Michael Talks To Oprah(February 10,1993)-(9)

Oprah: Are u angry with him for doing that? I think that's pretty cruel actually.
Michael: Am I angry with him?
Oprah: Because adolescence is hard enough without a parent telling u that you're ugly.
Michael: Am I angry with him? Sometimes I do get angry. I don't know him the way I'd like to know him. My mother's wonderful. To me she's perfection. I just wish I could understand my father.
Oprah: And so let's talk about those teen years. Is that when u started to go inside yourself? Because obviously u haven't spoken to the world for 14 years. So u went inside, u became a recluse. Was it to protect yourself?
Michael: I felt there wasn't anything important for me to say and those were very sad, sad years for me.
Oprah: Why so sad? Because on stage u were performing, u were getting your Grammies. Why so sad?
Michael: Oh, there's a lot of sadness about my past and adolescence, about my father and all of those things.
Oprah: So he would tease you, make fun of you.
Michael: Yes.
Oprah: Would he...did he ever beat you?
Michael: Yes.
Oprah: And why would he beat you?
Michael: He saw me, he wanted me...I guess, I don't know if I was his golden child of whatever it was. Some may call it a strict disciplinarian of whatever, but he was very strict, very hard, very stern. Just a look would scare you, u know.
Oprah: And were u scared of him?
Michael: Very. Like there's been times when he'd come to see me, I'd get sick, I'd start to regurgitate.
Oprah: As a child of as an adult?
Michael: Both. He's never heard me say this. I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me.