There is a recent interview on Micki's site in which he is telling his story and gets to the Prince chapter. He seems to be an enemy. Too bad - I like Micki. He is definitely in a class with Jesse Johnson as a guitarist. I think Jesse might have a slight edge though. Go to about 24:45 to hear him say Shalamar was like the Beatles... ...and run down Prince as a hater because he didnt like the chicks digging Micki. He even resorts to some short jokes. He sounds like the hater - and it is disappointing since he is usually positive. I have never heard someone speak so negatively about Prince in the media. I find it a little bogus that he has been on bad terms with Prince for all those years (though I am sure Prince hasnt thought about him since he saw the Dave Chapelle pancakes skit) but never fails to mention him when he is running down all of the legends he has worked with in his career (though he really didnt work with Prince as he could not get out of his Shalamar contract - which, ironically, he got for being a good Prince clone). Prince's name is always on his site with Janet Jackson, Gene Simmons, Little Steven, etc. in the bio when Micki is talking about himself.

[Edited 5/13/11 20:03pm]

[Edited 5/13/11 20:03pm]

[Edited 5/13/11 20:55pm]

[Edited 5/13/11 21:00pm]

[Edited 5/13/11 21:00pm]

he and Prince used to be really close in the 80s.They jammed together a few times and at one point,Prince wanted to use Micki in a movie project.I guess they had some kind of falling out.

Reading this just makes me think of the Dave Chapelle skit sooo funny

but on a serious note, ppl change, and im sure there are ppl who would like to talk worse about Prince, but do not do so for the sake of their careers. However none of them can take anything away from P, he's an amazing artist enough said

If what u just quoted about Shalamar being like The Beatles is true? that is a slap in the face to The Beatles, and the biggest joke ive heard in awhile, Micki owes them more an apology than he does Prince.

'I was the taller version of him'

'He just got tired of looking up to me and I got tired of looking down at him'

dJJ said:

'I was the taller version of him'

'He just got tired of looking up to me and I got tired of looking down at him'

He's so full of himself, yet he makes sure he keeps Prince's name on his bio. In the past years, Micki has stuck to his Native-American ancestry and has played characters in Native-American documentaries for history channel or so he stated on his myspace page sometime ago. In the past he didn't have to be a carbon copy of Prince and wear the same hairstyle or look, he could have created his own look. Not too many folks remember or even thinks about Micki Free these days.

Where's the interview?

BlaqueKnight said:

Where's the interview?

On his website

dJJ said:

BlaqueKnight said:

Where's the interview?

On his website

Where?

BlaqueKnight said:

dJJ said:

On his website

Where?

OP:

Go to about 24:45 to hear him say Shalamar was like the Beatles... ...and run down Prince as a hater because he didnt like the chicks digging Micki. He even resorts to some short jokes.

2elijah said:

dJJ said:

'I was the taller version of him'

'He just got tired of looking up to me and I got tired of looking down at him'

He's so full of himself, yet he makes sure he keeps Prince's name on his bio. In the past years, Micki has stuck to his Native-American ancestry and has played characters in Native-American documentaries for history channel or so he stated on his myspace page sometime ago. In the past he didn't have to be a carbon copy of Prince and wear the same hairstyle or look, he could have created his own look. Not too many folks remember or even thinks about Micki Free these days.

I couldnt agree more. I am a big Micki Fan - I have always followed him since Shalamar and Crown of Thorns. But lets face it - he is still obscure at best. He is well respected in the music community as he does manage to to be seen with some top tier musicians and even seems to be attaching himself to Bill Wyman somehow. But he isnt even better than Prince on guitar let alone songwriting, producing, performing, and all those other instruments that Prince plays. Talk like that about some petty stuff from almost 25 years ago makes him look like envious and small next to Prince's legend. Prince is still filling arenas and Micki has always just been the cool rocker who was not the headliner at some outdoor festival in the park. The zenith of his career came when he was a carbon copy of Prince in the 80s and Shalamar was ripping off 1999 with Dancing in the SHeets. He got some Grammy recognition - which he also never fails to mention like his brief and irrelevant association with Prince - and returned to obscurity as a sideman. Since then, he has a few good albums to show for it and some of the native music which no one listens to. Why even say such things out loud about Prince - there is no way you look good doing that. It is always goig to sound like hate and jealousy from the far less successful and talented artist. There is no way a Prince project would not have enhanced his career as he, like Jesse Johnson, actually had the talent to exploit it for a solo career. He knows deep down that it would have been his biggest break that he just never got - and now he is letting that regret and bitterness seep out unfortunately.

purplenuts said:

I couldnt agree more. I am a big Micki Fan - I have always followed him since Shalamar and Crown of Thorns. But lets face it - he is still obscure at best. He is well respected in the music community as he does manage to to be seen with some top tier musicians and even seems to be attaching himself to Bill Wyman somehow. But he isnt even better than Prince on guitar let alone songwriting, producing, performing, and all those other instruments that Prince plays. Talk like that about some petty stuff from almost 25 years ago makes him look like envious and small next to Prince's legend. Prince is still filling arenas and Micki has always just been the cool rocker who was not the headliner at some outdoor festival in the park. The zenith of his career came when he was a carbon copy of Prince in the 80s and Shalamar was ripping off 1999 with Dancing in the SHeets. He got some Grammy recognition - which he also never fails to mention like his brief and irrelevant association with Prince - and returned to obscurity as a sideman. Since then, he has a few good albums to show for it and some of the native music which no one listens to. Why even say such things out loud about Prince - there is no way you look good doing that. It is always goig to sound like hate and jealousy from the far less successful and talented artist. There is no way a Prince project would not have enhanced his career as he, like Jesse Johnson, actually had the talent to exploit it for a solo career. He knows deep down that it would have been his biggest break that he just never got - and now he is letting that regret and bitterness seep out unfortunately.

Well said agree 100%

purplenuts said:

2elijah said:

He's so full of himself, yet he makes sure he keeps Prince's name on his bio. In the past years, Micki has stuck to his Native-American ancestry and has played characters in Native-American documentaries for history channel or so he stated on his myspace page sometime ago. In the past he didn't have to be a carbon copy of Prince and wear the same hairstyle or look, he could have created his own look. Not too many folks remember or even thinks about Micki Free these days.

I couldnt agree more. I am a big Micki Fan - I have always followed him since Shalamar and Crown of Thorns. But lets face it - he is still obscure at best. He is well respected in the music community as he does manage to to be seen with some top tier musicians and even seems to be attaching himself to Bill Wyman somehow. But he isnt even better than Prince on guitar let alone songwriting, producing, performing, and all those other instruments that Prince plays. Talk like that about some petty stuff from almost 25 years ago makes him look like envious and small next to Prince's legend. Prince is still filling arenas and Micki has always just been the cool rocker who was not the headliner at some outdoor festival in the park. The zenith of his career came when he was a carbon copy of Prince in the 80s and Shalamar was ripping off 1999 with Dancing in the SHeets. He got some Grammy recognition - which he also never fails to mention like his brief and irrelevant association with Prince - and returned to obscurity as a sideman. Since then, he has a few good albums to show for it and some of the native music which no one listens to. Why even say such things out loud about Prince - there is no way you look good doing that. It is always goig to sound like hate and jealousy from the far less successful and talented artist. There is no way a Prince project would not have enhanced his career as he, like Jesse Johnson, actually had the talent to exploit it for a solo career. He knows deep down that it would have been his biggest break that he just never got - and now he is letting that regret and bitterness seep out unfortunately.

Exactly, and if Micki was confident about his own career, there would be no need for him to keep namedropping Prince's name in his bio or feel the need to mention any controversy between him and Prince, just to tweak readers' curiosity or interest as to if there is some sort of bitter relationship between the two, because I bet if Prince gave him a call to perform or jam at one of his shows, Micki would come running faster than a mockngbird could flip its wings. To be honest, I think he's kind of bitter that he didn't make it as big as Prince did, and was quickly forgotten after his stint with Shalamar.

[Edited 5/14/11 13:31pm]

I........I..........I.......I.........I-MICKI!!!!!!!

-from Chappelle's Show "Prince" outtake-

dJJ said:

BlaqueKnight said:

Where?

OP:

Go to about 24:45 to hear him say Shalamar was like the Beatles... ...and run down Prince as a hater because he didnt like the chicks digging Micki. He even resorts to some short jokes.

Okay, but WHERE on Micki's site? Can you provide an URL? He's got a bunch of stuff on his site (which I'm assuming is http://mickifree.com), and I don't see any interview that's at least 25 minutes long. Is it in the "News" section? "Videos"? Is it the radio interview for Rockwired that's linked to on the first page??

As I read this thread I'm listening to Shalamar's 'Female', friggin' love this track, and Circumstantial Evidence is a great record, there's some real MPLS-clone stuff on it, the title track is like a note for note Jesse Johnson ripoff.

alexnvrmnd777 said:

dJJ said:

OP:

Go to about 24:45 to hear him say Shalamar was like the Beatles... ...and run down Prince as a hater because he didnt like the chicks digging Micki. He even resorts to some short jokes.

Okay, but WHERE on Micki's site? Can you provide an URL? He's got a bunch of stuff on his site (which I'm assuming is http://mickifree.com), and I don't see any interview that's at least 25 minutes long. Is it in the "News" section? "Videos"? Is it the radio interview for Rockwired that's linked to on the first page??

It's changed, not as visible anymore. Scroll down, there is a link "download the interview"

There's also listening material. And no matter what his attitude, he is a prette good guitarplayer.

So, worth to listen to.

At this point who cares what anyone says about Prince, especially off some stuff that happened over 25 years ago. Prince is still doing his thing, even through all ups and downs, people are still jamming at his shows in large numbers .....so whatever.

wonder505 said:

At this point who cares what anyone says about Prince, especially off some stuff that happened over 25 years ago. Prince is still doing his thing, even through all ups and downs, people are still jamming at his shows in large numbers .....so whatever.

I'm bored, it's a good distraction to bitch about it. It's absolutely a non issue.

2elijah said:

purplenuts said:

I couldnt agree more. I am a big Micki Fan - I have always followed him since Shalamar and Crown of Thorns. But lets face it - he is still obscure at best. He is well respected in the music community as he does manage to to be seen with some top tier musicians and even seems to be attaching himself to Bill Wyman somehow. But he isnt even better than Prince on guitar let alone songwriting, producing, performing, and all those other instruments that Prince plays. Talk like that about some petty stuff from almost 25 years ago makes him look like envious and small next to Prince's legend. Prince is still filling arenas and Micki has always just been the cool rocker who was not the headliner at some outdoor festival in the park. The zenith of his career came when he was a carbon copy of Prince in the 80s and Shalamar was ripping off 1999 with Dancing in the SHeets. He got some Grammy recognition - which he also never fails to mention like his brief and irrelevant association with Prince - and returned to obscurity as a sideman. Since then, he has a few good albums to show for it and some of the native music which no one listens to. Why even say such things out loud about Prince - there is no way you look good doing that. It is always goig to sound like hate and jealousy from the far less successful and talented artist. There is no way a Prince project would not have enhanced his career as he, like Jesse Johnson, actually had the talent to exploit it for a solo career. He knows deep down that it would have been his biggest break that he just never got - and now he is letting that regret and bitterness seep out unfortunately.

Exactly, and if Micki was confident about his own career, there would be no need for him to keep namedropping Prince's name in his bio or feel the need to mention any controversy between him and Prince, just to tweak readers' curiosity or interest as to if there is some sort of bitter relationship between the two, because I bet if Prince gave him a call to perform or jam at one of his shows, Micki would come running faster than a mockngbird could flip its wings. To be honest, I think he's kind of bitter that he didn't make it as big as Prince did, and was quickly forgotten after his stint with Shalamar.

[Edited 5/14/11 13:31pm]

While Micki is probably more talented than Georgio, he falls into the same former Prince clone bag: hating on Prince because they couldn't be Prince even though they got famous copying Prince. Both were good but simply could not shake the Prince clone label - which, ironically, helped them become famous. That is how great Prince is - just looking and/or sounding like him enough to make fans think about him made careers for these guys.

I used to feel they got a raw deal back in the 80. I thought Georgio can't help it is he is a good looking mulatto who many thought looked like Prince. The music was similar to Mpls Sound but what else could you sound like when you looked like that in the 80s, right? Back then, every label that wasnt Warner Bros wanted a Prince. Jesse Johnson and Andre Cymone would tell you that what the record execs saw as similarities to Prince helped them get solo contracts - if they were truthful. It probably helped clones like Ready For The World, too. Micki Free's addition to Shalamar (a group he had never even heard before being approached to join) was the most blatant Prince makeover in the 80s. Free was a rocker and hardly fit the kind of R&B at the time. He was hired for his Prince look - who else was playing killer guitar licks in lace and heels and looking pretty? I have a video of a performance that Free did on the Arsenio Hall Show as the leader of Shalamar. I think the song was Circumstantial Evidence - it was the most blatant Prince mimic on record. If you didnt know who it was, you would swear Free was like one of those talentless Las Vegas Prince impersonators. If Iwas doing the interview, I would have loved to put on that video and ask him about why he looked and acted so much like Prince.

purplenuts said:

2elijah said:

Exactly, and if Micki was confident about his own career, there would be no need for him to keep namedropping Prince's name in his bio or feel the need to mention any controversy between him and Prince, just to tweak readers' curiosity or interest as to if there is some sort of bitter relationship between the two, because I bet if Prince gave him a call to perform or jam at one of his shows, Micki would come running faster than a mockngbird could flip its wings. To be honest, I think he's kind of bitter that he didn't make it as big as Prince did, and was quickly forgotten after his stint with Shalamar.

[Edited 5/14/11 13:31pm]

While Micki is probably more talented than Georgio, he falls into the same former Prince clone bag: hating on Prince because they couldn't be Prince even though they got famous copying Prince. Both were good but simply could not shake the Prince clone label - which, ironically, helped them become famous. That is how great Prince is - just looking and/or sounding like him enough to make fans think about him made careers for these guys.

I used to feel they got a raw deal back in the 80. I thought Georgio can't help it is he is a good looking mulatto who many thought looked like Prince. The music was similar to Mpls Sound but what else could you sound like when you looked like that in the 80s, right? Back then, every label that wasnt Warner Bros wanted a Prince. Jesse Johnson and Andre Cymone would tell you that what the record execs saw as similarities to Prince helped them get solo contracts - if they were truthful. It probably helped clones like Ready For The World, too. Micki Free's addition to Shalamar (a group he had never even heard before being approached to join) was the most blatant Prince makeover in the 80s. Free was a rocker and hardly fit the kind of R&B at the time. He was hired for his Prince look - who else was playing killer guitar licks in lace and heels and looking pretty? I have a video of a performance that Free did on the Arsenio Hall Show as the leader of Shalamar. I think the song was Circumstantial Evidence - it was the most blatant Prince mimic on record. If you didnt know who it was, you would swear Free was like one of those talentless Las Vegas Prince impersonators. If Iwas doing the interview, I would have loved to put on that video and ask him about why he looked and acted so much like Prince.

This is how he looks now:

[Edited 5/16/11 8:02am]

2elijah said:

This is how he looks now:

• 
  

[Edited 5/16/11 8:02am]

Did anybody else notice the placing of the stones 'lick' on Micki?

Hint: in the middel, near groin

He looks way more truth to himself now. Wish him the best. He's a good guitar player.

dJJ said:

2elijah said:

This is how he looks now:

• 
  

[Edited 5/16/11 8:02am]

Did anybody else notice the placing of the stones 'lick' on Micki?

Hint: in the middel, near groin

He looks way more truth to himself now. Wish him the best. He's a good guitar player.

Yes, he's more into his native american ancestry nowadays and the music.

His last couple of rock albums are great. THe new one is supposed to be great as well. He covers Hendrix (doesnt every great axe man?) and does it right on this one. But he will always be a stitch in the vast tapestry of the world and career of Prince.

[Edited 5/17/11 4:56am]

Doesn't anybody notice the position of the Rolling Stone mouth on his jeans?

He looks like if Aaron Neville and Lenny Kravitz had a baby.

steelyd said:

He looks like if Aaron Neville and Lenny Kravitz had a baby.

You're so silly. Micki is still handsome; he was one of the pretty boys back in the day.

who?

Shorty said:

who?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micki_Free

In late 1983 guitarist/singer Micki Free replaced Jeffrey Daniel in 70s-80s RnB/Funk group Shalamar (Howard Hewett, Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley), when Daniel and Watley left. At some point he had become friendly with Prince (hung out, jammed with... hence Dave Chapelle's skits mentioning Free hanging with Prince). From what I've read Prince wanted Free to front a P-controlled band, but Free couldn't get out of his Shalamar contract to do so. Not sure if this is completely accurate info (about the band and contract), but it makes sense. Nonetheless, his time/role in Shalamar definitely came across like a Prince clone (dress, singing and playing styles). That's why his comments seem a bit like biting the hand that fed for many years.

pzlyprk said:

Shorty said:

who?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micki_Free

In late 1983 guitarist/singer Micki Free replaced Jeffrey Daniel in 70s-80s RnB/Funk group Shalamar (Howard Hewett, Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley), when Daniel and Watley left. At some point he had become friendly with Prince (hung out, jammed with... hence Dave Chapelle's skits mentioning Free hanging with Prince). From what I've read Prince wanted Free to front a P-controlled band, but Free couldn't get out of his Shalamar contract to do so. Not sure if this is completely accurate info (about the band and contract), but it makes sense. Nonetheless, his time/role in Shalamar definitely came across like a Prince clone (dress, singing and playing styles). That's why his comments seem a bit like biting the hand that fed for many years.

I bet Prince couldnt wait for him to get free from his Shalamar contract and moved on. Look at how Prince projects have abruptly began and ended throughout history. Once Free got free, Prince was on to other things and Free has not seen an opportunity as good as working with Prince since. He had the talent to be like SHeila E - a Prince protege who actually had to the goods to take full advantage of time with Prince and remain famous and well respected. That is what he is probably bitter about. Prince didnt impede his career and that pettiness over women really doesnt matter when you are a rock star.

pzlyprk said:

Shorty said:

who?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micki_Free

In late 1983 guitarist/singer Micki Free replaced Jeffrey Daniel in 70s-80s RnB/Funk group Shalamar (Howard Hewett, Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley), when Daniel and Watley left. At some point he had become friendly with Prince (hung out, jammed with... hence Dave Chapelle's skits mentioning Free hanging with Prince). From what I've read Prince wanted Free to front a P-controlled band, but Free couldn't get out of his Shalamar contract to do so. Not sure if this is completely accurate info (about the band and contract), but it makes sense. Nonetheless, his time/role in Shalamar definitely came across like a Prince clone (dress, singing and playing styles). That's why his comments seem a bit like biting the hand that fed for many years.