Check it out here:
http://www.galleryofsound...ialID=2760




Prince is more popular than he’s been in years—and he has no idea why.

"Where's my interview?"

by Gary Graff

Prince sticks his head into the backstage production office at the Palace of Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit­—just a few hours before he rocks the house with a seamless two-plus hours of hits and funky jams. There was a time, of course, when Prince looking for an interview was about as likely as Tipper Gore singing "Darling Nikki" on the US Senate floor. But these days Prince, happily married (to second wife Manuela Testolini) and comfortable in his career, is opening up.

At least a bit. He still doesn’t do much talking, and he won’t let the interviews be recorded. This year he delivered show-stopping performances at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he was inducted, and at the Grammy Awards, where he kicked things off with an assist from Beyoncé. His new album, Musicology, is a hit, thanks to a crafty plan to distribute a copy free to each ticket-holder on his current tour. And in an otherwise light year at the box office Prince has been a blockbuster, winning rave reviews for his fierce sets. He also says this will be the last time he ever trots out many of his best-known songs.

Mostly, however, Prince’s celebratory mood is due to having his career in his own hands, the result of a long struggle that led to him abandoning his name and adopting that unpronounceable glyph, leaving his original label (Warner Bros.) after declaring himself a "slave" to the industry, and establishing his NPG (New Power Generation) imprint and NPG Music Club website that allows him to put out music—and a lot of it—when and however he pleases. "It’s a respect thing," he tells the Auburn Hills audience, and there’s more respect—and love—for Prince now than there’s been in quite some time. But, he cautions as he pops open a can of mixed nuts amidst the candles and incense sticks in his dressing room, don’t call it a comeback.

Your Grammy Awards performance celebrated the 20th anniversary of Purple Rain, and you find yourself now at possibly your greatest peak of popularity. Does it feel like déjà vu?

Not really. Purple Rain was more or less like a fever pitch type of feeling all the time—people at the hotel waiting, crowding. Now it’s more businesslike. It doesn’t seem like a madhouse. I’m running the affairs. I make a lot more money.

What do you think accounts for the increased level of interest at this point in time?

The more people talk about it, the more I’ve examined it. And, you know, take away the Grammys and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, put them aside, and I’d still be here in this building talking to you. I would still release this album. I’d still be out here. Twenty-seven million people saw the Grammys, so instantly there’s a buzz. But all they saw us doing was what we always do. [Saxophonist] Maceo [Parker] had his band, if 27 million people saw them, there’d be a buzz about them, too.

So you don’t consider this a comeback?

I never went anywhere! The vibe, with us, is not really that different. I’ve been touring for a while. I took a break to make the Musicology project. It hasn’t really stopped.

Are the songs on Musicology relatively recent or have they been under development for a while?

It’s been around. I record all the time. This one I did over a year’s time; a couple of the songs are older, but I’m not gonna say which ones. What I try to do is put together an album; it’s about what fits well together, what flows. I’m trying to get a certain vibe. What people are vibing off on this album is they’re short songs again, little ditties. It’s a medium people are used to and like. But I make a lot of records that don’t get released, or that I just put on the website. It’s just stuff that’s pleasing to listen to on the weekend or stuff. I’ve got one [Xpectation], an experimental record, that’s for dinner parties.

Dinner parties?

Yeah. I have dinner parties sometimes, and I wanted to have something I could play that kept things in a place I like. I’m not trying to shock the world with every record.

The ability to make music and release it as you see fit is something you fought long and hard for. Did you have that kind of vision at the beginning of your career?

Back in the ‘80s we started having discussions about releasing things under other names. I mean, George Clinton had Parliament, then he had Funkadelic—two different bands, two different labels. Then he had George Clinton records, the Brides of Funkenstein... He could get it all out of his system. You just keep doing stuff, and it gets stacked up and drives you crazy. And you don’t know what to do about it. Studies show that things like regret, not being able to forgive other people, that’s what causes cancer. It piles up, and you get irritable.

So the website and NPG Music Club let you manage the clutter.

The cool thing is it’s interactive immediately. The temptation is to fill it up with new songs all the time. Freedom can get you into trouble—too much freedom, anyway. But it’s so much more fun and there are so many more rewards to doing it on your own. You can become so much more connected to your audience this way. They don’t need to see a chart first or hear it on the radio first or read a review. What they vibe off of is what they vibe off of. It’s that easy.

It’s not quite the same as releasing a standard CD, though. Do you have to divest yourself from the attitude of "stardom" in order to be comfortable working this way?

I think I’ve always been here. Go back to the Dirty Mind period; I was happy there, too. We had our little gang, our little clothes and little outfits and we’d go on stage and that’s what we were there for. That’s what we lived for. We didn’t know what was going to happen or what this was gonna become. We loved it.

So is this tour really the last time you’re going to play some of these songs, or are you just hyping us like Bowie and Elton?

I’ve been playing "Purple Rain" and "Little Red Corvette" a long time. I’m writing all the time—those are the songs I want to be playing. It’s hard to stay away from that and rest on my laurels. I can’t do that.

That's funny...Prince looking for an interview.



This statement from Prince is insightful. Music is the man's obsession.

oooh!! me likes me likes! me wants me wants!!

"The cool thing is it’s interactive immediately. The temptation is to fill it up with new songs all the time. Freedom can get you into trouble—too much freedom, anyway. But it’s so much more fun and there are so many more rewards to doing it on your own. You can become so much more connected to your audience this way. They don’t need to see a chart first or hear it on the radio first or read a review. What they vibe off of is what they vibe off of. It’s that easy"





why dont he just release more music then? FILL IT UP, BRUTHA!
klick

klick2me said:

we should teach him about the method of osmosis...the vault is FULL....our catalogue - if u will - is emptying due to getting...used to hearing some of the classics...so what would only be inevitable is to have some of the songs from the vault reach US....like...now LOL


would anyone else like 2 add 2 this?

SammiJ said:

There's 1 on eBay right now...
Get it b4 it's gone!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eB...3841614910

kool..he sounds humble in this one ...i like

ThePurplePeopleEater said:[quotePrince sticks his head into the backstage production office at the Palace of Auburn Hills in suburban Detroit­—just a few hours before he rocks the house with a seamless two-plus hours of hits and funky jams.[/quote]

Auburn Hills, I was at that show. It rocked!

Could anybody else hear Prince's voice in their mind as they were reading his responses in this interview?
[Edited 9/25/04 1:04am]

I thought he was surprisingly straight-forward in that interview. A lot of people want to know why he doesn't put more stuff out on the website - he answered that, which shows it's something he's thought about. He revealed that some songs are just meant to be 'pleasing to listen to' rather than major statements. He revealed that he thinks Xpectation is just meant to be seen as experimental 'background' music - a throwaway record if you will. That's interesting. He's not sounding as precious about his music as he used to, much more relaxed.

And it even shows he's thought about why the Musicology project has been so successful - short songs!

That's quite a lot in a short interview - thanks for posting!

metalorange said:

I agree with your first statement. But as far as the latter part is concerned, I wouldn't necessarily interpret Prince's statement about Xpectation the way that you did. Background music doesn't automatically mean "throwaway" music and I hardly think that is what Prince is trying to say.

Prince specifially said... "I have dinner parties sometimes, and I wanted to have something I could play that kept things in a place I like."

I interpet that to mean, certain types of music may be a better fit for certain types of settings. At a dinner party he may not want his music to be the center of attention, but still wanted something to set the right tone and right mood for the occassion. Calling it throwaway music sort of equates it to garbage and I don't think that is what Prince is trying to say.

That was a great interview. It was cool of him to mention the Dirty Mind period. A good read.

FutureShock said:

Well, maybe you're right. But Prince has said in the past that he likes to make music for the here and now - that's why he got frustrated when Warners wouldn't release albums as soon as he made them - implying you listen to the music at the time and then move on to something new - if that isn't 'throwaway music, I'm not sure what is! But no, I suppose he isn't calling Xpectation that - but implying it is good mostly for background dinner party music doesn't necessarily put it up on a high level either!

Thank you Purple People Eater

GAPeach said:

I've actually known about this for a couple years. Everything we do emotionally will eventually manifest itself physically, somewhere on or in the human body. The very word, emotion, in one sense means, "energy in motion." When you feel great love, where do you feel the "E(nergy in)MOTION" - in your heart. When you feel great anxiety, it crops up "in the the stomach."

I tried several book stores 2 purchase this magazine. Where can I purchase it instead of ebay? is it a US magazine?

Read this article on NPGMC, great one!

pennylover said:

I must not live in the right neighborhood because I can't find this or Black Beat. Can anyone help me out.

Is it different from the article above?

poetbear68 said:

What I meant that it is nice to read Prince saying that.

Please list Addresses or e-mail me people cause no STEREOTYPE,Italian Vogue or BLACK bEAT in EVERY AREA of FLORIDA North of Aventura. Cannot Find even the Paper Magazine. Please People are these all in NY and MINNIE? Purple Please give addresses for People OUTSIDE of Areas selling these publications.

It was one of the best interviews I read from him. He mentioned some very interesting parts. And he didn´t keep saying how bad the new artists are, etc.

I read this before ..the org is very slow

Nikki4u said:

F.F.S - like my mother used 2 say - if u aint got anything nice 2 say, dont say anything.

YOU may have read it, but plenty of other people here may not have - so chut the hell up, whinger.

metalorange said:

Well then its semantics we're arguing and not intent and volition which is more important. If every song to him is "here and now" (which I believe is how he feels about his writing for the most part), then don't just say Xpectation is throwaway... lump Purple Rain in there too. And LRC. And Sign of the Times for sure. All were written in a 'moment', some more reflective and /or philosophical than others, but then the songs morphed into whatever they mean to us later on. Xpectation had a point to it, Dear Mr. Man had another. Personally, when he's talking about giving a dinner party the right vibe, have to give even more props. I wish I could write and record music for my own dinner parties so the vibe would be just so..lol.

Thank you, PurplePeopleEater. I appreciate you posting this interview plus pics.




"The more people talk about it, the more I’ve examined it. And, you know, take away the Grammys and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, put them aside, and I’d still be here in this building talking to you. I would still release this album. I’d still be out here. Twenty-seven million people saw the Grammys, so instantly there’s a buzz. But all they saw us doing was what we always do. [Saxophonist] Maceo [Parker] had his band, if 27 million people saw them, there’d be a buzz about them, too".


I love it when Prince talks like this. Such determination and dedication to music!