Eminem Says He Can Relate to Michael Jackson’s Pill Addiction

The newly sobered Eminem has finally made his way back to the almighty magazine cover. Seven years following his bitter feud between The Source and XXL Magazines Marshall Mathers has grown into a more disciplined and mature individual ... well at least the disciplined part is true, "Superbad could be the greatest movie of all time," Eminem admits in the December/January 2009 cover of Complex Magazine. "There are so many things in it that when you walk away you don't even know what part to talk about. That's what happened to me. I watched that movie when I was first getting sober -- I had a lot of free time -- so I watched that movie, no lie, close to 200 times", explains Eminem on some of his "new discoveries" since kicking his drug addictions earlier last year.

Em spoke with Editor-in-Chief Noah Callahan-Bever on everything from his next album, 'Relapse 2,' beating his addictions, whether or not he and 50 Cent could take Kanye West and Jonah Hill in a game of basketball, and even drew comparisons from his life to that of the late Michael Jackson.
When asked if he saw any parallels with Jackson's death and his previous lifestyle, Eminem responded, "100 percent. When you read things about Michael Jackson it's hard to decipher what the f--- is true, but there's the story of how he woke up at whatever time and he needed something to go back to sleep because he had this or that and it didn't work. That's exactly what used to happen to me: I would take a couple of pills and I would be up an hour later and I'd want more. Then I'd take more and that would be enough to maybe get me back to sleep for two more hours. Then I'd be wide awake again. So I definitely can relate, and it's a shame if he didn't have anybody there to just say, 'Michael, you're an addict, you need help.' It's one of the pitfalls of fame."

The December/January issue of Complex Magazine is a must read for any Marshall Mathers fan. With a full-length interview and an exclusive photo spread shot completely in Em's hometown of Detroit, Mich., Complex continues to elevate the print game in a climate where publications are closing shop faster than Eminem's flow on 'Forever.'