See http://prince.org/msg/7/433721

http://prince.org/msg/7/433355

http://prince.org/msg/7/414050

http://prince.org/msg/7/270563

Spanky said:

So Prince’s character of “The Kid” in Purple Rain rode a motorcycle. He’s on the cover of the album and movie poster on said motorcycle. One might even say that the motorcycle is in itself a character in the movie and some of the accompanying videos. A year later when Raspberry Beret is released as a single he sings about “putting her on the back of my bike” and in the vid you see an animated Prince riding a motorcycle with a girl. Then we never see or hear of him riding a motorcycle again. And before Purple Rain Prince never mentioned being into bikes or cycles or anything with wheels save a little red something or other. So I ask: did he really have a motorcycle that he rode off camera in his personal life, or was it a marketing tool used to sell him as this alpha male rock star for the Purple Rain era projects and its afterglow? Any body have speculative insight or, even better, first hand knowledge?

Don't forget Sex In The Summer, he sang "fire up the Honda / and pick up Rhonda"

[Edited 6/15/18 5:24am]

He rode a motorcycle in Graffiti Bridge, too.

According to the director's commentary on the anniversary edition of Purple Rain, Prince did all his own riding in the film - including the part where he rides up the hill near "Lake Minnetonka" and is airborne before landing on the road.

He had to have been a pretty proficient rider to do that - which means would have had to ride/practice a fair amount.

As far as "Raspberry Beret", the song was a direct inspiration from Purple Rain and frankly extends the "Take Me With U"movie sequence. They are both mid-tempo simplistic songs and similar arrangements (more like 1st cousins than siblings, but similar nonetheless). The imagery in the RB video pulls from PR and, moreover, the trailer to PR which had many scenes not in the final movie. Those including the second love scene in a barn while it was raining outside.

One could, reaching further, extrapolate that his boss Mr. McGee was a euphemism for Billy. Billy kept saying no one's digging his music. Mr. McGee "told me several times that he didn't like my kind cuz I was a bit too leisurely". The leisurely attitude could be seen in The Kid's laissez-faire attitude after his one-song-shit with "The Beautiful Ones".

Again, reaching further (and this is all fan speculation, not reality to Prince's motivation for every lyric), the girl walking in through the out-door - Apollonia got her foot stuck in the right side door at First Avenue; a door that swung out toward the street, which would indicate it's an exit door, not an entry door. An entry door to a business would typically open into the building. One typically walks through the right side when entering or exiting a building. She was trying to bust her way through the left (her left).

Second-hand store - "know any good pawn shops?"

This is all bullshit, but it's a fun bit of parallels to speculate.

As far as the bike - Prince had been riding a bike for a while. Just because we never saw it doesn't mean it didn't happen. There are at least three, but I thought I counted four, motorbikes at Paisley Park. There were two used for Purple Rain because you can see the tread on the tires change during the TMWU sequence. The bike for GB was similar but a different bike.

Let's not forget when Prince took Chance for a ride in Hawaii!

circa 1977

Strawberrylova123 said:

circa 1977

photo

Just read somewhere (?) that the bike in Graffiti Bridge was the same kind as in Purple Rain only painted black.

poppys said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Militant said:

Strawberrylova123 said:

poppys said:

photo

Just read somewhere (?) that the bike in Graffiti Bridge was the same kind as in Purple Rain only painted black.

No they're two separate bikes 😉 you can see them on display at paisley park

Didn't say the same exact bike. Are they the same kind?

poppys said:

There are bikes and there are mopeds.

When I took the Paisley Park VIP tour last year I was told that there were two bikes used in Purple Rain and that Prince took one of them, had it painted black and used it for filming in Graffiti Bridge. At PP, there is one prurple bike in the Purple Rain room and one black one in the Graffiti Bridge room, both bikes alike except for the color.

poppys said:

Strawberrylova123 said:

circa 1977

photo

Just read somewhere (?) that the bike in Graffiti Bridge was the same kind as in Purple Rain only painted black.

kingricefan said:

When I took the Paisley Park VIP tour last year I was told that there were two bikes used in Purple Rain and that Prince took one of them, had it painted black and used it for filming in Graffiti Bridge. At PP, there is one prurple bike in the Purple Rain room and one black one in the Graffiti Bridge room, both bikes alike except for the color.

poppys said:

photo

Just read somewhere (?) that the bike in Graffiti Bridge was the same kind as in Purple Rain only painted black.

Ding Ding Ding!!! Kudos

Spanky said:

Militant said:

Let's not forget when Prince took Chance for a ride in Hawaii!

LMFAO!! Love this

The way he told it was very funny. He stood up and P took off alone, bye-ya.

Genesia said: