Winless Jackson Scores in Speech

Michael Jackson failed to add any Grammy wins to his considerable resume Wednesday, but he scored yet another public relations victory with his poignant, at times humorous acceptance speech for the special Legends Award.

In a talk that ran more than six minutes, Jackson expanded his campaign to dispel the public perception that he is a reclusive, even neurotically private man.

“In the past month, I’ve gone from ‘Where is he?’ to ‘Here he is again,’ ” Jackson said. “But I must confess it feels good to be thought of as a person, not as a personality.

“Because I don’t read all of the things written about me, I wasn’t aware that the world thought I was so weird, and bizarre. But when you grow up as I did in front of 100 million people, as I did from age 5, you’re automatically different.”

Jackson had been scheduled to show off that personality with a Grammy show performance, but decided Wednesday afternoon he’d rather talk than sing.

After being introduced by his sister Janet, he held her close and pressed his face next to hers, eliciting the audience’s laughter when he announced, “I hope this finally puts to rest another rumor that has been in the press for too many years. . . . Me and Janet really are two different people.”

He then displayed more eloquence than he did during his entire 90-minute televised interview Feb. 10 with Oprah Winfrey in talking about creativity and his love for children.

“Today, when I create my music, I feel like an instrument of nature,” he said. “I wonder what delight nature must feel when we open our hearts and express our God-given talents. The sound of approval rolls across the universe and the whole world abounds in magic. Wonder fills our hearts for what we have glimpsed for an instant: the playfulness of life.

“And that’s why I love children and learn so much from being around them. I realize that many of our world’s problems today, from inner-city crime to large-scale wars and terrorism, and our overcrowded prisons, are a result of the fact that children have had their childhoods stolen from them.

“The magic, the wonder, the mystery and the innocence of a child’s heart are the seeds of creativity that will heal the world,” he said.

“I really believe that.”