AP
In a new interview, David Gest longtime friend of Michael Jackson shares his thoughts on the passing of his friend and gives us a glimpse into the Michael that only he knew. The Sun reports:
O the world, Michael Jackson was an enigma. While his music dazzled and amazed, his behaviour often baffled and shocked.
But to TV star and music producer David Gest, one of the people who knew the King Of Pop best, Jackson was a loyal friend who made him laugh and gave him memories to treasure.
In the second part of his exclusive interview with The Sun, David reflected on his 40-year friendship with Jackson, who died last Thursday aged 50.
David, 56, said: “There is nobody who knew Michael like I did. He was so gifted, it’s hard for me to picture him gone. There is a whole side to him people never saw.
“For instance, people always think of him as talking in that high, soft voice, but he didn’t really speak like that — it was a facade.
“Still to this day I am not sure why he did it. The Michael I knew talked like a real man, acted like a real man and shook a hand like a real man.”
David, who has made millions as a concert promoter and TV personality, was 16 when the Jacksons family moved into a mansion only a short drive from his own family home in Encino, California.
He first got to know Michael Jackson when he called at the house to take the Thriller star’s sister, La Toya, on a date.
David said: “It was just puppy love, nothing serious. La Toya had the flu so Michael — who was nearly 12 at the time — asked me to drive him to a memorabilia sale. I had no clue what memorabilia even was at that time.”
The outing proved to be the start of a life-long friendship — and a shared love of shopping, collecting and eating in fast food restaurants.
And despite the huge personal wealth Jackson enjoyed at the height of his career, David revealed that the superstar always loved a bargain.
He said: “He loved haggling over the price in stores. If something was $4,000 (£2,400), he would cheekily start them at $200 (£120). He was an arch negotiator. People thought he was absolutely nuts but he actually got away with it sometimes.”
David told how Jackson was always incredibly generous with his friends.
He said: “One time when we went to Disneyland he bought me more than 200,000 dollars-worth of rare memorabilia, spent about the same on himself and had three limousines come and collect it all.”
David added that he and Jacko were inseparable as young men.
He said: “We were best friends — always staying over at each other’s houses, living in sleeping bags or going on trips together.
“We both loved music and would often play a game where we tested each other on which artists had sung which songs. If I won I got to keep one of Michael’s stage costumes. If he won he got some of my film posters or a rare piece of Jim Morrison or Jimi Hendrix memorabilia.”
Read the interview in its entirety here.
Comments
Thumbs up on this article for getting the truth about the world's greatest entertainer! Excellent job and thank you!! :)
it's a very touching interview, made me cry... Nice to just read about some truth instead of all judgemental, disgusting lies that are being written all the time. But why do they keep refering to Michael as Jacko?! I don't think he liked that, so please stop it. Why not just Michael or Jackson? Apart from that thank u for this sweet interview!
Comment to David Gest: Thank you SO much for giving us your insight on the greatest entertaininer in the world. I felt so warm and at ease reading it (and laughed about pumping gas). You know a side of Michael we never got to see and for you to tell us about it was a great experience. In the words of my husband: "The Catholics feel the closest to God is the Pope, Black folks got Mike!"
This man David Gest self-styled "friend" and "intimate" by Michael Jackson, but throughout the existence of Michael I never heard MJ say so. Michael was surrounded by people and among them were many who wanted to take advantage of Michael and many enemies as well. MJ had its own light and shone like a great young star and its light shone and charmed. Many people approached him and not for good. The fact of being close does not mean that Michael was his friend. People very close to Michael just wanted to exploit it and destroy it as was the case of Conrad Murray who murdered him and Tohme R. Tohme who stole it and still wants to steal your children.
Throughout the career of Michael Jackson I never heard him refer to David Gest as his "close friend" and much less as your friend. MJ quoted Elizabeth Taylor, Macaulay Culkin, Diana Ross, Brooke Shields, and others, but never Sir David Gest., Even in the 50th anniversary of MJ when he presented a program on MTV and said he was a friend of MJ, Michael did not confirm this.
It's like Lisa Marie Presley said in his interview with Oprah Winfrey, Michael was sucked by a gang of vampires that vampirizavam him night and day.
Now that Michael is dead, this man thinks he can speak for him, but Michael never gave him space to do so.
To me this man, David Gest, is using the image and name to appear MJ, dull person and talent as he is, whether billing, too, and is already billing the expense of Michael Jackson. He's just a vulture.
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