Oprah Talks to Stevie Wonder

Oprah: And wasn't it around then when you first played a piano?

Stevie: That was when we lived in the projects. The neighbors had an old broken-down piano.

Oprah: What did you feel the first time you touched the keys?

Stevie: I was like "Whoo!"

Oprah: The same thing happened to Quincy Jones when he was around 11. He was a little hoodlum in Seattle, and he broke into a warehouse to steal pies. He found a piano, and when he touched the keys for the first time, he said he knew he'd come home.

Stevie: Yes. Quincy and I have a similar history.

Oprah: If you could live your life again, would you change being blind?

Stevie: I would not change it.

Oprah: You never dreamed of wanting to see?

Stevie: I don't regret what happened because it made me who I am. But I'd love to see.

Oprah: In 2000 there were reports that you were planning to get some kind of chip to regain your sight.

Stevie: The chip is very real, and I've met with the doctor who discovered it. The chip allows you to pick up images through impulses. You have to be tested to see if you're eligible, and I have some potential eligibility. I think it's great.

Oprah: Is the chip still in the works?

Stevie: Very much so.

Oprah: If you've never seen, can you miss it?

Stevie: I miss what's associated with seeing. I'd be lying if I said I don't miss being able to drive somewhere with my wife and kids alone or, back in the day, with my girl. But there's nothing I can do about it. I just have to work it out.

Oprah: How do you even understand seeing as a concept?

Stevie: Because I'm living life, aware of what everyone else is doing. I have a vivid imagination. And growing up, I was around people who weren't afraid to say "Man, why are you lookin' over there? What's wrong with you? I'm over here. You need to keep your head still."