Times of India Newspaper

26 Dec 2005, 2144 hrs IST, AAKANKSHA NAVAL-SHETYE ,TNN

Being a celebrity bodyguard is no mean task, more so when the celebrities involved include the likes of Michael Jackson and Madonna. Yet, for Commander Avi Moyal, it was an experience he cherishes till date.

Having been with the army for five years and worked as a combat official for a few years later, Israel based Moyal agreed to being a VIP bodyguard.

“That’s when I took up the assignment of security for Madonna and Michael Jackson. I think they are more like children — quite impulsive in what they want and when,” he says.

A master in the martial art form of Krav Maga — that teaches you how to stop people who push you without hurting them — he admits that it can be as tough as it gets.

In the city for a workshop, he recalls his experiences with Michael Jackson. “One morning he wanted to go to a carousel park and we did. …

There were about 3,000 children there and they all started following him — one can handle a few people, but dealing with 3,000 children — that was tough.

This was also around the time when their were allegations being made against him. During the trip also he had two of his friends with him, an 11-year-old and an eight-yearold. But, I think he is more of a child than a criminal,” he says.

Another incident that he remembers is Jackson’s night out. “Jackson could not sleep and wanted to go to a mall. Of course, all the stores were closed, at that late hour.

And we had to rout all the store-owners and ask them to open the stores in their pyjamas only! And he went shopping. …

Though he could not read Hebrew, he went around pointing at things he wanted and that’s how we shopped in the middle of the night,” reveals Moyal.

And was he wary about working for Madonna? “No, she’s a nice person,” is all he says, rather politely. Elaborating on the finer nuances of celebrity security he says, “One has to be much more smarter.

While you have to protect your client, you cannot be rough with their fans either. And you have to always anticipate and avert the unexpected — the fans can get quite crazy and desperate when they are around celebrities.

You end up protecting both the fans and the celebrity.”

Source: Time of India website and Times of India

MYCATPRESS