So I'm looking at a video of P performing TMBGITW at the AMAs. I didn't see it at the time. But damned if he isn't lip synching. I mean, he doesn't even have a mike. It's a f***ing dance performance with Mayte. I don't even know why he's bothering to mouth the words.

Talk about a vanity project. It is literally just the two of then dancing. What's the difference between that performance and just watching them fool around in their bedroom?

I've never seen someone just get up there and do something like that, especially on a music award show.

Am I alone in being taken aback? Seems like he could get away with anything in primetime no less, back in the day. That's our man.

Prince has lip-synced on many TV-spots, especially during the mid '90s. It's not that rare (however he hasn't done it now since 1999). To my knowledge he has never done it in a concert or aftershow.
[Edited 1/7/05 23:04pm]

altavista said:

You got to think in context & remember that alot of these events to pay the performer a performance fee. So its common for them to just show up, and lip-sync it. And in the case with the AMA's its expected, so I remember hearing that some years they weren't even set up for peformers.

nero

I see your points. I've seen him lip-sync to great effect in the past, though I hate it. Especially with someone who can actually sing.

I'm just perturbed that he didn't even bother to employ a mike. Talk about being upfront about the fact that you are NOT singing. I guess I like the illusion. Don't you?

There are a number of poor lip-synch performances from the Gold Era, but none so trite as during the Emancipation era, where he basically did the same routine on every show he "performed" on wearing a bloody stupid head mic. With his selective amnesia he forgets this when bitching about today's artists lip-synching.

Prince does it alot for television (more often than not, from what I've seen).

Well, Prince is against lip-synching in CONCERT where people have payed good money to see someone perform. TV performances are another matter - sometimes it's just not practcal to do it live, and really, it doesn't matter so much because no one's payed to see it, it's just a visual performance like a video. The fact is we know Prince can do it live if he needs to, he's against performers who can't do it live ever without lipsynching.

sheesh...

gsh said:

well, today's artists are lip-synching on show like saturday night live for christ's sake.

Scrapluv said:

I know.. that's crazy.. it's not like "live" isn't the whole hook of the show. I remember seeing J-Lo on there, she wishes she could sound like her "enhanced" track did. It was ridiculous.


Unfortunately, you can't get big-name/no-talent-having mf's on the show without letting them lip-sync...If it's a choice between booking the artist or losing advertising dollars, they will book that artist and let them lip-sync.


I couldn't understand what the Ashlee Simpson mess was all about, as if it were an artistic integrity issue. People were actually upset that she would dare to lip sync. I don't know what planet people are on. Only now are there questions about whether she can really sing?



Honey, there's a long list of people to question if you wanna go down that path. Most of the top 40 performers are in that camp, sadly. We're all just a bunch of hypocrites.

I think it would be great if Prince were a purist and would sing live every time (which I guess is too much to expect), but I'm disappointed when he doesn't.

Some of the TV shows actually tell the performer that they will have to lip synch. They don't have time or whatever to allow for switching out equipment and such. Prince mentioned this in an interview somewhere, saying that he wasn't happy about it necessarily, but if he wanted to be on the show, he had to comply.

HalluRain said:

Ohhh. I did not know that..thanks for the explanation.. makes sense..

but he still showed out on the AMA's with that dance number...

toejam said:

And that is all that matters is that he HASN'T done it in a concert or aftershow.

In the VIBE magazine back in 94. The only time he has appeared on the front cover, it stated in the article the the award show was making him lip-synch. Something he hates. But it is just an award show. TV appearances ain't nothin. So long as he is singing in concert.

First of all I am surprised no one caught the mistake. Although he does also lip-sync on the AMA's, he didn't perform TMBGITW on that awards show. He performed The Purple & Gold Medleys. TMBGITW was the World Music Awards in Monaco where he an Mayte look like Mr & Mrs Spock...

Serveitupfrankie*

Prince I think has done it maybe 3 times. One on the Mid 1990's American Music Awards anyone can tell, plus he was chewing gum. He did'nt care. But the difference he doesn't NEED to Lip Sync! There is about 95% of his career on TV he sang live & gets the most hype and respect for that Live Perfomance.

gsh said:

-----
Well apparently artist don't always have a say when it comes to lip-synching on some telvision shows. He may have been forced to do so as they are not always set-up for live performances. The point is P does not lip-synch live which a lot artist do now a days. It is one thing to lip on a t.v. show it is wrong to lip-synch at a concert that people have paid good money to see.


I wish fans would not use selective amnesia and keep some of this in mind.

What's the big deal? Most artists lip-sync when they're on a TV show.As someone on this thread pointed out,the show usually requires that they do this.It's not really a big deal,is it?

gsh said:

Like someone said later on down the tread. So what about a tv show. If Prince was lip-synching at his live shows then I could see where you are coming from, but wack ass shows like the AMAs, The World Music Awards. and the Image Awards is the show you are talking about. So what! He and Beyonce gave it to you live at the Grammys. Them other shows don't matter. Prince gives it to you a live show in concert and aftershows. He of all people can take a break and lip-synch at some stupid award show.

Plus today's artist. What he is bitching about is they don't give you a live show on an award show or when you see them in concert where you pay good money to see them.

altavista said:

With Ashlee Simpson people probably dogged her because it was just that Saturday Night LIVE. But SNL should take some of the blame because Janet and Britney did the same thing on their performances. The musical guest should be singing live or they should rename the show Saturday Night Pre-recorded and then nobody can expect anything more.