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"Tiger Beat" Magazine Interview

Date range assessed by the facts that Tito’s marriage had been “recent” at the time of this interview (wedding was on June 16, 1972), and the article includes an image with Michael recording his album “Ben”, which was released on August 4, 1972.

“Tiger Beat” magazine (January 1973) (archived)

Rapping with the fab J-5 is always fun, and this time TiGER BEAT brought along a tape recorder to keep up with all the Jackson action!

TiGER BEAT: Have there been any big changes in the group since Tito's recent marriage?

TITO: Well, Dee and I live close by and with all the rehearsing we do I still see almost as much of the guys as I did before.

JERMAINE: Tito has put on a couple of pounds too! Dee is a fantastic cook and when she makes something special she invites all of us over!

MICHAEL: She says marrying Tito got her a whole bunch of new brothers. Dee's a really groovy chick! We're all nutty about her!

TiGER BEAT: Do any of you ever have any regrets about being in show business?

MARLON: It's been my life ever since I can remember, and I wouldn't want to do anything else!

JACKIE: The traveling when we're touring gets me down sometimes--y'know, rushing for the bus at the piano and barely making it when we are running behind schedule. There are days I think that this time we just aren't going to get there on time, but we always do! And then, once we're in front of an audience, I forgot about all the hassles and worries!

MICHAEL: The only thing that bugs me is when I have to get up an extra hour early to catch a plane! I really love my sleep in the morning!

TITO: It may sound hard to believe, but we really dig being together, and I think we‘re very lucky to be working as a group. If we didn't like each other it would be awful, but as it is, even rehearsing is fun.

TiGER BEAT: There must be times when you have disagreements. How do you handle them when they come up?

JERMAINE: Oh, we just gang up on whoever doesn't go along with the rest of us and persuade him to change his mind! Well, seriously, we do have our differences sometimes. Instead of getting all uptight, we try to talk things out and figure who's right and who's wrong.

MARLON: Mostly we get along on all the big things like the music and the dance routines. It's little stuff like who is going out to get pizza that we argue about!

JACKIE: And when we aren't getting anywhere, we usually settle it by a vote.

MICHAEL: Yeah, and I get to go 'coz I'm the youngest around here!

TiGER BEAT: What area of show business do you enjoy the most--working on TV, doing live concerts, or recording?

JERMAINE: I dig all of it. But if I had to make a choice, I'd say doing the TV shows. I'm a real TV fan anyway, and when I get a chance to work with a guy I admire like Flip Wilson, it‘s groovy!

TITO: I think I like recording best. That's probably because I like our music to be just right--with the sound and beat where it should be. Only when we record can we take the time to have everything just perfect. Even when we have to do a number over 10 times the results are worth it!

JACKIE: That's cool, but nothing replaces performing in front of a live audience! It's really a thrill to look out at a huge crowd and think they all came to be entertained by us! That's the best feeling as far as I'm concerned!

MARLON: I agree, don't you Michael?

MICHAEL: Yes! I'm just as nutty over our dance routines as the singing, and when there's an audience I try even harder to be good! But even when we're recording, I'm still dancing even though nobody can see me!

TiGER BEAT: Speaking of your audiences, are there any fans that you've met that you especially remember?

JACKIE: I remember a girl who was standing outside the recording studio one day, holding a camera. She was looking at us when we came in and I waved at her, but she didn't come closer, so I guessed she was waiting for somebody else. We were in there almost 8 hours, and when we left, she was still there! So I went up to her. She wanted to take a picture of us but she had been afraid to ask!

TITO: We felt so bad that she'd been out there all day that we took her on a tour of the studio and then out for a hamburger afterwards!

JERMAINE: The fans we meet at our concerts are terrific! There was this one girl who kept writing me that she'd be at our show in New York wearing a cowboy hat! I got letter after letter, and it stuck in my mind. I looked for her and there she was! I waved at her and pointed to her hat and we laughed and laughed!

MARLON: There are lots of fans right out here who know where we live and come over all the time. We know them real well now--like what grade they're in in school and all that. There's one bunch of girls who are always bringing us homemade cookies and stuff.

MICHAEL: Oh, and just last week two girls brought us all t-shirts they'd tie-dyed themselves. We were really zonked out that they went to all that trouble!

JERMAINE: There's only one problem with having fans, and that's that we can never find enough time to talk to all of them! When we're out of town staying at a hotel some of them always find out where we are staying. We all try to get down and at least say hello.

TITO: But then we have to run all and rehearse and there are some girls we weren't able to talk to. They looked so disappointed it makes all of us feel bad.

JACKIE: I think they understand, though. Gee, I hope so!

TiGER BEAT: One last question. Think it over real carefully and then tell us the one word which is the most important in the world to you.

MARLON: Music!

TITO: Peace!

JACKIE: Family!

JERMAINE: Loyalty!

MICHAEL: Love!

TIGER BEAT: Well put! Thanks a lot, all of you!