On Interviewing Michael Jackson's Official Biographer

Interviewing J. Randy Taraborelli
by Josh Cohen

Around this time last year, I was Facebook friends with the man who I would eventually introduce to the audience as "someone of considerable significance".

That man is J. Randy Taraborelli. We had a mutual friend in David Gunther whom I knew from my boxing days at West Side boxing in Eden Prairie. Mr. Taraborelli knew him from his Brazilian Jujitsu classes out in California.

I had watched Taraborelli ad infinitum it seems growing up. After all, he was one of Michael Jackson's good friends through several decades and his official biographer. I was a fan of the King Of Pop's in the truest sense of the word. I was a fanatic. At my brother's wedding in 2012, I did a solo dance when "Billie Jean" came on. Yes, I moon-walked. Yes, it was damned good.

Taraborelli was my go-to on everything Michael during my childhood. Through Michael, I became a fan of Taraborelli.

So when he accepted my Facebook request some years ago, I was ecstatic.

I didn't get the courage to ask him to an interview until April last year. I sent him a message in my trademark meekness and humility that my friends know so well asking if I could have the pleasure of an interview. I felt how I imagined Oliver Twist felt approaching Bumble in the famed Dickensian workhouse boldly asking for "more". The response was anything but Dickensian.

"Sure, Josh. Anytime.", Taraborelli responded (within the hour I might add, which is better than I get with close friends!). My mind raced as I tried to think of a response. I came up with the eloquent, witty, and endearing retort, "great".

We had scheduled the interview for July 2017 and you can find that interview here...https://theunfilteredpodcast.blogspot.com/2017/12/interview-with-j-randy-taraborelli.html

He dialed in to the Zoom meeting I had set up and we spoke for a few minutes before I hit record. I said where I was from and thanked him for taking the time and he happily thanked me in kind. We spoke of our mutual friend Dave Gunther whom we talked about in the interview as well. Lastly, I said I would do a brief introduction of him after I hit record and off we go from there. He excitedly agreed.

Then I hit record.

There were 3 aspects to the interview that really stuck with me for both what was said and the manner in which they were said.

The first was the discussion regarding the Beyonce book, "Becoming Beyonce". Many people came up to me after and said that they immensely enjoyed this discussion. I wish I could take full credit but if you listen to the interview, you'll discover the name Beyonce never leaves my lips. The wonderful story Taraborelli told me (which he graciously said was the first time he told the story "on-the-record") about why he picked Beyonce as a subject was in response to my much more generalized question "how do you decide who you're going to write your next book about?". A question that took me three attempts to get right.

The second was our discussion about his book on Carol Burnett, "Laughing Til It Hurts". On this point, I can happily and legitimately claim more than some credit.

I had opened up this discussion only because I am a fan of Carol Burnett and Taraborelli told me that he wrote the book only because he was a fan. So, there you have it. Two fans discussing their like-minded subject of veneration.

Sadly, the video wasn't recorded as the audio was but if it had been,the viewer would have seen what I had seen. Taraborelli's neck was slanted to his right in anticipation of my next question. When I say the name "Carol Burnett", his head snapped straight up and I saw a confluence of surprise, excitement, and anticipation rush across the center of his face and fan out like a galaxy. I knew this was going to be good.

He went on to tell me (this, of course, is recorded) that he has never talked about that book and thanked me especially for bringing it up. Our discussion surrounding Carol Burnett would have to stand as, for me, the high star of the interview.

Lastly, towards the end I ask him a simple question that could have been satiated by a correspondingly simple answer. That question was ,"Has there ever been a question that hasn't been asked of you that you wish someone would ask?". A question, you will notice, I've included in interviews since.  He said "you've asked me a couple questions in this interview that are surprising. (...) a few questions that I wished would be asked". What a compliment! For me, someone who had never done anything remotely approaching an interview before, to be told this by a 14-time New York Times bestselling author was infinitely more than memorable to me.

After I thanked him for his time he complimented me once again on the quality of the questions asked.

Once we disconnected he made the special effort to message me afterwards and said that our interview was one of the best ones he had done out of thousands of interviews. Wow!

It was that interview and his subsequent encouragement and advice that persuaded me to carry on with my interviews.

Since then I have interviewed another literary icon (James Reston Jr.), a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist (Walter Robinson of the Boston Globe which will be uploaded shortly), and one of my other heroes (Peter Hitchens; an interview that has had well over 10,000 views)! In my current capacity, I have interviewed 3 different figures (I interviewed Mark Whitacre this past week) that have had major motion pictures made about their lives or events in their lives!

Not bad for 8 months work.

Thank you for the time again, Randy. I hope we can do it again!