Prince Parody In Local MPLS TV Commercial
C.J.: Will Purple One see red over ad?
Star Tribune

Published Nov. 14, 2002

Symbolina's lawyers. "I've got another F potential lawsuit on my hands," Fancy Ray McCloney nearly cooed. Prince is the subject of the fancy pitchman's newest TV commercial for Nicollet Village Video. To date, this is the best commercial out of Chocolate Orchid Productions, perhaps because it's not a stretch. Since his former cable show, Ray has made a living of being a cross among Prince, James Brown and Little Richard. "Wait till you see how much I look like him," Ray said before delivering a tape. The viewing public should be able to tell the difference. But Ray's got the Prince's old hairstyle, dandy suit and ruffled shirt down to all the fibers involved. (Blessedly, the ruffles on the shirt conceal a view of Ray's birdlike chest.) He even crawls across the floor a la Prince's "When Doves Cry" video and mimicks the coquettishly sucked in (facial) cheeks and flirty eye moves. "He's ripe for parody," said Ray. But I thought Ray worshipped Prince. "Nah. Other than you, my worshiping stops." (Make guttural noise and roll eyes here.) "Muhammad Ali, Liberace, those are my heroes,' he said. "Prince, I admire. This thing [commercial] just works." Ray realizes that the public gets "tired of seeing so much Fancy Ray. So we've got the Miss Cleo and Don King and the Crocodile Hunter." Speaking of whom, Fancy Ray has not heard anything more from Steve Irwin's lawyer since the Crocodile Fancy commercial was pulled by the client, a sex-oriented book and video store. The Prince parody "shows the creative genius behind what I do," said Fancy Ray. "That's the same thing that is going to propel me to where I'm going." Wasn't he suppose to be gone a long time ago? "You sound like my mom right now." Go, already. You say you're leaving, so let's see a rear end disappearing into the distance. "Wait until you see the commercial," he said. Yes, the Prince parody says goodbye from behind, thankfully without an assist from Prince's famous buttless breeches.

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