Billy Jack damn near broke her back with this way-out-there chance to mention Prince.

From Sunday's Star-Trib:
C.J.: Kravitz's handlers need to lighten up
C.J., Star Tribune
January 23, 2005

Lenny Kravitz's handlers are aggressive advocates about his image.

The rock star gave a private unplugged performance Thursday for about 100 people to benefit "The Breast Cancer 3-Day" at Escape Ultra Lounge. Nearly $14,000 was raised. His mom, actor Roxie Roker, died of breast cancer in 1995.

Kravitz answered fans' questions between songs. Said he prefers boxers. Loves hanging out with his daughter Zoe, who's in the studio working on her own musical projects but won't let him listen. Kravitz knows that act well because that's exactly what he did to his mother until he was ready to share his music. At Paisley Park he has jammed with Prince. "That's what we do. Both of us [lead]." Was there any celeb at the Tsunami Relief bennie that Kravitz was excited to meet? "No, not really," he said. "We're all just folks."

Well, not really.

Most folks don't move only in the company of big bodyguards. Before Kravitz made his appearance on stage, one of his handlers asked an Escape official whether there were a couple of "big guys" available to escort Kravitz from Le Meridien to the club.

Before Kravitz's arrival, one Jason McFadden came up to hassle me about having a camera in the room. Told him that one of the owners, David Koch, knew I was there with a camera, but it was clear that McFadden thought he was running this show.

For a minute we seemed on the verge of a Symbolinaesque encounter -- like the time when college kid Anthony Fitzgerald had his camera stolen by one of Prince's bodyguards at the airport.

I told McFadden that Lenny was coming off as high-maintenance as Prince was, and that I wanted to like Kravitz more than that.

"If you write that, I'll kill you," McFadden said.

Thaaaaat's a little aggressive, but there were too many witnesses for me to worry. "You'll totally like him. He's great." We eventually had more civil chatter, but McFadden fell silent when asked whether it's true that Kravitz wrote "Super Lady" about Nicole Kidman.

A certain look

José Lara, a personal trainer at the Bally's in Fridley, grudgingly attended the concert with his girlfriend, although he hates "Super Lady" and is not a huge Kravitz fan. Lara caught this gossip's eye because he kind of looks like Lenny when Lenny is wearing his hair longer. "In the mall you'll see people turn around twice and stop. Kind of gasp. It's fun to watch people's reactions," said Lara's girlfriend, Marina Netchepaeva.

'I look better'

"A lot of people say I look like him," Lara said. "I say he wants to look like me. He's cool. Ladies like him; I'm not a lady. I don't want to be him. I sing myself; I'm a musician. I play the guitar, so I like [some of] his music. I hope they call me up to play one of his songs. I can get it done."

True enough. When Lara sang along, he was pretty good. Lara also might be better-looking than Kravitz. "I look better than him. You got that right," said Lara, who doesn't lack self-confidence. That brought us to this question: Who spends more time in front of the mirror -- Marina or José?

"Oh. My. Gawd. Even today," she said, as he tried to interrupt: "No, no, no. Marina. Marina. I'm going to be in the paper. No, no," he protested.

"Even today," Netchepaeva continued. "Ten minutes. Non-stop. Just looking."

"Marina," he said. "This is all about me." It's as if Lara's good looks have interfered with his hearing.

She dug in

KDWB's Corey Foley and Dave Ryan emceed the benefit. Ryan came over to tell me that he didn't know how a certain couple had gotten into the sold-out event.

Margie Forrester and Mark Kampf got lucky about three hours before the intimate mini-mini concert. Kampf would not say what he does for a living, but he looks like someone who makes lots of money.

"I've got connections," Kampf said, sounding a whole lot more confident than he did Thursday morning.

"Eight o'clock this morning she said, Lenny Kravitz is going to be in town. I want to go see him. I go to work; she calls me at 3:30. Honey, did you get those tickets? I said, 'Baby you're not going to get no tickets. That's impossible.' "

"I said, 'I need tickets,' " Forrester said.

Kampf said he started thinking about a guy he met 10 years ago who said if tickets were ever needed, just call. A couple of calls later, Kampf lucked into some tickets from somebody who couldn't use theirs.

Readers may think that getting tickets was their biggest hurdle to getting to the show. But there was this note on the tickets: Must arrive by 6:30 p.m.

"I called her up. 'Baby, I've got the tickets, but we have to be out of the house by 5:30,' " Kampf said, recalling it was about 4:50 p.m. at that point.

"I was not ready, you know," Forrester said. But you wouldn't know it if you saw her. She was beautifully and expensively turned out -- in a way you can't pull off without putting in some time.

"I got ready in 10 minutes," she said proudly.

She's crazy about that little Lenny.

Is her new year's resolution "find a way to mention Prince in every column"?!

That billy jack.....

McFadden really should kill her.

She wants Prince. Or he hurt her for her to be hanging on to this hate.

sounds like shes really a fan. anybody who finds a way to menton him this much...

heybaby said:

Which orger is she?

oh i get it...this is one of those"somebodys horrible about prince thetre4 we have to hate them"threads

cjs pretty funny actually....and 4 those who have followed ps career she was writing about him when nobody else was(any publicity...)

BILLY JACK BITCH

jonylawson said:

Wrong. Its about laffin at CJ for her reaching. Aint nobody drinking kool-aid just because SOME stuff gets called out for what it is.

Oh one of them responses where "Fuck Prince.You all blind followers. Oh, by the way I post a lot on Prince websites but act cooler than others because I blatantly espouse my fair and impartial opinion to a moot point"

Are you people nutz ? Dig it, the man's music is second to none. He finds away to put you in spaces you never thought your mind would let you go to, with out the help of illegal stimulants. But, he is a very starnge person. What do you think would happen to you if you (Male or Female)went to work, dressed like Prince for a month? Or for that matter, acted like Prince for a week ?

Holy shit, that bitch is reaching for the SKY!!! How sad!

BillyJackBitch said:

Unless Mama Kravitz was a drag queen, I think that should read "actress Roxie Roker"... ?

squirrelgrease said:

i can't think of one now but it sounds like a new thread.

rudeboynpg said:

So brilliant as the lyrics of that song are I therefor refuse to think he meant her. See J for Joy, Billy Jack Bitch.

Ahhh, the horns in that song....

Xpertlover said:

Acutally the word actor can be used for female and male.
....she kind of did look like a drag queen though. Tall woman.
Miguel

I betcha CJ banged P once or twice.