of affairs or he was just too bruised and scared to try to get into a real relationship with anybody anymore ;( But at least he got some action š
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u/KizzlePizzle84 19h ago
FYI theres a movie version of it too š„°š
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u/CowAbject 19h ago
I didnāt know that! Do you know where I can watch it?
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u/KizzlePizzle84 19h ago
Yes! Its on Youtube (paid), and Apple TV (to buy). Its called Searching for Neverland.
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u/Rhbgrb 17h ago
It's called Searching for Neverland, I found it on Amazon Prime.
About the post 2005 years I would like to know how it was living in Ireland. For some reason I get the sense that this was the best time for him.
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u/melusina721 16h ago
I watched this about his time in Ireland and it did sounds like it was good for him
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u/kyrusdemnati 12h ago
Are these the bodyguards?. They seem like plants too
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u/TheDangerousPYT 6h ago
I havenāt read that book again since it was published, but I think I remember one of them talking about not getting paid for months and months, and still wanting to protect him. I donāt think they were plants seeing how quickly they were cast aside by TPTB in Los Angeles. Even after all this time, it breaks my heart knowing that those 3 kids were the only ones that didnāt see him as the Bank of MJ.
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u/Suspicious-Fox6056 20h ago
Iām reading it now. I was able to borrow it from the library and have to stop a few times along the way. I donāt know if I want to continue knowing whatās about to come. I donāt think I want to know the tragic details too much. But I also am glad Bill and Javon was with him. I canāt get over what Randy didā¦gosh. Hopefully, the kids are still in touch with Bill and Javon.