Another Nose Job, and Katherine's Party
In the spring of 1984, Michael arranged for Dr Steven Hoefflin, his plastic surgeon, to give him another rhinoplasty – a third nose job. ‘He was determined that the last two weren't good enough,’ said a source who once worked in Hoefflin's office. ‘“It has to be thinner,” he insisted. “Did you see the way it looked on the American Music Awards when I was standing next to Diana?” he asked. “Hers was so thin and mine looked so fat. I hated it.” He didn't come out and say he wanted Diana Ross's nose, but it was pretty obvious it was the shape he was after.’
‘I saw him after that third operation,’ Steve Howell recalled. ‘I was at the house dropping off some film and Mike was home. He didn't know I was there and our paths crossed. He shrieked, “Oh no!” and ran off. It was like seeing a woman you don't know in her underwear and without her makeup on, that was his reaction. His face was black and blue. There was a gauzy bandage over his nose. He looked like a guy who'd been in a boxing match and forgot to put his hands up.
‘A couple of weeks later, we were talking and I was standing very close to him. I noticed what I thought were blemishes around his nose. I thought, All those natural creams and other cosmetics he uses, and he still has blemishes? However, studying the area on the other side of his nostril I realized those weren't blackheads, they were six small stitches around his nose. There was more work in weeks to come: his skin looked like it was being stretched, or peeled, or something. The reason I'm vague is that it was not something people around the house discussed.’
In May 1984, Michael hosted a birthday gathering with his brothers and sisters in honour of their mother, Katherine, at the Bistro Garden restaurant in Beverly Hills. No matter what was going on in their lives, the Jacksons loved their mother. Among her gifts, Katherine received a diamond ring and a rose-coloured, beige-topped Rolls-Royce. ‘The press later reported that the Rolls was from Michael,’ said his sister-in-law, the late Enid Jackson. ‘Actually, we all chipped in on it. How do you think that made the brothers feel, the fact that the world thought the gift was from Michael? But that's the kind of thing they had to get used to over the years. Little things like this can be very hurtful. If, God forbid, they all got into an airplane crash, it would all be about Michael dying in a crash… and the brothers were also there.’
Much of the extended Jackson family attended Katherine's party. Her children flew Katherine's father in from Indiana as a special surprise. As a Jehovah's Witness, some of her friends thought it strange that she would agree to a birthday celebration.
Michael hired Steve Howell to videotape the proceedings. Not to be outdone, Jermaine had
his
videographer do the same thing.
Steve's video of the gathering is revealing. On it, the family did not appear to be close, though everyone seemed cordial enough as they exchanged pleasantries in the formal setting. When Janet walked in with her date, a singer named James DeBarge, everyone scattered. It was obvious that no one liked him.
The most emotional moment of the evening was between Michael and Katherine. Michael, wearing an expensive-looking, sparkly silver suit and tie, walked up on to the stage and said to his mother, ‘This is one of your favourite songs. I'd like to do it for you.’ He seemed nervous, even embarrassed. He can sing before thousands of people with no problem, but intimate gatherings truly rattle him.
Michael was accompanied by country star Floyd Cramer, playing a Fender Rhodes piano. (Cramer had been flown in for the party because Katherine is such a big fan of his.) As Cramer played, along with a three-piece band, Michael sang the Kris Kristofferson country song ‘For the Good Times’ to Katherine, reading the lyrics from cue cards.
When Michael sang the first line – ‘Don't look so sad, I know it's over’ – Katherine's eyes immediately began to well up with tears. Any observer might have thought that she was thinking of her marriage to Joseph, who was not even sitting with her but, rather, elsewhere in the room. As Michael sang the song – his voice pure, his delivery eloquent – Katherine rocked back and forth in her chair, looking as if her son's performance had completely swept her away. No mother had ever gazed upon her son in a more loving manner, and Michael's expression was equally moving.