The writer who probably knows Prince the best has resisted countless offers to write the bio of the rocker, who is now penning his memoirs.

C.J.

Nonfiction author and soon to be novelist Neal Karlen has no plans to pen “My Weird Life with Prince.”

I don’t know why not. He’s got the goods for that book.

But the writer who wrote a rock opera with Prince and some words that he says are in a time capsule buried at Paisley Park seriously chafes at becoming a Prince authority. He finds aging rock ’n’ roll writers pathetic. So the one-time New York City resident and writer who probably knows Prince the best has resisted countless offers to write his biography. Prince’s announcement that he is writing a memoir has Karlen being peppered with inquiries about whether he is writing or ghosting the project.

Big NO!

“I’m too old to sit in hotel rooms waiting for a phone call just because he can make everyone wait for three hours,” said Karlen. He once waited three days for Prince, who had flown Karlen out to L.A. for a revealing interview about why he was changing his name to the unpronounceable glyph that I translated to Symbolina. “I got jaded, jaded by that Prince world. That moment where I called up and said, ‘I’m going home.’ … Within minutes [he called back] and you realize [celebrities] are just screwing with you. And I knew he liked me. But in that world that’s how you show your power.”

Old handwritten letters from Prince that you’ll see in my video show they had a bond. “Please treasure our friendship as [drawing of an eyeball] do. Thanx 4 everything,” reads one note from Prince while another says, “Thanx ©4 telling the truth! … Love God.”

This writer Neal has said the most realist things about Eye EVER heard in my LIFE!!! it's a MUST read innerview that any REALfan should read.

http://www.startribune.com/c-j-neal-karlen-knows-lots-about-prince-just-don-t-call-him-the-prince-guy/375088911/

[Edited 4/13/16 6:56am]

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

This writer Neal has said the most realist things about Eye EVER heardin my LIFE!!! it's a MUST read innerview that any REALfan should read.

Very jumbled interview.

"I was doing a book on Warner Bros at the time and he knew every angle of the business and the journalism business, too. I think people don’t realize how smart business-wise he is."

Proof for this? Zero.

Pentacle said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

This writer Neal has said the most realist things about Eye EVER heardin my LIFE!!! it's a MUST read innerview that any REALfan should read.

Very jumbled interview.

"I was doing a book on Warner Bros at the time and he knew every angle of the business and the journalism business, too. I think people don’t realize how smart business-wise he is."

Proof for this? Zero.

Interesting article, usually I am pretty suspicious of CJ articles. Seems on one hand he doesn't want to be know as the Prince guy but then giving interviews talking about Prince does seem a little strange. Seems that they worked together and both moved on.

Not sure exactly what you are referring to as regards 'Proof', if you mean business sense then I suppose being a self-made multi-millionaire would be the proof.

jayspud said:

Pentacle said:

Very jumbled interview.

"I was doing a book on Warner Bros at the time and he knew every angle of the business and the journalism business, too. I think people don’t realize how smart business-wise he is."

Proof for this? Zero.

Not sure exactly what you are referring to as regards 'Proof', if you mean business sense then I suppose being a self-made multi-millionaire would be the proof.

He's not a self-made millionaire, he had some help - from Warners for example.

Compare his career when he was with WB, compared to now - when he essentially doesn't have one.

Pentacle said:

jayspud said:

Not sure exactly what you are referring to as regards 'Proof', if you mean business sense then I suppose being a self-made multi-millionaire would be the proof.

He's not a self-made millionaire, he had some help - from Warners for example.

Compare his career when he was with WB, compared to now - when he essentially doesn't have one.

He's self-made in that he didn't come from money. Almost every businessman in the world who is self-made has help from Banks, Investors, other Companies etc. Possibly after making the millions he had he didn't want to make everything about money after that. I'm not sure exactyl what it is that people think Prince is saving up to buy but I am sure he can afford anything he wants.

datdude said:

Sure WB helped but HE did the work, played those instruments, wrote those songs. That's self made to me. He's doing fine selling out pop up dates w/o an album on the 'charts'

We've gone over this: he's selling out concerts based on music promoted by WB in the '80s.

Of course he was instrumental in becoming successful, but it's also clear

that without some help from professional or even just level-headed people,

all he can pull off is play concerts.

jayspud said:

Pentacle said:

He's not a self-made millionaire, he had some help - from Warners for example.

Compare his career when he was with WB, compared to now - when he essentially doesn't have one.

He's self-made in that he didn't come from money. Almost every businessman in the world who is self-made has help from Banks, Investors, other Companies etc. Possibly after making the millions he had he didn't want to make everything about money after that. I'm not sure exactyl what it is that people think Prince is saving up to buy but I am sure he can afford anything he wants.

Because he's VERY smart!!

Pentacle said:

datdude said:

Sure WB helped but HE did the work, played those instruments, wrote those songs. That's self made to me. He's doing fine selling out pop up dates w/o an album on the 'charts'

We've gone over this: he's selling out concerts based on music promoted by WB in the '80s.

Of course he was instrumental in becoming successful, but it's also clear

that without some help from professional or even just level-headed people,

all he can pull off is play concerts.

I think his current situation, financially and reputationwise, is pretty remarkable for someeone who has been in the music business since 1978, hasn´t had a real hit since 1994. He still can afford owning a place like Paisley Park, sell out shows, get standing ovations etc.

Playing concerts the way he does (on very short notice, very hit&run, without financial backing from a label or sponsor) is no small feat.

I like Neal Karlen´s Prince interviews for Rolling Stone a lot but in this short video he comes across as a very mean, unlikeable asshole.

Maybe he´s a nice person but while watching this interview I thought he was full of shit.

To joke about Prince´s death so that the personal Prince items Karlen owns become more valuable was a very mean, nasty, evil spirited and unfunny joke.

Or maybe he wasn´t even joking...which would make him an even bigger asshole than he already seems to be.

So he´s this big writer, literature expert, academic, former Rolling Stone writer, and he brags about a few letters and autographs and speculates on how much they´d be worth if Prince died?

GTFOOH.

What a fucking idiot!

Typical for CJ to come up with such a shitty interview. Dude was all over the place....very unstructured. Half of what he said didn´t even make much sense.

So CJ and Karlen somehow find Prince irrelevant, yet all they can talk about it Prince?

Pentacle said:

Pentacle said:

jayspud said:

Not sure exactly what you are referring to as regards 'Proof', if you mean business sense then I suppose being a self-made multi-millionaire would be the proof.

He's not a self-made millionaire, he had some help - from Warners for example.

Compare his career when he was with WB, compared to now - when he essentially doesn't have one.

He probably makes more money know.

paulludvig said:

Pentacle said:

He's not a self-made millionaire, he had some help - from Warners for example.

Compare his career when he was with WB, compared to now - when he essentially doesn't have one.

He probably makes more money know.

had & has made more money now than ALL his years @ WBR.....

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

This writer Neal has said the most realist things about Eye EVER heard in my LIFE!!! it's a MUST read innerview that any REALfan should read.

http://www.startribune.com/c-j-neal-karlen-knows-lots-about-prince-just-don-t-call-him-the-prince-guy/375088911/

[Edited 4/13/16 6:56am]

I don´t quite understand why you would say that. As I said above, I like Neal Karlen´s Prince interviews he did for Rolling Stone but he is, in my humble opinion, not at all a very important Prince biographer or interviewer, and he definitely has not said the "most realist" (sic) things about Prince.

That honor goes to Mr.Jon Bream, Alan Leeds, and of course Per Nielsen.

Matter of fact, I am very disappointed after reading this interview with CJ and especially after watching the video to it. Two very petty, cheap people who call Prince cheap. But whatever.

-

And I am usually very objective when it comes to Prince.

But, after watching and reading this, I understand why Prince dislikes certain "journalists" and writers so much.

.

I appreciate you posting this because it is Prince related news, and I wanted to post this a couple of days ago and completely forgot about it ....but what exactly did you, of all people on the org, enjoy about this ? You are usually very supportive of Prince, to the point of being irrational, and now you think Karlen is important?

Sure, he also pays respect to Prince....if we can call it even respect...but wishing Prince´s death just so his stupid memorabilia becomes more valuable?

I wish Karlen had talked a bit more about The Dawn instead of that unlistenable gibberish.

KoolEaze said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

This writer Neal has said the most realist things about Eye EVER heard in my LIFE!!! it's a MUST read innerview that any REALfan should read.

http://www.startribune.com/c-j-neal-karlen-knows-lots-about-prince-just-don-t-call-him-the-prince-guy/375088911/

[Edited 4/13/16 6:56am]

I don´t quite understand why you would say that. As I said above, I like Neal Karlen´s Prince interviews he did for Rolling Stone but he is, in my humble opinion, not at all a very important Prince biographer or interviewer, and he definitely has not said the "most realist" (sic) things about Prince.

That honor goes to Mr.Jon Bream, Alan Leeds, and of course Per Nielsen.

Matter of fact, I am very disappointed after reading this interview with CJ and especially after watching the video to it. Two very petty, cheap people who call Prince cheap. But whatever.

-

And I am usually very objective when it comes to Prince.

But, after watching and reading this, I understand why Prince dislikes certain "journalists" and writers so much.

.

I appreciate you posting this because it is Prince related news, and I wanted to post this a couple of days ago and completely forgot about it ....but what exactly did you, of all people on the org, enjoy about this ? You are usually very supportive of Prince, to the point of being irrational, and now you think Karlen is important?

Sure, he also pays respect to Prince....if we can call it even respect...but wishing Prince´s death just so his stupid memorabilia becomes more valuable?

I wish Karlen had talked a bit more about The Dawn instead of that unlistenable gibberish.

Well I liked the behind the scenes info he gave on how trusted him to do his first innerview. Plus how LOYAL was when Rolling Stone tried to sneakily take it away from him. It proves is not as cold as others portray him here.

Plus of course Neal revealing "The Dawn" project which looks like we won't ever see it, until God 4bids something happens 2 my idol.

Eye didn't like the death remarks he made either. But still it proves that he is a no nonsense person & not a YES MAN like everyone around seems 2 b. Eye think that's what liked about him also.

Btw Jon Bream, Alan Leeds, & Per Nielsen weren't in 's intimate private world like Neal was. He has secrets that no one knows about & HASN'T tried to profit off of them like the ones mentioned. Which is why everyone wanted him to do 's MEGA Memoir including ....

[Edited 4/13/16 9:44am]

laurarichardson said:

Pentacle said:

He's not a self-made millionaire, he had some help - from Warners for example.

Compare his career when he was with WB, compared to now - when he essentially doesn't have one.

/// Okay you finacial mastermind! Prince had a commercial recording studio that Mr Leeds said brought in as much as 20 million a year in the early 90s. He also said that Prince brought dozens of parcels of land out in Channahassen for pennies back in 80s. Do you know he is the largest land owner in Channahassen County? Do you know he got that county to give him grants when he was having the studio built? Do you know that doing the Jam of the year concerts Prince rented out some of the Venues so he keep the bulk of the profits. We also no idea what stocks or investments he had had over the years. What we do know is that P is not living on some grate and that he is pulling down anywhere from half a million to a million on his concerts and jetting around in a private plane.

.

Go Laura Richardson. The bolded part says it all.

And Pentacle.... Never read Thomas Pikety's Capital in the 21st century huh? It will enlighten you to how millionaires are born. r>g

.

Believe me Prince is self made. Even if Warners gave him the opportunity, don't tell they didn't generate profit from it OR, want the deal very badly with the new Kid on the Block who was going to be a cash cow for them.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

KoolEaze said:

I don´t quite understand why you would say that. As I said above, I like Neal Karlen´s Prince interviews he did for Rolling Stone but he is, in my humble opinion, not at all a very important Prince biographer or interviewer, and he definitely has not said the "most realist" (sic) things about Prince.

That honor goes to Mr.Jon Bream, Alan Leeds, and of course Per Nielsen.

Matter of fact, I am very disappointed after reading this interview with CJ and especially after watching the video to it. Two very petty, cheap people who call Prince cheap. But whatever.

-

And I am usually very objective when it comes to Prince.

But, after watching and reading this, I understand why Prince dislikes certain "journalists" and writers so much.

.

I appreciate you posting this because it is Prince related news, and I wanted to post this a couple of days ago and completely forgot about it ....but what exactly did you, of all people on the org, enjoy about this ? You are usually very supportive of Prince, to the point of being irrational, and now you think Karlen is important?

Sure, he also pays respect to Prince....if we can call it even respect...but wishing Prince´s death just so his stupid memorabilia becomes more valuable?

I wish Karlen had talked a bit more about The Dawn instead of that unlistenable gibberish.

Well I liked the behind the scenes info he gave on how trusted him to do his first innerview. Plus how LOYAL was when Rolling Stone tried to sneakily take it away from him. It proves is not as cold as others portray him here.

Plus of course Neal revealing "The Dawn" project which looks like we won't ever see it, until God 4bids something happens 2 my idol.

Eye didn't like the death remarks he made either. But still it proves that he is a no nonsense person & not a YES MAN like everyone around seems 2 b. Eye think that's what liked about him also.

Btw Jon Bream, Alan Leeds, & Per Nielsen weren't in 's intimate private world like Neal was. He has secrets that no one knows about & HASN'T tried to profit off of them like the ones mentioned. Which is why everyone wanted him to do 's MEGA Memoir including ....

[Edited 4/13/16 9:44am]

OK, I see...thanks for the reply.

Not sure about Neal Karlen being closer to Prince than Alan Leeds and Jon Bream though. I don´t get that impression at all (at least not from this interview with Karlen or the Rolling Stone interviews he did with Prince).

Jon Bream and Mr. Leeds, on the other hand, have been following Prince´s career very closely for a very long time now.

But maybe you know something about Neal Karlen that we don´t.

I´m wondering to what extent he was involved in the "The Dawn" project and why nobody ever heard about it previously.

KoolEaze said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Well I liked the behind the scenes info he gave on how trusted him to do his first innerview. Plus how LOYAL was when Rolling Stone tried to sneakily take it away from him. It proves is not as cold as others portray him here.

Plus of course Neal revealing "The Dawn" project which looks like we won't ever see it, until God 4bids something happens 2 my idol.

Eye didn't like the death remarks he made either. But still it proves that he is a no nonsense person & not a YES MAN like everyone around seems 2 b. Eye think that's what liked about him also.

Btw Jon Bream, Alan Leeds, & Per Nielsen weren't in 's intimate private world like Neal was. He has secrets that no one knows about & HASN'T tried to profit off of them like the ones mentioned. Which is why everyone wanted him to do 's MEGA Memoir including ....

[Edited 4/13/16 9:44am]

OK, I see...thanks for the reply.

Not sure about Neal Karlen being closer to Prince than Alan Leeds and Jon Bream though. I don´t get that impression at all (at least not from this interview with Karlen or the Rolling Stone interviews he did with Prince).

Jon Bream and Mr. Leeds, on the other hand, have been following Prince´s career very closely for a very long time now.

But maybe you know something about Neal Karlen that we don´t.

I´m wondering to what extent he was involved in the "The Dawn" project and why nobody ever heard about it previously.

It's a LOT of projects,movies,videos in 's vault that no one has ever seen or heard of.

laurarichardson said:

/// Okay you finacial mastermind! Prince had a commercial recording studio that Mr Leeds said brought in as much as 20 million a year in the early 90s. He also said that Prince brought dozens of parcels of land out in Channahassen for pennies back in 80s. Do you know he is the largest land owner in Channahassen County? Do you know he got that county to give him grants when he was having the studio built? Do you know that doing the Jam of the year concerts Prince rented out some of the Venues so he keep the bulk of the profits. We also no idea what stocks or investments he had had over the years. What we do know is that P is not living on some grate and that he is pulling down anywhere from half a million to a million on his concerts and jetting around in a private plane.

Impressive if he had been a land speculator or a investment broker.

But he's in the music business - and well...

If he's so savvy, he would never have signed the infamous 1992 contract.

Pentacle said:

jayspud said:

Not sure exactly what you are referring to as regards 'Proof', if you mean business sense then I suppose being a self-made multi-millionaire would be the proof.

He's not a self-made millionaire, he had some help - from Warners for example.

Compare his career when he was with WB, compared to now - when he essentially doesn't have one.

The single most profitable thing Prince has ever done (for Prince) was the 2004 "Musicology" album and tour.

No Warner Brothers involvement at all.

Pentacle said:

laurarichardson said:

/// Okay you finacial mastermind! Prince had a commercial recording studio that Mr Leeds said brought in as much as 20 million a year in the early 90s. He also said that Prince brought dozens of parcels of land out in Channahassen for pennies back in 80s. Do you know he is the largest land owner in Channahassen County? Do you know he got that county to give him grants when he was having the studio built? Do you know that doing the Jam of the year concerts Prince rented out some of the Venues so he keep the bulk of the profits. We also no idea what stocks or investments he had had over the years. What we do know is that P is not living on some grate and that he is pulling down anywhere from half a million to a million on his concerts and jetting around in a private plane.

Impressive if he had been a land speculator or a investment broker.

But he's in the music business - and well...

If he's so savvy, he would never have signed the infamous 1992 contract.

The most successful people learn the most from their mistakes, not from their successes.

RodeoSchro said:

Pentacle said:

jayspud said:

Not sure exactly what you are referring to as regards 'Proof', if you mean business sense then I suppose being a self-made multi-millionaire would be the proof.

He's not a self-made millionaire, he had some help - from Warners for example.

Compare his career when he was with WB, compared to now - when he essentially doesn't have one.

Even if you somehow don't view his success under WB as self-made ,he has still operated independently for almost 20 years now. He has musicians to pay, lights to keep on in a big studio, other bills -- I'm pretty sure he has "self-made" a couple of millions.

Within minutes [he called back] and you realize [celebrities] are just screwing with you.

Say whaaat?? Who woulda thunk it?

lets just call it what it is...he's a bit of c@*t !simle as that. Bitter little man...like many on here in fact who put themselves in some superior position & on a level with Prince. This sense of self importance alas nearly always back fires with piss poor advice/opinions etc. Sadly Neal is merely using what was a unique position to classlessly promote himself...would you honestly want to work with him after reading/watching that?! He walks away yet chooses to waffle on about it...dick!

KoolEaze said:

I like Neal Karlen´s Prince interviews for Rolling Stone a lot but in this short video he comes across as a very mean, unlikeable asshole.

Maybe he´s a nice person but while watching this interview I thought he was full of shit.

To joke about Prince´s death so that the personal Prince items Karlen owns become more valuable was a very mean, nasty, evil spirited and unfunny joke.

Or maybe he wasn´t even joking...which would make him an even bigger asshole than he already seems to be.

So he´s this big writer, literature expert, academic, former Rolling Stone writer, and he brags about a few letters and autographs and speculates on how much they´d be worth if Prince died?

GTFOOH.

What a fucking idiot!

Typical for CJ to come up with such a shitty interview. Dude was all over the place....very unstructured. Half of what he said didn´t even make much sense.

So CJ and Karlen somehow find Prince irrelevant, yet all they can talk about it Prince?

I totally agree with all of this. Neal Karlen has joined my "bitter and petty losers" list.

All of U misunderstand Neal big time....Just like U always misunderstand ....

Pentacle said:

laurarichardson said:

Pentacle said:

Impressive if he had been a land speculator or a investment broker.

But he's in the music business - and well...

If he's so savvy, he would never have signed the infamous 1992 contract.

- Owning a recording studio is a part of the music industry and touring is a part of the part of the music industry. The implementation was that he was not successful in business. Not true He has had his ups and downs like anyone else. The key is to survive.

A studio built with WB money and now used only by himself.

Tours (including Musicology) which are all greatest hits tours -

hits made with WB money.

At least the piano tour is interesting as a concept (I haven't heard any recordings).

If he doesn't use his biography to begin with The Vault collection, he'll no longer

register on any radar in ten years.

Pentacle said: