It may have taken longer than expected -- but my interview with Sheila E. is finally available. If you are interested, head on over to http://www.themusictionary.com and you won't be able to miss it.

Enjoy, and THANKS to all of you who submitted questions. I will be doing another questionnaire with Wendy & Lisa in the near future... so stay tuned!

And -- I will be setting up a contest later this week to give away some beautiful signed pictures from Ms. Escovedo... so stay tuned for that!

http://www.themusictionary.com

cool, i'll check it out later.
the link isnt working for me right now.

THAT WAS EXCELLENT.....

is there any video of the chook chase?

Great interview!

I'd like to know how she plays the water bottle

Great interview, StevenAnthony.

And you even asked her one of my questions:

Fan Question: Some people want to know about a supposed "fourth-album" from your time at Paisley Park. Some even went as far as to provide a tracklist including songs called "3 Nigs Watching A Kung Fu Movie," "Soul Company", "Day After Day" and many more... is there anything you can say about this unreleased project?



And it's not your fault the answer really wasn't satisfying:

Sheila: I plead the fifth! Some of these titles I’ve never heard before, and yes I was working on a record but it never came out.



She doesn't say what the title of the album was or whyu it didn't come out.

Great question:

Fan Question: Late last fall, you played during a 7 Day Christian Celebration event in Santa Fe. One performer, Ramon Bermudez, and the mayor of Santa Fe cancelled their appearance after reading anti-gay sentiments on the organizer’s website. You still performed on schedule and many readers wanted to know how you feel towards the gay-rights movement. I’m not accusing you of anything, just asking for your viewpoint on the issue.

And an acceptable answer, I suppose:

Sheila: First and foremost, the reason for my participation was to be a blessing to EVERYONE through our music and prayers. Very often inappropriate words are used to voice one’s opinion. However, I choose not to stand in judgement, only in love, and I will continue to do my best to be a blessing to whomever is willing to receive it.

Apparently she doesn't like to talk too much about Prince, but she sure talks a lot about God. So much so, in fact, it almost seems fanatical.

Fan Question: Here’s a question I’ve been dying to know the answer to... "The Glamorous Life" or "A Love Bizarre"?

Sheila: The Glorious Life!

I don't know whether to go or -ow!

Fan Question: You are a very openly spiritual person and have been for a long time. Considering your past with Prince’s music, do you feel any problems with some of the material you two wrote and performed together that contained more sexually charged lyrics? You two occasionally perform together but it seems like "Toybox" is never on the setlist anymore!

Sheila: The person that I was in 1984 is not the person I am now, so obviously I have changed, and there is music Prince and I wrote that I will not perform because of the explicit lyrical content. Once I became a Christian I realized that I had a responsibility to the younger people who looked up to me, and when I noticed that they were singing these songs and dressing the way I used to dress, I knew that I needed to change and that’s not who I wanted to be.

Yeah, the Sheila E. I fell in love with "died" when she became a Christian. Which is why I stopped buying her music after Sex Cymbal. I don't really care about the new Sheila. I just want to know about her time with Prince and if she doesn't even want to talk about that, then she's as good as dead to me. Dead, I tell ya!

squirrelgrease said:

Makes one wonder why mum is the word

Steven Anthony, excellent interview and really enjoyed your website. You and your fanbase asked the right questions: informative and humorous. Dug Sheilas answer about the multiple social networks time-consuming aspects. So true.

Thanks Bro

Joe

scififilmnerd said:

Sounds kinda bullshit-y to me, but

well, right up to Sex Cybal I was kinda there. I respect Sheila's religious choices, and that her personal direction thereafter, but I don't dig the follow up releases. Good to se some fan's questions answered but the answers themselves seem really lightweight to my ears.

I just discovered that the intro to Sheila E's Merci For The Speed Of A Mad Clown In Summer is actually the intro to Queens 1974 Sheer Heart Attack album.

(too bad my question didn't make the cut)

80spfantwp said:

Yeah, she could learn a thing or two from Lisa and Wendy about giving interviews.

scififilmnerd said:

Why?

She explained very clearly that she's in a different head space from the Sheila E. she was before she gave her life to God. Seems like what's past is past to her and she's moved on to living her life for the glory of the Lord, and that take precedence for her over all

scififilmnerd said:

You are wrong. The carnival noise and effects came from a Warner Bros.Sound Effects Collection.

indyenna said:

But Queen weren't signed to WB and the sound is identical.
[Edited 6/21/09 8:00am]

Ottensen said:

The problem is that she goes on autopilot during interviews. She gives so many of the same rote answers over and over again. It'd be nice if she put a little heart into the process more. One thing I love about Sheila interviews is when she's asked about drumming techniques, musical techniques, etc.--things related to the process of creating music live and on a record. That is fascinating to me, and I could read her talk about that for a long time.

I wish she would be more open like Wendy and Lisa and allow the heart and emotion of what she's talking about come through more. She definitely keeps a safe distance from her feelings, I think, when doing interviews like this.

The other great thing about Wendy and Lisa interviews is that they have a fantastic memory and approach those memories the way a lot of Prince fans do. If you mention an old song or lyric from 1985 to them, they seem to immediately know what you're talking about and remember it vividly.

scififilmnerd said:

I've never heard the Queen song. Is it just the carnival intro and none of the actual music? I'm just curious.

Efan said:

Well. I used to have the Warner Bros. Sound Effects CD. All I remember is that the effects track was called Carnival. And it had a lot of the carnival music and noise that you hear in MERCI (same key and pitch) at the intro then SHEILA E. and Romance 1600 Band started jamming.

I thought that it was cool that I had the CD with that sound effect on it that was used in an actual Sheila E. song.

scififilmnerd said:

Queen not being signed to Warner Bros. has nothing to do with Queen using Warner Bros. Sound Effects Library, y'know.

Efan said:

Yes, it's just the carnival intro, not the music.

scififilmnerd said:

Oh, good. So Sheila's not a plagiarist. Well, other than claiming authorship of the Prince songs she didn't really write.

Yeah, the Sheila E. I fell in love with "died" when she became a Christian. Which is why I stopped buying her music after Sex Cymbal. I don't really care about the new Sheila. I just want to know about her time with Prince and if she doesn't even want to talk about that, then she's as good as dead to me. Dead, I tell ya!



[/quote]

Are you serious?

Come on, wouldn't it be a bit pathetic if she'd still be wearing them see through skimpy outfits and shit. She's moved on and you may not agree the path she's chosen to follow, but she still is an excellent performer, christian or not.

MacDaddy said:

Are you serious?

Come on, wouldn't it be a bit pathetic if she'd still be wearing them see through skimpy outfits and shit. She's moved on and you may not agree the path she's chosen to follow, but she still is an excellent performer, christian or not.[/quote]

She was a Christian way back then too. And even now, she may dress a little more conservatively, but she ain't afraid to put the girls out front and center to draw a little attention.

Efan said:

She was a Christian way back then too. And even now, she may dress a little more conservatively, but she ain't afraid to put the girls out front and center to draw a little attention.[/quote]

Damn, and she shouldn't! She's one fine momma. I can not think of another artist like her: she combines massive talent with great looks, a fabulous stage presence, she's humble, funny, witty...she's the only woman I ever fell in love with....sigh...

MacDaddy said:

haha I know what you mean, same here...