MUMBAI: International autograph auctioneers Alexander Autographs Inc. of Stamford, Ct. will offer in their August rock and entertainment auction a telling set of lyrics handwritten by Michael Jackson indicating that the late singer may have been in a suicidal frame of mind at the time of their composition.
The hastily-scribbled lines were written in pencil on a white sheet and include several erasures and some underlining. They include such phrases as: "…I hurt my backbone… I start to givin’ up…The bills are pilin’ up…This stuff ain’t good for me…Life’s an Aggravator…I plan to give it up."
The manuscript contains even more relevant content. At the bottom of the page, Jackson drew a portrait of himself forlornly gazing up at his own words.
Especially revealing in Jackson’s notes is the quote "This stuff ain’t good for me." Drugs are widely suspected to have been a cause of Jackson’s death. Indeed, Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman confirmed Jackson was heavily medicated for a range of ailments stretching back to 1984. If Jackson’s reference to stuff meant medication, he may have foreseen his own end. Jackson also refers to his backbone, and today it is also believed he was heavily medicated for spinal pain.
Alexander Autographs’ president, Bill Panagopulos, undertook extensive research of Jackson’s notes. Evidence suggests that the late singer wrote this manuscript in about 1986 for what eventually became a song which incorporated only a few lines of this text. The song was ultimately rejected from inclusion in his smash album Bad.
Panagopulos speculates, "It was in the mid-1980’s that Jackson’s physical appearance first started to change – he had rhinoplasty surgery, rapidly lost weight and his skin had begun to lighten. These ‘modifications’ could have been a result of a great deal of mental anguish or struggle, and frankly, that’s what I see in these notes. No doubt the finished song was cut from the album because of its utter negativity."
Jackson’s suicide lyrics were obtained along with other items from an aide to Jackson in 1993 when they were discarded by the singer. They have been carefully examined for authenticity and are being offered fully guaranteed.
Alexander Autographs will also offer a signed two-page legal agreement in which Jackson releases to USA for Africa all of his rights and royalties to the epic single We Are the World. Also coming to the block will be a Jackson-style Bad era black leather jacket replete with buckles, straps, and steel ornaments, nearly identical to the jacket he wore on the Bad album cover and video, and bearing within a label from the famous Western Costume Co. with Jackson’s name.
The 1,000 lot auction, scheduled for late August, will include additional Jackson material as well as other premier items including an Elvis Presley stage-used guitar from his last filmed tour, two Jimi Hendrix guitars, Hendrix handwritten lyrics, a Prince stage-used Purple Rain outfit, and hundreds of other rare rock and entertainment collectibles.
