PennyPurple said:

rosylo said:

Thank you for starting this thread, some of the comments here help to overcome the sadness of reading this book. When I read all the positive comments during the first few days after the book was published, I rushed to nearest Target and bought it. Now I cry because I feel so sad for what happened to/between them, for reading what happened (knowing he was so private), sad because there is no way to turn back time and for his life to have a happy ending. However, I'm glad she still has the opportunity to rebuild her life with her daughter and find love again.

[Edited 4/11/17 12:17pm]

You are welcome, everyone. I'm glad it has stayed civil.

Me too! I was afraid some would come here and bad mouth Mayte. Man oh man some of the things I have read on this site. Especially the name calling. It had me seeing green like the Incredible Hulk LOL This book has not changed the way I feel for Prince. Although I do see him differently, not in a bad way, I still love him and his music. I guess we see these celebrities and how they live their lives and sometimes it seems that they have the whole world in their hands. But the reality is they don't. They can act like they do, but they don't. Anyhow, thank you again PennyPurple! It feels good to have some great adult conversation!

I will say, without any spoilers, that the book truly is not ABOUT Prince. It's about Mayte and her life. It's a memoir about her life that happens to highlight her one and only marriage, her first love, first, and only biological co-parent, who happens to be to Prince. I adore Mayte Garcia as a person and admire her as a professional. Wait until after you read the book, then make a judgment. I promise Prince's privacy is not breached at all- to a frustrating degree for a curious fan like me who wants to know some secrets she probably knows and chose not to tell. She upheld their privacy and is a classy lady.

LBrent said:

musica said:

I agree with you 100 % NickiStarr. M2 knew exactly what to do to land P. I read a few years ago she reached out to M1 and apologized, home wrecking bitch. It's all really sad. M1 was too young, immature and niave. I'm sure today she would have handled everything differently. I haven't read the book yet but I bougth it. I think it's wrong of M1 to have written it. P would have never approved. It bothers me that she's playing the greiving widow for profit. If she really did love him like she claims she wouldn't have written it.

You might feel differently after reading it.

musica said:

I agree with you 100 % NickiStarr. M2 knew exactly what to do to land P. I read a few years ago she reached out to M1 and apologized, home wrecking bitch. It's all really sad. M1 was too young, immature and niave. I'm sure today she would have handled everything differently. I haven't read the book yet but I bougth it. I think it's wrong of M1 to have written it. P would have never approved. It bothers me that she's playing the greiving widow for profit. If she really did love him like she claims she wouldn't have written it.

NickiStarr said:

I completely agree. M2 is a cunning, sneaky fox. College educated, pretty...P was vulnerable and coming off of a horrible transition professionally. LG and his wife moved into his guest house- probably rent free, recorded music- again free, and preached to him. All things point to LG's selfishness as well. He stood back and watch Mayte get cut out of her own life. In his mind, if she's not a believer she is 'not good for Prince'. I can her the conversations now. I imagine LG contributed to P exing off Mayte. 'Concerns about her faith', etc... And boom- here comes Mani who 'happens' to work on the charity, 'carefree'- no make up...a perfect JW. Trust me, he had spoken about it in magazines and on TV, that chick did her research and became who she needed to be before landing in MN.

Please, before passing any judgement on Mayte or her intentions, give the book a solid read; with an open mind. She has every right to share her story with the world; especially that this time. Closure and love come in many forms...

PennyPurple said:

rosylo said:

Thank you for starting this thread, some of the comments here help to overcome the sadness of reading this book. When I read all the positive comments during the first few days after the book was published, I rushed to nearest Target and bought it. Now I cry because I feel so sad for what happened to/between them, for reading what happened (knowing he was so private), sad because there is no way to turn back time and for his life to have a happy ending. However, I'm glad she still has the opportunity to rebuild her life with her daughter and find love again.

[Edited 4/11/17 12:17pm]

You are welcome, everyone. I'm glad it has stayed civil.

We've definitely kept it classy on this thread. I'm really enjoying the discussion.

There is a you tube video by bbrichter called Prince tribute-Blues guitar , and at 3:06 he sings"i got a bad bad feeling my Puerto Rican beauty don't live here no more...thats allright 'i still got her baby?etc" ...I can't make out the rest and it may not even be "baby"...could someone hear how he finishes that sentence?

musica said:

I agree with you 100 % NickiStarr. M2 knew exactly what to do to land P. I read a few years ago she reached out to M1 and apologized, home wrecking bitch. It's all really sad. M1 was too young, immature and niave. I'm sure today she would have handled everything differently. I haven't read the book yet but I bougth it. I think it's wrong of M1 to have written it. P would have never approved. It bothers me that she's playing the greiving widow for profit. If she really did love him like she claims she wouldn't have written it.

NickiStarr said:

I completely agree. M2 is a cunning, sneaky fox. College educated, pretty...P was vulnerable and coming off of a horrible transition professionally. LG and his wife moved into his guest house- probably rent free, recorded music- again free, and preached to him. All things point to LG's selfishness as well. He stood back and watch Mayte get cut out of her own life. In his mind, if she's not a believer she is 'not good for Prince'. I can her the conversations now. I imagine LG contributed to P exing off Mayte. 'Concerns about her faith', etc... And boom- here comes Mani who 'happens' to work on the charity, 'carefree'- no make up...a perfect JW. Trust me, he had spoken about it in magazines and on TV, that chick did her research and became who she needed to be before landing in MN.

musica, I agree with others on this thread that you need to read the book before passing judgement. The overall tone that she has regarding Prince throughout the book is of love and devotion.

.

She was able to set the record straight on some issues, which I think was good.

.

In my opinion, the very best aspect of this book is the story of their son and she and 's brief time as parents. She was able to humanize their son, Amiir, to give him an identity, and to show how much she and Prince loved him. Without giving away too much, the things that she shares about 's behavior during her pregnancy and while their son was alive are quite possibly the most heartwarming, magnificent, and flattering descriptions that anyone could ever write about the man.

.

Prince was a complex, flawed, extraordinarily talented human being who has left a great impact on the world. Mayte knew him very well, and her book provides some really valuable insight into him as an artist and as a person.

[Edited 4/11/17 16:23pm]

80tomato said:

NotACleverName said:

80tomato said:

There is a you tube video by bbrichter called Prince tribute-Blues guitar , and at 3:06 he sings"i got a bad bad feeling my Puerto Rican beauty don't live here no more...thats allright 'i still got her baby?etc" ...I can't make out the rest and it may not even be "baby"...could someone hear how he finishes that sentence?

Hmmmmm.....this is 1999 NYE ppv Rave Unto concert. The song is "Red House"/Jim Hendrix and these are the lyrics: have a bad bad feeling, that my baby don't live here no more. That's all right, I still got my guitar Look out now. He doesn't say "guitar" but, I hear more of an "e" sound as opposed to an "a"; such as, bebe as opposed to baby. Interesting choice of song, though. Because he did add "Puerto Rican beauty" as opposed to just "baby" like JH version. Obviously, something was on his mind. Don't ya think?

Dammit, now I gotta dig that concert footage out!

LBrent said:

I know we haven't started discussing chapter seven yet. I have a hard time following the dates and chain of events in this chapter. Mayte skips around and/or is incorrect about some of the dates.

.

I went to Prince Vault (princevault.org) to confirm the dates of some of the events that she references in this chapter. I hope it's okay for me to post this information. The dates will obviously give a general idea of what is in chapter seven, and that's it. I'm not including any spoilers!

.

"Sexy M. F." single:

USA release - June 30, 1992

UK release - July 6, 1992

.

"My Name is Prince" single:

UK released – September 28, 1992

USA release - September 29, 1992

USA maxi-single release - October 22, 1992

UK remix single release - November 2, 1992

.

Love Symbol album:

UK release - October 5, 1992

USA release - October 13, 1992

.

"7" single:

USA release of 7 inch single - November 17, 1992

UK release - November 23, 1992

USA maxi-single release - December 3, 1992

.

Diamonds and Pearls Tour (Japan, Australia, Europe)

April 3, 1992 – July 12, 1992

.

Act I Tour (USA):

March 8, 1993 – April 17, 1993

.

Act II Tour (Europe):

July 26, 1993 – September 7, 1993

.

3 Chains o’ Gold comic book was released in 1993.

.

3 Chains o’ Gold video compilation was released in 1994.

.

Prince Vault did not have specific dates of release for the 3 Chains o' Gold comic book and video compilation, just the years.

LBrent said:

jayseajay said:

I think this is really the key to it. He had defense mechanisms...immerse yourself in music, keep moving forward, repress/erase anything painful...and I also think he used seduction/romance as one of his main defenses...but that's not a full palette of coping strategies, and they all involve escapism/denial. I guess part of the problem is that they worked really really well for him mostly until he was in his mid-thirties. To be honest, I think maintaining any relationship over the long-term would have been hard for him...because, man, he was a master at romance, but romance isn't enough to sustain things in the day to day grind of things, or when the rubber hits the road...and it inclines you anyway to move on when the romance starts to fade - which it does, not matter how beautiful and captivating the story you have weaved - especially if you are a person who deals with everything by moving on. The way he treated Mayte was appaling, and that was the time when he really needed to confront himself honestly - and not in a 'God is punishing me for my sin' way, which I guess is a symptom (he'd always knew there was 'something wrong with the machinary'), but a twisted dishonest one - and do the work that was needed to deal with his past and how it had affected him. I guess however a tragedy like that is just so out of people's range of experience, people just fall back on their standard defense mechanisms. In his case, move one, weave a new romance, and in this case, add a whole new story about punishment and sin and redemption through Jehovah. That worked for him for a while as well, but again, it stopped him doing the honest work on himself he really needed to do...and he never ever learnt to do it...and it ended up where it ended up

I just realized when you said that...For nealy a decade, P & Mayte's relationship entirely revolved around his imagination/captivation with/creating the story of/performing the shows & album & movie of/mythology of..."Princess Mayte".

All his energies over that block of time went into crafting their lives around that fantasy/mythology...until baby Amiir's passing (RIP).

That started a chain of events that sent the fantasy askew, but I think P was still trying to hold it together mostly...until the miscarraige.

See, the mythology could still hold with the "tragic loss of the firstborn" spun ito "but with the birth of their second child...the couple memorialized/remembered their firstborn" and he could still salvage the fantasy "happily ever after". With the miscarraige, and all the the temptation (Mani) and blowback (Mayte) and conflict (his new JW beleifs), there was the perfect storm to completely destroy the "Prince & his Princess Mayte" fantasy/mythology in his mind.

Even going to Cairo was a desperate attempt for him to keep the fantasy...but I hate to be so cynical, Mani really is part Egyptian. Maybe that was a big part of her appeal in the moments leading up to his betrayal of his marraige vows to and his love for Mayte.

I'll bet we never find out from M2, but I wonder if he fixated on her Egyptian heritage in the same way as he did Mayte's perception as "Princess Mayte". A bit twisted to think about, but surely not outside the realm of possibility. Even the subsequent Rainbow Children with it's biblical focus has an unmistakable Middle Eastern vibe in it's narrative. But I don't think Mani went for any of that to allow him to create a sequel to "Princess Mayte" with a "Princess Manuela" scenario. While he might have tried in the beginning and she might've found the attention flattering, I don't see her sticking with enabling that fantasy for nearly a decade like Mayte did. In fact, I think she might've found it insulting.

Thoughts? We don't know much about life with P & M2 after Mayte, anybody consider this angle?

I think the way he presented or portrayed his love for Mayte to his fan (the audience) was fantasy and mythological but on a day to day basis, it didn't appear to be a fantasy. It's easy for us to see it as a fantasy because we aren't with them day to day, 24/7. But there's no way they saw their relationshp as a fantasy. There's no fantasy when you walk in the bathroom your woman just stanked up. There's no fantasy when you smell each other's morning breath. There's no fantasy when you recognize each other's faults. There seemed to be an honest and spiritual connection between the two of them. You can see it in their eyes. You could see it in the way they always had to be touching one anoher. That's real. How he chose to express it through music, movies, videos was the fantasy and kind of sweet.

When did I ever say that Prince's actions were not wrong? If everything she says is true, then they were hurtful and unfair to her.

But, to me, having love for someone is not making excuses. I can be both frustated with some one and sad for them in the same breath..there was flipsides to everything. Its understanding and empathizing that shows our compassions. You can't have compassion for people you don't empathize with. Otherwise, its false. Its not real compassion. Its sanctimonious BS. If what she said was completely true, then she has my pity. But I can also give some to him too. Like they say, 'the path to hell is paved with good intentions.". It seems like she tried to empathize with his coping mechanisms, why can't we? Presumably, she forgave him because she tried to understand his choices, to find a reason. He once loved her; his hurtful actions had psychological reasons. He didn't do them just to be an asshole (even if his delusions did make him an asshole at times.)

My point is that when one has "issues" and they are surrounded by enablers/users it is tough to know which end is up. A delusion is like a prison. I am not even entirely blaming LG. He may have felt he was doing the right thing as well. I am simply saying that fame fucks with people sometimes.

I understand the idea of personal responsibilty. But to Prince in some ways, he probably felt he was taking personal responsibility by throwing himself at the mercy of GOD and pushing his wife into a religious life he thought would save them both (as well as future offspring.) Its delusional, yes. But the dude needed real help from real professionals. If he was too blind to see that he needed it or too fearful (paranoia and fear make it sometimes scary to get the help one needs), then his 'blindness' makes me sad as well. No one intentionally lives a lonely fearful life in which one deprives oneslef.. Its his fault but a messed up psyche is a messed up psyche. To me, Mayte's suffering felt more like collatoral damage than the result of malice. He should have broken up with her like a man but she might have been stronger than him.

206Michelle said:

purplerabbithole said:

How can Prince deal with abandonment issues when its all he knows. People weren't honest with the man so its hard to know one's self when that's the case. Fame makes it even more difficult to know what people's intentions. Prince once said that he liked people but found himself testing them...Of course, we don't know if Prince evolved in the last years of his life. Later on, HE was an isolated oddball, but even his proteges seemed more like collaborators and he seemed more respectful. His later relationships might have been brief but not too overly dramatic.

Often times what happens with artists is that they rely too much on their art for theraputic purposes. Medication, therapy etc can alter the 'genius', strip it of its edge. Maybe Prince worried that would happen and I think he distrusted the medical community so medical/psychological help might have been something he shied away from..

Not sure if he got any help for his issues, but I do recall him telling Sheila that he took up JW's partly because he wanted to relate to people more. Religion, even cults, offer a sense of community. HIs relationship with Mayte seemed to be just all about the two of them..all consuming, isolating for both of them. I wish he had found a different religious community. But it was a community--it may have ruined his marriages, stripped his edge, isolated him, and impacted his health, but it might have also humbled him and made him a bit more community minded.

The fact that he never married again after Manuela might just mean he accepted his limitations and didn't wish his baggage on others. Ultimately he spent the rest of his life being pretty much harmless.

Another interesting tidbit...In 2011, Brenda from Apollonia 6 made a good point about Prince. She wanted to see him again after many years..she and Susan Moonsie. When they were actually able to finally hook up with him back stage after a concert, They discovered that Prince was overjoyed to see them and spent an hour talking to Brenda's son. Hooking up with Prince was tough because the protocols and isolations around a celebrity as protected as Prince can be tough to break through or overwhelm. But, He didn't even know they were looking to talk to him and was pleasantly suprised once they did. Fame and the isolation it entails can mess with the healthiest of people and prince wasn't the healthiest of people.

Last point..someone said no one ever said no to him. I actually get the feeling that his childhood was full of people saying "no"--which I theorize is why he never accepted 'no' as an answer as an adult.. However, I must say fate dealt him plenty of "no"s..NO children (possible his genetics),, no height, no more high record sales, no sleep, no peace. I wouldn't want Prince's life.

PennyPurple, I totally agree.

.

Like I said, while he probably had some serious attachment issues from childhood over which he had no control, once he became an adult, it was within his control to deal with these traumatic experiences. He prayed. He made music. He could have gotten therapy. Maybe he did go to therapy. In my opinion, if he did, it wasn't enough.

.

Therapy can be hard, very hard. But sometimes, life throws things at a person that overwhelms his or her coping skills. In these situations, often times the only thing that a person can do is to (a) admit that he or she can't handle the issues and (b) seek help/support for dealing with the issues.

.

This goes back to the whole issue of free will. Prince could have sought out professional help for his abandonment issues. He certainly had the means to receive top-notch professional help. He could have sought out professional help in order to deal with the loss of his son. Maybe he did, but I suspect that he did not receive professional help. Instead, he decided to believe the nonsense that his son's death was a punishment from God. He decided to have everything reminding him of Amiir and Mayte destroyed, including Amiir's ashes.

.

There's no denying it, he made bad choices. Me left Mayte and did her dirty. He married Manuela, and what happened...5 years later, they got a divorce. He never should have married Mani.

.

I love the man, I love his music, but he was a flawed genius. And when it came to his personal relationships, he was a mess, a boiling hot mess. I won't stop loving him because of his flaws and his bad choices. I acknowledge the bad things that he did, I don't like the bad things that he did, but I can't hate the man. His music means too much to me. Shoot, Mayte still loves him, and if SHE can love him in spite of everything that he did to her, then I can give him my fan love too.

purplerabbithole,

My response 2 u is long, but please hear me out on this. Also, please know that what am saying comes from a place of love, and is in no way meant 2 hurt u or ridicule u.

.

Based on your response to my post, I think that u are in denial. U are fearful. U love Prince. U love his music. U are experiencing a conflict right now because u love him, but u also know that he did some really bad things 2 Mayte. He f**ked up. He made some really bad choices.

.

U are confused. U don't know what 2 do. U have cognitive dissonance. U love this man and his music. If u stop loving him and his music, it will break your heart. U don't want 2 let go of him or his music. (None of us do). U don't know how 2 resolve this conflict. U don't know how 2 reconcile your love 4 Prince and 4 his music with the bad things that he did 2 Mayte.

.

Right now, think that u are trying 2 resolve this conflict by hiding from the truth, by excusing what he did, and by explaining it away. U are in denial. U are trying 2 excuse his bad choices as being the result of him being abandoned because abandonment was all he knew. Face the truth: What he did 2 Mayte was inexcusable. What he did 2 her was wrong. There is no way around it.

.

believe that his abandonement/attachment issues were real. believe that his trust issues were real. believe that he had no control over being abandoned as a child. As another orger so brilliantly said, Prince had within him the seeds 4 his own destruction. Personally, think that the seeds 4 destruction were the abandonment/attachment/trust issues.

.

believe that he had a choice as 2 how he dealt with the trust/abandonment/attachment issues. Once he became an adult, he had some control over how he dealt with those issues. HE COULD HAVE MADE CHANGES. But 4 reasons that we will probably never fully know, he did not make the necessary changes that would have allowed him 2 move past the trust/abandonment/attachment issues so that he could sustain a healthy marriage 4 the long haul. He sabatoged his marriage 2 Mayte. He and Maneula divorced also. He ended up alone. And as another orger stated so brilliantly, his life ended as a Greek tragedy, Chanhassen style.

.

Instead of making the choice 2 do the hard work of dealing with his abandonment/attachment/trust issues, allowed the abandonment/attachment/trust issues 2 control him. He allowed the abandonment/attachment/trust issues to control him because he never chose to deal with these issues. Instead of dealing with them, he would try to avoid them, try 2 escape them, try 2 work his way and forget his way out of his abandonment/attachment/trust issues.

.

Now back 2 u, purplerabbithole. Again, am saying what am saying from love. think that u do not want 2 face the truth about Prince because the TRUTH HURTS! U want 2 love Prince and his music and still be able 2 live with yourself. Facing this fear is painful. Facing the truth about Prince is painful. But u must work through this conflict so that u can be free.

.

can see that u don't want 2 abandon him like his parents did. (None of us Prince fans do.) U are afraid 2 admit that he was wrong 4 what he did 2 Mayte. U are afraid that what he did was so bad that u cannot love him anymore. U want 2 love him because his music means something 2 u. U must resolve this conflict 4 yourself. But u must accept the truth. U cannot explain away what he did. U cannot excuse it. U cannot justify it. U cannot blame it on his childhood. U must accept the truth that HE WAS WRONG 4 what he did 2 Mayte. Accept the truth about him and FORGIVE HIM. Mayte has forgiven him. Mayte still loves him. If she can forgive him and still love him, then feel that can forgive him also and still love him also.

.

Speaking 4 myself, have decided that what he did 2 Mayte was wrong, but can still love him. If Mayte can still love him, then can still love him. want 2 keep loving him because his music means a lot 2 me. accept that my choice 2 love him has consequences. accept that some people may question my integrity, my values, and/or my moral code. accept those possible consequences. accept that people may disagree with me and may ridicule me 4 choosing 2 still love Prince. And if they do, so be it. will face those consequences if they come.

.

believe that will face my Creator when leave this world and will let Him decide what 2 do with me. hope that he allows me into Heaven. don't think am going 2 go 2 Hell 4 loving Prince and his music in spite of the bad things that he did. think that God has more important things 2 consider than whether or not love the flawed genius who is/was Prince. (It's entirely possible that could be wrong about what God thinks.)

.

have decided that WILL NOT ABANDON PRINCE! He is not God. will openly admit that worship his guitar playing. love his music. also accept that he was an imperfect, flawed human being. He was very loving at times 2 Mayte and their son, but overall, do not respect how he treated her, especially at the end of their marriage. He was wrong 4 what he did 2 Mayte. And will not make excuses for his bad behavior. will let God judge him.

.

Prince's music is meaningful enough 2 me that will continue 2 love him as a fan. recognize him as a fellow human being who means something 2 me. recognize that while he was deeply flawed and often sinful and often acted like an a**hole, HE IS STILL WORTHY OF MY LOVE. Flaws and all, he is still worthy of my love.

.

have made my decision. U must face the truth and decide 4 yourself if u can still love him. No 1 else can make the decision 4 u. U must make that decision 4 yourself.

[Edited 4/11/17 11:20am]

[Edited 4/11/17 16:57pm]

[Edited 4/11/17 17:18pm]

[Edited 4/11/17 17:20pm]

its not her baby...its "habibi"...the name of his guitar.

80tomato said:

There is a you tube video by bbrichter called Prince tribute-Blues guitar , and at 3:06 he sings"i got a bad bad feeling my Puerto Rican beauty don't live here no more...thats allright 'i still got her baby?etc" ...I can't make out the rest and it may not even be "baby"...could someone hear how he finishes that sentence?

NickiStarr said:

Technically, he didn't leave her. He just banished her to Spain and started a new relationship with someone else...and used new female muses and proteges in his work. Smh.

206Michelle said:

LBrent,

I totally get what U are saying about She Loves Me 4 Me. But What's wrong with She Spoke to Me? That song is from 1996. Am I missing something about She Spoke to Me?

..

U know what made me mad at him and want 2 slap him was seeing that note he wrote 2 Mayte in 1994-1995 when he writes " will never leave u" over and over again. (I still haven't gotten 2 chapter 6 yet, where that note is, but I was flipping through the pages of the book and came across that note, and it caught my because of all the in it.) At first, I was like, wow, this note is so loving...and it really is. But then I think about what happened 2 them and, I mean seriously Prince, how can u write that kind of a note 2 a woman and then 4 years later u are asking for an "annulment"? I realize that 4 years is kind of a long time, and they dealt with losing a child, and all of that. But the way he wrote that note, he sounded so firm in his conviction that he would love Mayte forever. Except 4 his love of music and guitars, he was very fickle about many things, including the women he loved.

Actually, that isn't the case. She wasn't "banished to Spain". They both wanted to find a get-away to heal and possibly get pregnant again. Prince, himself, said in an interview that being in Minneapolis was painful for Mayte...too many bad memories, therefore, she wanted to get away for a while to heal. He wasn't throwing his wife away, although, the space between them eventually was detrimental to their relationship.

But she called it a love story and that it was intended to 'honor' prince. Not to sound rude, but a book about herself is not why people are reading it. If the book was called "My Life" and he wasn't on the cover and it just happened to have chapters about her first marriage, then I would agree with you. It might be more about herself than Prince, but that is kind of like false advertisement...bait and switch.

NickiStarr said:

I will say, without any spoilers, that the book truly is not ABOUT Prince. It's about Mayte and her life. It's a memoir about her life that happens to highlight her one and only marriage, her first love, first, and only biological co-parent, who happens to be to Prince. I adore Mayte Garcia as a person and admire her as a professional. Wait until after you read the book, then make a judgment. I promise Prince's privacy is not breached at all- to a frustrating degree for a curious fan like me who wants to know some secrets she probably knows and chose not to tell. She upheld their privacy and is a classy lady.

LBrent said:

You might feel differently after reading it.

NickiStarr said:

I noticed Mayte had no problem mentioning Carmen Elektra and how she dated Prince. However, with Nona Gaye she was strictly business when she mentioned her. Hmmm...I wonder why she didn't note that the two of them were an item.

rednblue said:

Very glad you mentioned this! That was nagging at me too. Loved Mayte's dancing. Bittersweet to see Nona.

Beautiful ones, indeed. I wish them well.

I think you may have answered your own question. I don't think they were ever as serious as some like to say they were. I've heard some close associates mention her and it was always in a business sense.

80tomato said:

There is a you tube video by bbrichter called Prince tribute-Blues guitar , and at 3:06 he sings"i got a bad bad feeling my Puerto Rican beauty don't live here no more...thats allright 'i still got her baby?etc" ...I can't make out the rest and it may not even be "baby"...could someone hear how he finishes that sentence?

Habibi....he says he still has Habibi, his guitar. Only, at the moment he said it, I guess he'd forgotten that he'd switched out Habibi to the Cloud guitar. Therefore, after he says "...I still have Habibi", he adds "well maybe not" or somehting like that.

amethyst68 said:

LBrent said:

I just realized when you said that...For nealy a decade, P & Mayte's relationship entirely revolved around his imagination/captivation with/creating the story of/performing the shows & album & movie of/mythology of..."Princess Mayte".

All his energies over that block of time went into crafting their lives around that fantasy/mythology...until baby Amiir's passing (RIP).

That started a chain of events that sent the fantasy askew, but I think P was still trying to hold it together mostly...until the miscarraige.

See, the mythology could still hold with the "tragic loss of the firstborn" spun ito "but with the birth of their second child...the couple memorialized/remembered their firstborn" and he could still salvage the fantasy "happily ever after". With the miscarraige, and all the the temptation (Mani) and blowback (Mayte) and conflict (his new JW beleifs), there was the perfect storm to completely destroy the "Prince & his Princess Mayte" fantasy/mythology in his mind.

Even going to Cairo was a desperate attempt for him to keep the fantasy...but I hate to be so cynical, Mani really is part Egyptian. Maybe that was a big part of her appeal in the moments leading up to his betrayal of his marraige vows to and his love for Mayte.

I'll bet we never find out from M2, but I wonder if he fixated on her Egyptian heritage in the same way as he did Mayte's perception as "Princess Mayte". A bit twisted to think about, but surely not outside the realm of possibility. Even the subsequent Rainbow Children with it's biblical focus has an unmistakable Middle Eastern vibe in it's narrative. But I don't think Mani went for any of that to allow him to create a sequel to "Princess Mayte" with a "Princess Manuela" scenario. While he might have tried in the beginning and she might've found the attention flattering, I don't see her sticking with enabling that fantasy for nearly a decade like Mayte did. In fact, I think she might've found it insulting.

Thoughts? We don't know much about life with P & M2 after Mayte, anybody consider this angle?

I think the way he presented or portrayed his love for Mayte to his fan (the audience) was fantasy and mythological but on a day to day basis, it didn't appear to be a fantasy. It's easy for us to see it as a fantasy because we aren't with them day to day, 24/7. But there's no way they saw their relationshp as a fantasy. There's no fantasy when you walk in the bathroom your woman just stanked up. There's no fantasy when you smell each other's morning breath. There's no fantasy when you recognize each other's faults. There seemed to be an honest and spiritual connection between the two of them. You can see it in their eyes. You could see it in the way they always had to be touching one anoher. That's real. How he chose to express it through music, movies, videos was the fantasy and kind of sweet.

amethyst and LBrent, both of you make some really good points. I think that and Mayte's love was real and substantial. Were there some elements of fantasy? Sure there were...the episodes of hypnosis come to mind. But I think that many people have elements of fantasy in their relationships...playful moments in the car singing to the song that's playing and reliving childhood moments...acting out scenes from movies...and things like that. There may have been more fantasy in Prince and Mayte's relationship than the average man-woman relationship because they were both artists.

.

The day-to-day reality of a loving relationship ebbs and flows. Eventually, every relationship is going to hit some big rocks in the road: money, the couple's sex life, family functions, infertility, or the death of a child. Unfortunately, I think that and Mayte's first big test as a married couple was (arguably) the most difficult issue that any couple could face---the loss of a child. And I think that once Amiir died, and reality hit them both like a ton of bricks, they didn't know how to deal with it. They didn't know how to handle it. They recovered a little bit, and then boom, the miscarriage happens, and on top of that, Larry Graham is in the picture, Manuela is in the picture, the Jehovah's Witness faith is in the picture, they are still grieving Amiir...and it all just went to hell from there.

purplerabbithole said:

amethyst68 said:

80tomato said:

There is a you tube video by bbrichter called Prince tribute-Blues guitar , and at 3:06 he sings"i got a bad bad feeling my Puerto Rican beauty don't live here no more...thats allright 'i still got her baby?etc" ...I can't make out the rest and it may not even be "baby"...could someone hear how he finishes that sentence?

Habibi....he says he still has Habibi, his guitar. Only, at the moment he said it, I guess he'd forgotten that he'd switched out Habibi to the Cloud guitar. Therefore, after he says "...I still have Habibi", he adds "well maybe not" or somehting like that.

Habibi is the Arabic word for "beloved."

Well, maybe not'...that's kind of funny. Its like Prince is thinking "oops, I don't have the habibi in my hands anymore, my bad..."

amethyst68 said:

80tomato said:

There is a you tube video by bbrichter called Prince tribute-Blues guitar , and at 3:06 he sings"i got a bad bad feeling my Puerto Rican beauty don't live here no more...thats allright 'i still got her baby?etc" ...I can't make out the rest and it may not even be "baby"...could someone hear how he finishes that sentence?

Habibi....he says he still has Habibi, his guitar. Only, at the moment he said it, I guess he'd forgotten that he'd switched out Habibi to the Cloud guitar. Therefore, after he says "...I still have Habibi", he adds "well maybe not" or somehting like that.

iTS ALSO HIS GUITAR...

206Michelle said:

amethyst68 said:

Habibi....he says he still has Habibi, his guitar. Only, at the moment he said it, I guess he'd forgotten that he'd switched out Habibi to the Cloud guitar. Therefore, after he says "...I still have Habibi", he adds "well maybe not" or somehting like that.

Habibi is the Arabic word for "beloved."

Elodie said:

purplerabbithole said:

its not her baby...its "habibi"...the name of his guitar.

I always found this curious. On one level he was saying that even though Mayte was no longer there, he still had his music. And yet the guitar was called 'Habibi' which means 'beloved' or 'darling' in Arabic. Manuela speaks Arabic. She called her original company 'Gamillah' and he had a song by the same name. Gamillah means 'beautiful' in Arabic.

You can't forget that "Mayte" is the Basque word for "beloved".

amethyst68 said:

NotACleverName said:

amethyst68 said:

You can't forget that "Mayte" is the Basque word for "beloved".

And he did change the lyrics from simply "baby" to "Puerto Rican beauty" (reply #606). Obviously, he was working thru something. Isn't that his standard?

Most definitely he (they) was/were working through something. She asked him for a divorce 3 months later. At the after party a month prior, he mentioned on stage, with Mayte in attendance, that Mayte wasn't happy. So, yes, they were working through something. Not to mention, as Mayte discusses in the book, we now know that Mayte was very upset with the "The Greatest Romance..." music video Prince released in November 1999, the month prior to the Rave 2000 concert.

[Edited 4/11/17 17:33pm]

amethyst68 said:

LBrent said:

I just realized when you said that...For nealy a decade, P & Mayte's relationship entirely revolved around his imagination/captivation with/creating the story of/performing the shows & album & movie of/mythology of..."Princess Mayte".

All his energies over that block of time went into crafting their lives around that fantasy/mythology...until baby Amiir's passing (RIP).

That started a chain of events that sent the fantasy askew, but I think P was still trying to hold it together mostly...until the miscarraige.

See, the mythology could still hold with the "tragic loss of the firstborn" spun ito "but with the birth of their second child...the couple memorialized/remembered their firstborn" and he could still salvage the fantasy "happily ever after". With the miscarraige, and all the the temptation (Mani) and blowback (Mayte) and conflict (his new JW beleifs), there was the perfect storm to completely destroy the "Prince & his Princess Mayte" fantasy/mythology in his mind.

Even going to Cairo was a desperate attempt for him to keep the fantasy...but I hate to be so cynical, Mani really is part Egyptian. Maybe that was a big part of her appeal in the moments leading up to his betrayal of his marraige vows to and his love for Mayte.

I'll bet we never find out from M2, but I wonder if he fixated on her Egyptian heritage in the same way as he did Mayte's perception as "Princess Mayte". A bit twisted to think about, but surely not outside the realm of possibility. Even the subsequent Rainbow Children with it's biblical focus has an unmistakable Middle Eastern vibe in it's narrative. But I don't think Mani went for any of that to allow him to create a sequel to "Princess Mayte" with a "Princess Manuela" scenario. While he might have tried in the beginning and she might've found the attention flattering, I don't see her sticking with enabling that fantasy for nearly a decade like Mayte did. In fact, I think she might've found it insulting.

Thoughts? We don't know much about life with P & M2 after Mayte, anybody consider this angle?

I think the way he presented or portrayed his love for Mayte to his fan (the audience) was fantasy and mythological but on a day to day basis, it didn't appear to be a fantasy. It's easy for us to see it as a fantasy because we aren't with them day to day, 24/7. But there's no way they saw their relationshp as a fantasy. There's no fantasy when you walk in the bathroom your woman just stanked up. There's no fantasy when you smell each other's morning breath. There's no fantasy when you recognize each other's faults. There seemed to be an honest and spiritual connection between the two of them. You can see it in their eyes. You could see it in the way they always had to be touching one anoher. That's real. How he chose to express it through music, movies, videos was the fantasy and kind of sweet.

I'm not articulating this well.

I'm not saying thier feelings were a fantasy or weren't genuine. What I'm saying is that the entire relationship took place in, firstly a purple bubble, then that morphed into a purple middle eastern/harem/genie in a bottle/paisley/exotic scented kingdom where lived the "prince and his princess".

An interveiwer a few days ago was obviously a fan and was very sweet to Mayte but when he asked about the reality of P being just a guy who sat on the couch in his boxers, scratching his butt or picking a booger, Mayte giggled and said "Nope, never happened". And I don't think she was saying it to be kind or keep a moment private. I think they were very into, for better or worse, maintaining "the fantasy/mythology" of an elegant existance where princes don't scratch thier butts or pick boogers and princesses don't "stink up the bathroom" or "have morning breath".

LET'S PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP THE FOCUS ON LEVEL OF DISCUSSION THAT HELPS EACH OTHER ENJOY THE THREAD.
WE HAVE OTHER THREADS TO GO 'IN' ON MAYTE IF U CHOOSE

well thank-you all for solving this for me

purplerabbithole said:

I understand the idea of personal responsibilty. But to Prince in some ways, he probably felt he was taking personal responsibility by throwing himself at the mercy of GOD and pushing his wife into a religious life he thought would save them both (as well as future offspring.) Its delusional, yes. But the dude needed real help from real professionals. If he was too blind to see that he needed it or too fearful (paranoia and fear make it sometimes scary to get the help one needs), then his 'blindness' makes me sad as well. No one intentionally lives a lonely fearful life in which one deprives oneslef.. Its his fault but a messed up psyche is a messed up psyche. To me, Mayte's suffering felt more like collatoral damage than the result of malice. He should have broken up with her like a man but she might have been stronger than him.

I wholeheartedly agree.

He was obviously misguided in thinking that, but I do think that he tought that.

[Edited 4/11/17 18:29pm]