i saw it wasn't posted yet. don't shoot the messenger!



http://startribune.com/st...12030.html

Pepe Willie tells me he got an earful from his former protegé Prince. That must have made for interesting conversation when the BBC was in town last week for a story exploring the business side of Prince.

The Pepe Music Inc. exec and members of the group 94 East, Kristie Lazenberry and Marcy Ingvoldstad, have just released a CD featuring Prince playing a long time ago.

The name of the CD is "94 East featuring 10:15 & Fortune Teller Remix with Prince on guitar."

"I told [the BBC] I started his first publishing company for him and I paid to get him into the union for his first recordings," said Willie. "I told them Prince called me a couple months ago."

Although Willie first got an e-mail from a Prince lawyer saying that Symbolina wished to speak, the actual phone call caught him off guard. "It took me a while to be convinced it was him on the line," said Willie. They haven't spoken in nearly seven years -- their paths last crossed at a nightclub.

"The conversation was kind of weird to me. First, I appreciated the fact that he called me because he was showing some respect. He said his name was becoming a trademark now and that he didn't want people out there using his name or his picture or his likeness illegally. I was thinking, 'Well, why is he saying this to me?' "

Something tells me this was a warning to Willie that he didn't have the right to use Prince's name.

"No, but I do," Willie said. "When I did those recordings with him, there was no other legality I had to go through to use his name."

Don't those arrangements have expiration dates? "No, it gives me the right to update phonograph recording contracts for as long as I want to. We've got [Faegre & Benson] trademark attorneys, and they assured us that we have the right to use his name, promote it."

Prince seems unconvinced. "When I told him I had the right to use his name, he didn't really answer. He was just saying, My attorneys are going to come after everybody who's using his name, likeness, symbol and all that stuff illegally."

Translation: Pepe, you've been warned.

"I'm like, OK, fine. I still don't know why he called me."

Willie's been putting out music with old Prince licks "since 1985. Now it's 2003 and he decides to call me?"

Prince's music-producing cousin Charles Smith, better known as Chazz, confirmed that he was also interviewed: "I told the BBC everything."

sparxxxtresss said:

So this means that Prince impersonators are going to be sued. I suppose this also means that Rico will be sued as he paints pictures using Prince's image. He might sue everyone who wears Rico's artwork. The list will go on and on and on... Eventually Prince will sue every last one of us



.
[This message was edited Fri Jan 24 17:15:01 PST 2003 by lovemachine]

lovemachine said:

You do have a good point. Do you think that making a profit off of his image is illegal, literally?

I am being serious here...I wonder?

LaVisHh said:

it's not like folks are doin it just 4 profit...like me, 4 instance--i'd do stuff 2 show off 4 folks, u know...not just 4 bread & butta.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

I understand. I was just wondering how could that even be possible, you know? That would mean anything we create, as an artist, could be considered illegal - if it's an image of a person?

That seems far out.

LaVisHh said:

far out, indeed...

LaVisHh said:

Yes. For example: If you wanted to make your own Tampa Buccaneers T-Shirt to sell, The NFL will sue you.

Idiots like CJ (and some folks here) want to run with this "Prince is selfish" thing, but they don't give anything to charity.

CJ's imfamous, not a celebrity. Nobody wants anything from her. There is no demand for her "visual likeness", appearances, or writings.

If someone would plagiarize her writings and start their own Prince Gossip Mag, it will take some interest away from The Star Tribune. The owners of The Tribune would seek to legally penalize anyone resposible for taking CJ's articles for their own profit. "Billy Jack Woof" would do so as well.

Just because some people may have these personal issues and vendettas against Prince doesn't that they can justify their hypocrisy.

Their are some "jealous obsessors" here who will come and "suck this up" with delight. These are the people who "hold a candle" for Wendy & Lisa and other associates who were "rumored" to be seeking more credit for Princes' material. They often fail to mention that no former associate has sued Prince. Previous attempts by Prince's sister and Levi have failed.

He has the right to call and ask anyone formerly associated with him about his appearances on their releases.

Hey. Prince may be "Stand-offish". His body guards may have 'introduced themselves" to them when they attempted to speak. He may not have looked at these people on an Airplane flight. He may have called 911 when they "camp-out" in the snow outside of his house.

He may be a "big hole" [to these people], but he has a legal right to protect his assets and make $.

Okay..I know this ain't what everyone is talking about...but I have to say it. when Is pepe going to stop re-releasing really bad music from these sessions with Princes name on it!?!?!?! it is not good music!!! it really does seem like Pepe can't let it go, and just wants 2 profit from PRrince's name

why is it that some people such as CJ never escape their narrow-minded ways? I'm sure CJ would be happy as hippo snot if someone found something she wrote in high school and published it in their own book without her permission. Duh, u just don't DO that. It's pretty obvious Pepe's company is using Prince's name just to get sales, otherwise why even mention Prince's name at all?


CJ must be constipated because she's always so full of ___.

sparxxxtresss said:

No wonder Prince keeps to himself so much...there are so few people, not even members of his own FAMILY, that he can trust NOT to run their mouths about him or use him in some way, and all just to garner attention for themselves or for their own selfish purposes and agendas.

Regarding C.J. - I pity her. She obviously has a lot of venom in her heart (for whatever reason) and I refuse to believe she can, deep down, actually feel good about herself and the snotty things she writes about Prince. It must be hard to go through life with so much bitterness and negativity inside. I hope she gets help someday.

NGSPW7200 said:

i agree. prince must protect his registered image and what's associated with it. if he permits another entity to use his registered image, then he in effects 'licenses' it to them, unless/until he gives them notice they're transgressing.
i dunno about impersonators but i think prince could prosecute an individual who intentionally misrepresentd himself as prince and made use of prince's standing in the community/business world for his/her own gain. identity theft maybe? fraud? abrazo would know

if Pepe Willie is due a Cut then let that Man get His Cut.if Prince is number 1 at the bank&is racking in all the Loot than Pepe wouldn't be much of a problem now would He?

SnowQueen said:

Unfortunately I don't think CJ is even aware of how full of shit & negative she is. If she had the slightest clue, how could she spend every waking moment plotting against some dude who farts on his records? It's not like he punched her in the eye & ran over her dog. SUCH nastiness...

mistermaxxx said:

please.

What I wanna know is how many years will Pepe be talking bout Discovering Prince and Hawking 94 East? It's a Mute Boring Issue as C.J.'s Old Gossip is.

I was thinking the same thing, Natasha. He's been putting out the same damn recordings since '85! Who's still buying this stuff?!? When will the madness end?!?

And that Prince is a suing machine, ain't he?!

Pepe & Chazz are a crack up!

"I told the BBC everything." LOL!
...and if the BBC paid him for it, lets hope he gets some new teeth!

I don't know about these guys, every time u hear about them and Prince, It seems like Prince was clueless and they 'spawned' the mega star he became, because 'they' were so talented. If that was the case, they would hit the big time themselves through their own merits, however they just repackage the 94 east project every few years. C'mon release some current material without Prince and see how you stand! It all sounds like sour grapes

It sounds to me like Prince was just trying to give Pepe a head's up that he could get sued if he persists in releasing this stuff. Kind of like fair warning.

He could have been a complete a-hole and not said a thing so that the first indication Pepe had was the court papers.

HalluRain said:

The only problem is that if you read the story Prince doesn't have any legal right to stop Pepe with these recordings. Pepe has discussed it with his lawyers while Prince was still saying things like, "Don't those agreements expire?".

lovemachine said:

I read the story.

I hope you're not jumping to the conclusion that Prince is in the wrong here based solely on the story of a cheesy gossip columnist. The courts will decide if "Prince doesn't have any legal right to stop Pepe with these recordings." Neither of us can say as we don't have the orignal contracts/agreements to peruse and, I don't know about you, but I haven't studied law enough to make a judgement.

I assume that Prince has discussed it with his lawyers as well. Apparently both sides feel they are in the right, hence the lawsuit to get the court to make a ruling.

It didn't say that Prince thought there were expiration dates. That seems to be in the "voice" of the journalist (and with CJ I use that term loosely) and/or as part of Pepe's account of the conversation. It remains in the realm of heresay.

korovyov said:

No it is exactly the point that people seem to be missing so it is deserving of a quote:

Billy Jack Bitch

'nuff said.

HalluRain said:

I know Pepe Willie personally and he has assured me that the labels that have released the record with went through every channel to assure that it was legal. TRUST ME this will never see a courtroom. This pre-stardom release thing happens all the time and the artist is NEVER able to stop the release.

XtrueX said:

HAHAHAHAHA!

I agree that Pepe needs to get over it. I really do not blame Prince for not wanting these recordings released especially when someone is continually trying to make a profit off of sub-par material that no one is buying. I guess Pepe didn't deduct that Prince would come after him like he cracks down on everyone else.

You Know something well it's like Prince got into the Network Peter Finch character and said I"M MAD AS HELL AND I AIN"T GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE. I think he got Fed-Up with the Previous Bullshit he had to Endure and now he's Really Taking Aim and Fighting Back. I just find it so Macho and it turns me on to see him when he is Manly and Aggressive.

C.J. offers more super fun extremely exciting funky Prince and Pepe Willie conversation.

"No address, no phone"

http://www.startribune.co...12806.html

After Prince ended the business portion of his phone call to Pepe Willie, the conversation took a couple more interesting turns. "I said, "Well, Prince, what's going on? Can we hang out? Can we do lunch? We miss you, we love you,' " Willie said. "He said, I don't live here anymore." The recollection of this line made Willie laugh. "That's what he told me. Why is he telling me that when I know he lives here? He LIVES here. He's got a house here. He's got houses everywhere. So I said, 'Prince, we'll come to where you are.' And he says, I don't talk to people." Again Willie had to chuckle. "How do you talk to somebody like that? I didn't know what to say. I said OK, and the conversation ended." When Willie heard Prince's voice on the phone, he knew it was going to be entertaining, didn't he? "Absolutely," Willie said. Prince probably considered this talking AT Pepe. "And that's how I felt," Willie said. At any rate, Willie said now he wants to telephone Prince. Chances of that happening are not really good -- and I'm not just saying that because I still haven't heard back from Prince's lawyers.

Am I right in saying that Pepe Willie was the guy responsible for the countless re releases of One Man Jam??