An interview with Q Magazine. A UK Publication.

Q: 2004 has been quite a successful year for you. How are you finding things “outside” of the mainstream industry?

P: There is still a long way to go before independent artists can succeed at the same level as the big label juggernauts, but with the technology around today the gap is certainly closing. We have found that real music is slowly working it’s way back into the heart and minds of people, but it is difficult to compete with Pop Idols and production-line-pop. You will see a bridging of the gap between the mainstream and the independent artist with our next project.

Q: Can you explain the idea of this new project to us?

P: Essentially it is an old-school Prince album but from the perspective of the new consumer.

Q: New consumer?
P: Todays consumer tends to want what they are told they want by the big labels. We are not in a position to influence that process. However, we can make ourselves become a part of that process from an outside point of view.

Q: How do you do that?

P: We become, in essence, a boy-band.
Q: So the NPG will become a boy band?

P: Essentially yes. Except we will not have the same kind of restraints that the current stream of boy bands have to endure.

Q: Restaints?

P: Yes. Current boy bands have restrictions forced upon them by the record label in that, by definition, they must all be boys. We do not have such draconian restraints applied to us.

Q: Meaning?

P: We also have girls.

Q: I see. So a mixed band then. But surely that has already been done and is nothing new.

P: In itself it is nothing new, I agree. Mixed bands, such as Abba go as far back as the early 90’s. Even the Spice Girls had a boy. In the UK, Gloucestereistershire I believe, a new breed of boy band was born. They called themselves S Club 7. They too had girls. They even had a TV show. Such a talented lot they were. I have all their albums. Ahem [coughs], Anyway, …[sneezes].. Excuse me [Q: Bless you]…. Thankyou… [Prince places hand on Q’s shoulder]… may you live to see the dawn.

Q: You were saying how your boy band is different from the current stream of mixed gender boy bands.

P: Ah, yes. Indeed, we do have girls in the new-look NPG. But we haven’t stopped there. We also have a girl and boy from every race and creed, a girl and boy from every religious faith, a girl and boy from every sexual preference and a girl and boy from every transsexual connotation.

Q: So they all march in, two by two! [Q laughs]. [Prince frowns upon Q]. Sorry…er… that was just a joke.

P: Hmmm, indeed.

Q: This must be a very large boy band to incorporate every gender of every race, faith and sexual preference.

P: That is very true. We have nine band members all together. It is quite a lot of talent to work with at any one time. I am very privileged.

Q: So how do you cope with bringing together such a large ensemble to the table?

P: I find that if I write all the music and lyrics, play all the instruments and sing all the vocals it is much easier for us to group together and collectively create our new boy band persona.

Q: What influences the new look NPG then?

P: We take a lot of inspiration from bands such as Megadeth and Metallica and mold it with a softer touch from the likes of Take That and New Kids on the Block. Of course we would never abandon the funk, so you will always feel a lot of Bryan Adams, Falco and Sigue Sigue Sputnik.

Q: Falco?

P: Yeah, you know: Amadeus Amadeus, Rock me Amadeus! Dat is some fonky-ass shit man. Get Down! Oops! I meant ship. That’s what I said. Ship! S-H-I-P, ship.

Q: I would like to ask you about religion and your well publicised following of the Jehovas Witnesses, if I may.

P: I prefer not to discuss my own personal faith.

Q: Ok, fair enough. [Q takes a sip of water]. So when did you first become a jehovas witness?

P: Funnily enough, it was during a concert in Lufthaffenwein Germany. I saw a light, possibly part of the stage rigging, which flickered on and off in time to the beat. We were half way through a song called Piss the Fish, a Maceo Parker penned extrafunkganza. Anyway, during the sixteenth sax solo I started to notice the flashing light was in fact spelling out morse code to me.

Q: You know morse code?

P: Surely I do my good fellow. Picked up whilst in the great outback of the Australian… er … outback.

Q: Please continue.

P: No. Suffice to say, that day we became subordinates to Larry Graham – A true funkified god of gods. And consequently, members of the jehovas cause.

Q: Do you knock on doors then?

P: No, Butty does it for me. I stand behind him and then move to the front when someone answers.

Q: Back to the music. It is a well-known fact that no one really knows how much material is in the famous vault. Can you shed some light on this Holy Grail?

P: The vault, as you call it, is by no means a reality. Sure, it may exist and it may contain thousands upon thousands of unreleased trax from back in the day. But then again, it may not. If the truth be told, then I can categorically say that the vault is most certainly not in my bedroom. Upon that I don’t feel I can bring any more to the table.

Q: A lot of people are saying you have lost your creative touch, that you just cant cut it like you used to and that anything you do now comes from the vault and a more creative period. What do you say to them?

P: I say to them: Wedding feast, Life o the party, Jughead, my little pill, Banana Pudding. The list goes on, and none of them came out of the vault, which isn’t in my bedroom.

Q: Banana Pudding?

P: Yes, it is the new single from the new look NPG.

Q: The new boy band…

P: Yes. It will be released the way all music will be released in the future. By illegal, P2P download. This enables us to cut any printing and pressing costs and means we do not have to distribute it anywhere. I simply upload it to Kazaa, say, and the great file sharing public will do the rest.

Q: But surely you don’t make any money that way.

P: Not true. It will also be available for download from the NPG music club at the premium rate of $24.99.

Q: I see. And when will the album be available for illegal download?

P: I am planning to upload the album wrap in about two weeks time.

Q: Will this also be available from your music club at a price?

P: Yes. $159.95. But you will also get a half price ticket for the movie.

Q: There is a movie?

P: Yes. It is the sequel to Purple Rain.

Q: I thought Graffiti Bridge was the sequel.

P: Graffiti Bridge? Never heard of it. It wasn’t me. I wasn’t even in the country when that pile of pish came out.

Q: But you were in it!

P: That’s what the big studios would have you believe. But it wasn’t me, I promise.

Q: Well, I look forward to Banana Pudding – Purple Rain II.

P: Can I just remind your readers that when they buy the album from the music club they will get early entry into the theatre where they will get exclusive access to the movie trailers and advertising.

Q: You just did.

P: Did I? Ok, cool.

Q: So what about a tour?

P: The Banana Pudding World Tour will begin in Gloucestereistershire, England early next month. We decided to start there in homage to the now defunct S Club 7.

Q: Will there be any surprises in store?

P: Sure there will. The new album is full of surprises. Due to the nature of the production of this album, most of it will be played live through means of prerecorded backing tracks.

Q: You mean miming?

P: Miming is a dirty word. I would prefer to call it the modern way to perform live. Or tmwtpl to give its acronymic title – Which incidentally means cabbage in Welsh. Quite fitting don’t you think?

Q: You mean in a vegetable/fruit kind of way?

P: No, I mean in another, more obvious kind of way.

Q: Indeed.

Prince and the new-look New Power Generation, aka Prince was talking to Q magazine.
[Edited 1/5/05 4:37am]

Oh God...



Some effort.

Can I post it on the NPG-MC ?

Good stuff.

Was it realy Prince,if so he is just being smart because he didn't like the interviewer ,"some people have said you have lost your creative output and your taking your songs from the vault ".....nice
what an asshole ,Prince wasn't impressed,you cant trust the UK press he prob didn't say half of that

This was a fun article:) So what's goin'on with a tour????

Anniechristian2 said:

Jon said:

Co-sign.

Wow! Now thats jus pure bordem and a whole lotta time.

Jon said:

Fuck u

PurpleKnight said:

Fuck you 2

You had me up until the "boy band" bit...

Hilarious

Jon said:

Anniechristian2 said:

I love it!

Anniechristian2 said:

ding ding ding!! we have our new zelaria...

Anniechristian2 said:

JamesS said:

Same here. I was drawn in like a moth to a flame. I got burned, but all in good fun.

!!!!!

too funny hahaha...DAMN.

you almost got me!!! LOL good stuff

Anniechristian2 said:

I'm sorry, but there's really only one thing you can say to this.


BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!

And reading this thing again, I've decided it's one of the most clever, hilarious things anyone's ever come up with here.
[Edited 1/6/05 2:10am]