Michael Jackson's fearsome father claims he spared his son the rod - but not the belt. "I whipped him with a switch and a belt," Joe Jackson admits in a bizarre BBC interview that airs on British TV tomorrow. "I never beat him. You beat someone with a stick."

The cranky Svengali who propelled Jackson to stardom - allegedly with regular beatings - also says he doesn't care that his son reportedly vomits at the mere mention of his name. "He regurgitates all the way to the bank," he said.

The interview was done by Louis Theroux, who is known in Britain for his snarky celebrity chitchats. It was frequently interrupted by a Jackson family flunky named Majestik Magnificent, who claims to be the peculiar pop star's former "personal magician."

Joe Jackson, who is known for his short temper, got riled when Theroux asked if he wished Jacko had a "partner."

"What are you trying to say, that Michael's gay?" he roared. "We don't believe in gays. I can't stand them."

An outraged Magnificent insisted Jackson was "not gay."

"How much more disrespectful can you be?" the flunky told Theroux. "You should say a girlfriend or a wife."

Theroux, the son of writer Paul Theroux, also got their goat when he asked about Jackson's alleged plastic surgery - especially the pixie nose that Jacko insists is his own.

"I wasn't there when he did it," Joe Jackson said. "I didn't know about it and anyway I'm not going to talk about his nose anymore. I'm not going to make him mad."

Again Magnificent chimed in, warning Theroux, "Stay away from it. ... Can't you take a hint?"

Jackson has claimed repeatedly that his father regularly beat him and that his self-esteem suffered as a result.