---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was a kid, all I knew about…"
description: "\"When I was a kid, all I knew about Michael Jackson was that he was crazy. He had a monkey named Bubbles and some kind of oxygen chamber, and he used to..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/jon-lovett-8245_bubbles_when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michae_475457.jpg"
---

#  When I was a kid, all I knew about Michael Jackson was…

![“When I was a kid, all I knew about Michael Jackson was that he was crazy. He had a monkey named Bubbles and some kind of oxygen chamber, and he used to be black, but he made himself white, and he was nuts. That was Michael Jackson in full. Wacko Jacko.” quote by Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/jon-lovett-8245_bubbles_when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michae_475457.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/jon-lovett-8245_bubbles_when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michae_475457.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/jon-lovett-8245_bubbles_when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michae_475457.jpg)

> “When I was a kid, all I knew about Michael Jackson was that he was crazy. He had a monkey named Bubbles and some kind of oxygen chamber, and he used to be black, but he made himself white, and he was nuts. That was Michael Jackson in full. Wacko Jacko.”

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker recalls a distorted, sensationalized view of Michael Jackson, mixing factual snippets with exaggerated claims.

**In simple terms:** A skewed, sensational memory of Michael Jackson.

Key Takeaway

Seek nuanced, factual understanding of public figures.

Themes

celebrity culture media distortion identity public perception

Mood

skeptical curious

Type

critical media analysis

When to use this quote

- interviews
- documentaries
- biographies
- social media commentary

Key Concepts

celebrity myth media sensationalism racial identity

Questions to Reflect On

- What sources shape our perceptions of famous people?
- How can we separate myth from reality?

A Different Perspective

Relies on anecdotal, possibly inaccurate recollection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bubbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bubbles/) [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jackson/) [Jackson Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jackson-crazy-2584444/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Knew Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-michael-335568/) [Michael jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/michael-jackson/) [Monkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monkey/) [Nuts Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuts-michael-4099642/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Wacko Jacko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wacko-jacko-3981855/)

## Related quotes

> [Yeah, Wacko Jacko, where did that come from? Some English tabloid. I have a heart and I have feelings. I feel that when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/yeah-wacko-jacko-where-did-that-come-from-some-english-tabloid-i-have/)

[Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/)

> [Colonel Walker, did it ever occur to you that General Jackson is crazy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-s-ewell/colonel-walker-did-it-ever-occur-to-you-that-general-jackson-is-crazy/)

[Richard S. Ewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-s-ewell/)

> [You and your name dropping he said, I knew Michael, I knew Sammael. The angel Gabriel did my hair. Its like I'm with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-and-your-name-dropping-he-said-i-knew-michael-i-knew-sammael-the/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“I knew Michael had to be right about the argument that would come later because Mom didn’t say anything about us being gone or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-haslett/i-knew-michael-had-to-be-right-about-the-argument-that-would-come/)

[Adam Haslett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-haslett/)

> [“Michael’s generation—its history of fighting disease and bigotry—sometimes made him grumpier than Ben would like him to be, but he knew what he’d found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/michael-s-generation-its-history-of-fighting-disease-and-bigotry/)

[Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/)

> [“You and your name-dropping. 'I knew Michael'. 'I knew Sammael'. 'The angel Gabriel did my hair'. It's like I'm with the Band with biblical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-and-your-name-dropping-i-knew-michael-i-knew-sammael-the-angel/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [He was so confident. But underneath that, behind the scenes, I knew Michael Jordan was a country kid from North Carolina, and it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-armstrong/he-was-so-confident-but-underneath-that-behind-the-scenes-i-knew/)

[B. J. Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-armstrong/)

> [Michael Jackson is part of my heart. We would do anything for each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/michael-jackson-is-part-of-my-heart-we-would-do-anything-for-each/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [I remember I heard it in an interview with Michael Jackson one day, saying the art is gone, everybody makes records just to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/i-remember-i-heard-it-in-an-interview-with-michael-jackson-one-day/)

[Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/)

> [I listened to a lot of Michael Jackson growing up. A lot of Boyz II Men. I loved Mariah Carey. Just big vocalists. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bieber/i-listened-to-a-lot-of-michael-jackson-growing-up-a-lot-of-boyz-ii/)

[Justin Bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bieber/)

> [ Michael \[Jackson\] had paintings of himself at Neverland depicting himself as a knight and surrounded by cherubs and angels. People might think he's an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/michael-jackson-had-paintings-of-himself-at-neverland-depicting/)

[David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/)

> [The theme of the party was Neverland Ranch, so guests were asked to come as anyone or anything associated with Michael Jackson. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-winchell/the-theme-of-the-party-was-neverland-ranch-so-guests-were-asked-to/)

[April Winchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-winchell/)

> [It's absolutely fun to walk around and have people respect you. When Michael Jackson did Thriller, I was in the park one day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/it-s-absolutely-fun-to-walk-around-and-have-people-respect-you-when/)

[Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/)

> [When children see Michael Jackson they see a human being. When adults see him they see money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-collins/when-children-see-michael-jackson-they-see-a-human-being-when-adults/)

[Phil Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-collins/)

> [Michael Jackson has a new baby boy; no word yet who the father is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/michael-jackson-has-a-new-baby-boy-no-word-yet-who-the-father-is/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

## More by Jon Lovett

> [Most of my time at the White House, I wrote very unfunny speeches, but every year, I would work on the correspondents' dinner, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/most-of-my-time-at-the-white-house-i-wrote-very-unfunny-speeches-but/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [When in doubt, mock the powerful, not the powerless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/when-in-doubt-mock-the-powerful-not-the-powerless/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [I worked on one speech about the financial system that caused the Dow to drop, like, 200 points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/i-worked-on-one-speech-about-the-financial-system-that-caused-the-dow/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [There is that definition of leadership that says, 'Leadership is convincing people to do things that they otherwise wouldn't have done because you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/there-is-that-definition-of-leadership-that-says-leadership-is/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> ['Veep' is a great satire of democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/veep-is-a-great-satire-of-democracy/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [Part of my job as a presidential speechwriter (along with great writers like Jon Favreau and David Axelrod) was finding that sliver where 'presidential'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/part-of-my-job-as-a-presidential-speechwriter-along-with-great/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [If there is one way that I would sum up what the 2016 election was on cable news, it was world-class journalists interviewing morons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/if-there-is-one-way-that-i-would-sum-up-what-the-2016-election-was-on/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [There are a lot of heartbroken, anxious people that thought better of their country. We're heartbroken by how far Trump has gotten to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/there-are-a-lot-of-heartbroken-anxious-people-that-thought-better-of/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> ['1600 Penn' was a hit. It's 2018. Anything you want can be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/1600-penn-was-a-hit-it-s-2018-anything-you-want-can-be-true/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [More and more people support equality for their gay friends and neighbors, and that is not because the 'Duck Dynasty' guy almost lost his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/more-and-more-people-support-equality-for-their-gay-friends-and/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [We need people to point out groupthink - We need people to point out stale, old, dumb thinking - and we sometimes need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/we-need-people-to-point-out-groupthink-we-need-people-to-point-out/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [There's only so much mistrust we can take before things get much worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/there-s-only-so-much-mistrust-we-can-take-before-things-get-much-worse/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [The First Amendment's protections have always put a great deal of responsibility in our hands: not only to respect the power of our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/the-first-amendment-s-protections-have-always-put-a-great-deal-of/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [Trump is a raptor testing the fences, and he found weaknesses to escape and try things that would work, every single day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/trump-is-a-raptor-testing-the-fences-and-he-found-weaknesses-to/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

> [As a rule, I think people in L.A. are interested in any writer who brings a different skill set and experiences. There's an attraction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/as-a-rule-i-think-people-in-l-a-are-interested-in-any-writer-who/)

[Jon Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

[Explore all 82 Jon Lovett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/)

## More Bubbles quotes

> [Medicine is magical and magical is art, the boy in the bubble, and the baby with the baboon heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/medicine-is-magical-and-magical-is-art-the-boy-in-the-bubble-and-the/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [What I do, the teacher of the nagual, is open up the bubble of your luminosity and allow the luminous being to take short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/what-i-do-the-teacher-of-the-nagual-is-open-up-the-bubble-of-your/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [When (the Reds) won, we loved it because we ran into the locker room and touched all the bats and gloves and got some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr-2/when-the-reds-won-we-loved-it-because-we-ran-into-the-locker-room-and/)

[Ken Griffey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr-2/)

> [If I had my way, I would build a lethal chamber as big as the Crystal Palace, with a military band playing softly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-i-had-my-way-i-would-build-a-lethal-chamber-as-big-as-the-crystal/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [“Forget your troubles! Try these bubbles! You can’t say nope to extraordinary soap!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-mcree-turner/forget-your-troubles-try-these-bubbles-you-can-t-say-nope-to/)

[Amber McRee Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-mcree-turner/)

> [In 1985, the top five percent of the households - the wealthiest five percent - had net worth of $8 trillion - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stockman/in-1985-the-top-five-percent-of-the-households-the-wealthiest-five/)

[David Stockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stockman/)

> [Oh honey, You're thirteen. You should be blowing bubbles, not guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/oh-honey-you-re-thirteen-you-should-be-blowing-bubbles-not-guys/)

[Author Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-name/)

> [I think we have a bubble in the US in government bonds, because of the quantitative easing and the negative real interest rates, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/i-think-we-have-a-bubble-in-the-us-in-government-bonds-because-of-the/)

[Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/)

> [This tennis world, this tennis community, is very much a bubble, and it's very easy to get lost in here. You know, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/this-tennis-world-this-tennis-community-is-very-much-a-bubble-and-it/)

[Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/)

> [We thought we completely understood bubbles when we were kids. But we didn't. Bubbles are these amazing things. It's just that people aren't paying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-noddy/we-thought-we-completely-understood-bubbles-when-we-were-kids-but-we/)

[Tom Noddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-noddy/)

> [Titles are tinsel, power a corrupter, glorya bubble, and excessive wealth a libel on its possessor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/titles-are-tinsel-power-a-corrupter-glorya-bubble-and-excessive/)

[Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/)

> [I don't even know what that means. People who get credit have to get it from somewhere. Does a credit bubble mean that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-fama/i-don-t-even-know-what-that-means-people-who-get-credit-have-to-get/)

[Eugene Fama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-fama/)

> [And people who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-saint/and-people-who-do-not-know-the-lord-ask-why-in-the-world-we-waste-our/)

[Nate Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-saint/)

> [Where the wave of moonlight glosses The dim gray sands with light, Far off by furthest Rosses We foot it all the night, Weaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/where-the-wave-of-moonlight-glosses-the-dim-gray-sands-with-light-far/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [“That’s my darling little doggie. Bubbles by name, bubbles for brains. You’ve got to love him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-merrow/that-s-my-darling-little-doggie-bubbles-by-name-bubbles-for-brains/)

[J.L. Merrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-merrow/)

[Browse all 821 Bubbles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bubbles/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I was a kid, all I knew about Michael Jackson was that he was crazy. He had a monkey named Bubbles and some kind of oxygen chamber, and he used to be black, but he made himself white, and he was nuts. That was Michael Jackson in full. Wacko Jacko.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jon Lovett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michael-jackson-was-that-he-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bubbles"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michael-jackson-was-that-he-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/jon-lovett-8245_bubbles_when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michae_475457.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/jon-lovett-8245_bubbles_when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michae_475457.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/jon-lovett-8245_bubbles_when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michae_475457.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I was a kid, all I knew about Michael Jackson was that he was crazy. He had a monkey named Bubbles and…” — Jon Lovett",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jon Lovett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lovett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I was a kid, all...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michael-jackson-was-that-he-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lovett/when-i-was-a-kid-all-i-knew-about-michael-jackson-was-that-he-was/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
