This question is somewhat rhetorical and serious, all in all I just want to understand. How was P able to keep control over his bandmate's, deal with all of the egos and persona, work them to exhaustion and still put on a magnificent show?

Also, having read all of the tales of his massive attitude, supposed thievery ( of songs and music ) and failure to properly credit others, cheapness ( in terms of what the band was paid during tours ) and all of the things that one can hate about a boss, how did he get away with it?

In most cases with the men of his groups, he was not physically stronger than them, nor were they weak pushovers that he could intimidate, nor was he that much older than them ( + or - 5 years ), so why did most of them stay with him for many years and still have positive things to say about him ( not true in every case, of course ) . This can apply to the women of his bands as well.

Share your thoughts!!

He waved his ass in front of them and said, "If you do what I say, this will be your reward." When they did what he said, he said they failed based on some technicality, and the ass was kept hidden until the MTV Video Music Awards in 1991, at which point his ass belonged to the world. His band mates left him at that point, as did the earlier Revolution.

the world was his stage.....

as much as i love wendy and lisa they never would have recieved the exposure they had without prince...they had to have understand that..and understand that to this day.

but like all good things they say, never lasts.....

He vamped them with the Bela Luguosi eyes...

"Throw me out on the street,huh?"

sitruk7 said:

UTCM Flashback Moment

sosgemini said:

Exactly.

In most cases they wouldn't be where they are (if anywhere at all,i.e Cat) if it weren't for Prince.

I'll put an example out there, just for the sake of discussion. Levi Caesar and Sonny Thompson look like two throwdown brothas who wouldn't take silly shit from anyone, much less P. Yet they were with him for at least eight years without many problems ( although no one but them knows what went on behind closed doors ). What do you think kept them there that long?

As sosgemini pointed out, Wendy & Lisa are by far the most prominent women members of his groups, and we know there are tales of battles and such between them, plus the much discussed woes of who really wrote this and that during the PR years, was it as bad as has been told by their own words and others?

didnt levi and sonny sue prince?




seriously though, didnt they?




addingvtothediscussionedit.....
[Edited 7/15/05 21:34pm]

If your work with someone like Prince who sets a pretty high bench mark, you are always going to have arguments ect.

Do you think his concerts would be so tight with him being hard/stern?

Also I think its utter rubbish about him stealing songs, bass lines ect. Prince has produced heaps of songs without using his real name or even being mentioned.

Also Lisa and Wendy are great in their own way, but do you think we would have known about them without Prince? Probably not, this is not taking anything away from them as they are both very gifted. The fact that Prince credit's albums to the Revolution & the new power generation and is willing to give young, enexperienced musiians a go shows that he is willing to share the spoils!

I've never bothered to read all of the books that talk about Prince, but if he was as difficult to work with as has been described by numerous people ( wether they had an agenda or axe o grind ), why did his Paisley empire not implode, and not taking the WB situation into account, what has kept the muzzle on all who have passed through his camp?

A few more examples that I don't know enough about, Eric Leeds has had his run-ins with Prince about certain issues ( mainly money ), did they split on good terms?

Mark Brown has been one of the quietest members of all, fair or unfair, he was quickly forgotten once his association with P was over, I doubt he was much of a troublemaker. Has he been heard from since the show that Sheila put together a few years ago?

PBS said:

i just wanna point out im not making this into another wendy and lisa thread...just used them as an example...please folks, i dont need the usual suspects jumping on me..please use other examples..

UncleGrandpa said:

yes...he produced his son's band...

UncleGrandpa said:

One of my family members worked with Mark's dad in the military. When Mark left he had big plans to manage bands/tours, he wanted his father to leave the military and go work for him also. They always had good shit to say about Prince, basicly that P thought music of the time was lame and he was on a mission to shake things up.

Prince had the "eye of the tiger"back in the day.He was driven and determined to be successful.His vision for eliminating boundries and passion to make music on his terms is very powerful.Yes,he is a control freak and has a huge ego.But he also has the talent to back it up.CONTROL!

sosgemini said:

OMG, i can't you finally admitted that...You are coming around

preciosa863 said:

i've never *not* agreed with this statement.....just because i appreciate wendy and lisa's music over prince's doesnt mean i am delussional....

They were pussy whipped - P Control

lilgish said:

This is a very interesting question and one that I don't think the orgers are taking in the right way. It’s too easy to say that “they wouldn’t have made it without him.” You can say that about a lot of stars and their bandmates, but the Prince situation is a really extreme one.

Here’s what I think.

From the early days when he got his WB contract (remember, he was about 17/18/19 at that time), he was a major diva. There were hella talented kids his age there (Jimmy Jam, etc.), but Prince broke out first and in a major way. He had that contract to hold over everyone's head to make people move in lock-step. Plus, I think he was the most devoted to the music / serious from a teenager (I know they all worked hard, but everyone agrees that Prince to it to another level…. early stages of his legendary workaholism) so folks gave him props.

But even then, that doesn't address Unclegrandpa's real question. Back in the day, what people sometimes forget, is that Prince had everyone in check. He wrote ALL of the music, told everyone how to dress, told them exactly how to move. He even told everyone how to sing – I mean note-for-note – especially Morris Day. The most notorious example is The Time, because they were serious-as-cancer musicians. They put up with a lot and I don’t think they really needed to. He actually had folks scared of him.

Now that I think about it, I have come across individuals in my life who have the ability to keep everyone in check, and I always wonder what it is that enables people to fall under their spell. As you say, it doesn’t necessarily have to do with the ability to kick someone’s ass , or looks, or talent. It’s a sort of aura. Funnily enough, the people who have this trait are often the shyest and most insecure.

Prince has that, plus all of the other shit.

people put up with the shit because they knew who he was and what he was capable of and what they were apart of.

altavista said:

ITA. Plus, maybe they were not exactly scared of P. Sometimes when dealing with someone with P's personality it's easier to just "go along" rather than dealing with all the shit that comes along with bucking the system. And they were making money.

One thing that I think that some tend to forget is that most of all, playing in a working band is a job. With that in mind how many have worked for people who were just anal and stood the test of time because they had no other outlet. We all must remember that even though these people were playing with Prince, it was still a job. A job that had people waiting in the wings for your position (Wendy) if you didn't feel that you were being treated fairly. Also, they were hired musicians. It was Prince's thing and they all saw opportunity in just being there. Any one of them could have been working at the post office or something else while dreaming of getting a chance to do what they in fact did. Now having said that, some of the members that have been in that circle did not capitalize on the fact that they were there. Some of these people could have toured Europe and other places developing a following of their own. There is also the loyalty factor. Sometimes you have to step back and realize the blessing bestowed upon you and sort of humble yourself to those that helped you realize those blessings. So, I think that the reason it seems that some took not so good treatment may just be an outside view.
Maybe not!

Must be something in the water they drink.

Its been the same with every band he's had;
Must be something in the water they drink-- Cuz why else would they never think was responsible for the fame they had?

cinnamonjo said:

Go Head Girl. Shit, this needs to make it into Org's famous quotes. P should read this.

I'll tell you how

BAM

roddiekay said:

I love Dave Chapelle!

roddiekay said:

altavista said:

Exactly!Prince had that vibe,that commanding presence.When he walks into a room,not only do you see him,you "feel"him.CONTROL