Audio tapes from 1985 of Jackie Kennedy talking about editing the biography of none other than the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson are part of a new book on the former first lady. INSIDE EDITION has the story.
A meeting of two American icons: Michael Jackson and Jackie Kennedy. Even Jackie couldn't believe it.
It's uncovered in lost audio of the former First Lady. The year was 1985. Jackie was working as a book editor in New York. Her latest project was Jackson's autobiography, Moonwalk.
The audio was accidentally recorded by Jackie's art director, J.C. Suarez. He forgot to turn off his answering machine, and the result was an extraordinary conversation, captured forever on tape.
"Hi, how are you?"
"Oh good, I got you," said Jackie on the tape.
Jackie says, "How the hell did I get doing a book on Michael Jackson? I'm still trying to think of why. Somebody must have told me to go and do it."
William Kuhn is author of the new book Reading Jackie, about her two decades as a prominent book editor for some of the world's leading publishing companies.
INSIDE EDITION's Les Trent asked Kuhn, "She didn't want to do the book, did she?"
"It's fair to say she was pretty unenthusiastic about it," said Kuhn.
Even though she edited over 100 books, the King of pop was by far her most unusual project.
Jackson agreed to write his memoir only if Jackie was his editor.
Kuhn said, "Michael thought if there was anyone he could talk to about the burdens of celebrity, it was Jackie O."
In the audio tape, Jackie sounds frustrated that Jackson's first draft didn't include enough colorful details about his remarkable life.
On the tape, Jackie says, "Boy, are we going to have to fuel that guy, I mean,"
Suarez replied, "Yeah, we do. But there's a point when he's fueled."
"Yes, when he's fueled, and when he stops just, I mean, it'll be great," said Jackie.
Kuhn said, "She had to call him up and say, 'Michael, if we publish this as it stands we'll both be made fools of. We'll both be made fun of.' "
So in an attempt to get Jackson to open up, Jackie made several trips to Neverland ranch. She even went on tour with him to Australia, and they worked together on the book between concerts.
Kuhn said, "She remembered she was in her jeans and a t-shirt and he was in red satin pajamas."
Jackson never revealed as much as Jackie would have liked, but the unlikely collaboration of icons will go down in history.
