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If Not Madonna, Could Morris have saved UTCM?
So we've decided that no, casting Madonna in Under the Cherry Moon would have been disastrous... (that whole idea of her saving the movie was a bit facetious)
But seriously, from the first time I saw Cherry Moon I couldn't decide if this was Prince trying to imitate Morris or was Prince having to replace Morris because he jumped ship. Could it be that the whole Christopher Tracy character was created in response to Morris' defection? Sort of a "I don't need you -- I created YOU!" statement. If so, that was a lot of time, effort and pride just to say "F.U."
If Morris were still a willing member of the Prince camp -- how would Prince's Christopher Tracy have been perceived by the public? A failed parody of Morris or a poor imitation? Prince may have invented The Lovable/Laughable Gigolo character, but he definitely needed a cat like Mo'Day to pull it off. So picture this... Instead of Christopher & Tricky, we have the return of Morris & Jerome -- still surfing the wave of Purple Rain.
Word is when Prince wrote "Movie Star" he either had Morris in mind or had actually written for him to record -- though not recorded until 1986, is there a chance this song pre-dates UTCM? (More drawers, more drawers)
Let's pretend Parade was intended simply to be the Art Deco follow-up album to the BritPop Psychedelia of Around the World in a Day. The soundtrack to Morris Day's Cherry Moon movie could have contained some of the more Morris-appropriate songs later considered for the unreleased Dream Factory project. It's not hard to picture Mr. Day's take on "Last Heart", "Witness", "Data Bank" (original version), "I Could Never Take the Place...", "It" and of course "Movie Star".
So just like what if Vanity stayed around for Purple Rain, what if Morris were cast in UTCM. Same basic script but giving Morris & Jerome the room to improvise -- like the "Password" scene in Purple Rain...
Might have still been a flop but really, could it have been that much worse...?
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morris' influence was the reason it fell short, Prince got jealous of morris upstaging him in purple rain and decided to imitate it. What would have saved UTCM would have been a good director, a good scriptwriter anyone who could have saved Prince from his own ego. I always thought Prince could have been a great filmaker with his instincts but that is an overwhelming thing to take on all at once and on your own. | |
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Morris as Christopher Tracy? Why not, although it might have been hard to get the financial backing for the film if Prince wasn't going to do the lead. Morris is certainly the better actor.
As for using some of the Dream Factory era songs for Morris... well, no. I don't see them fitting him that well. Besides, I think one of the reasons why SOTT is such a strong collection of songs is that Prince wasn't simply giving away some of his best songs to other artists anymore.
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yeah the Purple Rain was still to fresh for him to take jerome as a sidekick and be the 'pretty one' who is comical as well, the Morris comparisons came out immediately
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I don't know, those songs Alphachannel chose could have easily become a good Morris Day & the Time album, I mean the lyrics fall into their scope of themes. If the Time continued with Paisley Park/Prince I would have to believe their sound/scope of language would expand 4 this period. If Prince continued to let Jesse create with him and Morris
+ during the SOTT years he had no more Proteges (outside of Madhouse which was basically Prince and his bandmembers:Dr Fink Sheila E Eric & Levi) but that was different music, If say Sheila E(the band and album) Morris Day/the Time, Vanity 6 continued into the Parade era Prince would have had an avenue to distribute some of the unreleased music from the volumes of music that come out of the 1985/86 period
Last Heart Witness Data Bank(original version) I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man It Movie Star
Girl o My Dreams Jerk Out Chocolate
Can U Help Me B Ur Man
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You get where I'm coming from... If you take the songs from the Dream Factory/Crystal Ball/Sign era and filter out the ones with soaring vocals and ethereal/spiritual lyrics, you end up with a handful of tracks that would have suited Morris' cartoon pimp persona nicely. Prince was beginning to expand The Time image a little with the song "Ice Cream Castles" (I also forgot that "My Summertime Thang" is also an option). Not at all saying that he should have sacrificed Sign as an album BTW...
Nice touch keeping Jesse in the mix OF4S -- should we go for broke and ask Jimmy, Terry & Monte to come on board too?
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You know who could have saved UTCM?
Joe Ezterhaus. | |
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I always thought that Prince and Morris should have been in the film and not Jerome. Now that would have crazy to see both of them try to upstage each other with their antics clothes and hair. __________________________________________________
2 words falling between the drops and the moans of his condition | |
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that's a good idea but we still have the problem with Prince's ego, he still demanded control over the film and that was way beyond and too much for him. Not only that him and Morris didn't get along that well and Morris was deep in cocaine addiction post-time breakup. | |
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wouldnt have it any other way, the only way Morris would have stayed
Morris has a very good voice by the way, would love 2 C him in a smokey club black n white silk paisley pajama like suites all done up singing on a make center stage band behind him, Mary Sharon and her girlfriends Vanity Susan Susannah Brenda Sheila E & Jill in the VIP section listening
(you know how George Lucus has put Star Wars the clone wars in cartoon?) Different versions of UTCM
I Dont Want 2 Leave U has that standout definative Purple Music touch like Ice Cream Castles too A hot steamy rendition of It with Morris and Jesse on guitar give him a little more spars guitar work leading up to the solo | |
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