(Originally published in EBONY, December 2007)

Twenty-five years after the record-breaking Thriller album, the King of Pop shares a rare glimpse into his creativity, where he has been and where he is headed next

They call him “Mr. Jackson.” 
Dressed in black, a confident, mature Michael Jackson directs his staff, guides his child and peers over the reading glasses perched on the edge of his finely chiseled nose.

Reading glasses? Yes, Michael Jackson, now a twice-divorced father of three, will be 50 next year, more than a quarter century after the boyish impresario moonwalked onto the world stage. And even though he still has the trim body and the dancer moves of the Michael Jackson of Thriller days, those glasses confirm the passage of time. 

In his first U.S. magazine interview and cover story in a decade, the King of Pop sat down in a New York City hotel suite with Ebony magazine and offered a rare glimpse into the life of an icon. The commander of a multimillion-dollar empire and arguably the single-most talented entertainer of a generation has not spoken publicly since his 2005 trial and acquittal. But today, he reflects on Thriller and struggles that put him on the world stage, and wonders aloud, where did the time go?

On this unseasonably warm fall day, Jackson contemplated his past—this is his seventh solo Ebony cover; he also had five Ebony covers with his brothers as a member of the Jackson 5, the first one in 1970.  He talked about what went into the creation of Thriller– the first demos were done in his home studio in early 1982, with his sister Janet and brother Randy singing background––and questioned the state of the music industry today.

When Thriller dropped in the U.S. on November 30, 1982, America––and the world––were in transition. Ronald Reagan was president, E.T. was stunning movie crowds and Justin Timberlake was almost 2 years old. The United Kingdom and Argentina were sparring in the Falkland Islands, the Dow Industrial Average hit a record high of 1,065.49, and Olivia Newton-John’s album Physical was No. 1 on the charts.

And Michael Joseph Jackson was quietly working in the studio with Quincy Jones, about to make history.

Michael Jackson has been an international star since he was 6 years old. While most kids were watching Scooby-Doo, Michael was choreographing the patented stage moves for himself and his brothers, the Jackson 5.
“In some ways, Michael was like a child. And in some ways, he was very sophisticated,” remembers Walter Yetnikoff, then head of CBS Records. “He was a very smart businessman, would read contracts as good as lawyers could. But in some ways, back then, he was like a baby.”

Today that whispery, high-pitched voice has more bass in it. Those soft features have become more defined. Traces of that “baby” in Michael Jackson appear to have faded. Today, his musical genius and influence still dominate the music world, 25 years after Thriller came out and went on to become the best-selling album of all time––selling more than 104 million copies worldwide, 54 million copies in the U.S., and spawning no less than seven Top 10 hits and two No. 1 singles.
But that complicated transition from youth to adulthood has left the star with many life lessons, a few scars and even a bit of wisdom.
On this day, as Michael’s youngest child, Prince Michael Jackson II, 5––whom he affectionately calls “Blanket”––sits nearby watching cartoons and oblivious to the fuss everyone is making over his dad, Michael’s life appears to have come full circle. (Jackson also has two other children, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, 9, and Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. 10.)
As Jackson introduces his son, he instructs him about proper etiquette to greet his guests. “No, stand up and use THAT hand,” he shows the boy, who is reluctant to put down his fistful of LifeSavers candy and shake hands.
In many ways, it is a very “normal” moment between a father and a son. And for Michael Jackson, after all his records and all the drama, that sense of normalcy––and maturity–– seems to punctuate this phase of his life.

With nearly a dozen solo albums, and more than a dozen more No. 1 singles, 13 Grammys and more than 750 million records sold worldwide in his career to date, Michael is humble about and proud of his influence on music history and the current music scene.
“I always want to do music that influences and inspires each generation,” he says. “Let’s face it, who wants mortality?”
“You want what you create to live, and I give my all in my work because I want it to live.”
Today, it’s virtually impossible to watch a music video without seeing a Michael Jackson-influenced dance step, music or theme. Justin Timberlake and Usher imitate his moves. Akon and Ne-Yo admire his sound.

Photography by Matthew Rolston at The Brooklyn Museum 
Styling by phillip bloch