Net catches Jacko in Wacko mode

Eccentric pop star insists marriage is 'joyous' in bizarre computer interview

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Michael Jackson yesterday denied reports that his marriage was breaking up in a "conference interview" on the Internet in which he typed answers to questions put by his fans.

In responses riddled with grammatical errors, the superstar who was the subject of child abuse allegations last year described his 15-month-old marriage to Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie as "pretty joyous" and said his present album could be his last.

Speculation about Jackson's lifestyle, following reports that he sleeps in an oxygen mask and treats his chimpanzee Bubbles like a human, will be strengthened by his childish and sometimes incoherent answers.

Asked how kept going in the face of his bad press, he said: "espite of what the press says, I move ahead. It's garbage. I have my dreams, I am a visionary and I am very resilient. I am here to do what I am supposed to do."

A question about how his new album, HIStory, was selling elicited the answer: "Yes I am overly excited about how well the album is doing. It is the fastest-selling album in my career, despite what the press is saying." Later, Jackson described how marriage had changed his life - countering reports that the couple are rarely together. He said: "I think I find it more fun to appreciate what family really means, the fact that even t[h]ough there were 10 of us Jacksons and we were always doing things at different times and I am really learning the meaning of love. Giving 100 per cent of yourself all the time. Putting up with one another. So far it has been pretty joyous."

Reports that a quickie divorce was on the cards were untrue.

Jackson gave the "simulcast chat" live to the online networks CompuServe, Prodigy and America Online from New York.

Questioned about which superhero he would like to be, he answered: "I like Batman a lot. I like Morph from X-men. "He can become anything. He is very mysterious and he can even teleport."

Asked if he wished he could walk in public without being mobbed, he said: "I have every disguise you can think of. That is why I wish I could be Morph so that Ally asks Hi Michael . . . you have an amazing voice I could change places and just enjoy life. I would love to do that."

On the subject of best friends, he said: "My best friend is pretty much the same. . . all the children of the world for their innocence and their love." It was still his dream to adopt children.