Michael Jackson's Mother Discusses Their Relationship; Exclusive Access to Large Collection of Jackson's Paintings
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: Tonight the exclusive interview three years in the making. The one person who knew Michael Jackson better than anybody else. His mother Katherine.</s>KATHERINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S MOTHER: Every morning, all through the day I think about Michael.</s>MORGAN: Katherine Jackson speaks out on Michael's childhood.</s>JACKSON: So Michael looked back at those childhood and he said he was abused. Well, they call it abuse. But sometimes if it wasn't for the strap, what would this world be like today?</s>MORGAN: On what he missed. Did you ever hope that he would find true love?</s>JACKSON: I always thought about that, but Michael seemed happy. He found a lot of joy in his children.</s>MORGAN: On the talent Michael that hid from the world.</s>JACKSON: Michael loved art a lot. He loved paintings. He loved water colors. He loved even the crayons.</s>MORGAN: And her explosive theory about Conrad Murray.</s>JACKSON: He did a terrible thing. And there might have been others involved. I don't know that but I feel that.</s>MORGAN: Katherine Jackson, an extraordinary hour. The PIERS MORGAN interview starts now. Tonight an extraordinary look at Michael Jackson's private life through his deeply personal artwork. He started drawing as a child. The pictures are new revelations about the iconic singer. Much of it kept in a secret location, at an airport hangar in Los Angeles. Some of it is in the studio with me tonight. Joining me now in an exclusive interview is Michael's mother Katherine Jackson and his mentor and good friend artist Brett Livingston Strong. Welcome to you both.</s>JACKSON: Thank you.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.</s>MORGAN: We're surrounded by this incredible art. Most of which has never been seen. That your son Michael did. What I'm struck by, I love this picture, Katherine which is -- how old is he there, Michael?</s>JACKSON: He's about 9 or 10 there.</s>MORGAN: And he's clutching his own work of art.</s>JACKSON: Yes.</s>MORGAN: He painted that.</s>JACKSON: Yes.</s>MORGAN: I don't know what's more impressive, the art or the fantastic hat he's wearing.</s>MORGAN: Very stylish. But clearly from an early age he loved art. Tell me about that side of Michael.</s>JACKSON: Michael loved art a lot. He -- he loved paintings, he loved water colors. He loved even the crayons. And he would always draw. And when he was even in school, he would draw pictures and they took one of his drawings and put it on the front of the yearbook. And --</s>MORGAN: Was he self-taught? Did he teach himself?</s>JACKSON: He taught himself.</s>MORGAN: Amazing talent.</s>JACKSON: Just the talent that he had. And I can't say too much more about him, only his father -- his father was an artist, too. He loved to paint and draw. So I thought maybe he might have picked it up from him. But he had a natural talent for it, Michael did.</s>MORGAN: And did he always paint, I mean, throughout his life? Was he always painting secretly without people really being aware of it?</s>JACKSON: Yes. Yes. Because when he was just a child, when we moved to Havenhurst, before we remodeled, it had a little house in the back and he took that little house and he made it out to -- of an art studio for himself.</s>MORGAN: What do you think the art brought him? Painting and stuff, what did it give him?</s>JACKSON: Well, you know what? I really don't -- I really can't answer that question. But sometimes when he's not doing anything he would go and start painting. And I think that's just -- it's a way of him just relaxing.</s>MORGAN: A bit of escape, is it?</s>JACKSON: Yes.</s>MORGAN: Brett, you got to know Michael 25 years ago. Tell me about how you met and tell me about this art collection because it's -- people don't really know much about.</s>BRETT LIVINGSTONE STRONG, ARTIST: Right. Well, we first met about 1979 through Mayor Bradley of Los Angeles and also through</s>MORGAN: And this collection, how many pieces are there in it?</s>STRONG: Well, I have -- we have 98 pieces. Other people have some. And there's about -- maybe there's about 20 of those pieces I draw, he did artwork on the other side. I made the paper for Michael in the 1980s, special paper, so if anybody got it they couldn't, you know, counterfeit it. And so he -- we ran -- he ran out of the paper. That's why he started doing artwork on the reverse side.</s>MORGAN: I mean some of the pieces here, I mean, the Martin Luther King picture, Abraham Lincoln. Apparently, he painted a lot of -- drew a lot of -- a lot of former presidents. He loved to do that.</s>STRONG: He loved Abraham Lincoln. He loved freedom. He loved the whole aspect of people being free. Being able to create, you know, beautiful things to inspire people like he wanted to, you know, create his music.</s>MORGAN: And Katherine, he had a strange obsession with the number seven. And with chairs. Now tell me why those two things are in the pictures all the time.</s>JACKSON: Well, Michael was a seventh child. He -- his name had seven letters in it. He would always talk about that. And, you know, seven -- the number seven means completeness in the bible, it tells us. So --</s>MORGAN: So it's like a lucky number for him.</s>JACKSON: For him.</s>MORGAN: And what about the chairs? Why did he like drawing or painting chairs?</s>JACKSON: He just had an obsession of chairs. The chairs that -- not just a plain chair, but chairs that you see had a lot of art in it. A lot of curves, a lot of other things like that. He would draw that.</s>MORGAN: There's one very prophetic picture which is of a little boy sitting on his own in a corner. And just seeing it on the screen. What's poignant is that Michael had written next to this in his own handwriting, "Before you judge me, try hard to love me and look within your heart. Then ask, have you seen my childhood?" What do you think he meant by that, Katherine?</s>JACKSON: You know what? I couldn't tell you. But that is the picture. I have one, too, like that. Are they showing it on?</s>MORGAN: Yes. We're looking at it now. Yes. And it's -- it's a very -- I mean the boy looks, I guess --</s>JACKSON: He looks sad. And he looks -- you know, I think it's because Michael always said he missed most of his childhood.</s>MORGAN: Yes.</s>JACKSON: And he loved to run and play. He loved children. And I think this is what this picture stands for.</s>MORGAN: I've interviewed a lot of people about Michael. Many of your family, your children I've interviewed, Janet, La Toya, Jermaine. All said the same thing that Michael was such a happy child. He loved just playing pranks on people, that kind of thing. Do you ever feel a regret as his mother that he did lose the childhood, really, to super stardom? I mean if you had your time again, would you want the kids, especially Michael, to go into that crazy world?</s>JACKSON: Well, to a certain extent. None of my children were really just loose. Because my husband was sort of -- I should say very strict about things like that because where we came from, there was a lot of crime. And we cared about our children. We didn't want them out there on the street running around, breaking in cars and doing like most other children did back then. And we did things with them in the house. And that's when they started singing. But as far as having a good time and all, they were in the little league and things like that. Then they learned to play the music. And Michael always said he didn't have a childhood, but he enjoyed what he was doing.</s>MORGAN: I think that's true, isn't it? You talked about his father's being tough with them. Was he too tough or not, do you think? Did he -- did he have to be that tough?</s>JACKSON: I didn't think he was too tough, but in -- back in those days everybody raised their children about the same. If you did something wrong, it was terribly wrong, you got a scolding for it and you also got a licking as they called it. But today you can't do that. So Michael looked back at those times and they said he was abused. Well, they call it abuse, but sometime if it wasn't for the strap, what would this world be like today?</s>MORGAN: Do you think that the world has gone a bit soft in terms of discipline?</s>JACKSON: I think it's gone a bit too soft. I really do. And then they have too much things out for our children to do. And they're too open with a lot of things. So things that we weren't open years ago about. And I just feel bad because I know that the world is -- I think it's doomed.</s>MORGAN: Do you?</s>JACKSON: The bible tells us the world will be destroyed. So I think --</s>MORGAN: When you look at America, modern America now, where do you think people are going wrong especially in bringing up children?</s>JACKSON: Well, I think society is sometimes is the fault of it. Because they tell the children to call 911 and in some cases, maybe they need to do that. But then some cases -- some parents are afraid of their children. And some children tell their parents well, if you do this to me, I'm going to call 911 or I'm going to call the police or whatever children can. What are the parents to do?</s>MORGAN: I mean it's interesting. When I talked to your children, all of them have said at various stages of their lives, well, we had this really tough upbringing. Our father was very really strict. But they all -- as they got older and in some cases have their own kids they've begun to realize that maybe it was the kind of tough love that they needed. It's been interesting for me to talk to them. Now they're a bit older. It must be -- for you it must be an interesting experience, too, to hear their views change as they get older.</s>JACKSON: They do. Children change. For instance, Tito, he was one of them that said -- excuse me -- that said I'm going to raise my children just like -- they called their father Joseph. Just like Joseph raised me. Because he always said my children don't get in trouble or anything like that. All these terrible things they laid on Michael, he didn't do these things. But it's just there are wicked people out there and they accuse you of them. But --</s>MORGAN: It must have been -- must have been very hurtful for you as his mother.</s>JACKSON: My gosh.</s>MORGAN: Some of the things that Michael was accused of, the court cases he had to fight and stuff. How did you feel as his mother?</s>JACKSON: Oh, my gosh. It almost destroyed me in a way. You know when I say it just hurt. Because I know Michael didn't do those terrible things. But then there are so many wicked people. Why are they doing this to him?</s>MORGAN: Just hold that thought for a moment, Katherine. When we come back, I want to talk to you about Michael's life and what his legacy.