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Video of Jacko’s hair fire incident online
By CMU Editorial | Published on Friday 17 July 2009
Us Weekly magazine have posted a video that very clearly shows that infamous moment in 1984 when Michael Jackson caught fire while filming a commercial for Pepsi. The accident was caused by pyrotechnics going off too early.
In the video the screen goes white as the pyros go off, after which you see Jacko, initially oblivious to the problem, with increasingly obvious flames coming from his hair. The first the singer seems to be aware of the problem is when security staff step in with a fire extinguisher. After a bit of a kafuffle a clearly shaken Jackson can be seen again, his hair burned through to his scalp. He is then carried away by security guards.
The incident is possibly significant with hindsight, given Jackson’s obsession with his face and plastic surgery soon followed. It’s also possible that the pain killers Jacko’s had to take after the accident led to the singer’s on and off addiction to the prescription medication that, some say, persisted for much of the rest of his life, and may have caused his death.
Writing about the incident in his autobiography ‘Moonwalk’ Jackson describe the pyro accident as “stupidity, pure and simple”, remarking “bombs went off on either side of my head, and the sparks set my hair on fire. I was dancing down this ramp and turning around, spinning, not knowing I was on fire. Suddenly I felt my hands reflexively go to my head in an attempt to smother the flames”.
Pepsi paid Jackson $1.5 million in damages after the incident, which he donated to a burns treatment facility that was named after him. Us Weekly haven’t said where they got the video from, though you can watch it here.
Elsewhere in Jacko news, a previously unheard song by the singer has emerged online, via TMZ I think. Called ‘A Place With No Name’, it’s a reworking of the 1971 song by America called ‘A Horse With No Name’. There’s been no official confirmation that the song is real, though it does sound a bit like Jacko, plus the manager of folk rock combo America has confirmed Jackson’s people asked for permission to rework their song, telling reporters: “The band was honoured that Michael chose to do their song and they hope it becomes available for all Michael’s fans to hear”. You can hear a little snippet of the track here.
Finally from the Jackson file, weird bloke Uri Geller, a long term confidant of the singer, obviously, has made a documentary for ITV about his late friend. The documentary will include some of Geller’s private footage of Jackson at events such as the spoon bender’s wedding. Geller told the Press Association: “This is the real Michael Jackson, the way that just a handful of friends were privileged to see him – relaxed, witty, loving, smart, sincere and genuine. This film gives audiences around the world the opportunity to experience the reality of life with Michael”.
