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"Evening Magazine" and "Rolling Stone" Magazine Interview

Date confirmed on “San Francisco Chronicle” (archived) (“Ben Fong-Torres interviews Michael Jackson and Randy Jackson at Fong-Torres' home in San Francisco, Calif., in January 1977”)

Ben-Fong Torres, interviewer, “San Francisco Chronicle” (June 27, 2009) (archived)

I'd shown the crew my Rolling Stone cover story on the J5, from April 1971, and reviewed a fuzzy video of my interview with the Jacksons, early in 1977, for "Evening Magazine" on KPIX-TV. That visit took place at my flat near Japantown.

I let A&E see some brilliant black-and-white photographs of Michael and his brothers that day, sitting in the living room with two teenagers who'd won a contest for a personal visit with the group, and gathered around the dining table for the interview. There's a shot of Michael and Randy in the kitchen with me, standing around an island, a bottle of Cinzano nearby. Michael was 18 then, Randy 15 - the vermouth went untouched. Another shot captured Michael holding a book of photographs by Henry Diltz, opened to his Rolling Stone cover portrait from six years before. Michael was smiling as he gazed at his cherubic image. On the magazine cover, we ran a teaser: "Why does this eleven-year-old stay up past his bedtime?"

...I remember Marlon, his older brother by a year, telling me he and his wife were expecting a baby, and that they hoped to adopt a couple more. Michael chimed in: He wanted to adopt a couple of kids, too, and set an example for others.

[Image description]

Ben Fong-Torres interviews Michael Jackson (left) and Randy Jackson at Fong-Torres' home in San Francisco, Calif., in January 1977. Fong-Torres was interviewing the brothers for a Rolling Stone story.

Chris Cadman, author, “Michael Jackson the Maestro”

Jackie was missing at the interview as he was suffering from laryngitis. While Marlon was an expectant father for the first time.

Michael said he loved children:

“I like children a lot. I would like to adopt children.”

On why he would adopt:

“200,000 babies are being born every day, and the majority of the babies are in the hungry world. So if I adopt children, that’s actually saving a life. I would see me with probably three.”