UnmasKing of Pop

A devastating portrait (full, hi-res image after the jump) of the late Michael Jackson appears on the cover of Q Magazine (August 2009), possibly the last coverstory he posed for in advance of his This Is It comeback shows at London's O2 Arena. John Wright shot the pulls-no-punches photo, in which the performer's face appears remarkably gaunt, he has salt-and-pepper stubble on his chin, his lips are bright red, his tortured nose looks ready to be brushed away and—above a surprisingly hairy brow—the netting holding his wig in place is clearly visible under a pound of makeup.

Wright reported that Jackson's demeanor at his 90-second (!) photo shoot (he seems to have wrung only two shots out of it) was that of an unfailingly polite person whose parents would "be proud of how you'd brought him up." Ironic.

The feature, "Michael Jackson Unmasked," was written by Cole Moreton. It is a warts-and-all story of how Jackson was lured back to the stage that begins: "Will he turn up? Will he sing more than a few lines? Can Michael Jackson really survive 50 shows or will his body or mind, both seemingly so fragile, disintegrate under the pressure of it all?"

The hard-hitting report is prefaced online with an apology considering it went to press before Jackson answered the latter question.

The mag also includes a truly fascinating read on "The Making of Thriller"...and the Jacko feature is coincidentally followed by a story called "CSI: Rock 'n' Roll," all about the gone-too-soon deaths of rock stars. Somewhere, Vincent Price is laughing.

It's unfortunate timing, but the article rings true, especially in light of the probably understandable and predictable deification process that's been happening in the wake of his shocking death.

Next up on the Michael Jackson unmasked tour, Ian Halperin's book Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson.

Comments

[Tony]

Pleaase give me a break gray in his beard OMG im thirty and have some what should one do. I also dare anyone to look great in an ultra closeup. Overall he looks like Michael at 50 big deal please lose your sloppy overuse of adjectives to describe him.

[Matthew Rettenmund]

Tony: No one looks great in an ultra-closeup like this (well, most don't), but I think the picture speaks for itself as far as hot terrible he looks. And just in case that's not convincing, he fuckin' died shortly thereafter. I'm not posting this to say "ew, he looks icky and old," I'm pointing out how ravaged he looks. And he does. One can only guess how bad he looked without the wig and makeup and glasses.

[RJ]

Good lord. Just leave the man alone already. Enjoy the legacy of his amazing music, but stop with the "Michael Jackson is such a freak" stories!

[Trud]

But Michael Jackson was a freak....how can anyone forget that obvious fact?

[Vince]

Okay, TRUD, define freak for us. And be really careful where you throw your stones and point your fingers. But seriously, please inform us here what social parameters we're to follow too, while you're at it, so we know how to behave and such, because we'd all hate to be called freaks, right?

[L]

Don't be intellectually dishonest, Vince. We all know what a freak is! Poor Mike was one.

[jp]

vultures - picking over the bones. and to what end? be an outright bitch why don't you - like, find a niche. i'm not as mean as Dlisted, i'm nice, but i'm really not...?

[Matthew Rettenmund]

I think without his freakiness, Michael Jackson would not be of interest today. He would be alive, look like a balding, middle-aged black man (or like Jermaine, who is the same but has a paint set) and probably be happy to boot. But either way, his freakiness is a part of his mystique and his legacy. How can you avoid being transfixed by THAT FACE, or by the (true!) rumors swirling around him (the dermatologist now says he DID donate sperm, etc.). It's either something to be fascinated or repulsed by...but you can't ignore it.

[Daryl D]

Keep up your Michael Jackson freak stories, Matt. I got a friend of mine interested in your site by showing him this article. There is a market out there for people who are sick of a child molester being made into a saint just because he died. And calling him the "greatest talent of all time" is an insult to real talents such as Frank Sinatra, The Beatles and Prince.

[sarah]

He is the greatest talent of all time. You are just to blind to see it. Too bad. Frank Sinatra...really? i'd like to see him sell music like Mike or dance for that matter. can he dance?

i can't speak for all his surgeries, but his skin disorder i know very well. Vitiligo is a never ending nightmare with no real cure.

[Matthew Rettenmund]

Sarah: Your ignorance of Frank Sinatra's talent (indeed, of his status as being dead or alive) does not bode well of your ability to argue for or against. Frank Sinatra was a phenom who was definitely considered by his generation to be at Elvis, The Beatles and Jacko level. It's probably futile to argue who was the greatest of them all (or among many other big stars). I would say it's fair to call him (Michael Jackson) one of the greatest talents and most momentous stars of all time, though, albeit one whose talent did not speak to me personally.

[Tea]

Thanks for this awesome full sized scan. Im in love with this picture. Don't care what people say. I LOVE this picture, the detail is sooo RAW.

[Korynn]

Anybody who hates Michael Jackson or calls him a freak proves that they're feeble-minded media sucklings who cannot come up with their own interpretations of a man repeatedly harassed by a money- and celebrity-hungry society. That is all.

[sophiecestmoi]

This is a beautiful picture, the real man,almost no make-up, no mask, and this man is beautiful.Some people can see things that doesn't exist, just like that, because they read the wrong newspapers...that's why everybody fears his neighboor, and looks down his feet in the streets

[Manny Espinola]

Isn't "freak" the new "hot"? As in, you know, a pussycat doll.