In 1991, Dan Beck became Michael Jackson's main marketing contact at Epic Records. For five rollercoaster years, he was immersed in a world of unequalled stardom, dealing with the outsized ambition, whims and idiosyncrasies of the world's most famous entertainer.
It was a pivotal point in Jackson's career. His last album had failed to repeat the record-shattering success of Thriller. Rumors about his personal life and his eccentricities had made him the subject of gossip and accusations. Tabloids had begun calling him "Wacko Jacko."
"You've Got Michael" tells the story of the high-stakes battle to save Jackson's career and market his 1995 greatest hits album, as told by the record executive closest to him. Rather than rehash a controversial career, it details the inner workings of the music business at its mega-platinum height. Between the frequent 2:00 a.m. phone calls, pleas to get Michael to complete the new songs for the HIStory package and the handling of unpredictable developments, "You've Got Michael" is a gripping drama about working with a supreme talent through the most difficult time in his career.
Advance praise for "You've Got Michael":
"If you thought there was nothing more to learn about Michael Jackson, Dan Beck has news for you. Beck worked as product manager for the HIStory project and has gripping tales to tell. Not the sordid revelations you already know, but the day-to-day agonies and occasional ecstasies of being on the front lines as the career of the biggest pop star in the world goes up in flames. His torn professional and personal loyalties are so easy to relate to - uncomfortably so. Beck writes with honesty, clarity and force; the only sensationalism comes from your own memories of Jackson's highly public self-incineration."
-Anthony DeCurtis, author of Lou Reed: A Life
"Celebrated by fans but dismissed by critics, HIStory was Michael Jackson's answer to a world waiting, watching and demanding more from him. Beck cuts through the frenzy to reveal the careful orchestration required to balance artistic ambition, media scrutiny, business pressures and the hopes of fans. "You've Got Michael" deepens our understanding of Jackson's legacy - and belongs on every fan's shelf."
-Pez Jax, MJVibe.com
"No family member or label president could have told this story so well, because only a veteran interdepartmental product manager like Dan Beck really knows how the pop song sausage gets made - and has the moral strength to tell the hard truths about it."
-journalist Carol Cooper, Ph.D
