independent and unofficial
Prince fan community
Welcome! Sign up or enter username and password to remember me
Forum jump
Forums > Prince: Music and More > Prince in the 90s
« Previous topic  Next topic »
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
Author

Tweet     Share

Message
Thread started 07/17/16 1:14am

rogifan

Prince in the 90s

I came across this fascinating piece from Rolling Stone about Prince in the 90s with extensive quotes from original NPG band members as well as his manager at the time.

http://www.rollingstone.c...y-20160505

These two quotes stood out for me:

Randy Phillips: In the time I was managing him, he could be very engaging and charming, but I never found him to be really happy. You had to drag conversation out of him. He didn't drink. He didn't smoke. No drugs. His thing was going out at three in the morning and playing all night and morning in a club – and after playing a three-hour set. He was always the most comfortable onstage.


Michael Bland: It was mid-March in 1996 that we kind of got our official word [that he had fired most of NPG]. When we were let go, a lot of people got let go. He had an in-house staff of 127 people at Paisley. That's a lot of people smoking, running their friends around. He put up with that as long as he could, and then he was just like, "Everybody out."


I always felt the 90s was a weird decade for Prince and one that seemed like a dark and angry period. I don't know if it was Larry Graham coming into his life, becoming a JW or just being free from WB but I feel like after the 90s he just became a much happier person loving life and at peace. And you hear mostly positive things from those that worked with him in those years. Just thinking about the book he was working on, the chapters that cover the 90s would be fascinating to read.
Paisley Park is in your heart
#PrinceForever 💜
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #1 posted 07/17/16 2:02am

Krystalkisses

avatar

Oh man, I totally know what you mean. cool

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #2 posted 07/17/16 2:35am

jumanji2016

127 people for in-house staff? Man, that's a lot of leeches. Reading this makes that life-threatening incident that he is rumored to have had in April 1996 even more understandable.
[Edited 7/17/16 7:53am]
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #3 posted 07/17/16 3:44am

BillieBalloon

I too think the 90s was a dark period for him. After the Diamonds and Pearls era he seemed to descend into a period of bitterness, even the way he looked. His face was ashen..I always wondered why does his makeup look five shades too pale? And the defiant expression.I think Mayte got the angry prince and this couldn't have been easy for that relationship. He seemed vulnerable and you just wanted him to be happy but he didn't seem to be. Those comments from band members document this period well..it thinks it's Michael B that says he just stop talking to us for a number of weeks and he had never done that before. He seemed troubled and it came across.
[Edited 7/17/16 3:45am]
Baby, you're a star.

Meet me in another world, space and joy
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #4 posted 07/17/16 7:30am

rogifan

jumanji2016 said:

127 people for in-house staff? Man, that's a lot of leeches. Reading this makes that life-threatening incident that he is rumored to have had in April 1996 even understandable.
[Edited 7/17/16 2:35am]

Prince once said when Larry came into the picture there were a lot of crazy people around (can't find the exact quote). I'm guessing the purge happened around the time he and Larry started getting close.
Paisley Park is in your heart
#PrinceForever 💜
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #5 posted 07/17/16 7:35am

rogifan

BillieBalloon said:

I too think the 90s was a dark period for him. After the Diamonds and Pearls era he seemed to descend into a period of bitterness, even the way he looked. His face was ashen..I always wondered why does his makeup look five shades too pale? And the defiant expression.I think Mayte got the angry prince and this couldn't have been easy for that relationship. He seemed vulnerable and you just wanted him to be happy but he didn't seem to be. Those comments from band members document this period well..it thinks it's Michael B that says he just stop talking to us for a number of weeks and he had never done that before. He seemed troubled and it came across.
[Edited 7/17/16 3:45am]

I never liked the makeup or hair of that era, just kind of dark and creepy. I also hated the gun microphone (though P did use it on the Musicology tour) and that one anecdote of P holding it up to the head of a band member who didn't get their horn part right is kinda scary. I wonder what was driving some of this anger and darkness. It had to be more than his spat with WB. Unless it was just a phase he had to go through in order for him to finally grow up.
Paisley Park is in your heart
#PrinceForever 💜
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #6 posted 07/17/16 7:48am

TrivialPursuit

avatar

rogifan said:

I came across this fascinating piece from Rolling Stone about Prince in the 90s with extensive quotes from original NPG band members as well as his manager at the time.


Posted back in May: http://prince.org/msg/7/425028

But a very good read. The 90s were really chaotic out there in Prince's world. However, it was also some of his best music since 1987. The sequence of Come, The Gold Experience, Exodus, & Chaos and Disorder is one punch after the other. They were aggressive, and he was out to prove something. Throw in The Black Album finally seeing the light of day, and it was a great time for his output. However, the chaos and disorder around his management, and flighty attitude when it came to business really put him in a bad light.

Funny note about Graffiti Bridge. I read an article back then about the movie. Prince was in a hotel room editing the movie. (He might have been interviewing with Alan Light, but I forget). Prince was going on about how great the movie was going to be. The reporter, who had interviewed him pre- and post-release, said something about the public not liking GB very much. Prince said something to the effect of "Well they didn't like The Wizard of Oz at first when it came out." (which was true - it was pretty much a flop).

The reporter noted, in his story and not to Prince himself, "Yeah well they didn't like Howard The Duck either."

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #7 posted 07/17/16 7:50am

BillieBalloon

rogifan said:

BillieBalloon said:

I too think the 90s was a dark period for him. After the Diamonds and Pearls era he seemed to descend into a period of bitterness, even the way he looked. His face was ashen..I always wondered why does his makeup look five shades too pale? And the defiant expression.I think Mayte got the angry prince and this couldn't have been easy for that relationship. He seemed vulnerable and you just wanted him to be happy but he didn't seem to be. Those comments from band members document this period well..it thinks it's Michael B that says he just stop talking to us for a number of weeks and he had never done that before. He seemed troubled and it came across.
[Edited 7/17/16 3:45am]

I never liked the makeup or hair of that era, just kind of dark and creepy. I also hated the gun microphone (though P did use it on the Musicology tour) and that one anecdote of P holding it up to the head of a band member who didn't get their horn part right is kinda scary. I wonder what was driving some of this anger and darkness. It had to be more than his spat with WB. Unless it was just a phase he had to go through in order for him to finally grow up.



I never liked it either. He seemed to go from how he looked in the Cream and D&P videos to a kind of skinny ashy faced elf. His hair and sideburns looked weird and that playfulness was there but rarely showed itself Maybe issues in his personal life too.
We can't be found until we're lost and its during this time when Larry Graham and the JW faith "rescued" him...according to Prince. Holding that gun microphone up like that was an act that seemed to go beyond just joking into the realms of aggressive confrontation.
[Edited 7/17/16 7:51am]
Baby, you're a star.

Meet me in another world, space and joy
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #8 posted 07/17/16 7:59am

jumanji2016

rogifan said:

Prince once said when Larry came into the picture there were a lot of crazy people around (can't find the exact quote). I'm guessing the purge happened around the time he and Larry started getting close.


Interesting. You know, I always assumed that he met Larry in the late 70s---around the time that he met Chaka, Bootsy, and Sly (since Larry was his bassist). Did they meet earlier and just became close later in the 90s?
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #9 posted 07/17/16 9:46am

Morningstarlet

avatar

rogifan said:

I came across this fascinating piece from Rolling Stone about Prince in the 90s with extensive quotes from original NPG band members as well as his manager at the time.

http://www.rollingstone.c...y-20160505

These two quotes stood out for me:

Randy Phillips: In the time I was managing him, he could be very engaging and charming, but I never found him to be really happy. You had to drag conversation out of him. He didn't drink. He didn't smoke. No drugs. His thing was going out at three in the morning and playing all night and morning in a club – and after playing a three-hour set. He was always the most comfortable onstage.


Michael Bland: It was mid-March in 1996 that we kind of got our official word [that he had fired most of NPG]. When we were let go, a lot of people got let go. He had an in-house staff of 127 people at Paisley. That's a lot of people smoking, running their friends around. He put up with that as long as he could, and then he was just like, "Everybody out."


I always felt the 90s was a weird decade for Prince and one that seemed like a dark and angry period. I don't know if it was Larry Graham coming into his life, becoming a JW or just being free from WB but I feel like after the 90s he just became a much happier person loving life and at peace. And you hear mostly positive things from those that worked with him in those years. Just thinking about the book he was working on, the chapters that cover the 90s would be fascinating to read.



He sounded like an extremely difficult person to work for. What he did to Nelson, his trombone player, with the gun-mic was cruel.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #10 posted 07/17/16 9:51am

rogifan

Morningstarlet said:

rogifan said:

I came across this fascinating piece from Rolling Stone about Prince in the 90s with extensive quotes from original NPG band members as well as his manager at the time.

http://www.rollingstone.c...y-20160505

These two quotes stood out for me:



I always felt the 90s was a weird decade for Prince and one that seemed like a dark and angry period. I don't know if it was Larry Graham coming into his life, becoming a JW or just being free from WB but I feel like after the 90s he just became a much happier person loving life and at peace. And you hear mostly positive things from those that worked with him in those years. Just thinking about the book he was working on, the chapters that cover the 90s would be fascinating to read.



He sounded like an extremely difficult person to work for. What he did to Nelson, his trombone player, with the gun-mic was cruel.

Well he certainly seemed that way in the '90s. Haven't heard similar stories from the '00s NPG/3rdEye band members.
Paisley Park is in your heart
#PrinceForever 💜
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #11 posted 07/17/16 9:53am

rogifan

TrivialPursuit said:



rogifan said:


I came across this fascinating piece from Rolling Stone about Prince in the 90s with extensive quotes from original NPG band members as well as his manager at the time.


Posted back in May: http://prince.org/msg/7/425028

But a very good read. The 90s were really chaotic out there in Prince's world. However, it was also some of his best music since 1987. The sequence of Come, The Gold Experience, Exodus, & Chaos and Disorder is one punch after the other. They were aggressive, and he was out to prove something. Throw in The Black Album finally seeing the light of day, and it was a great time for his output. However, the chaos and disorder around his management, and flighty attitude when it came to business really put him in a bad light.

Funny note about Graffiti Bridge. I read an article back then about the movie. Prince was in a hotel room editing the movie. (He might have been interviewing with Alan Light, but I forget). Prince was going on about how great the movie was going to be. The reporter, who had interviewed him pre- and post-release, said something about the public not liking GB very much. Prince said something to the effect of "Well they didn't like The Wizard of Oz at first when it came out." (which was true - it was pretty much a flop).

The reporter noted, in his story and not to Prince himself, "Yeah well they didn't like Howard The Duck either."


Thanks I searched but didn't find that thread. There is great music from that era. But I still like happy Prince not angry Prince. smile
Paisley Park is in your heart
#PrinceForever 💜
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #12 posted 07/17/16 10:28am

Connected

avatar

rogifan said:

BillieBalloon said:
I too think the 90s was a dark period for him. After the Diamonds and Pearls era he seemed to descend into a period of bitterness, even the way he looked. His face was ashen..I always wondered why does his makeup look five shades too pale? And the defiant expression.I think Mayte got the angry prince and this couldn't have been easy for that relationship. He seemed vulnerable and you just wanted him to be happy but he didn't seem to be. Those comments from band members document this period well..it thinks it's Michael B that says he just stop talking to us for a number of weeks and he had never done that before. He seemed troubled and it came across. [Edited 7/17/16 3:45am]
I never liked the makeup or hair of that era, just kind of dark and creepy. I also hated the gun microphone (though P did use it on the Musicology tour) and that one anecdote of P holding it up to the head of a band member who didn't get their horn part right is kinda scary. I wonder what was driving some of this anger and darkness. It had to be more than his spat with WB. Unless it was just a phase he had to go through in order for him to finally grow up.


Agreed.

But there is plenty of evidence that Prince (not unlike JB) was an autocratic bully.

That being said...he was hitting his forties during the 90s?

Tough times for most people - particularly men - and no kids, fucked marriage, business problems, new horizons...

As much as Prince was a genius, he was no more infallible to life

So, I get the darker, more rebellious time - unappealing to some

But damn - after 89...the output between 94-98 was the nuts!!!

Then, he lost touch with me again until 2002...and what a glorious return it was! cool

~Shakalaka!~..... ~Mayday!~
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #13 posted 07/17/16 1:48pm

TrivialPursuit

avatar

rogifan said:


Thanks I searched but didn't find that thread. There is great music from that era. But I still like happy Prince not angry Prince. smile


I bet ya didn't look, because "Prince in the 90s" turns right up in the search. Bygones.

Angry Prince had his moments of greatness. I've always maintained that Prince made his best music when he had conflict in his life, whether that was a troubled relationship with a girlfriend or a record company. When Prince got "free", I think his content suffered a bit. When he was in the throws of having trouble with Susannah, we had great songs. When he stepped into the ring with WB in the early 90s, it spawned incredible music (Gold, Exodus, Come). When he got all religiousy, he got boring in a lot of regards. The only reason fans overlooked the pontification on The Rainbow Children was because it's such a musically interesting album.

I didn't want the ol' boy to have a life of conflict, but when he didn't have something needling him, he rested a bit too heavily on "I'm Prince". Of course, Prince was known to swing from one end to the other, and never finding a good middle ground to satisfy both sides.

"eye don’t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #14 posted 07/17/16 2:02pm

Connected

avatar

Agreed

It is the expression of flux in all our lives that is the most interesting…and painful

Prince just expressed it a shit-load better

I’m not sharing the TRC comments – that album & tour was the bollocks – and I ain’t religious…

But then there are numerous threads on that discussion too biggrin

~Shakalaka!~..... ~Mayday!~
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Forums > Prince: Music and More > Prince in the 90s