From what I gather, Bobby Z was pretty philosophical when Prince replaced him with Sheila E, and when Sheila was replaced with Michael Bland I imagine she'll have either been cool with it or declared "I never needed Prince anyway" (that's a different matter!).

What I'd like to know, however, is if there are any interviews with Michael Bland out there giving his reaction to being replaced with Kirk Johnson. I'd be interested to know what he thought about it.

peterfalconer said:

I would imagine the situation was bittersweet for him in looking back on it now. I think he mentioned several things that were aggravating with the situation leading up to the disbanding. But he also mentioned that he learned his current work ethic from his time with Prince. He seems quite content with the work he has done since then. He didn't so much as say he was pissed or happy to be replaced with KJ. BUT... contrary to popular KJ remarks on this site, Michael did say that Kirk is one of the only drummers he likes in the Twin Cities area. I find this comment quite comical, considering how many people on this site praise Michael and in the same sentence bash Kirk. Unfortunately when people don't like something relating to Prince, they want a scapegoat like KJ or Larry Graham to blame for their disenchantment.

pzlyprk said:

Nah - Prince is a big boy; if he acts like a twat, it's entirely his own fault. I just thought KJ was a terrible drummer!

Prince changes his core band quite frequently, every 3-5 years or so. I'm sure all of Prince's band members know that it's not a question of "if" as much as a question of "when".

I don't think Michael would have had any beef with KJ personally. It's just the way Prince works - he likes to start things fresh. And from the recent interviews he did here, Michael seemed like the kind of person that understands that.
[Edited 3/13/07 6:29am]

peterfalconer said:

there are a couple awesome q & a threads that michael b participated in here at the org last year...seek them out...IMHO they are the best threads ever here at the org.

pzlyprk said:

I'm positive that Michael B. was very happy for Kirk when he got the gig. Michael B doesn't have a spiteful bone in his body. I'm sure that he and Kirky J. (That's the silliest name Prince has ever given one of his associates) got to be good friends during the Diamonds & Pearls era. As a Drummer Kirk may not have been as good as Sheila or Michael B. But very few are. I think he did really good. He certainly was allowed to show his chops more then Booby Z was.