BlackCandle said:

Surprising excerpts:

Prince didn’t want the barrage of publicity that would come if they announced their engagement.

She and Prince weren’t even “a constant” couple.

“I tried to ignore the sadness I felt about not being the only woman in his life, but I learned to deal with it early on,” she writes.

Prince refused to let her fly home for her grandmother’s funeral. “He was my boss, he reminded me. He signed the paychecks,” she writes. She stayed, but after that she refused to cash those checks, sometimes tearing them up in front of him. It was all but over.

I don't know if it's the way the article was written or if it's the book, but there are some timeline problems. The article says that by 1990 Sheila was in "a bad way," physically, from performing with Prince, and collapsed during the Sex Cymbal sessions. Then it says Prince's songs were getting too dirty for her and that on the next tour he refused to let her fly home for her grandma's funeral. There was no next tour post 1990. The Lovesexy tour ended in 1989 and that was it for Shelia in the Prince camp. He dubuted Michael Bland as his new drummer in the Partyman video later that year. There's some confusion on the part of someone.

SchlomoThaHomo said:

I don't know if it's the way the article was written or if it's the book, but there are some timeline problems. The article says that by 1990 Sheila was in "a bad way," physically, from performing with Prince, and collapsed during the Sex Cymbal sessions.

.

Didn't she have a car accident at the time? I recall that at one point she had to re-learn to drum etc.

.

Then it says Prince's songs were getting too dirty for her and that on the next tour he refused to let her fly home for her grandma's funeral. There was no next tour post 1990. The Lovesexy tour ended in 1989 and that was it for Shelia in the Prince camp.

.

Yeah, that's what I recall too, that she was out of there by 1989/1990.

I'm sure Prince has read this book by now. The article is short but already we have a juicy list of grievances: Prince refused to let me get naked in Krush Groove.. Prince forced me to work and miss Grandma's funeral.. My muscualature ( ?) was damaged because Prince made me work too hard.. I owed a million dollars at the end of the Purple Rain tour... I didn't know Santana was married when I boned him. Aww shit, I'm heading over to Amazon to get the hard copy and the Kindle version.

BartVanHemelen said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

I don't know if it's the way the article was written or if it's the book, but there are some timeline problems. The article says that by 1990 Sheila was in "a bad way," physically, from performing with Prince, and collapsed during the Sex Cymbal sessions.

.

Didn't she have a car accident at the time? I recall that at one point she had to re-learn to drum etc.

.

Then it says Prince's songs were getting too dirty for her and that on the next tour he refused to let her fly home for her grandma's funeral. There was no next tour post 1990. The Lovesexy tour ended in 1989 and that was it for Shelia in the Prince camp.

.

Yeah, that's what I recall too, that she was out of there by 1989/1990.

I don't remember a car accident. I only remember her lung collapsing, and then her talking about it a little bit on Arsenio when she was promoting Sex Cymbal. She said it was from pushing herself too hard, but can your lung really collapse from playing drums and singing? I thought some kind of trauma had to be involved.

Sheila and Carlos Santana?

EyeHatechu said:

Gimme more, more please. Seriously though, im gonna buy this book.

On my way to amazon now.

I bet Prince made a marriage proposal to (fill in the blank) at the same time he was sleeping with Sheila.

[Edited 8/24/14 19:06pm]

alot of juicy details I can't wait to pick up a copy of this book!

Identity said:

I bet Prince made a marriage proposal to (fill in the blank) at the same time he was sleeping with Sheila.

I don't think,in those days,Prince was really serious about marrying anybody.He was playing mind games with these ladies.A year or so earlier,wasn't he "engaged" to Susannah Melvoin,as well? Nona Gaye has also said that,in the early 90s,Prince was telling her friends that he was gonna marry her,take care of her.

yeah,that part is shocking! Especially considering that her father was in his band for awhile in the mid-to-late 70s AND,as she pointed out,he was married during that time!

Frederick96 said:

But her and Carlos!!

peri1025 said:

Carlos Santana is getting ready to release his own memoirs I wonder if he discusses the affair he had with Sheila?

I guess all is well between Sheila and Santana because she's still played on stage with him. In Oakland (2011) it was all 3 of them (Sheila, P and Santana)...funny that they've all bumped uglies hah

BlackCandle said:

BlackCandle said:

I'm interested to read the book, based on this article, but I'm sceptical as to the accuracy of some of Sheila's recollections. She was supposedly uncomfortable that his songs were becoming too overtly sexual...in 1990??!! The music he released at this point was the exact opposite!

...Of course, Prince was always an album or 2 down the line & D&P (w/ Gett Off) was to follow. So maybe she didn't like what she saw as a regressive step. But still, compared to what he was singing in the early 80's when she met him, her comment makes little sense. [Edited 8/24/14 3:13am]

When she was with him 84-89 Prince didn't have that many songs that were predominantly about sex (there were some like "It" and "Scandalous", of course). Sometime around GB and DP the songs with sexual themes also became darker in tone and he started singing about his "techniques" and how good he was in bed. If you think about some of the songs from the early-90s like, "Insatiable", "The Continental", "Come", "18 & Over", "Pheromone" and "Shhh", it's hard to imagine the type of lyrics that those songs have on SOTT or Lovesexy.

There was of course The Black Album and it had been originally even something of a birthday gift to Sheila originally, but that one was filled with humour. The early-90s stuff was far more serious in tone. At one point it seemed that Prince was on a mission to satisfy every woman he met.

funksterr said:

I'm sure Prince has read this book by now. The article is short but already we have a juicy list of grievances: Prince refused to let me get naked in Krush Groove.. Prince forced me to work and miss Grandma's funeral.. My muscualature ( ?) was damaged because Prince made me work too hard.. I owed a million dollars at the end of the Purple Rain tour... I didn't know Santana was married when I boned him. Aww shit, I'm heading over to Amazon to get the hard copy and the Kindle version.

I find it odd that Sheila could not have known that Carlos was married.In the 70s,he was a major celebrity! He and Deborah married in 1972,it should have been common knowledge to anyone,but especially someone who had a connection to him (her father was in his band).

Book Soup Presents Sheila E in conversation with Billboard editor Gail Mitchell about her memoir, The Beat of My Own Drum: A Memoir.

This event will take place at the Ricardo Montaban Theatre, located at 1615 Vine St, Los Angeles CA 90028.

This is a ticketed event. Tickets are $34.00 + tax and include one ticket and one copy of Beat of My Own Drum.

We are now accepting paid reservations.

You may purchase your tickets online at booksoup.com or by calling the store at 310-659-3110.

Tickets and books will be available for pick-up from the store location beginning the date of the book's release, Tuesday, September 2. Reserved tickets and books may also be picked up at the Will Call tables at the venue the evening of the event.

Tickets and books may be available for purchase at the venue before the event begins, while supplies last.

funksterr said:

I'm sure Prince has read this book by now. The article is short but already we have a juicy list of grievances: Prince refused to let me get naked in Krush Groove.. Prince forced me to work and miss Grandma's funeral.. My muscualature ( ?) was damaged because Prince made me work too hard.. I owed a million dollars at the end of the Purple Rain tour... I didn't know Santana was married when I boned him. Aww shit, I'm heading over to Amazon to get the hard copy and the Kindle version.

Am I the only one who wonders if this NY Daily News article caused Prince to pass on GMA this morning? I would have been really surpised if they didn't ask him to comment on some of the allegations. GMA interviews usually include a little dirt if they can get it and this article dropped the day before the interview. That's some Nicole Murphy vs Michael Strahan type of timing, imo. It seems almost certain that GMA would have asked him about it.

Maybe I'm revealing how I've slacked as a fan, but I was really excited to finally get closure on whether she is saying "funk" or "fuck" in Erotic City ...Looking forward to reading the whole book!

If there was ever any doubt before (and there really wasnt), it is now officially confirmed: Prince is the biggest PIMP to ever walk the earth.