When I was a kid, I was afraid of other kids.
My father ran a saloon in Kenosha, Wis., which is just about as rough a living as I can think of. It was brutal; it scared the hell out of me. I was so petrified all the while I was a child, I didn't know what I was doing half the time.
I remember as a kid being scared of the things that go bump in the night, but I was way more scared of adults.
I was timid and frightened as a child. Yours truly did not shin up mountains or do any other kind of adventurous stuff.
I never saw a department store Santa as a kid. My mother was afraid to take me.
I was brought up in a very poor and very violent household. I spent much of my childhood being afraid.
When I was 11, I was terrified about the world.
My dad was a very violent, frightening and dangerous guy. Next to him, I was this vague kind of kid who walked around, as I still do, gathering impressions.
