http://www.goodreads.com/...how/184080

Nick Hornby > quotes > quotable quote

"Years and years ago, I read a great interview with Jam and Lewis, the R&B producers, in which they described what it was like to be members of Prince's band. They'd sit down, and Prince would tell them what he wanted them to play, and they'd explain that they couldn't--they weren't quick enough, or good enough. And Prince would push them and push them until they mastered it, and then just when they were feeling pleased with themselves for accomplishing something they didn't know they had the capacity for, he'd tell them the dance steps he needed to accompany the music.

This story has stuck with me, I think, because it seems like an encapsulation of the very best and most exciting kind of creative process."

— Nick Hornby (The Polysyllabic Spree)

This sounds like the famous story of when Prince walked in 2 check on a rehearsal, he asked Jimmy why he wasn't playing a part with his left hand. Jimmy said because the song didn't have a left hand part. Prince said something 2 the effect of: it doesn't matter... live has 2 be better than the recording. When Prince returned, and Jimmy was playing using both hands, Prince asked why he wasn't steppin', while he was playing...

Funny, I remember this quote being about Wendy and Lisa around the 1999 era. Saying that if mastering the instrument parts wasn't hard enough, then the singing along was. To kick it over the edge, there was the dancing.

Sorry, but my girl Sheila ran a tighter choreography ship there for a couple of years...

[img:$uid]http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h227/judechristian/1600.jpg[/img:$uid]

Prince was (and still is) a MASTER at his craft..very inspiring

Even though Prince is a perfectionist, may even be called picky or pushy, but he knows how to push people in a positive sense to do something that they've never known they could do. That's a really good thing that sometimes gets overshadowed by the neutral adjectives such as workaholic and perfectionist.

Not only is he a master at making music, but he knows exactly how to move with it to emphasize its meaning and/or lyrics

[Edited 1/31/11 10:22am]

Thanks for posting Bart!

BartVanHemelen said:

http://www.goodreads.com/...how/184080

Nick Hornby > quotes > quotable quote

"Years and years ago, I read a great interview with Jam and Lewis, the R&B producers, in which they described what it was like to be members of Prince's band. They'd sit down, and Prince would tell them what he wanted them to play, and they'd explain that they couldn't--they weren't quick enough, or good enough. And Prince would push them and push them until they mastered it, and then just when they were feeling pleased with themselves for accomplishing something they didn't know they had the capacity for, he'd tell them the dance steps he needed to accompany the music.

This story has stuck with me, I think, because it seems like an encapsulation of the very best and most exciting kind of creative process."

— Nick Hornby (The Polysyllabic Spree)