sbp
07-07-2002, 06:47 PM
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/51894.htm
http://www.nypost.com/photos/web07070203a.jpg
Jacko dished up a huge smacko to music world heavyweight Tommy Mottola yesterday during a cross-town tour of New York in which he carried a sign telling the record mogul to "go back to hell."
Michael Jackson's day on the town saw the usually reclusive Gloved One making a string of appearances from Harlem to the East Village. At each stop he blasted Mottola, calling him "devilish" and a "racist."
Jackson, who is more likely to be found holed up at his Neverland Ranch in California with a coterie of young friends, started his day in the spotlight alongside Rev. Al Sharpton at the gadfly's Harlem headquarters.
There, Jackson planted a big smooch-o on an uncomfortable-looking Rev. Al - and then he blasted the record industry and Motolla, who released Jackson's poorly selling album "Invincible"
"The record companies really, really do conspire against artists. They steal. They cheat. They do whatever they can - especially [to] the black artists," Jacko said.
Of Motolla, whom Jackson blames for his record's failure, he said: "He's mean. He's a racist and he's very, very, very devilish."
He even accused the exec of describing another artist with a racial slur. "He called him a fat, black, n- - - - -," Jackson said. "I can't deal with that."
Asked who the artist was, Jackson replied "I can't say."
Then, at about 3 p.m., Jackson showed up in Midtown at an anti-Sony rally outside the company's Madison Avenue offices.
Jackson, who appeared in a red double-decker bus, dangled over the side and grabbed a sign from a fan bearing the words "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" above pictures portraying him as the good, and Mottola as both the bad and the ugly.
Jackson's action whipped the 150-strong crowd into a frenzy. Fans, who waited for hours for the fading King of Pop to arrive, nearly rioted as they chased the bus as it motored around the block for about 10 minutes.
At about 8:30 p.m., Jackson showed up at Webster Hall on East 11th Street, where he took the dance-hall's stage to get an award from his U.S. fan club.
"I love you all very much," said Jackson, before holding up a poster bearing the words "Go back to hell Mottola."
"This says it all," Jackson said, before blowing kisses to the cheering crowd.
Sony Music, which spent an estimated $25 million promoting "Invincible," issued a statement calling Jackson's accusations "ludicrous, spiteful and hurtful."
"It seems a particularly bizarre and ugly attack to launch on an executive who has championed Mr. Jackson's career. We are appalled that Mr. Jackson would stoop so low in his constant quest for publicity," the statement said.
http://www.nypost.com/photos/web07070203a.jpg
Jacko dished up a huge smacko to music world heavyweight Tommy Mottola yesterday during a cross-town tour of New York in which he carried a sign telling the record mogul to "go back to hell."
Michael Jackson's day on the town saw the usually reclusive Gloved One making a string of appearances from Harlem to the East Village. At each stop he blasted Mottola, calling him "devilish" and a "racist."
Jackson, who is more likely to be found holed up at his Neverland Ranch in California with a coterie of young friends, started his day in the spotlight alongside Rev. Al Sharpton at the gadfly's Harlem headquarters.
There, Jackson planted a big smooch-o on an uncomfortable-looking Rev. Al - and then he blasted the record industry and Motolla, who released Jackson's poorly selling album "Invincible"
"The record companies really, really do conspire against artists. They steal. They cheat. They do whatever they can - especially [to] the black artists," Jacko said.
Of Motolla, whom Jackson blames for his record's failure, he said: "He's mean. He's a racist and he's very, very, very devilish."
He even accused the exec of describing another artist with a racial slur. "He called him a fat, black, n- - - - -," Jackson said. "I can't deal with that."
Asked who the artist was, Jackson replied "I can't say."
Then, at about 3 p.m., Jackson showed up in Midtown at an anti-Sony rally outside the company's Madison Avenue offices.
Jackson, who appeared in a red double-decker bus, dangled over the side and grabbed a sign from a fan bearing the words "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" above pictures portraying him as the good, and Mottola as both the bad and the ugly.
Jackson's action whipped the 150-strong crowd into a frenzy. Fans, who waited for hours for the fading King of Pop to arrive, nearly rioted as they chased the bus as it motored around the block for about 10 minutes.
At about 8:30 p.m., Jackson showed up at Webster Hall on East 11th Street, where he took the dance-hall's stage to get an award from his U.S. fan club.
"I love you all very much," said Jackson, before holding up a poster bearing the words "Go back to hell Mottola."
"This says it all," Jackson said, before blowing kisses to the cheering crowd.
Sony Music, which spent an estimated $25 million promoting "Invincible," issued a statement calling Jackson's accusations "ludicrous, spiteful and hurtful."
"It seems a particularly bizarre and ugly attack to launch on an executive who has championed Mr. Jackson's career. We are appalled that Mr. Jackson would stoop so low in his constant quest for publicity," the statement said.