069: C Q&A

Jamon and Q have gone AWOL and left yours truly alone at mission control. Yep, that’s right, I’ve been let loose, unsupervised, for only the second time in the show’s history. So firstly, and most importantly, discerning listeners can rest assured that this week’s show is a remix-free zone. Collect your P45s and go peddle your blib-blobs and doof-doof-doofs elsewhere, cretinous vandals of the MJ sphere; Charles is in charge and believe me, your services have never been less required than they are today.

The remixes are out on their ear and so is any pretence at balance. There’ll be no benefits of the doubt for Sony and the Estate this week; no polite swerving of awkward topics and no filter. Strap yourselves in for two hours of unfiltered truth as I answer listeners’ questions about everything from the AEG wrongful death trial to the darkest days of Michael’s career to the politics of the MJ fan community.

We received more than 40 questions. I answered as many as I could but by the end of the recording, as you’ll hear, my voice was getting raggedy and it was time for bed. If your question didn’t get answered, perhaps I’ll answer it in my next Q&A – assuming Jamon and Q ever allow me near the mic again without a chaperone.

N.b. I did answer two questions from @whogrl on Instagram, but a recording error meant they had to be cut from the show. Sorry @whogrl. That’s What You Get For Being mad enough to let me record solo, Jamon & Q.

The questions answered were as follows:

From Lachlan Bradbury on Facebook:
• You’ve mentioned in the past your dissatisfaction with Invincible. Why do you think it’s one of Jackson’s weaker works, and what do you believe would have made it a stronger album?
• Do you believe that the affiliation between Michael Jackson, his catalogue, his ‘vault’, etc, and Sony will ever come to an end, given the current state of Jackson’s Estate? What do you think would lead to Sony and the Estate parting ways?

From Debbii Longshaw on Facebook:
• Do you believe that the media’s attitude to Michael is really softening over the years?
• What is your honest belief in regards to Michael’s death?
• What are your thoughts in regards to John Branca and that will, along with the undervaluing of Michael’s Estate and the whole IRS thing?

From Carley Swan on Facebook:
• If MJ was still here with us and you had a chance to ask him a question, what would it be?

From Andrew Sly on Facebook:
• What is your favourite MJ book, author and why?
• What are your top five Michael tunes and why did you choose them

From Q (The MJCast co-host):
• What is a perfect day for Charles Thomson?

From  G-o Meter on Facebook:
• What impression did you get when you first saw MJ appear at the conference to announce This Is It? When I first saw it I thought this is not MJ, this is an impersonator. And in my view, this was the first time his ‘I love you’ sounded dishonest.
• Why do you think Conrad Murray still walks this earth unharmed?

From Ryan Michaels on Facebook:
• On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being horrible and 10 being magnificent, would you give the performance of Blood on the Dance Floor, where Michael lays down on the stage, a 9 or a 10?

From @michaeljosephmusic on Instagram:
• Charles, don’t you think it’s better to look at everything Michael did (at least as an artist) positively?

From L Josefin (@LiJosefin on Twitter):
• What do you think are some of the most cringe-worthy decisions Michael made in his later years?

From Elaine Holloway (@lovemj829 on Twitter):
• Do you think MJ’s mother had a case against AEG? If so, why didn’t she win against them?
• Do you think he was murdered by Sony? If not, who?

From Bruce Aguilar (@yensid98 on Twitter):
• What’s your least favourite MJ song from each of his solo albums?

From Jamon (The MJCast co-host):
• Talk to us about what you do for a living. What have you been most proud of in your line of work as an investigative journalist?

From Bongani (@Bongani_md on Twitter):
• What would you say to folks who are of the view that you come across too harsh on Mike at times?

From J.D. (@MixingHistory on Twitter):
• How did you get involved with Q and Jamon?

From Azmat Mahmood (@azmatmahmood98 on Twitter):
• Would MJ have ascended to the top if he had never worked with Quincy Jones?
• Which songs would you have wanted MJ to perform live on his tours that he never did?

From Liam (@wceliam on Twitter):
• If MJ survived, how would This Is It have played out and the years after for MJ, in your opinion?
• At what point did you realise that the Estate are fucking trash?

From Bella (@bellapopov on Twitter):
• How did you react when MJ passed away? I don’t think you’ve shared your June 25, 2009, story.
• Why do you think there is so much wilful delusion and denial in the MJ fan community? How can we combat this?

Additional Links
• Charles Thomson’s Facebook, Twitter and website
• The MJCast – Episode 039: A Kind of Deflated Pepsi Logo (with Sam Habib)
• The MJCast – Episode 062: They Didn’t Need an Expert to Say That (with Angela Kande)
• The MJCast – Episode 063: Q Q&A
• The story of Charles’ historic paedophile ring investigation
• Charles’ article on James Brown’s lost final album

Music Breaks & Ads
• Michael Jackson – Music and Me (Live in Mexico, 1975)
• The Jacksons – I’ll Be There (Live at Night of the Proms, Antwerp, 2012)
• Judith Hill – We Are The World/Heal The World (Live at Michael Jackson’s Memorial)

Connect with Us
• TheMJCast.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube

If you have any thoughts, opinions, or feedback on the show, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at [email protected] or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Michael on!