I was listening to a 45 minute interview with Prince held in London (it was his first time in Europe). This was at the time that he had just released the album DIRTY MIND (1980) because he kept talking about his new single Uptown. When the guy asked him how old he was, he replied that he was 20, turning 21 soon. I'm quite confident that Prince was born in 1958 so that would make him 22 would it not?

Someone said to me that he remembers when Prince used to tell people that he was 2 years yougner than he really was in order to appear even more genius than the obvious. I had never heard that myself but thought of asking all you Prince fans if you recall any such thing going on way back in the 80's?

The man is a known liar.

Voog said:

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Warner Brothers knocked two years off his age but later Prince would come clean and give his real age.

anyone who is a true Prince fan knows he was born in 1958 and that information had to have been put othere for a reason. I don't thin Prince lied intentionally. Warner Brothers wanted him to appear younger but we all know the truth. Either way he is still a genious. Age doesn't matter.

Voog said:

It wasn't London it was Amsterdam, and WB told Prince to lie about his age (the same method Motown used on MJ)

FreezerBurn said:

and you arent? go away.

FirstAvenue said:

No, I'm not.
Are you saying you think lying is fine?

Not to get all NPGMC Commentary Of The Week on you all, but The Industry is to blame for the age confusion - before "For You" came out, WB wanted to sell Prince as a teen prodigy one-man-band a la Stevie Wonder...so they hacked two years off his age, foolishly enough, so he would come off like an even younger teenager than he already was at the time. If P ever went along with it, it would have been in the early years, and it would make sense that he would "fumble" about an age that he personally seemed to have no desire to fake.

Voog said:

well reguardless of whatever he said i still think it was an entertaining interview...even if it is one long track on the cd

[/quote]
It wasn't London it was Amsterdam, and WB told Prince to lie about his age (the same method Motown used on MJ)[/quote]

Actually, I'm pretty sure it was London. But Prince did say he played in Amsterdam a couple of days before (on this same and 1st time in Europe).

Its a great interview to hear especially for Prince fans. Prince hasn't done too many interviews and this one is especially interesting because of the fact that it was done so early in his career. He certainly has matured and changed his way of life, yet on the other hand, he's still the same guy with the same passion and attitude!

Christopher said:

It's a common music business strategy...to make the artist younger or older, to appeal to a wider audience. When Prince came out in 1978, he was 20, but Warner released his age as 2 years younger to appear to the teenagers and sell more albums. One of the oldest tricks in the book.

No wonder he's cynical about birthdays and record companies! I'd be very upset if my company forced me to market myself as someone or something I'm not.

It does not matter for time is an illusion and we are all born to be ageless. Let go and Love!


http://www.terrydobbin.com

Prince came up with that lie on his own. On American Bandstand January, 26 1980 he told Dick Clark that
he was 19. He also lied about his race and didn't come clean about that until Rolling Stone magazine revealed that he had two Black parents. I think it was rock & soul magazine (long gone) that revealed his birth certificate.

If you have the file sharing program Kazaa you can download the AB performance and interview. Kazaa also has the midnight special performance, but it's rare and hard to catch.

Nope, it was the record company that directed the lies. The same record company (Warner Bros. Records) that put the dark make-up on him for the "Prince" album cover shoot.

shygirl said:

yeah earlier they said he was about 2 years younger just for promo reasons and hype.

FreezerBurn said:

LIAR LIAR LIAR!!!Got ya in a jam.Put your head on the block, somebody say ABSCAM (ABSCAM!)

all singers were told to lie about their ages...so what?

gold said:

gold's avatar 8) Fiona Apple

329 last I checked...

If you read DMSR it clearly states in there that Prince was told to lie about his age so that he appears as a teen prodigy. Yes, he lied in that the words came out of his mouth BUT he had to because WB instructed him 2 do so.

END OF TOPIC.

WHO CARES??

He's still a musical genius. At any age.

no record company responsible...just Prince b ing Prince.

the ?uestion was asked...does he lie?

blantantly, obviously, and continously, but
more n a manner of sarcasm, n that u no my birthday is june 7, 1958...u due the math.

Prince is 1rst and 4most a sensationalist and a joker, a dreamer, a creator, a romanticist, a lover, empathic, and just downright silly.

He blieves n UFO's, Fairies, Esp, Fantasy...and the like.
"Nothing comes from talking but sound...U can talk all u want 2, but the world still goes around, and around, and around,
And what u're looking 4 still isn't found."

4 a long time Prince blieved nothing came from talking but sound...so he gave none.
the spirit that is Prince is an artistic one, and u must dwell n the realm of the arts 2 comprehend his.

Prince does not no y he is...all he no's is his gift works.
Prince is his gift.
his career is never going downhill...if there b any hills n Prince's world.
U can take an Artist...a true Artist, and put them on a desert island...whatever the material source is at hand they WILL find a means 2 b creative.

Prince is a RARE find...most ppl try 2 separ8 the man from the gift, but the reason u shiver when u come close 2 Prince...the man and the gift r ONE.
Prince is Music...Music is Prince.

Music can touch u all the way n2 ur hidden places...some song of Prince's, can do the same thing...not the same song 4 everyone, but 4 any one, some song of Prince's WILL personally touch u...there.

when u approach Prince wonderously staring at him, u no he IS the music that took u there, and u r simply searching 2 b re-united ur song.

do u ever wonder at the fact u get a bit miffed if he does not deliver it n it's ntirety, xactly right? he usually wants it xactly right 2.

but have u yet noveled at the fact that Prince is the ONLY artist who sounds xactly like Prince no matter where he delivers his material.

even when his musicians get a bit off key, Prince NEVER is...something 2 think about?

R there really angels? or R they only n our mnds? it'll all come out n the wash...n time.

gold said:

very good

FreezerBurn said:

No, but people lie everyday, it's human nature. I didn't like your condemning tone towards him, as if he's the only one who's lied about something. I'm sure you've told a white lie or two yourself in your lifetime. I know I have.

shygirl said:

Dark make up? Why would WB tell him to lie about being mixed and then tell him to put on dark make up? If you look at pictures of Prince before his first album came out, you would have to come to the conclusion that Prince puts on light make up.

Warner Bros. shaved off a couple of years of his ae to make look lik even more of a prodigy. As far as them telling him to lie about his race, I seriously doubt that, from my knowledge Prince is mixed, but who cares really? I'm sure Queen will have a answer to this question where is she anyway?

Many of those early Prince interviews were filled with half-truths,exaggerations and the occasional lie ("I'm not Jamie Starr",Prince once insisted).I wouldn't really make too much of it,because he was young and,as others have pointed out,Warners was responsible for some of those lies too.

it's all very Show-Busy.Prince is a Product of that on so many levels but it's hard for some folks too fully grasp.