Jackson ignores 'Wacko Jacko' gossip
Pop superstar Michael Jackson knows the media portray him as a freak - but simply ignores all the reports.
The 'Bad' hitmaker has earned himself the nickname 'Wacko Jacko' in the tabloids for his allegedly abnormal behaviour - such as keeping a pet monkey called Bubbles and bleaching his skin.
But he admits he has shunned the press for years because the majority of stories about his personal life are unfounded.
He tells Ebony magazine: "I don't pay attention to that. In my opinion, it's ignorance. It's usually not based on fact. Every neighbourhood has the guy who you don't see, so you gossip about him.
"You see those stories about him, there's the myth that he did this or he did that. People are crazy!"
And the 49-year-old father-of-three insists he has hardly changed since recording the hugely successful 'Thriller' album, at the tender age of 24.
He adds: "That Michael is probably the same Michael here. I just wanted to get certain things accomplished first. But I always had this tug in the back of my head, the things I wanted to do, to raise children, have children. I'm enjoying it very much."
