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Call to Robert Hilburn

Robert Hilburn, writer, LA Times (June 27, 2009)

When I surveyed leading record industry executives in 1995 to determine pop’s hottest properties, Michael wasn’t in the top 20.

One executive said flatly: “The thing he doesn’t understand is that he’d be better off in the long run if he made a great record that only went to No. 20 than if he hyped another mediocre record to No. 1. The thing he needs is credibility.”

Another executive said simply that Michael was “over.”

Michael was furious when he called me the day after the story ran in The Times.

How could I betray him by writing such lies?

Couldn’t I see the record executives were just jealous?

I tried gently to tell him that I thought there was some truth in what the executives were saying and that he had lost touch with the qualities that once made him so endearing.

“That hurts me, Robert,” he said, his voice quivering.

I felt bad.

I started to say that he could be as big as ever if he would only . . . , but I couldn’t complete the sentence.

Michael hung up.