Just over a month after Michael Jackson’s tragic death, Motown great Smokey Robinson continues to mourn the man who was like a younger brother to him. During a phone chat with the Music Mix today, the legendary singer-songwriter shared his thoughts on recovering from the shock of losing Michael — and why the news media has made that process harder for him.
“I’m getting better, and I’m sure that we’re all getting better,” says Robinson. “But it’s hard to let it rest, because the news media’s not letting it rest. Every day you turn on the TV and you hear something about it: ‘Now they’re thinking about arresting the doctor.’ And I think it’s a shame what they’ve done about [Jackson's] kids, talking about the DNA, who’s the real sperm donor, and blah, blah, blah. Those are kids, man. And Michael was their dad. No matter what comes up about the DNA, Michael was their father. So for them to do that, to run those kids through the mill like that, is atrocious as far as I’m concerned. It’s a ridiculous thing. They’re not thinking about [the fact] that these are kids that they’re doing this to, and what impact it’s going to have on their lives. They just want people to listen to whatever thing they’re doing. It’s a shame. So I haven’t had a chance to totally recover, because all this stuff is still going on.”
Stay tuned next week for a full Q&A with Smokey Robinson about his upcoming album Time Flies When You’re Having Fun, the 50th anniversary of the Motown label, and more. In the meantime, what do you think of his point about the media circus surrounding Jackson’s children?
