I was doing a random search of Prince-related videos when I came across one from his "slave days" as TAFKAP.

I couldn't pick up the name of the song because he was singing it so softly, but it was probably the saddest thing I've ever seen. [You can tell its from that area because of the word 'slave' written across his right cheek]. This was the first performance I've seen when he was in that "condition" and I don't plan on seeing anymore, even if he was doing older hits.

He didn't see at all like himself. Sure, he was carrying on like always on his guitar, playing and singing, but the vibe he gave me said "I'm trapped, I feel caged up." Apparently one of his back-up dancers is dressed as an angel and in the end, he "faints" into her arms and she "drags" him offstage. It's almost unbearable to think about (I came across it in my search tonight and I cringed).

Part of me wants to see it again just to figure out what song it was, but I can't bear to see him suffer like that again. He looked tortured, in chains and performing against his will. I'm so glad that those days are behind him and I never want to see him go through that torture again. He's too free-spirited to be caged up.

That was the song "Dolphin", I think it is off the the Gold Experience CD. He performed like that on David Letterman, he was dressed in black and Mayte dragged him off of the stage at the end, he made a gesture like he was shooting himself in the head, hit the floor, then she dragged him off.

sharonbell said:

That would make sense... but still, I find it so depressing for him to have gone through that.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

I think you're making too much of it... It was just a publicity stunt. He most certainly wasn't performing against his will.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

Poor guy....being forced to take $100 million dollars.

lovemachine said:

Exactly! This slave rubbish was just a publicity stunt. He was paid a shitload and performed as he wanted and had the songs he wanted released.

pezdispenser said:

He definately got paid a shitload in comparitive terms, but he never got the $100 million out-right - it was $10 million advance on an album contingent on sales. Since his sales dropped drammatically after D&P, he got less and less money. With WB blocking the release of The Gold Experience when Prince wanted it out, it was damaging his cashflow even further, that and he didn't feel in control anymore.

Does it always have to be about money? Maybe he was just wanting to have control over his own music like he always wanted.

actionthisday said:

Yes it was about money for HIM. He signed the contract taking the money over the total control a year or two earlier. Clearly the control wasn't what he always wanted.

I've only seen that performance once, and I didn't watch it all the way through, so I know how you feel. He looks so lifeless, sad and un-Princelike.
He even looks kinda sick to me so it's by far my LEAST favorite Prince performance

lovemachine said:

Indeed, he wasn't trapped. He signed his own ass into the 'slavery' he would, soon, be turning around and complaining about. Hell, it was his camp that started all the stupid publicity about getting "the biggest contract in history".

It was only when his own career and singles choices caused him to lose money under the contract that he started whining about everything being WB's fault, etc... He knew how the industry worked and he knew that WB wasn't going to release just anything and everything under the sun (example; the veto on the Crystal Ball set in 1987) YET he still had more artistic control than most others so to start complaining about slavery after willingly signing yourself into that position is just silly.
[Edited 2/18/07 11:26am]

lovemachine said:



Very interesting! I never really got the details of this whole dispute. I heard he was cheesed off because they wouldn't release The Gold Experience for ages.

peterfalconer said:

...and part of that delay was his own fault.

thekidsgirl said:

You're probably the only other person who saw what I saw.

Sure, part of it was about the money, but I still believe that his lack of artistic freedom was the biggest problem that he had during those days.

And I agree that it was my least favorite of his performances... I don't think I could even watch through it a 2nd time.

jtfolden said:[quote]

peterfalconer said:

I wouldn't be at all surprised, to be honest - but could you explain a little more? I'm not disputing that you're right; I'm just interested!

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

Then why didn't he negotiate that into the contract just a short, short while earlier? He chose money over further control.

...and what 'artistic freedom' do you think he was REALLY without?

jtfolden said:

I still gotta figure that out to be completely truthful. In all fairness, I still know very little. I only knew that in the 90's, he had a dispute with his label and changed his name to break free of them. That one performance was the first one I've seen of him during that error and there really seemed to be something different about his performance. That "spell-binding" aura wasn't in the air, all there was was sadness.

I think maybe part of the 'artistic freedom' thing was that he had to manufacture music at an alarming rate and send it out almost as fast as he came up with it. You can't rush genius and I think his record sales suffered for it since he didn't get to tweak everything so it would be at its usual best. That's my own little theory.

sharonbell said:

I looked back over those lyrics and I think that sounds about right. Although I could barely hear him, the lyrics sound the same and they seem to explain his actions. It's kind of a sad song too.

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

The issue is that Prince was being a 'prat' because he'd lost the ability to make everything he touched, musically, turn to gold (so to speak). It's understandable that after several years of everything going his way it might cause some emotional turmoil that he was no longer the hottest ticket in town but the majority of his problems stemmed from his own actions.

Still high off the success of D&P, Prince willingly signed a new contract with WB that gave him a possible 100 million dollars provided each album sold a certain number of copies. If an album didn't sell that set amount then he didn't see a $10 mill bonus.

Along comes a huge rambling album like and Prince is in the position to pick the singles from it. WB wants to lead straight out with "7" as they think it will be a huge hit. What does Prince choose? Sexy MF, My Name Is Prince, etc... pretty much any track other than the ones most likely to be a hit... Months later he finally chooses "7" and it goes top 10 but the momentum of the album has dissipated months prior... so no big bonus for Prince. He's effectively killed the marketing of his own album. Is it his own fault? "noooo, of course not." It must be WB's. Prince lays the blame at everyone else's feet and then goes flailing.



No, WB was not the one asking for more material. Prince's answer to boredom? - put out a new record. Prince's answer to a flop album? -put out a new record. Prince's answer to a bad hair day? -put out a new album. WB could be in the middle of promoting his latest release and up pops Prince wanting the next one pressed.

Translation: Prince is a control freak and he flipped out because everything wasn't going his way.

Maybe I just see things differently. Most often than not, I see things Prince's way and the fact he rebelled against WB made me believe that he was the "innocent victim".

Innocent victim? Okay, maybe not "innocent", but he made it seem like he was a victim of changing circumstances. But based on the kind of fan I am, I always try to see things his way and may come to false conclusions.

I try to believe the best in the guy, so I don't make him out to be the bad guy in all this. It's perfectly understandable that he'd act out because things weren't all going his way. I respect him so much that I'd probably let him get away with a lot of things and always stand by him and his beliefs.
[Edited 2/18/07 12:52pm]

DreamyPopRoyalty said:

Lots of new fans look at him as doing no wrong. In the end, however, Prince is just a human being - no different than anyone else. If he was a victim of any changing circumstance during that period then it was the flow of reality itself.

The bottom line is that the music business *IS* a business. Prince knew this... He knew it when he signed his first contracts in the 70's and he knew it over a dozen years later when he signed his, at the time, latest contract in '92. He could have handled everything professionally but decided to make it personal and, honestly, created a big, twisted public spectacle at the time. Prince is a musical genius BUT in other areas... eh, not so much.

I think it's a shame he did that because I really like the music of the period. - Come - The Gold Experience. is actually my favorite album of his. TGE, in particular, could have been a huge hit I think but he fumbled the ball and the disc is even out of print now.

jtfolden said:

That is true. I see him as doing no wrong... I'd like to say that I "worship" him, but he'd just turn around and say "don't worship me, worship God". But I do understand he's human, it's very obvious in video interviews that he seems human and so much different from his on-stage "alter ego". But I think only Prince could make such a spectuale of himself when things aren't going his way. He takes his work more seriously than anyone else I know, so I always give him the benefit of the doubt since there's always a method to his madness. It might not be right, but what's important is what he feels is right for him.

jtfolden said: