When I lived in Detroit in the 70's and 80's, there was a DJ there, The Electrifying Mojo, who played nothing but Prince music on his show every night. Every once in a while he would mix in Funkadelic or other funk artists, but he looooovvvved Prince. He would play one Prince album after another without stopping. Everybody in Detroit was into Prince because of Mojo, he gave Prince "major" exposure in Detroit. That was the first radio station I ever listened to where the DJ played virtually only one artist all night, every night. Those were the days. Wonder what Mojo is doing now, and if he still loves Prince.

Ah,memories! He probably does still love Prince. Cool story,btw!

You know I'm originally from Motown and I think I remember Mojo-he played Do Me Baby and I was hooked for life-Thanks Mojo .

If i can recall Prince.Org had an interview with him a while back.
There is a great interview from just after the Parade B-Day show with
Prince and Mojo.
I have it on CD.

thanks for the info .

nurse said:

You think you remember Mojo?

Every Detroiter that grew up in the late 70's and 80's should know who Mojo is. He is a local legend.

And to the original poster, you are so right. Mojo would play Prince non-stop every night. He had total control over what he played. I remember hearing the extended versions of Let's Work and LRC. He would play Do Me, Baby in it's entirety and not the lame radio edit....all the b-sides he would play. Those were the days.

As Muirdo stated, prince.org did an interview with Mojo about a year or two ago.
I tried to find the thread, but I was unsuccessful.
[Edited 8/15/06 3:44am]

I'm from Detroit and The Electrifying Mojo has 4ever changed look of music. I love The Electrifying Mojo and the whole movement. I remember (as a child) my mother listening 2 The Electrifying Mojo and jamming. He was such a diverse individual with his music selection and still is that it has not been the same since he was on the radio. One minute, he's playing Jimi Hendrix. The next, Funkadelic and then some Queen. He'll turn back around and play Rick James and Cameo. Then, he'll play alot of "Purple Music" and music from "Uptown" (I wonder where that came from?) including Prince, The Time, Vanity 6, Shelia E., The Family, Madhouse, Jesse Johnson, Andre Cymone, Alexander O'Neal, etc. He's one of the reasons why I'm such a huge Prince fan. He played everything or almost. From controversial songs like 'Head' to those hard 2 find extended versions/remixes and even entire albums (or nearly). I also loved the interview he did after the b-day (1986) gig with Prince. Check out his book "The Mental Machine". The Electrifying Mojo (if u're out there), ain't nobody bad like u.

So the big question here, is...

Do U think Prince did, in fact, influence electronic music, such as Techno and House through his massive radio exposure in Detroit, via The Electrifying Mojo?

I do.

The "problem" in the world of electronic music, is the House, Techno, and Drum n Bass DJs, producers, and "fans", will only recognize influence within the specific genre they represent, and won't see/hear beyond either the genre or electronic music as a whole 4 it's roots. Another good example of this is within the Drum n Bass scene, where there is little recognition of the fact that '80s and early '90s Hip-Hop played a big part of both their rythym tracks and their vocal expressions. I mean most of their rythym tracks R simply sped up break beats, sometimes using old New Jack Swing hits.

It does bother me, as a musician who respects foundations, influences, and directions through music's diverse and vast history, that Prince isn't given more recognition for what he has most obviously influenced. As Prince has musically expressed his influences in a perfect amalgam that, as a whole, was distinctively his own style, he, in turn, influenced generations in a diverse spectrum of musical genres that, sadly, go nearly unrecognized... The only difference is that they, 4 the large part, R not musical mavericks in their expression of their summation of influences.

Peace.

G.

YOU MEAN THIS?????

DJ Jedi:What is your first memory of Prince?


MOJO :my 1st meeting with Prince stands out in my memory because he avoided all eye-contact and seemed to get nervous at the sight of me offering my hand for him to shake.he warmed up a couple of years later though.
our 1st meeting in person was in 1982,he was playing in Detroit,i was interviewing Morris backstage.



DJ Jedi :How would you sum up your relationship with him? was it business? friendship?

MOJO:i put it this way-i had a service that Prince needed(spinning his new records).
Prince always had a great single out in those days so i needed him also to make my show funky.it was a friendly buisiness arrangement you could say.


DJ Jedi: What is your favorite Prince album? song? concert tour?

MOJO:1999 is my favorite Prince album.
if i had to pick 1 song it would be "When Doves Cry".
favorite tour was Lovesexy.


DJ Jedi: Prince has often said the Detroit is his favorite place to perform, why do you think that is true?


MOJO :because the fans he has in Detroit have always welcomed him here.
some cities are a little fickle and only want to come see you when you have a hit,in Detroit,the people supported Prince no matter what.an un-conditional love.

DJ Jedi: What do you think of today's Prince music?


MOJO :it's not much different than it ever was to be honest.
the lyrics seem to be a bit more personal these days though.

DJ Jedi: Why weren't you in Purple Rain?

MOJO :i wasn't asked to be in Purple Rain.
i was asked to play "When Doves Cry" a couple nights before anyone else had it!
i still have the acetate that was cut for me to play!

DJ Jedi :When was the last time you saw or talked to Prince?


MOJO:the last time i spoke to Prince was by telephone,in 2001.

DJ Jedi :Prince has long been in favor of "real music/real musicians" what do you think of hip-hop and how contrary to his school of thought?

MOJO:Prince is a"musicians-musician",that being said,i think he get's somewhat offended when an "artist" can't play an instrument.


DJ Jedi :Tell us your favorite Prince memory?


MOJO :it was in Detroit on the Purple Rain tour.
i was put in a small dressing room backstage to tape some i.d's for the radio station-
i was supposed to get station i.d's from a couple members of the Revolution-
it was getting late,like an hour until the concert was supposed to start,nobody from the band was in sight,i thoght i was screwed and then i hear this loud rumble outside my door-it was Prince,Bobby Z,Alan Leeds and Chick(the bodygaurd)-they were playing nerf-football in the hallway!
the funny thing was,Bobby and Alan were on a team and Prince was up on Chicks shoulders with football in hand,Prince would give the signal to "charge" and low and behold,Chick would take off running down the hall with Prince "piggy-back" on his shoulders.it was a funny sight,i guesse you had to be there...

DJ Jedi : something about Prince you know that might suprise us..


MOJO : how strong he really is.

Now, moving away from Prince and into Mojo, Music and Radio?


DJ Jedi : Most people want to know...What have you been up to?


MOJO: i have been program director at a couple stations for the last 3 years.


DJ Jedi: Will we ever hear you on the radio again? or what about satellite or the internet?

MOJO :we are in talks right now with the satellite stations.


DJ Jedi: What do you think of the state of today's radio?


MOJO: todays radio isn't for guy's like myself.
we require a little more freedom to play what we think people "need" to hear.
todays radio is very formatted,i don't agree with most formats.
radio is kind of safe and boring right now.

DJ Jedi : Could anyone get away with your type of show ever again?


MOJO :yes,on satellite radio!

DJ Jedi: Was there anything you wanted to do on your show that just wasn't allowed? cause it seemed like you did what you wanted to..


MOJO :i was granted alot of artistic freedom because i believed in what i was playing.
luckily for me,my instincts were right!
i was not allowed to air "Bob George"though.i think Detroit would have loved that cut,lat,late at night,of course.

DJ Jedi : What bands/artists do you enjoy that have come out over the past few years?


MOJO:Van Hunt,D'angelo,Remy Shand,Roots,Outkast etc...
plenty of good stuff out there.

DJ Jedi : Tell us about the concept of Mojo and the Mothership..Where did that come from?


MOJO :well,nobody else was doing what we did there at the time.
we welcomed the listeners to come along on that trip with us,made the show more like a club.you were not going to turn the dial during my time-slot and hear the same songs that i played,i always made sure i gave my audience a little something extra.

DJ Jedi : Alot of questions came in about the time when you were "bouncing" around from station to station...what can you tell us about that time?


MOJO :simple-formats at the stations changed from week to week.
i needed to be able to do my show without interference from the suits...

DJ Jedi : How about tapes of your old radio shows? many orgers would love to get some...


MOJO :i have some tapes of my shows.
would not be able to "clear" them for release i'm afraid.

DJ Jedi : What does the future hold for Mojo?


MOJO :like i said,we are talking to satellite radio stations now!
in the meantime i will continue my job as program director.


MOJO :i just want to give thanks to all who took the time to write to me.
i have never forgotten you!
if everything works out,you may hear the mothership loud and clear again,soon!
thanks from the bottom of my heart everybody!

Y'all know I love Mojo threads! I will give him much love any chance I get!

The one and only Electrifying Mojo ruled the Detroit airwaves. Listening to Mojo's show was an experience but the really cool thing about was it was a different experience each and every night! At 10:00pm, no matter where you were, who you were with, or what you were doing, you just HAD to tune in to Mojo's show because you just didn't know what to expect but you knew you just had to be apart of it!

I can remember being in gridlock on Jefferson Ave. coming from Belle Isle on many a hot summer's nights and every car around would have Mojo bumping full blast. Mojo would get word that folks were stuck on Jefferson and he give us a shout out over the air and play something funky from Prince just for us! We'd get of our cars and just start partying right there! Of course til the cops showed up. Though some would be cool though and say we could stay til the song was over and my true Detroiter's know that with Mojo at the helm, a single song could last a good 30 minutes or more!

Theres' no doubt that Mojo made Prince a household name in Detroit. We were jamming to and learning about Prince long before Purple Rain. I've told the story numerous times that Mojo is the reason that I am such a huge Prince fan to this very day.

I miss you, Mojo!!

He seems real cool i respect the man but i think that on that interview {i havent heard any other ones} his interview skills were kinda bad,lol
kinda made me cringe,lol
but he cool people we need more people like him today

The Electrifying Mojo
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Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Charles "The Electrifying Mojo" Johnson (b ?) was a Detroit disc jockey whose on-air journey of musical and social development shaped a generation of music-lovers in Detroit and throughout southeastern Michigan and Canada and was of importance to the development of Detroit Techno.

He is recognized for having introduced or "broken" many artists into the Detroit radio market, including Prince, the B-52's, and Kraftwerk, and was occasionally thanked on-air by the artists for his support of their work. Prince granted Mojo a telephone interview following a sold out birthday concert at Cobo Arena on June 7, 1985, during an era when Prince rarely if ever granted interviews. He was visited in the studio by the B52's and the J. Geils Band with the latter thanking him for playing Flamethrower.

Most recently, Mojo is serving as Program Director for a handful of Detroit radio stations - he does not publicize which ones - and he is in negotiations to bring his show to XM satellite radio in 2006, where he will not only begin a new show, but also air shows from his archive dating back to 1977.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...fying_Mojo

Whoever wrote that definitely knows what they are talking about. Mojo was the one that exposed me to J Geils, the B-52's and Kraftwerk and heightened my luv for P.

Mojo used to play this mix of 777-9311 and Lady Cab Driver. I would love to get my hands on that! It was so perfectly blended together. I had it on tape about 17 years ago.

Remember the Midnight Funk Association? Those were the days!

PurpleCharm said:

Sorry! I'm getting older and my memory is slipping-forgive me .

dustysgirl said:

Yes! Yes! Yes! Those were the days! I swear I'd offer up a kidney to be able to have my radio on at midnight and hear Mojo say these words again:

"Will the members of the Midnight Funk Association please rise. Please go to your porch light and turn it on for the next hour to show us your solidarity. If you're in your car please honk your horn and flash your lights, wherever you are. If you're in bed, get ready to dance on your back, in Technicolor. And get ready for the MFA. The word is... Don't say no, say triple-whammy-whoa. Hold on tight, don't let go. Whenever you feel like you're nearing the end of your rope, don't slide off. Tie a knot. Keep hanging, keep remembering, that it ain't nobody bad like you. This session of the International Midnight Funk Association is being called to order. Electrifying Mojo presiding. May the Funk be with you. Always..."

On the eve of his birthday in 1986, Prince gave a surprise interview to legendary Detroit disc jockey the Electrifying Mojo. He had never offered a live radio interview before. Of the experience, Mojo later said:

"I had no idea he was going to call. I had no list of questions or anything like that. First I talked to Billy Sparks and he said, 'Hey Mojo! Prince wants to talk to you. You got a minute?' I said, 'Do I have a minute? Give me a minute to make sure we have a tape on,' and Prince says, 'Hey Mojo! What's happening? This is Prince.' If I hadn't heard Billy Sparks' voice prior to that, I may have said, 'Yeah, right.'"

MOJO:
This is the one-man hit machine from Minnesota. Ladies and Gentlemen...Prince.

PRINCE:
Hello, Detroit.

MOJO:
How are you?

PRINCE:
Alright, how are you?

MOJO:
Well, Prince... I heard nothing but magic flowin' down from the concert. How was it?

PRINCE:
Mmm, a lot of fun. You should've been there!

MOJO:
I was there in spirit. I wanted to be here for one reason...I wanted to be here, so that the moment that the concert was over...I wanted to flood the airwaves with Prince.

PRINCE:
Well, you know what? I was driving from the gig, wiping the sweat off my brow, and I heard "Automatic." And we just got through playin' it...we don't normally play that one. It went over pretty good, and I think it's 'cuz of you, and what you've done for us and...my thang. It's a good feeling. I just wanna tell all my little motor babies that I'm just happy to be here...and it's a fun way to spend my birthday, for sure.

MOJO:
....Happy Birthday to you.

PRINCE:
Thank you.

MOJO:
Prince, you've been the entertainer that has insisted on doing things one way...your way.

PRINCE:
Well, you know, it's like...I worked a long time under a lot of different people, and most of the time I was doing it their way. I mean, that was cool, but ya know, I figured if I worked hard enough and kept my head straight, one day I'd get to do this on my own...and that's what happened. So I feel like...if I don't try to hurt nobody...and like I say...keep my head on straight...my way usually is the best way.

MOJO:
Growin' up in Minne-wood, as it's been now called, simply because that is the hot point on this planet right now.

PRINCE:
Well, it's been called a lot of things, but it's always Uptown to me.

MOJO:
Uptown?

PRINCE:
Yes.

MOJO:
What was it like growin' up Uptown?

PRINCE:
Pretty different. Uh, kinda sad, to be exact. (laughs) I mean, the radio was dead, the discos was dead, the ladies was kinda dead, so I felt like, if we wanted to make some noise, and I wanted to turn anything out....I was gonna have to get somethin' together. Which is what we did. We put together a few bands and turned it into Uptown. That consisted of a lot of bike riding nude, but ya know...it worked. We had fun. That's why I wanted to come here on my birthday...'cuz I wanted to give them a little taste of where we live and get a little taste of where you all live. To me, this is like my second home. If I could spend the night at somebody's crib, I would...'cuz this hotel.... They're real nice to us, but, this bed is hard!

MOJO:
You've made fantastic albums, and you've made fantastic movies, and you're making another movie right now.

PRINCE:
Yeah.

MOJO:
What's the difference between making a hot movie and making a hot album?

PRINCE:
There is no difference. There have been people who have tried to tell me contrary to that, but like you said before and like I said before, I strive for perfection, and sometimes I'm a little bull-headed in my ways. Hopefully, people understand that there's just a lot on my mind and I try to stay focused on one particular thing. And I try not to hurt nobody in the process. A movie is a little bit more complex, but to me it's just a larger version of an album. There are scenes and there are songs, and they all go together to make this painting, and...I'm the painter. Y'all is the paintees. (Mojo laughs.) Hopefully it's something that you can get into. Jerome Benton stars in this new film with me and he's on his way to becoming very, very big. I'm real proud of him. He takes direction well and he gives direction well and I expect a lot of big things from him.

MOJO:
Speaking of Jerome Benton, and other people who've flown under the wings of Prince, and also speaking of Detroit's own Billy Sparks, a person that you took from Detroit, put him in your first movie...

PRINCE:
Yes.

MOJO:
You've always maintained contact with people that you've always been in contact with.

PRINCE:
Oh yeah. Without a doubt, there's people who have flown the coop, so to speak, and gone off to do their own thing, which is great and I stand behind them and support them, whatever they do. But contrary to rumors, we're all real tight still, and I have a strange feeling we're all going to be together again one day. We'll have to see.

MOJO:
Do you think that there is a possibility that after this movie has been released, that...I've just heard rumors through the grapevine that there's a possibility that The Time is gonna record again...?

PRINCE:
Well, Mojo. anything's possible. God willing and hopefully everybody's head will be in the right place. I'd like to see all that happen. They were, to be perfectly honest, the only band that I was afraid of. And, they were turning into like...Godzilla, and certain things happened and different waves flowed, different winds blew and everybody fell apart. But, I still love all those guys... and I hope they get back together 'cuz I want some competition, ya know? (both laugh)

MOJO:
Prince, speaking of the movie, Under the Cherry Moon...could you tell us a little bit about that?

PRINCE:
Um...God, I hate to blow the surprise though, you know?

MOJO:
Without blowin' it -- we know it's gonna be in black and white...

PRINCE:
Yeah, it's gonna be in black and white...

MOJO:
...and we know it's gonna be quote unquote "helluva."

PRINCE:
Yeah, it's gonna be that. It's gonna be that. All I can tell you is that you'll have a good time. I'm hoping that everyone understands where I was trying to go with it. It is like an album for me, and I put my heart and sould into it and I worked very long and very hard. Jerome did the same, and there's a message behind it all and I hope people think about it when they leave. That's the main thing. It's a lot of fun, but there's something to think about when it's over. You know, there's a reason for everything.

MOJO:
Let's talk about the album, Around The World In A Day... which I think was one of the greatest albums.

PRINCE:
My favorite!

MOJO:
It's absolutely my favorite, without question. Tunes like "Around The World In A Day," "Paisley Park." What type of mood were you in when you recorded that album?

PRINCE:
Yeah, I sorta had an f-you attitude, meaning that I was making something for myself and my fans. And the people who supported me through the years -- I wanted to give them something and it was like my mental letter. And those people are the ones who wrote me back, telling me that they felt what I was feeling. Record sales and things like that...it really doesn't matter, ya know. It keeps a roof over your head, and keeps money in all these folks' pockets that I got hangin' around here! (laughs) It basically stems from the music, and I'm just hoping that people understand that money is one thing but soul is another. That's all we're really trying to do, you know? Idon't know. I wouldn't mind if I just went broke, you know, 'cuz as long as I can play this type of thing and come here, ya know. There were a lot of people there tonight and they turned the lights on and I looked up...it brings tears to your eyes because it's just -- you can feel the love in the room, ya know? And that means more than money. I could just go on for hours...I don't know, I just have fun, and I'm thankful to be alive, ya know?

MOJO:
What's a day like, in the life of Prince?

PRINCE:
Work! I work a lot. I'm trying to get a lot of things done very quickly, so that I can stop working for a while. Everyone's afraid I'm gonna die. (laughs)

MOJO:
You say, you are afraid?

PRINCE:
No, I'm not afraid? Everyone else is afraid. They think I work too much.
I'm not afraid of anything.

MOJO:
It's been said that when you're working -- you work on the road, you carry your studio around with you, you get up in the middle of the night, you get an idea for a tune and you get up and go do it -- there's just no such thing as Prince being off from work. Some people have even called you the workaholic, ever-movin' one-man storm. Is that true?

PRINCE: The thing is that when you're called, you're called. I hear things in my sleep; I walk around and go to the bathroom and try to brush my teeth and all of the sudden the toothbrush starts vibrating - and that's a groove, you know?

MOJO:
You know it!

PRINCE:
You gotta go with that, and that means drop the toothbrush and get down to the studio or get to a bass guitar, quick! My best things have come out like that. To me, making a song is like a new girl walking in the room...you never know what's going to happen 'til all the things come together, and there she stands! And she says, "Hi! You want to take a bite of this orange?" And you bite it, and it's cool, and I send it to you. You know?

MOJO:
I know! Look here -- one question.

PRINCE:
Yes.

MOJO:
What's your favorite instrument? You play them all...

PRINCE:
Mmmm. Stewardesses! (laughs)

MOJO:
It's dirty...! it's dirty...!

PRINCE:
No, listen...it depends on the song, it depends on the color. They all sound differently. It's very strange, I try to stay original in my work and a lot of sounds have been used now, and I'm looking for new instruments and new sounds and new rhythms. I got a lot of suprises...I don't want to give them all away.

MOJO:
Look, you've done everything.

PRINCE:
Not yet!

MOJO:
You've done hard rock. You've done some of the most sensuous...

PRINCE:
No, we've just scratched the surface with all that stuff. There's so many sounds, it's limitless.

MOJO: Some people say you probably have in your secret vault...in the Prince music vault, about 500 tunes that you've done that you haven't even considered using yet...that you could put out an album for the next twenty years, two a year...

PRINCE:
Naw, not that many...320 to be exact. Not 500. (laughs)

MOJO:
320 songs? That have never been released?

PRINCE:
Mmm-hmm...

MOJO:
It's been rumored that they all sound different, that's probably why each album you release is just a little bit different.

PRINCE:
Yeah. They don't ALL sound different. There's a couple times I copied myself.

MOJO:
It's alright to copy yourself.

PRINCE:
You think you hit on something, right! You try to do it again...ya know? (both laugh) I try not to do that too much. If I do, then it's usually someone around, Wendy or Lisa, who says, "Hey, man, I've heard that. Put it away." And it goes away. And we don't hear from that song for a while. Mojo, guess what? We're all going to see Purple Rain tonight.

MOJO:
You are?

PRINCE:
Yep!

MOJO:
I've seen it twelve times.

PRINCE:
I've seen it too many times, but I wanna go watch it again.

MOJO:
I've seen it twelve times, and I'll go watch it tonight. Tell you what -- I'm gonna ask everybody out there to go watch Purple Rain. What time will you be watching it?

PRINCE:
About three minutes...they're knocking on my door now. I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'll call back tomorrow and I'm gonna leave a little message at about 4:30. And, this one's just for all the purple people, and I think they'll understand. I'll call you. I got your number.

MOJO:
Alright! Prince, it's been one big pleasure. Words cannot describe this moment. I don't think words can describe how Detroit feels about Prince. So, in closing, whatever you want to say to Detroit...the airwaves are yours.

PRINCE:
(makes five kissing sounds with his lips and then says...) "KISS".




With thanks to Prince In Print - as transcribed by Rose Gardner on the Emancipation mailing list.

BananaCologne said:

I played this interview on my show last week...

IDEJJD said:

I actually *heard* this interview as it was happening. For some reason, (to this day, I don't know why) I didn't get to go that concert--I may have had a concert myself to play because for some reason I *was* out late (this wasn't the same year as the Cobo Birthday concert, was it? Because I was definitely at that concert). Anyway, I remember I was dropping some friends off out in the suburbs (Southfield??) and was returning home down the South Lodge Fwy. It was right when I hit the segment between 8 Mile and 7 Mile (Detroit City Limits). I turned on the radio and flipped over to WGPR and I swear to GOD I almost had an accident when I realized WHO MOJO WAS TALKING TO!!! I mean, I kept thinking--"Couldn't be him. Couldn't be him. IT IS HIM!!!" I, of course, remember nothing else about the drive home; it's a wonder I made it home in one piece.

Mojo did play that interview several times a week after that. Which was great because I was just KICKING myself that I wasn't near a tape recorder that night.

IDEJJD said: