• RICKY PETERSON: We were doing 'Emancipation,' and he had a cuss jar. He was getting into Jehovah's Witnesses. He was trying to quit cussing himself. George Benson, who's a full-fledged Jehovah's Witness guy, was at Paisley doing a record. He said, 'I don't know about our boy. I don't think our boy's going to make it.' He couldn't get past the part of Prince cussing and trying to get religious after doing a song like 'Sexy MF.' No one knew what Prince was doing. This was right after Mayte lost the baby.

• TOMMY BARBARELLA: Our last real long conversation was a spiritual discussion that went awry. It left kind of a bad taste in my mouth. He's just not interested in things that aren't in accordance with his views. He likes to argue, and he likes to win the argument, which is why [his current religion] seems to work well for him. But he's searching, trying to make sense of it all, trying to get right with God. I'm cool with it as long as I don't get into an argument with him, because he's a very persuasive speaker. I sat up in his office the day after his name change. He talked for about three hours, explaining to me what it meant and why. I walked out of there feeling pretty good. It made sense to me. Later that night, I was like, 'What? Wait a minute. What did he say?'

• WENDY MELVOIN: We tried to put together a [Revolution] reunion tour in 2000, and he declined because of my homosexuality and the fact I'm half-Jewish. It came back: Go have a press conference denouncing your homosexuality and that you're converting to Jehovah. I was like: I guess we'll never hear from him again. And I had to kind of mourn him. It was devastating to think we've kind of lost him.

• ROBYNE ROBINSON: I showed up [at Glam Slam] after closing my art gallery one night and was just bone-tired, and he was in the mood to talk about Jehovah. That's just what he wanted to talk about that day. He said, 'Have you heard the truth?' I said, 'I'm so tired. Dude, not now.' But he likes to talk about a lot of different things. He has a lot of interests, and he reads a lot. He's kind of isolated out there at Paisley Park if there aren't folks out there.

http://www.startribune.co...58206.html
[Edited 10/5/04 16:30pm]

kinda sad if you ask me..specially with wendy

EDIT: b4 yall get on my ass, im talking about the relationships that might've turned for the worse im not denouncing his beliefs in any way
[Edited 10/5/04 16:35pm]

1996-1998: i remember it was a very strange time -- Prince would talk all spiritual, get very deep, just want you to listen or at least say that you agreed -- but then he came out with the very non-spiritual and musically-immature (besides a few songs) album, New Power Soul. The first song he released was called "The One" but it wasn't about The One, it was about himself. And then the video came out with a bunch of religious (Jesus died on a stake/stauros) and spiritual sayings scribbled around the border. Then he closed down his the love4oneanother site with all of its spiritual essays and sayings, and opened up the more didactic and JW-minded npgmc site. so what is it now? "love 4 one another" except when they don't agree with your beliefs? that seems to be how Wendy was treated, and several others as well. gotta wonder. before he used to say we were just at different points in our journey -- but now it's more like "you're either right here beside me, or i'm gonna leave ya in the dust" -- to each his own, i know... but i wish things were better -- this way just doesn't seem good for him. i have no problem with it, but i kinda fear for him. peace.

Wow, Ive never read those comments before, kinda crazy that those people have spoken about it and it all reflects each other. The Truth, indeed.

Snap said:

co-sign

lets hope he dont get carried away with this whole thing (anymore than he has already)

CeeJay said:

what the hecks a cuss jar ?!

ummm seems i can't view that flippin thing without bein a member...if this aint the whole thing can someone post it ALL pleassssse? thank ya!

What a great thread.
[Edited 10/5/04 17:29pm]

Below are excerpts from an interview Prince did with "Addicted to Noise"

Addicted To Noise: What about Ani DiFranco? I'm guessing that among the things you admire about her are her unwillingness to compromise and her ability to run her own label. Was it difficult for two people with such singular visions to accommodate each other?

The Artist: She has a vision by nature and she made it come to fruition. I wanted to meet her because she doesn't allow nobody to mess with her vision. I didn't look at it as two people with strong visions colliding. She knows what she wants and I don't think she thinks about it as someone trying to mess with that. She just views it as the absurdity of if someone did [mess with her vision]. I think Chuck [D] puts it better. It's like giving up your business to someone. Like, 'Here, I gave you some paper that I know is valueless.' It's like you gave your art to someone and then they kept your gold. It's your creation, your gold. I've been studying the Bible with Larry [Graham Jr., former Sly & the Family Stone bassist] and it says that God created the world and he saw that it was good, he saw man and saw that he was good, but then something happened there and man started creating things. What does that tell you?
The 41-year-old Artist appears to have been profoundly affected by his close working relationship with Graham. The bassist has been touring with The Artist for the past year and, in early 1999, The Artist released Graham's album Graham Central Station 2000 on his NPG label.

Graham is someone who "makes my light shine brighter," The Artist says. The pair share Bible study as well as an almost telepathic connection. "He's a brother, mentor, advisor. I get things from him. He teaches me a lot about people," The Artist says.

The Artist has had many musical foils over the years, from percussionist Sheila E. to multi-instrumentalists Wendy & Lisa, to singer Rosie Gaines and rapper Tony M. But Graham appears to occupy a different space than the others, who may have shared center stage but were clearly following The Artist's lead.

The Artist speaks of Graham as an equal, an inspiration from which he can learn. The Artist gives nearly all of his dozen band members a chance to shine during the Thursday afternoon jam session, but he looks to Graham to help hold down not just the beat, but the flow of the show.

In a revealing moment, The Artist draws a distinct line between what he thinks he can and can't learn from Graham.

Moonwalkbjrain said:

you cuss, you drop a quarter or however much depending on the the extent of the cuss word
we got one of those in my guitar class @ school

http://www.citypages.com/...asp?page=2
Alan Leeds, who worked as Prince's tour manager for seven years and ran the now-defunct Paisley Park Records from 1989 to 1992, still remembers a late-night chat he had with his wife several years ago. "I remember saying, 'You know where this is going to end up? This is going to end up with Prince playing on Sundays in a purple church in Chanhassen [the location of Paisley Park],'" Leeds recounts. "People will be dressed in ruffled shirts, looking like it's the Eighties, watching him preach and play 'Purple Rain.'"

The prediction seems particularly prescient given the way things went down at Paisley Park during "Prince: A Celebration." Some 2,000 fans, most of them paying members of npgmusicclub.com, had congregated to take in nightly concerts featuring the likes of Nikka Costa, Common, Erykah Badu, and the Time, and spend their days sampling The Rainbow Children. According to online dispatches filed by enthusiasts who paid $70 for a chance to glimpse their idol on his turf, Prince was unusually relaxed, practically ubiquitous. He appeared frequently on Paisley's stage and sporadically attended daily listening parties, where reverent attendees sat in prayerlike circles, took in the new CD, then dutifully discussed its content, which is said to be heavily influenced by the singer's religious convictions. ("Today, the unimaginable happened. I got to sit in a room and talk about God and music with Prince. I talked with Prince, he listened, and answered me," reads one message posted on www.prince.org. "I somehow knew the day would come but was not expecting it today.")

For the time being, the gospel according to Prince combines a conservative, religious ideology with an ambitious critique of the music industry. The book is neither complete nor consistent. It is, nevertheless, a revelatory read.

http://www.citypages.com/...le9634.asp
Go on, make your knock-knock jokes about Prince the Jehovah's Witness while you can. But U won't be laughing when the newly religious one beats down your door and tries to make you exchange your women's rights for front-row seats to the Second Coming. (Even though Jesus could probably stage the biggest comeback tour in history, his tickets would still go for less than the $70 "celebration.") Indeed, from Prince's newly soap-washed mouth--"Even Tipper Gore can come," he proudly explained at the conference--came the news that he had adopted the holy, hierarchical view wherein man ranks below God, and woman below man.

"Would you rather be a leader or a follower?" Prince asked the dozen or so journalists at the conference. "I would rather be a follower. That's what the Bible says is the right thing to do. Only one person in the Bible was not God's follower, and look what happened with that!" Although Prince's remark stopped just short of name-dropping Eve, it also symbolized his general scorn for feminist women. "Twenty-first century women do not want to live by a role," Prince said. "They want to say to men, Let's switch our roles. But things don't work that way. You have to know your role and make it work."

http://www.signonsandiego...ince3.html
When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, Prince began his acceptance speech with: "All praise and thanks to the most high Jehovah."

He concluded his remarks by saying: "A word to the wise: Without real spiritual mentoring, too much freedom can lead to the soul's decay. A word to the young artists – a real friend and mentor isn't on your payroll. A real friend and mentor cares for your soul as much as they do their own. I wish all of you the best on this fascinating journey. It ain't over. Peace."

http://eurweb.com/story.cfm?id=11937
Just when C.J. was done reporting on Symbolina, as she calls the flamboyant singer, she was bombarded with e-mails and calls from Jehovah's Witnesses who explained why Prince visited a house in Eden Prairie, then got in an automobile and left. They explained that Prince was probably visiting an address that had been missed earlier. "Well, looking at your picture, I'm going, 'Cute,'" said a caller named Greg. "Please remember that Prince is just the messenger trying to give out information, along with Mr. [Larry] Graham. Apparently you thought it was funny. I don't get it, but you should get this: God does not like ugly, and he's not too crazy about cute, either. Check yourself."

Sad, depressing shit....


In case there was any still wondering: this is why people are uncomfortable with his conversion to JW.

remember tho being a grown up means u can seperate the man from the music!

i love his music..it has profoundly touched me

i couldnt give a shit how he lives his life and nor frankly should you!

.....but it is fascinating!

i remeber felling really uncomfortable about the celebarations....real idol worship if ever i saw it.

(tho the gigs sounded amazing)

very sad.

those quotes do seem to support what i feel from his work these days

i'd separate the man and the music but the religion has already taken a huge bite outta the music

jonylawson said:

This really is a good point. I've never cared what kind of faith Prince had. I simply respect him for staying true to himself.

OdysseyMiles said:

interesting. considering that he's changed his mind 180 degrees on some topics in recent years how could anyone even tell what being 'true to himself' would be?

timewise, the person he was for forty-odd years would technically be 'himself'. the last several years (non-profanity, no sexual lyrics, etc).. .. well. .. .. that would be his 'new' self, hey? erm..

What's funny is that after everyone spend years freaking out about Prince's new JW faith (he'll never be the same etc.) after all is said and done he is basically still the same ol' Prince.
I am sorry , but he's just not vastly "different" than he used to be.

This year alone proved that. You went to the "Musicology" shows. Was he different? No, he was still fairly naughty. You watch TV. Did he play with Wendy? Yes. Here are the quotes at the end of the Star Tribune article that was used above:


There were changes in his personal life. He quietly divorced Mayte and married Manuela Testolini, a former Paisley staffer, on Dec. 31, 2001, in Hawaii, purchasing a mansion in her hometown, Toronto. His dad died in August 2001. His mother passed away five months later. Associates discovered a different Prince.

• ROBYNE ROBINSON: I got to see him at his last birthday party out at Paisley, and I got to see him interact with his mom. It was good to see him in that relationship. She didn't stay long, but he introduced us and had us sit together. He was very sweet. He loved his parents so much. Everyone was really worried when he lost them. They really kind of kept him together emotionally.

• RICKY PETERSON: [In July 2003], he came up to me when I was playing with David Sanborn at the Hollywood Bowl. I look out of the corner of my eye, and Prince is there. At the end of the tune, he extended his arms to me and gave me a big hug. What? This is unheard of. He said, 'Man, it sounds really good.' I went, 'Geez, man, maybe you are turning a corner.' 'Cause he would never do that.

• MICHAEL BLAND: Sonny [Thompson] and I went to Paisley last June [2003]. We jammed, and it was like there was this automatic fit. He said we were welcome out here any time. Everyone was in good spirits; it was almost like no time had passed.

The Revolution reunited without him in December for a Los Angeles benefit concert organized by Sheila E.

• MATT FINK: We all had a great time. We talked about maybe doing more gigs like that, for charity or not. We wished Prince had been there. We've made several attempts to get him to reunite with us. So far, he hasn't been open to it.

But after Prince surfaced at the Grammys in February, he finally hooked up with one of his old bandmates.

• WENDY MELVOIN: Me and Bobby [Z] and Susannah wanted to go see him at the House of Blues [the L.A. club where Prince played on Grammy night]. I called his guitar tech to let Prince know that the Revolution wanted to be there. Bobby got this call saying, 'Bobby can go for free, but everybody else has to pay.' What the hell is this? So we get there; none of us has to pay, but it was incredibly difficult to get in. There's Steven Tyler [of Aerosmith] and Beck walking by us, and all these other people.

We finally got shuffled off to this room where there wasn't a seat for us. He called a whole bunch of people onstage but didn't call any of us. I thought, 'Well, that's it.' His wife introduced herself, and I told her to thank him for the tickets and goodbye.

Then the next day, I get this call: "Prince would like you to come and rehearse with him on acoustic guitar for 'The Tavis Smiley Show' he's doing." Curiosity got the best of me. I went down, and he was remarkably kind and open, and gave me a huge hug. He had me sit in with his band, and I hung with him for two hours.

The next day, it was just him and me, and he was gorgeous. He was the guy I knew when I first met him. He was the guy who spent the night at my and Lisa's house on our pullout bed. I held on to him and kept kissing him and hugging him and telling him I loved him. I don't know what to think of it. He knows we all love him.
[Edited 10/6/04 10:01am]

XxAxX said:

Well, since none of us know him personally, we're really not in a position to say who the "real Prince" is. In addition, each and every one of us are entitled to change our minds. Just like in his song "Free". So as long as he's doing what he believes in, he is being true to himself.

Ricky

Peterson said:

Don't know. There's something fishy about this story. i.e. "We were doing 'Emancipation' " and "This was right after Mayte lost the baby". Mayte lost the baby - correction the baby died after having been born (it wasn't a case of miscarriage) - after the album had already been completed and already send out to the stores. Hmmm... does it matter? No, but something's a bit wrong here.

OdysseyMiles said:

that's true. i guess i'm not in the fortunate position of being able to say i never changed my mind on anything at all so there you go.