傑克遜在愛爾蘭的避世之所

文/盧克·班布里奇（Luke Bainbridge）
（翻譯：ilmj1314 來源：MJJCN.com / 《衛報/觀察家》


儘管邁克爾·傑克遜（Michael Jackson）一生處於怪異、扭曲的神話故事，但很難相信，他去世不久前在愛爾蘭鄉村的一間牛舍改建的房子裡，度過了一段時光。

2006年夏天，在被宣判無罪後，他離開了夢幻莊園去了巴林，後來帶著孩子們秘密的來到韋斯特米斯郡。他找到一間可以放鬆的避難所逃離狗仔隊，他迷戀於歷史悠久、神秘且有民俗的地方，隨後的時間一直住在這裡。


 

邁克爾·傑克遜居住過的Coolatore 莊園


《衛報/觀察家報》（Observer）派給我了一些奇怪的採訪任務，但沒有什麼能比睡在邁克爾·傑克遜的床上更怪誕了。傑克遜曾在愛爾蘭鄉村住過的房子現在用來週末休閒出租。

格羅斯別墅（Grouse Lodge）是一處喬治亞時代的隱蔽地產，坐落在羅斯蒙特村（Rosemount）一個未標記的、蜿蜒崎嶇的礫石車道旁。 2002年它的主人帕迪·鄧寧（Paddy Dunning） 和克萊爾·鄧寧（Claire Dunning）將它改建成了了一間錄音室，從REM到鴿子（Doves），從繆斯（Muse）到戴娜邁特女士（Ms Dynamite），從雪警（Snow Patrol）到雪莉·芭西（Shirley Bassey）都在這錄過音。

帕迪是一個年紀為40中旬的現代文藝復興人，他的生活有時看起來只比傑克遜的奇幻生活遜色一點。他從都柏林的一個清潔工人成為倫敦盛典酒吧區復興的開國元勳之一。現在他在都柏林的生意包括聖殿巷錄音室（Temple Lane Studios）、聲音訓練中心（the Sound Training Centre）、鈕扣工廠夜總會（the Button Factory nightclub）和全國蠟像連鎖博物館（The National Wax Museum Plus） 。

2006年一個名為格蕾絲·羅瓦拉巴（Grace Rwaramba）的女人前來為一個匿名超級明星的查看格羅斯別墅錄音室。她對一切都很滿意，預定了錄音室，另外還有一間由牛舍改建而成的有三張床的房子。但她仍沒有透露這位明星是誰。直到一輛巴士出現，走下來的是普林斯·邁克爾（Prince Michael Junior）、帕里斯（Paris）和毯毯（Blanket），隨之而來的他們的父親邁克爾·傑克遜，保姆格蕾絲和孩子們的家庭教師，帕迪和克萊爾才發現了他們新顧客的身份。

格羅斯別墅置身於古老的農家庭院，周圍有許多改建的附屬房屋又形成一個草坪庭院，沒有人能從街道上看到房子，因此不難理解為什麼傑克遜在這裡能感到安全且隱秘。他與從美國飛來的Will.I.Am和羅德尼·傑金斯（Rodney Jerkins）開始在這裡做新的音樂素材。

傑克遜愛上了韋斯特米斯郡，在改建的牛舍住了一個月後，他搬到了附近同樣隱匿的Coolatore莊園，這也是鄧寧的房產。因為傑克遜在愛爾蘭沒有私人司機，帕迪招募了一個出租車司機雷奧·哈拉（Ray O'Hara）用借來的一輛全黑玻璃的家庭用車載著傑克遜和孩子們到處轉悠。

不知鄧寧一家是怎麼設法嚴守“流行之王”住在這裡幾個月的秘密。即使在傑克遜開始冒險外出，並有傳言說有人看見他在莫亞特（Moate）或基爾伯根（Kilbeggan）村子附近，鄧寧一家也會否認一切。 “如果有人對我說'我聽說邁克爾·傑克遜在這'，我會告訴他們'哦，貓王也在。'” 帕迪說。

格勞斯別墅唯一設置的防衛是三名保安輪流高速駕車去攔截不受歡迎的訪客。當消息最終洩露，知情的當地人成為傑克遜的保護人，給記者指錯誤的路，甚至有位農夫威脅要把他拖車上的泥漿全部倒在狗仔隊的汽車上。

愛爾蘭中部常常被從都柏林湧入戈爾韋（Galway）或其他西海岸地區的人們所忽視，但這卻是一塊有環型堡（ringforts）和中世紀城堡點綴的神奇土地。在Coolatore幾英里的範圍，矗立著兩座具歷史意義的大山Cnoc Aiste 和Uisneach，還有還有湖恩納爾（Lough Ennell）和小人國，在這裡喬納森·斯威夫特（Jonathan Swift ）首次構想了《格列佛遊記》（帕迪正計劃在湖恩納爾附近的森林裡修建一個生態村落，以及一個七層樓高的格列佛里模型）；基爾伯根（Kilbeggan ）鎮裡的洛克釀酒廠如今成為一個博物館。還有一些當地的小酒吧幾十年來一成不變，如洛納山谷（Loughnavalley）的威廉福克斯、拉斯康拉斯（Rathconrath）的岡寧斯（Gunnings），都兼具商店、報亭、車庫和社區中心的功能。


 
樹林中的貓王蠟像

傳統上，Uisneach山是愛爾蘭的地理中心。它只有600英尺高，但是站在頂端你能在晴朗的天氣下看到20個郡。它是古老的米斯郡國王的寶座，在異教盛行時期，是世界上最神聖的地方。它是古代火把節Bealtaine的起源地，2000年前吸引了大批埃及人來到香農鎮。它也是貓石（Cat Stone，又名分步石，Stone of Divisions）的故鄉，據說是女神Ériu的埋葬之地（Ireland或Eire就是以她的名字命名），也是古愛爾蘭省份的劃分之地。

Uisneach現在屬於大衛·克拉克（David Clarke）農場的一部分。今年5月1日，克拉克和帕迪組織了1000多年來第一次火把節，吸引了的各色人等到來，有當地人、農民、神算子、女巫、巫師和遠道而來的古魯。他們先在Uisneach點燃一支明燈，然後點燃從丁格爾（Dingle）到多尼戈爾（Donegal）貫穿全國73座不同山脈上的火把。 “邁克爾對歷史非常感興趣，”帕迪說“他也迷戀於紛繁難懂的愛爾蘭音樂。”

鄧寧一家有與傑克遜渡過的一段珍貴回憶。 “有天我晚上我們都在錄音室，”帕迪回憶說“邁克爾敲鼓，我彈吉他，[美國音樂製作人]納菲尤（Nephew）彈鍵盤，我們開始一起彈奏了一段節奏，慢慢的納菲尤不知不覺的彈起了《比利·珍》（Billie Jean）。與邁克爾一起演奏《比利·珍》太瘋狂了— 我從沒想過我這樣做了。”

帕迪天生健談。他告訴我怎樣何時購買了蠟像連鎖博物館，就是都柏林的杜莎夫人蠟像館。當時貓王看起來有點疲倦了，於是帕迪讓他退休了，放在Coolatore附近的樹林裡。他已經忘了還有貓王這回事，直到邁克爾·傑克遜有天散步回來，吃驚的說“帕迪，我剛才在樹林裡看見我岳父大人了。”

臨近在韋斯特米斯的住宿期滿，傑克遜開始尋找預期的房屋準備購買。當鄧寧一家購買了另一處房產—畢曉普樓，一英里外或更遠的一處廢棄的喬治亞時代的地產，傑克遜參觀了它並商討與帕迪一起將它翻新。因此，雖然說畢曉普樓是傑克修建的房子有些勉強，但它的改建肯定融合了傑克遜的想法。傑克遜在倫敦有基地準備他在O2的演唱會，據帕迪說，傑克遜也計劃在愛爾蘭待一段時間，躲避倫敦媒體的聚光燈。


邁克爾·傑克遜在Coolatore莊園睡過的床

現在Coolatore莊園和新改建的畢曉普樓都可以租用。 Coolatore莊園較大— 是一座1866年維多利亞時期的壯麗的鄉村修養居所，帶有長廳、拱形天花板、豪華起居室、餐廳、圖書館以及一個可以通向吉尼斯家搭建的地下酒吧的隱蔽樓梯。畢曉普樓在鄧寧接手之前已被廢棄多年，現已改建成現代風格，原先喬治亞時期的房子用鋪展開的木材覆蓋，帶有一個秘密的四層屋頂花園。它為傑克遜量身定做，能使他看到全村的風景，而自己不被發現。兩座房子都有6間臥室和5間浴室。

這些房子主要以自供伙食的方式出租，如果你租用其中所有可用的床，每晚100英鎊即可。也可以由附近的格羅斯別墅提供用餐（他們還可以安排從按摩到飛碟射擊的一切服務），菜單主要以別墅內圍牆花園裡種植的當地產品和蔬菜為主。傑克遜的膳食由克萊爾和格羅斯別墅的工作人員提供，他喜歡早餐吃簡單、健康的麥片粥，主餐吃魚或雞肉和蔬菜。 “這個傢伙很健康，他越來越結實了，”帕迪說，“我認為如果他住在這里或呆在這兒,就不會去世。”

Coolatore莊園和畢曉普樓可供租用。一個週末的價格為1200英鎊起，可使用游泳池，桑拿浴室和按摩浴缸或格羅斯別墅的渦流浴。兩座房子均可供12人住宿。詳情請訪問網站coolatorehouse.ie和grouselodge.com。

一天，大家在院子里和狗狗一起玩的時候，突然聽到奇怪的聲響，聽起來象樹木倒向地面的聲音，從來沒聽到過的聲音。邁克爾出來問：“帕迪，那是什麼聲音？”帕迪說：“我不知道。”邁克爾說：“聽起來像一條龍。”“可是愛爾蘭沒有龍。”，突然聲音停止了，狗在吠叫，孩子們望向天空，接著天上出現了許多五顏六色的熱氣球，大家很興奮，邁克爾叫著：“嗚……嗚……”一邊向上招手，熱氣球上的人也向下招手，沒人知道那是邁克爾·傑克遜。
 (補充視頻中帕迪講述的小故事，感謝shell88聽譯)

Michael Jackson's Irish hideaway
Michael Jackson's secret retreat in Ireland 's County Westmeath opens its doors to weekend guests. But is it a thriller?
Luke Bainbridge
The Observer, Sunday 15 August 2010

Even in the context of the bizarre, twisted fairy tale of Michael Jackson's life, the time he spent living in a converted cowshed in rural Ireland shortly before he died takes some believing. But in the summer of 2006, after his acquittal in the previous year's court case, having left Neverland and spent some time in Bahrain, the King of Pop secretly arrived in County Westmeath with his children. Relieved he had found a sanctuary away from the paparazzi and enchanted by an area so rich in history, myth and folklore, Jackson ended up staying for the rest of the year.

I've been given some odd assignments by the Observer, but none quite so off the wall as sleeping in what used to be Michael Jackson's bed, after discovering that the Irish country homes he stayed in are now available to rent for weekend breaks.

Michael Jackson stayed at Coolatore House in County Westmeath. Photograph: Colin O'Toole
Grouse Lodge is a secluded Georgian estate located down an unsigned, winding, potholed gravel drive near the village of Rosemount. It was converted into a residential recording studio in 2002 by owners Paddy and Claire Dunning, and has been used by everyone from REM to Doves, Muse to Ms Dynamite, Snow Patrol to Shirley Bassey. Paddy is a modern-day renaissance man in his mid-40s whose life at times seems only slightly less fantastical than Jackson's. He started out as a Dublin dustman and became one of the founding fathers of the resurgence of the Temple Bar district of the capital. Now his Dublin businesses include Temple Lane Studios, the Sound Training Centre, the Button Factory nightclub and The National Wax Museum Plus.

In 2006 a woman called Grace Rwaramba arrived to check out Grouse Lodge studio for an unnamed A-list pop star. She liked what she saw and booked the studio plus a three-bed cottage on the grounds that had been converted from a cowshed. But she still didn't reveal who the artist was. Paddy and Claire only discovered the identity of their new lodger when a bus turned up and out trooped Prince Michael Junior, Paris and Blanket, followed by their father Michael Jackson, nanny Grace and the children's tutor.

Grouse Lodge is set around an old farmyard, and there's a collection of converted outbuildings that form a second grassed courtyard, none of which is visible from the road, so it's not hard to see why Jackson felt safe and secluded here. He began work on new material at Grouse Lodge with Will.I.Am and Rodney Jerkins, producers who flew in from America.

 

Paddy Dunning in front of Coolatore House. Photograph: Colin O'Toole

Jackson fell in love with County Westmeath and, after a month in the converted cowshed, moved to the equally secluded neighbouring estate of Coolatore, also owned by the Dunnings. Because Jackson didn't have his own driver in Ireland, Paddy enlisted local taxi driver Ray O'Hara to drive Michael and the kids around in a borrowed people carrier with blacked-out windows.
The Dunnings somehow managed to keep the fact that the King of Pop was in residence a secret for several months. Even when Jackson began to venture out and there were rumoured sightings of him in the nearby villages of Moate or Kilbeggan, the Dunnings would deny all knowledge. "If someone said to me I've heard Michael Jackson is there, I would tell them: 'Yeah, so is Elvis Presley!' says Paddy.

The only security Grouse Lodge arranged was to post three guards on rotation at the top of the drive to intercept unwelcome visitors. When word eventually began to leak out, locals in the know became protective of Jackson, sending reporters the wrong way, and one farmer even threatened to empty his slurry trailer over the car of a paparazzo.

The Irish Midlands are often overlooked by people rushing from Dublin to Galway or other parts of the west coast, but it's a magical land dotted with ringforts and medieval castles. Within a few miles of Coolatore are the twin historic hills of Cnoc Aiste and Uisneach; there's Lough Ennell and Lilliput, where Jonathan Swift first conceived Gulliver's Travels (Paddy is planning on an eco village in woods near Lough Ennell, along with a seven-storey model of Gulliver); and Locke's Distillery in Kilbeggan, now a museum. There are also a few local pubs that haven't changed for decades, such as the William Fox in Loughnavalley, and Gunnings in Rathconrath, which doubles as shop, newsagent, garage and community centre.

Traditionally, the hill of Uisneach is the geographical centre of Ireland. It's only 600ft high, but from the top you can see 20 counties on a clear day. It was the ancient seat of the kings of Meath, the most sacred site in the world in Pagan times, and home of the ancient festival of the fires, Bealtaine, which attracted Egyptians up the Shannon 2,000 years ago. It's also home to the Cat Stone (or Stone of Divisions), said to be the burial place of the goddess Ériu (who gave her name to Ireland, or Eire) and where the ancient provinces of Ireland were divided.
Uisneach is now part of the farm belonging to David Clarke, and on 1 May this year, Clarke and Paddy organised the first Festival of the Fires for more than 1,000 years, attracting a diverse mix of locals, farmers, clairvoyants, witches, wizards and gurus from far and wide. A beacon was lit on Uisneach, sparking a chain of fires on 73 different hills across the country, from Dingle to Donegal. "Michael was interested in history," says Paddy, "and smitten by the intricacies of Irish music."

 The waxwork Elvis in the woods. Photograph: Colin O'Toole

The Dunnings have a wealth of stories from the time they spent with Jackson. "One night we ended up in the studio," Paddy recalls. "Michael was on the drums, I was playing guitar and [American producer] Nephew was on the keyboards and we just started getting a rhythm together, and slowly but surely Nephew just creeped the song in to 'Billie Jean'. It was just mad playing 'Billie Jean' with Michael Jackson – I never thought I'd do that."

Paddy is a natural raconteur. He tells me how, when he bought the Wax Museum Plus – Dublin's answer to Madame Tussauds – the resident Elvis was looking a little tired, so Paddy retired him, placing him in the woods by Coolatore. He had forgotten about him until Michael Jackson came in from a walk one day looking shaken. "Paddy," he said, "I just met my father-in-law in the woods!"
Towards the end of his stay in Westmeath, Jackson started to look at prospective houses to buy. When the Dunnings bought a further property, Bishopstown House, a derelict Georgian estate a mile or so away, Jackson visited it and discussed the renovations with Paddy. So, although it would be a little disingenuous to call Bishopstown the House that Jacko built, it's certainly the house built with Jacko in mind. Jackson had a base in London for his ill-fated 50-date run of gigs at the O2, but according to Paddy he also planned to spend time in Ireland, escaping the media glare of the English capital.

 

 The bedroom at Coolatore House where Michael Jackson slept. Photograph: Bryan Meade

Both Coolatore and the newly converted Bishopstown are now available for hire. Coolatore is the larger estate of the two – a beautiful 1866 Victorian country retreat with long halls and vaulted ceilings, grand living and dining rooms, a library and a hidden staircase that leads down to a basement bar installed by the Guinness family. Bishopstown, having been derelict for years before the Dunnings took it over, has been converted in a much more contemporary style, with a wood- clad extension added to the original Georgian house, along with a secret fourth-floor roof garden, designed to afford Jackson panoramic views of the countryside without being seen himself. Both houses have six bedrooms and five bathrooms.

The houses are rented primarily as self-catering properties, and if you use all the available beds, they can work out costing €100 a night each. It is also possible to have meals supplied by nearby Grouse Lodge (they can also arrange everything from massages to clay pigeon shooting), with menus focusing on local produce and vegetables grown in their own walled garden. Claire and the staff at Grouse Lodge cooked for Jackson, who favoured a simple, healthy diet of porridge for breakfast and main meals of fish or chicken with vegetables. "The guy was fit – he was getting stronger," Paddy says, "and I reckon if he had lived here and stayed here, he wouldn't have died."
 Coolatore House and Bishopstown House are available for hire. Prices start at €1,200 for a weekend, which includes access to the swimming pool, sauna and Jacuzzi or whirlpool bath at Grouse Lodge. Both houses sleep 12. Visit coolatorehouse.ie and grouselodge.com