Unfortunately stuff like this was very common. People would FAKE “Michael appearances” all the time, especially between 2000 and 2009. For us, the active fan community Michael had never disappeared, we always knew where he was, what he was doing, he kept in constant contact with the fan community and regularly met fans all over the world. But to the general public he was a mystery, his whereabouts unknown, so many would stage these elaborate fake sightings.

There was

one in Canada, “Michael and a mystery girlfriend” FAKE….

one in New York, “Michael shopping in Barnes & Noble” FAKE

one in South of England “Michael gives secret concert performance” Navi aided by “bodyguard” Matt Fiddes

Almost once a month “fake” sightings would pop up on fansites and forums. It was something we expected.

You have to remember that times were very different before 2009. Other than the active fan community online, no one cared about Michael the person. Michael Jackson the person, with straight hair and regular clothes was associated with the 1993 allegations and Santa Maria trial. If Michael the person, who had straight hair, wearing regular clothes was in London, doing regular stuff like visiting his friends, going to dinner etc only the hard core fans, maximum 50 people would be there, there would be no huge media scrum, no photos in the papers, etc.

On the other hand if “Michael Jackson” (Navi hired by SONY) with long curly hair , wearing a well known stage costume went shopping in HMV in Oxford Street at 3pm on a Friday afternoon, then there would be cameras & photographers (also hired by SONY) then there would be general public going crazy, ringing their friends, telling them “omg dude get down here Michael Jackson is in HMV”, and huge crowds, people being held back by security , and so much more.

(above is what happened on the launch day of Thriller 25 in February 2008, I was there)

another example, also from THRILLER 25 promo, was Navi doing a flashmob in Leicester Square. This was even more insane. Again he was dressed in a very recognizable stage costume with long curly hair. This got even more crazy. He did a walkabout first, and gathered a huge crowd, with people screaming Michael Michael, pushing to get to him, on their phones telling their friends. Us hardcore fans knew it was Navi, in fact word had gone round the fan community beforehand with the time and place. We were all on the edge of the crowd , laughing at everyone making a fool of themselves. What made it even more ridiculous was the fact that the REAL Michael, in regular clothes and straight hair was on the front of the evening paper, having been papped at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas. People were walking around, carrying the evening paper with a photo of the REAL Michael, screaming Michael at Navi!!

Ask yourselves honestly, if you were not on the fan sites and did not see regular photos of Michael out and about with straight hair and regular clothes, did not know about Navi, if you had been in HMV and suddenly saw this, would YOU have thought it was Michael too???

That’s just the way it was, something we dealt with on a daily basis, the sad fact that only the hardcore fans on the fansites actually knew what Michael looked like between 2006 and the press conference in 2009. Why do you think that all the rumours about it not being the real Michael at the press conference started?? It was because so many fans dropped him when the allegations happened. For over 20 years they had this image of their Michael, with a high pitched voice and curly hair, yet in 2009, they were confronted with a man they did not recognise, who had straight hair and a deeper voice.