Michael Talks To Oprah(February 10,1993)-(5)

Oprah: When I look at those tapes of you, and heaven knows, putting this together I think I've seen every piece of video ever done of you, and watching those tapes when, especially in the younger years, you seem to really come alive on stage. Were you as happy off stage as you appear to be on stage?
Michael: Well, on stage for me was home. I was most comfortable on stage but once I got off stage, I was like, very sad.
Oprah: Really?
Michael: Yes.
Oprah: And sad from the beginning, sad since it first started, sad?
Michael: Lonely, sad, having to face popularity and all that. There were times when I had great times with my brothers, pillow fights and things, but I was, I used to always cry from loneliness.
Oprah: Beginning at what age?
Michael: Oh, very little, eight, nine.
Oprah: When you all first became famous?
Michael: Yes.
Oprah: So it wasn't what it appeared to be to the rest of the world, all of us; I remember I was a little black child, wanted to marry Jackie Jackson, your brother, so I mean to all of us we thought this was the most wonderful thing in the world, who wouldn't have wanted that life?
Michael: It was wonderful. There is a lot of wonderment in being famous. I mean you travel the world; you meet people; you go places. It's great. But then there's the other side, which I'm not complaining about. There is lots of rehearsal and you have to put in a lot of your time, give of yourself a lot.
Oprah: Do you feel... I talked with Susan de Passe the other day, and Susan de Passe worked with you at Motown and really groomed you all and found the outfits for the Ed Sullivan Show. We talked about whether or not it was really lost, was it?