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

Oprah: Are te 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 te 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 te started to go inside yourself? Because obviously te haven't spoken to the world for 14 years. So te went inside, te 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 te were performing, te 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 o whatever it was. Some may call it a strict disciplinarian o whatever, but he was very strict, very hard, very stern. Just a look would scare you, te know.
Oprah: And were te 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 o as an adult?
Michael: Both. He's never heard me say this. I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me.