Prince was 21 when he was on AB. I clearly remember seeing this when it originally aired. This was the first time I had ever seen P on television. I already had the album, and was on my way to becoming a big fan's of P. I LOVED Bambi, Why You Wanna and With You. I was wearing the album out. All of this before I ever saw P on television. I was hooked on P's music and his musicianship. I didn't have a clue how the cat was as a performer. So when I saw him on AB, ...I saw the Mick Jagger/Leif Garret thing right away. But during his interview...I thought he came off very...un-cool. And ESPECIALLY during that time, being cool was crucial. He seemed like his plan to not speak to Dick dawned on him that shit was backfiring. He could sense that he was coming off not quite like he had planned. You can actually hear a few people snickering during the interview....As a very young kid, I was kinda let down by P's persona. I didn't think he was weird. I thought he didn't know how to give an interview. He was trying to come off like David Bowie; Aloof, distant, untouchable. But Bowie always had charm and was always professional. Prince didn't show any of these traits. I think P was so determined to not talk that even when he sensed that the shit wasn't coming off right, he still held on to it. That was my first impression. Visually, I thought Dez looked the coolest out of everybody. He seemed the most confident as well.

I agree that the whole not talking thing didn't come across as cool, but neither did that Dick fella.

I will forgive them both because it was so early on.

i'm glad he has grown out of that sort of thing now though.

robinesque said:

Well even at that time in Jan, 80, Dick Clark was a bonafide legend. He had already been around FOREVER at that stage. Personally, I think Dick was hella cool with Prince's "interview". Dick spotted what P was up to right away and adjusted. I don't believe Dick meant to insult where P came from (The Twin Citites). But because it was, at that time, an unlikely place to many for someone doing what P was doing, to hail from there. Not that he was "knocking" the state or the city itself. P used Dick's "slight" of his hometown as the "reason" he didn't talk. Which wasn't the case at all. P already had it planned long before how he was going to act during that part. I never believed P has or had a shy bone in his body. I do think P was unsure how he wanted to come across at that stage...to go with his image at that time.

Prince was 21 when he was on AB. I clearly remember seeing this when it originally aired. This was the first time I had ever seen P on television. I already had the album, and was on my way to becoming a big fan's of P. I LOVED Bambi, Why You Wanna and With You. I was wearing the album out. All of this before I ever saw P on television. I was hooked on P's music and his musicianship. I didn't have a clue how the cat was as a performer. So when I saw him on AB, ...I saw the Mick Jagger/Leif Garret thing right away. But during his interview...I thought he came off very...un-cool. And ESPECIALLY during that time, being cool was crucial. He seemed like his plan to not speak to Dick dawned on him that shit was backfiring. He could sense that he was coming off not quite like he had planned. You can actually hear a few people snickering during the interview....As a very young kid, I was kinda let down by P's persona. I didn't think he was weird. I thought he didn't know how to give an interview. He was trying to come off like David Bowie; Aloof, distant, untouchable. But Bowie always had charm and was always professional. Prince didn't show any of these traits. I think P was so determined to not talk that even when he sensed that the shit wasn't coming off right, he still held on to it. That was my first impression. Visually, I thought Dez looked the coolest out of everybody. He seemed the most confident as well.

robinesque said:

Well even at that time in Jan, 80, Dick Clark was a bonafide legend. He had already been around FOREVER at that stage. Personally, I think Dick was hella cool with Prince's "interview". Dick spotted what P was up to right away and adjusted. I don't believe Dick meant to insult where P came from (The Twin Citites). But because it was, at that time, an unlikely place to many for someone doing what P was doing, to hail from there. Not that he was "knocking" the state or the city itself. P used Dick's "slight" of his hometown as the "reason" he didn't talk. Which wasn't the case at all. P already had it planned long before how he was going to act during that part. I never believed P has or had a shy bone in his body. I do think P was unsure how he wanted to come across at that stage...to go with his image at that time.