This is very much a personal opinion piece. The opinions of other members of Macquarie University Cricket Club may vary.
Compared to others, I have not been involved at Macquarie University Cricket Club that long; a mere 14 years have passed since I arrived on Australian shores in September 2006 eager to impress and improve my game. I had come from playing cricket on beautiful grounds in the South West English countryside, where teas were served and we had followers that would watch us week in, week out, and a bar at the club for socialising. My first impression of MUCC was a midweek evening training session at the world famous Sydney Cricket Ground, I could hardly believe where I was! No disrespect at all is meant by this, but it was a far cry from playing at a ground like Barton in Torquay (not the worst but not my favourite) to being at the SCG. And the club colours of Green and Gold matched my beloved Bovey Tracey CC; it's almost as if I was meant to be there, a home from home.
And then there were the club grounds; The Main Oval at the University Playing Fields is a theatre, enclosed on three sides by magnificent grass banks, topped on one side by a large pavilion and an almost never ending staircase onto the oval. This was a spectacular sight, and I couldn't wait to just play. The club was booming, or so it seemed. We had a large group of players, a large core of members who loved the club, loved the facilities and most of all loved winning regularly, and had the skill to back it up. The club was almost ubiquitously achieving finals or Premierships in at least one of the grades most seasons, be it a Shires, Masters, or 5th and 6th Grade level.
When I returned for another season in 2009/2010 the landscape was a little different. That magnificent theatrical cauldron of amateur cricket that was the Main Oval was no longer available for cricket. Aside from Sydney FC using the Main Oval, the University had said it cost too much to maintain for cricket, but it was perfectly fine for... ahem... "Quidditch". Yes, a fictional sport inspired by the Harry Potter books. Granted, the equipment needed for Quidditch is minimal in terms of maintenance, and there seemed to be an upturn in the number of people playing it. Now if you're reading this and you play Quidditch, I'm not insulting your sport or suggesting for a second it is less important, far from it. I am merely using the relative history of the sport compared to cricket to illustrate a point; that Macquarie University, or at least individuals who made decisions at Macquarie University, gave up caring about cricket many years ago.
We still had enough pull and enough of a player base to be relatively successful, indeed that year 4th Grade won the Premiership and I was lucky enough to Captain an Under 24's side full of precocious talent that was our best chance of winning a Premiership that had eluded the club since forming in 1968. We made it to the Grand Final. We lost to Strathfield. It both saddens and disgusts me to say that no side in future will have the chance to better that, that a mediocre captain and average player such as I will be the most successful Under 24's Captain in the Club's history, and we didn't win anything.
From 2013 I was permanently here in Australia and a full member of MUCC, including committee duties. It was around this time that I became aware of just how difficult the University were to deal with. I mean, it costs far too much to maintain a couple of cricket fields but (strongly laced with sarcasm) spending millions of dollars on a corporate brand change is fine, right? It makes complete sense to go from a brand that had been part of your identity since the 1960's of Green and Gold with a logo of the Macquarie lighthouse, to Red, Burgundy, Grey with a Lotus Leaf logo in 2011, doesn't it? Oh, and just three years later in 2014 to spend millions on another change to Red and Black and bringing back the lighthouse?! But cricket fields cost too much to maintain.
And slowly, year on year, the facilities were either removed, denied or not maintained. The training pitches were a disgrace for years, it surprises me there weren't more injuries. The "changing rooms" were demountable sheds that the club had to fund on top of the exorbitant and extortionate fees the University charged for using them, even with a supposed 80% discount. To be clear, with that "80% discount" the fees were still three or four times more than other clubs paid for their COUNCIL MAINTAINED grounds. There is a direct correlation between Macquarie University's removal of facilities from the cricket club and the decline in quantity and quality of the cricketers prepared to play for the club.
I think the disdain in my writing is showing through, the resentment that I and countless other members have that our club which had success and the potential to achieve more has been reduced to what it is today. We find difficult to accept. Whilst Macquarie University make a relatively understandable business case for why it costs them to keep cricket going, there is even more evidence to suggest that with just a little investment from the University they could have THE best facilities for cricket in Sydney, not just Shires cricket but Grade/Premier Cricket too. That, in turn, would mean they could be the best in Australia. That's not me putting on rose-tinted glasses, that is the reality that Sydney club cricket is amongst the strongest club cricket competitions in the world.
The Main Oval is wasted on Quidditch. It's a decent field for football and rugby (league and union) but there are dedicated football fields around the complex for that already. Lacrosse...? Maybe. AFL? Of course, during winter most cricket ovals are turned into AFL ovals, it is to be expected. An Oval with the potential to be that majestic deserves to have cricket played on it. Cricket is part of Australia's sporting identity. The role of Australian Cricket Captain is commonly accepted to be second in importance only to the Prime Minister. It is absolutely abhorrent that a University that shares its name with a Governor that is largely credited with shaping the society of Australia into what it is today refuses to acknowledge or offer any meaningful support to a sport that very society is based on.
I'll reiterate, I have nothing against any of the other sports at all. I actively encourage people to take up as many sports as possible. The two other main Universities in Sydney both have good cricketing facilities. Granted, they play in the Premier competition, however as mentioned before with a little investment Macquarie Uni's facilities could be the best in Sydney and that in turn attracts better players. That then increases the level of cricket being played, and given that MUCC had previously entered teams into the Grade competition a few decades ago (for six seasons) another foray into Grade/Premier could have eventually been on the cards. I had heard rumours of an interest from Sydney Thunder to use the Main Oval to host WBBL games. Given the increase in popularity of Women's Cricket in general, the chance to be on the world stage, what's to say World Cup games couldn't have been hosted in future? It's a complete lack of any kind of foresight on the part of the Uni to just put cricket in the "Too Hard" basket.
That is what is most galling and frustrating for the members of a once great club, past and present. We see the potential for the future, because we know the history of the club. And the frustration is slowly turning to a sadness and mourning, that a 52 year old club has been fighting an ever-growing cancer in dealing with certain individuals who make decisions. We did our best to treat it. We did our best to save Shires Cricket at our beloved club, and now because of them our club has slipped into the palliative care of so-called "Park Cricket", because Macquarie University themselves are pulling the plug on the life-support. They will eventually allow building another artificial football field for Sydney FC on the Northern Oval (one isn't enough, plus the other Ovals they already use), having already removed the cricket facilities on the Main Oval a decade before. How long before the last remaining cricket-worthy oval, the Gwilliam Oval named after our legendary President from 1969-1979 Ross Gwilliam, is also lost to "development"? Although I never met the man, I have a feeling he would be turning in his grave knowing that the hard work he put into growing MUCC into what it was when he handed over has been curtailed in this way.
We celebrate the past successes. On a personal note, if it was not for MUCC I would not have the life I have today. I even wrote a couple of years ago about it HERE. I will always be grateful to those who enabled me to come over and play for such a wonderful club. I have always been loyal to my clubs; my hometown club Bovey Tracey CC in Devon, and MUCC. I always said as long as MUCC exists I would not play for another Shires club, despite many friends at many clubs asking. Now it seems if I ever want to play Shires Cricket again I may not have a choice, and that is something that cuts me and my club-mates incredibly deep.
Our USA Honeymoon was a simply amazing journey, with many memorable locations along the way.
In October of 2019 my wife and I embarked on a month-long adventure to the United States of America, our delayed honeymoon after 4 and a half years of marriage. We packed so much into that month it hardly seems believable, and what will follow on this blog entry are just things that relate to a man I have been a fan of since my early childhood; Michael Jackson. You may not believe this given the number of MJ items I'm about to write about, but the vast majority of our activities in the USA had absolutely nothing to do with Michael Jackson. Given what will follow, hopefully that illustrates just how much we did! We visited (in order) Dallas, Washington DC, New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Solvang and Neverland Ranch, Los Angeles and Disneyland. We didn't do anything related to MJ in Dallas, so I'll head straight into Washington DC and the surrounding areas.
Also, around the middle of 2018 I had become aware of a Michael Jackson related podcast, The MJCast, and have listened to their many episodes including interviews with many people who were friends with, worked for, defended, are related to or have written extensively about Michael Jackson and through listening to that podcast I have learnt things about the man, his music and his movements that I never knew before and therefore had some bearing on some of the places we visited. Hope you enjoy reading this!
Goodstone Inn, Middleburg, VA
On this particular day, we visited Arlington Cemetery first to visit JFK's grave and then headed out on the 30 mins drive to the Smithsonian Museum at Dulles Airport. The primary reason, another passion of mine; Concorde. After a few hours ogling various aircraft, Space Shuttle Discovery and other items we then ventured a further 45 minutes to the Goodstone Inn in the beautiful Virginia countryside town of Middleburg. What does this have to do with Michael Jackson? Well, he stayed there in 2007 with his kids and by all accounts enjoyed his time there.
One of my favourite books is called "Remember The Time: Protecting Michael Jackson In His Final Days" and is written by two bodyguards who worked for him between 2006 and his death in 2009. They gave a real insight into a man who pined for normality, wished to be able to just go to the store or to a bar and order a beer, but ultimately was imprisoned by his fame. They wrote about times he would ask to be driven around Washington DC and just people-watch, about a time they were stopped in front of the White House by law enforcement who had become suspicious of an SUV with tinted windows and California plates circling the White House, registered to "Neverland Ranch, 5225 Figueroa Mountain Road, Los Olivos, CA". When they confirmed it was Michael Jackson in the car, they asked for autographs and exclaimed "Wow, we just met Michael Jackson! That was better than meeting the President!"
A part of this book described the Goodstone Inn, and given we were so close I thought it would be nice to just go for dinner, not mention Michael Jackson and just claim to be random Australians (yes, I know I'm English but the whole time in the US when asked where we were from it was just easier to say "Australia".) who wanted a nice dinner in the country. The restaurant itself was pretty small and quaint, and the service was high quality. The food was not cheap, but not obnoxiously overpriced either and the New York Strip steak was cooked to perfection.
The server was a young man who had obviously received some training and was excellently presented with a dry sense of humour. I also noticed that every time we said "Thank you" he responded with "Of course", as opposed to "You're welcome." There were only one or two other tables with guests as we were quite early in the evening, and so it was quiet and peaceful although we could hear the conversations of the other tables quite clearly, trying to suppress laughter at the upper-class toffery and over-inflated ego sounds of entitled rich people on the other tables. It reminded me of why I can't stand listening to Gilmore Girls when my wife is watching it. (Sorry, Jess!)
After our meal we divulged that we had heard that Michael Jackson had stayed here, ultimately the reason we didn't say anything to begin with is because we wanted the real experience, not the "Oh God, it's fans of a celebrity" service. As we drove slowly out of the property and looked over the rolling hills of the Virginia countryside I could understand, as a country boy at heart, what was so attractive about this place. And the address? "Snake Hill Road". How appropriate for a reptile lover like myself. My only regret is that I took no photos or video at the Goodstone Inn. Maybe one day we will stay there ourselves.
Hoyt-Schermerhorn Subway Station, Brooklyn, NY
Bad, and Crocodile Dundee. I could imagine
the dancers and Michael at Hoyt-Schermerhorn
After driving from Washington DC to New York and dropping our hire car in Midtown Manhattan, we walked with our bags two blocks to our hotel by Grand Central Station, and figured out our plan for the week. In 1986, Martin Scorsese was enlisted to direct the music video, or "Short Film" as Michael Jackson preferred to call it, for the song "Bad" to be released the following year. With many nods to West Side Story, the filming for the music section of the film took place in a subway station in Brooklyn; Hoyt-Schermerhorn. As a side note, the station was also used for scenes in the hit movie Crocodile Dundee, so it seemed appropriate to visit from Australia for that reason as much as Michael Jackson. There have been changes to the station as you would expect after 33 years, but there were definitely recognisable aspects; the ticket barriers the dancers jumped over, the stairs they ran up and the corridors they backflipped and danced in.
We did not stay too long as unless you knew that is where the filming occured, you wouldn't have had any clue. There are no murals in the station, no signage to say that filming took place there. That's not to say there should be, but although I'm pleased we went and would have regretted not going, I don't think that we'd head back to the station again unless we had a compelling reason to. It also helped that it was accessible with only one change of train from where we were staying.
New York / New Jersey
We didn't really visit other places as such, but we saw things like Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden, where he and the Jackson 5 had performed. We also saw Jersey Towers across the Hudson but didn't pay particular attention to them. For those raising an eyebrow, that is where Evan Chandler (who accused Jackson in 1993 of molesting his 13 year old son) lived in 2009 and where his body was found in November 2009 with a single gunshot wound, just a few months after Jackson had died himself. I am not saying the two deaths are related, others have made the assumption that Chandler's suicide was down to guilt about his role in Jackson's downfall, but concrete proof is something that many Jackson fans want in his defense. It seems a little hypocritical to make an assumption without facts just because it supports a different narrative.
Las Vegas, Nevada: Houses, Shops and A Mind-Blowing Show
While in the US, with the exception of New York, we had a car for the entirety of our stay, and this allowed us to explore further and see more than if we had relied on public transport. This meant that while in Vegas, after venturing out to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam we could drive up and down the strip and to various areas. I mentioned a book earlier written by two bodyguards, their names are Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard and they are residents of Vegas. One house in particular was where their story of meeting and working for Michael Jackson began.
Michael Jackson's Monte Cristo house in Las Vegas, where
Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard first began working for him
After various financial and legal issues, MJ moved around a bit and when he came back to the USA in late 2006 he settled in Las Vegas. We visited both houses he lived in, he preferred one over the other for a variety of reasons. After years of associating Michael Jackson with wealth, with Neverland Ranch and a sprawling 2,700 acre property, it was a little different to imagine him living in those houses, in so-called "normal" neighbourhoods, in a normal (but bloody nice by most people's standards) house surrounded by other houses and dog-walkers. But there it was... Michael Jackson in a normal house surrounded by "normal" people. Somewhat ironically, that seemed to imprison him more as there was no real escape from eyes on all sides.
In the farcical Martin Bashir documentary "Living With Michael Jackson" there was a section in Las Vegas where Michael goes shopping at the Venetian. I couldn't resist going; the architecture was truly stunning, the artwork beautiful and the prices astronomical. There was a section of that documentary where Michael easily dropped a quarter of a million dollars on various vases, urns and furniture, proudly announcing "I bought these, and these... those are mine... these... That's the sold sign, means its for me. Did we get those? I like those, why don't we order those." and looking at paintings with a "Yoo-hoo! I want that one! And this one. That's the bathing of Apollo, right?"
In 2019 the press would have had you believe that no-one cares about Michael Jackson anymore and the only people who still like him are crazed fans, and that all fans are crazed. Well, that wasn't my experience. This shop had a video in the window of that very shopping spree, with a caption "We Miss You, Michael." We also went to see Cirque Du Soleil: Michael Jackson ONE at the Mandalay Bay, and let me tell you the place was packed. The merchandise store was rammed with people spending plenty on Michael Jackson memorabilia and merchandise. "Sorry Dan Reed, silence who...?" I remarked in one short video clip I made. Incidentally, the performance of Billie Jean was the most incredible live performance I have ever witnessed in person.
Neverland Ranch
For me, this part of the trip was possibly both the most inspiring and the most sad. From Vegas we
had a flight with United Airlines from San Francisco, a terrible experience from a customer relations and professionalism point of view but that's another story. Again there was nothing MJ related that we visited in San Francisco, but this part of the trip was the bit I had been waiting for as we were driving to Solvang, a beautiful Danish style town near Neverland Ranch. On the drive from San Francisco we went the coastal route through Big Sur stopping at Bixby Bridge and a couple of other lookouts along the way. Due to traffic, it took us a lot longer than anticipated to get through and there was an MJ related stop I wanted to make before we got there; the Santa Maria courthouse where he was exonerated in a 2005 trial which should never have happened.
It was getting very late in the day and daylight was fading, I was stressing a little because I wanted to go to the Neverland gates regardless but knew the following day had some time constraints and we didn't want to be fighting with Los Angeles traffic. But I also wanted to go to the courthouse, I wanted to walk that same path Michael had walked in 2005. I'd seen the footage hundreds of times of that moment, of how packed the area was with press vans and tents, with fences to keep the crowds out, with the crowds several rows deep of both fans and protesters with the fans obviously the more vocal. At first when we arrived across the street, it didn't seem like we were in the right place. Everything seemed so compact, not a lot of room for anything even with no press, no crowds, no vehicles in the car park. A 20ft container on the footpath by the court made that area even smaller.
Santa Maria Courthouse, the path Michael Jackson had to walk
every day during his farcical trial in 2005, and where finally he
walked as a free man, exonerated, vindicated and acquitted on
13th June 2005, much to the chagrin of the hoards media.
Of course, I didn't go inside the building as it was way after business hours. I am curious as to what it looked like inside that particular courtroom but I wasn't that desperate to get inside. I did my filming as discreetly as I could and then walked the walk, imagining how enclosed he would have felt in area with all the other things that would have been around. All the cameras, all the people, all the judgement from the world media that had descended on this location with the attention all focussed on him. It's a minor miracle he made it through the trial in terms of mental strength, I felt like I was being watched and I was on my own! Jess stayed in the car across the street, and a couple of police cars came into the car park but they paid no attention to me even though I was filming.
Arriving at Neverland in the dark and resolving to come back
the next day in daylight, even though you cannot see the property.
The filming was a little rushed as I wanted to get to the gates of Neverland even though I knew light was fading and the chances are it would be dark. It was a little tense in the car because at that stage I thought that we would not get a chance the following morning to come back and see it in daylight. I didn't talk much, nervously watching the sunlight disappear as the Santa Ynez Valley came into view in the distance. Ultimately it was dark when we arrived at the gates. Many people ask why I wanted to go to the gates knowing I couldn't go inside the property or even see anything of note from the gates. Well, I wanted to just be there, and read all the tributes that fans had left on the wall. There are hundreds of messages of love and support and tribute, none of negativity. I recorded a little video stating that even if that was my only visit, I had achieved a lifelong ambition of going to Neverland Ranch.
Having said that, I wanted to see the place in daylight so after a lovely meal in Solvang at a pub across the road from our wonderful accommodation at Svendsgaards Lodge, we settled in for the night and set an early alarm and headed to Neverland again in the morning. I had forgotten to buy a sharpie to write something on the wall myself, so I had to make do with writing a note on a piece of paper and leaving it in the cracks of the wall by the front gate. When we arrived there was some activity, groundskeepers coming in and out, and a security man in the hut just inside the property. I had asked him if it was ok to write something and he said "Of course! I can't let you inside, though, is the only thing." I told him we had not expected to be allowed inside so that was not a problem. I wrote a letter and left it in the wall knowing full well that it would be gone in a short time period, and berated myself for not bringing something a little more permanent to write on the wall with. Sure enough, a photo of the gates taken shortly after our visit showed that my letter was no longer beneath the cracks in the wall. Should we ever be fortunate enough to be in the area again I will make sure I have a marker pen!
Finally made it to the gates of Neverland Ranch
After 30 mins or so of writing, filming, swatting flies away and just enjoying the peace and tranquility that surrounded the area of Neverland Ranch we finally left and headed for Los Angeles. But along the way I was getting less and less satisfied at that being the end of the Neverland experience for us, so as we approached Santa Barbara we made a detour to the airport. Now, this also happens to be the same airport where Michael Jackson surrendered to the police for his arrest in November 2003, before posting bail and heading back to Las Vegas where he was filming a music video for the ironically titled "One More Chance". I don't believe the timing of this arrest to be coincidental. But I digress...
Neverland Ranch is so vast, I couldn't get
the whole 2,700 acres in frame.
At Santa Barbara Airport, I found a flying school called "Above All Aviation" and asked if they had an aircraft and instructor free for about an hour. I was fortunate, a young man named Bryce was available to take me in a Cessna 172 (N4637G). "So where are we going?" he enquired. "Neverland Ranch." My wife has not previously enjoyed flying in light aircraft, so although she had been fine on the two helicopter flights we had done in New York and the Grand Canyon she elected not to join us for the flight to Neverland.
Neverland used to have a Fairground and rides at
this location, the rides have gone but the movie
theatre remains and the go-kart track.
For those not aware, I have grown up around aircraft. I have undertaken flight training, including solo flights as well. I never finished off my pilots licence and I am currently in the process of getting it done after too many years of procrastination. Bryce handled the radios as he was familiar with the area, I handled the aircraft from taxi to parking with a brief period where Bryce took over while I took photos. It was a beautifully smooth clear day in Southern California. We headed West along the coast as far as the Gaviota VOR, then tracked North towards Los Olivos and on to Neverland.
Neverland Train Station, inspired by
the main station at Disneyland
As the property came into view, I spotted the front gates we had earlier been parked at, the famous train station, the lakes, and on into the distance the area where the fairground had once been. I was excited to finally see the glorious property and was astounded by its size, but I was also sad that what was and should still have been a hive of activity was effectively an empty shell that was maintained by owners wishing to sell on to someone who will not use it for anything to do with Michael Jackson.
Whilst the rights to the Michael Jackson name lie with his Estate, I cannot help but feel that whether they used Michael Jackson's name or not, with a careful business plan Neverland Ranch could generate a good income and be profitable as a multi-use facility; A luxury retreat with a zoo, fairground rides, a train ride, and acres of tranquility and beauty to enjoy. You could set up activities all over the ranch and make it a viable business without using Michael Jackson's name or even the name Neverland, indeed it now goes by the name "Sycamore Valley Ranch", which was what it was known as before Jackson renamed it as a tribute to Peter Pan. That, in turn, would boost the local economies in places such as Los Olivos and Solvang without leaving them overrun with tourists.
Doing a flight over Neverland was simply stunning, although I have to say I messed up the landing. I had hoped to be able to record the experience of the flight, and recently uploaded the video to YouTube which you can see above. After leaving Santa Barbara we headed down the 101 towards Los Angeles, at the last minute spotted a route through to Malibu at Las Virgenes Road at Calabasas. Just three months later this was the site of a horrendous helicopter crash that took the lives of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people. Kobe Bryant was one of the people who spoke at Michael Jackson's memorial, and had nothing but good things to say about him.
Los Angeles, California
Outside TCL Chinese Theatre is Michael's star.
I suppose Los Angeles would have the most MJ related locations of all the places we visited, however the list of places we missed out on in LA would be longer than the places we went to. For example, we stayed in Hollywood for the first part of our LA stay and Gardner Street Elementary School with its Michael Jackson Auditorium was only a 10 minute drive away and we didn't go. So where DID we go? Well, we were in Hollywood so naturally the Hollywood Walk of Fame was closest. We went for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, capturing a photo of his star outside the Chinese Theatre along the way. The strange thing about the Walk of Fame is everyone's head is down reading the names and as such you don't pay too much attention to what is around you. Inside the Hard Rock Cafe they had one piece of MJ memorabilia; a fedora he wore at some stage.
Not sure I'd want to go here at night, even without the
zombies! The iconic Thriller dance section happened here.
The next morning we did a whirlwind tour of some significant MJ sites starting with Union Pacific Avenue, where perhaps the most famous music video (short film) of all time was filmed; Michael Jackson's Thriller. To be brutally honest, there were a lot of homeless people around and tents and caravans and the atmosphere was strangely intimidating so we just took a couple of photos and left, then headed to the house which was used at the end of the same film, where Ola Ray runs into terrified of the advancing zombies.
Next up, the scene of such tragic sadness that even to this day it doesn't seem real. 100 N Carolwood Drive in Holmby Hills, where on 25th June 2009 Michael Jackson died at the hands of Dr Conrad Murray after being administered a lethal dose of propofol and other sedatives. I don't need to go into the multitude of things that were wrong with this, and the simple things that could and should have happened that morning to save Michael's life. Whether the prosecutors got it right with a charge of "Involuntary Manslaughter", or if they copped out and took a safe charge to ensure a conviction in lieu of a Murder charge and difficulty proving it is nothing but conjecture at this point. The fact remains that Michael Jackson died here, and did not need to.
Thriller House!
I spent a little bit of time at these gates, not as much as Neverland, but enough that at one stage a Black SUV stopped about 60 yards away from the gate between me and Sunset Boulevard, I realised they were waiting for me to step away from the gate. Presumably this was the new resident, as soon as I realised she wanted to get in I apologised and moved out of the way to the other side of the street. I was able to peek in and imagine that terrible morning as Michael would have been brought down on the gurney, out into the ambulance and then backed out of the driveway. I was now standing on the opposite side, next to a now ubiquitous advertising board for star maps.
The gates of 100 N Carolwood Drive, Holmby Hills where
Michael Jackson died on 25th June 2009.
The Hollywood celebrity tour buses came past with a bit of regularity, and the lady selling the maps did a good job and we convinced ourselves to get one just to see what was around the area. Given Disneyland was our next destination in a few days, we went around the corner to Walt Disney's former home, then back to Elvis Presley's former home which was opposite Jackson's final home. As we were around that side, the garage to the home opened up and a beautiful mahogany (I think) staircase was revealed from inside the garage up to the home. This was presumably where security would have loaded him into his car at times, not always using the front driveway to avoid paparazzi and the likes.
The emergency doors where Michael was wheeled in on a gurney,
and later pronounced dead, aged 50.
From there we followed the path he would have taken in the ambulance, down Sunset Boulevard to UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, past the Emergency entrance where photographers got a shot of him being wheeled into the hospital. I don't know why I wanted to go there, perhaps it was because this was the last place where efforts to keep him alive were, but also knowing he had already died by the time he was put into the ambulance. It was truly sad.
In between other places we visited 875 S Bundy Drive in Brentwood, where OJ Simpson murdered two people. Somewhat ironically while we were there a white Ford Bronco pulled up, and I moved to take what I thought was a unique picture opportunity, until I realised the Bronco had "OJ Tours" written on the side and that someone had specifically bought a White Bronco to take people to not only the site of the murders but to the site of OJ Simpson's former home on Rockingham. I find myself as a bit of a hypocrite because at the same time I find it abhorrent that there are companies out there set up purely to profit from the well publicised murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson, I wanted to visit these same sites and see for myself. Thousands of others also do which shows the demand is out there for such tours. We just got there ourselves rather than pay a bloke in a Bronco for a glorified taxi-ride with his over-embellished stories of who these people actually were. I heard a snippet of such crap from the tour guide in one of Kim Goldman's podcast "Confronting OJ Simpson" episodes. Definitely worth a listen, by the way, a very eye-opening listen for those intrigued by the crimes and the effects on people involved.
Hayvenhurst, Jackson Family home, where Billie Jean and
other massive hits were written by Michael Jackson before
he moved to Neverland Ranch.
As well as the usual sights of LA such as the Hollywood Sign, the Griffith Observatory, Warner Brothers Studios and Universal Studios, there were a couple of other MJ related locations left for us in the City of Angels. First was in the suburb of Encino, where the Jackson family home on Hayvenhurst Avenue is found. From the road you can't actually see the property, but again I wanted to stop at the gates and contemplate that behind those gates is where Michael wrote some of his biggest hits like Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, and my personal favourite, Billie Jean. Just a day or two before we were there, Michael's son Prince had hosted an event to raise funds for his charity Heal LA, and while I stood at the gates I umm'd and ahh'd about trying to find and press a doorbell so I could make a $50 donation in person to someone from the Jackson camp to either the charity or to Taj Jackson's documentary effort, something I really want to contribute to. I was lucky enough to personally donate to the McGrath Foundation in 2018 directly to Glenn McGrath*, and that was the sort of thing I was aiming for.
Donating to the McGrath Foundation
with Glenn McGrath, Sydney Cricket Ground,
January 2018.
*for readers outside of Australia/UK, Glenn McGrath was an Australian cricketer whose wife passed away from Cancer and he set up a foundation in her honour with the purpose of getting Breast Care Nurses into country areas of Australia and spreading awareness of Breast Cancer.
I have no problem approaching or talking to celebrities, so it wasn't a case of nerves, but in the end I decided not to for the simple reason that this was their home, their private refuge. I could easily donate online, what right do I have to interrupt their day at home just to fulfill a desire to meet a Jackson family member? Hopefully I can meet them one day, whether that is at a show of some kind or just in passing. Plus, from their point of view they must have people calling all the time, how would it look for them to see a random guy from the other side of the planet at their gate asking if he could give them $50?! Although it is a label the media and others like to throw around, Michael Jackson fans do not want to be labelled as crazy, and the vast majority are not crazy. Another reason I didn't want to ring the bell, avoid that perception! I would also encourage any other fans or media that find themselves at the gates of a celebrity home to just be respectful and be aware of people's right to privacy.
Flowers and Cards left at the entrance to the
Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, CA.
The final MJ location we visited was a difficult one; Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, (believed to be) the final resting place for the mortal remains of Michael Joseph Jackson. Tabloid stories have said that Michael's body isn't here, and that he was secretly cremated and scattered Neverland, but can we really believe anything the tabloid media writes about Michael Jackson? On the off chance that is true, I still got to see Neverland Ranch from the sky, and now I was at Forest Lawn so either way I have been to his final resting place. I wanted to believe he was at Forest Lawn, and although I was not able to go inside and see his actual tomb, there was plenty of evidence of his presence; several floral tributes were left outside, cards and photographs, messages of love, messages of sorrow. I had only ever seen Michael Jackson in person once, in March 2009 at London's O2 Arena during his press conference to announce the ill-fated This Is It residency. I had no idea that would be his final public speech.
The one and only time I ever saw Michael Jackson in person.
Late 2008 through most of 2009 was a time of deep personal trauma for me in my private life. I don't wish to divulge, but it was the lowest I had ever been and it was completely out of my control, in that sense I could identify with some of the things Michael Jackson went through although on nothing like the scale he experienced. I had so much taken away from me in the (British) summer of 2009 that the 4 tickets to see Michael Jackson in London on Sunday 26th July 2009 were the one thing I was clinging to that summer, the one thing I had waited my whole life for. I had been offered £5,000 for my tickets sometime in May 2009 after the shows had sold out and I declined, saying I wanted to see the man live in concert more than I wanted that kind of money.
On the evening 25th June 2009 I was still living in the UK, and I was with one of the friends who would be coming with me to the concert, and we were organising how to get there, what we would wear and basically repeating "We're going to see Michael Jackson in 4 weeks!". Then I received a text from someone in our group of friends at that stage that I wasn't particularly keen on, and will forever be annoyed that it was her that gave me the news. "Charlie you need to turn on the news, they are saying that apparently Michael Jackson has had a heart attacked and has died." We immediately put the news on, and sat there in complete shock, wide-eyed and mouths agape, hoping it wasn't true.
As soon as we heard the term cardiac arrest we knew, though I refused to accept. Then it was confirmed. I left my friends house around 11pm, and sped home so unsafely and furiously I probably shouldn't have been in a car. I was screaming "NO!" and a few expletives on the way home. I put his CD on, opened all windows and blasted Billie Jean. I was later told by a mate that he had heard a car go through town blaring Michael Jackson and he turned to his family and said "I bet that's Charlie." I stayed up until maybe 2 or 3am and watched Jermaine confirm the worst. Then went into work the next day and made an arse of myself.
Just over 10 years later, here I was unable to see his tomb, but immeasurably closer to him (physically) than I had ever been before. People use the word closure, I don't really feel that is appropriate. I never knew the guy, I saw him once, I never had the opportunity to speak to him although I had always thought I would one day. Yet upon finishing up recording and walking around Forest Lawn I felt a sense of peace, a sense of completing a mission. I'd seen what I wanted to see, I'd been to Neverland, been to his grave (as close as I could get), and now I could leave.
Please understand that this whole trip to the USA was nothing to do with Michael Jackson. As mentioned before we did way more things that were nothing to do with MJ than things that were; Dallas and the JFK Assassination, Fort Worth, Washington DC and Museums, Coney Island, New York City, Helicopters, tall buildings, Vegas, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Alcatraz, Disneyland, and many more. We briefly had a couple of hours at Chicago O'Hare Airport and could see Gary, Indiana in the distance, where most of the Jackson family were born, including Michael. Perhaps one day we'll get there. Perhaps one day we'll go back to Los Angeles and visit the Auditorium, Tower Records, the studios he recorded Thriller and other albums at, perhaps we'll get to go back to Neverland, which is now no longer up for sale as I write this. Either way, I feel happy that we got to visit the places we did.
The focus now when it comes to Michael Jackson is to continue to play his music, continue to defend his name against the ubiquitous lies, and do so in a calm, conscientious, and creditable manner. The whole MJ Fan community needs to be aware that responding with emotion fits into the media narrative of Jackson fans being crazy. If the response is factual, if the response is concise, if the response is convincing then as Michael himself said in 2005, "lies run sprints but the truth wins marathons." The truth will win this marathon one day, and it is up to the fans, the Estate and anyone who knew the man to ensure that this happens.
*I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of the fans who have reached out to me after my film of flying over Neverland was posted to YouTube, and shared by the brilliant people at The MJCast, the world's premiere podcast on all things Michael Jackson. Especially Elise, so thank you Elise. Next time we come to the USA we'll make time to get to San Diego. Most of all though I would like to thank my wife Jess, who as well as putting up with my Michael Jackson fandom (some might say obsession) for all these years, also took an interest in it and seemed to enjoy it almost as much as I did. Not just the Michael Jackson things though, also the air and space museums too. And of course without her this trip would have been nowhere near as enjoyable, and the memories we have will last a very long time. So thank you Jess, I love you, and I hope we get to do these trips more and more!
