Michael Jackson turned 50 and Friday and on the eve of his milestone birthday, he granted Good Morning America’s Chris Connelly an exclusive interview.
Jackson said he was going to have a quiet day with his children for his birthday. “Oh, I’ll just have little cake with my children and we’ll probably watch cartoon,” he said.Connelly asked if, considering the enormous success of Thriller, what his plans were for the future. “I am still looking forward to doing a lot of great things, so that’s hard. I think the best is yet to come in my true humble opinion”.
Thriller was definitely a highlight for Jackson, as well as the fans. “The recording of Thriller and the Off The Wall album, that meant very much to me and seemed to be received so beautifully by the public and the world. You know, I enjoyed it very much,” he said.
Michael is still listening to new music and liking what he hears. “Some of the younger newer artists - I think Chris Brown is doing wonderful and Timberlake, I really admire what they are doing,” he said.
Fame came at a price for Jackson. The one thing he said when asked what he had to give up was “your childhood, giving up your life for the medium”.
He is letting his own children enjoy their time as kids. “I am letting them enjoy their childhood as much as possible. I really do, I let them go to the arcade and go to the movies. I think that comes naturally. I want them to get to do things I didn’t get to do,” he said.
He added that he gets emotional when he sees them having the childhood he never had. “Yes, I get pretty emotional when I see them having a wonderful time, when they are on a ride and they are screaming and they are happy and they are running. It makes me emotional”.
You can watch the complete interview with Michael Jackson on Good Morning America here:
