Ok, so a main plot point is when Billy lays down the gauntlet to Prince (aka The Kid) with this line: "I got three acts. I don't need four. So that means one of y'all got ta go. I mean, what would you do in my position?" *cue "When Doves Cry" montage

This leads the audience to feel like Prince needs to fight for his life with his music to beat The Time and their new proteges Apollonia 6. But why doesn't Prince fire back at Billy with, "Well what about the Modernaires, motherfucker?" The movie makes it seem like it's between The Time, Apples, and The Revolution, but they never show the "4th act", The Modernaires, compete. This has always baffled me. Am I missing a clue in the film as to why they didn't have to compete? Was there a deleted scene where Dez Deckerson walks in on Billy blowing a dude and had that over him so that the Modernaires had job security?

Please to explain

The 3 acts Billy is referring to are: The Time, The Revolution and the Modernaires. Billy is inferring that if the Revolution doesn't shape up, they will be replaced with Apollonia 6.

[Edited 10/2/11 23:28pm]

Seems like Prince was acting like such an erratic jerk at that point that the manager would have kicked him out even if the Modernaires were mediocre, having been presented with a reasonable replacement. But of course Prince learned to treat his bandmembers with respect and embrace their contributions, so he won everyone over in the end and they all lived happily ever after.

Oh, except there was a sequel, wasn't there?

The guy in the red suit secures the Modernaires place man, he's the only reason 1st Ave was packed every night!

xsam2 said:

The 3 acts Billy is referring to are: The Time, The Revolution and the Modernaires. Billy is inferring that if the Revolution doesn't shape up, they will be replaced with Apollonia 6.

[Edited 10/2/11 23:28pm]

Yep

I always thought that The Modernaires were "weak" and why would Billy keep them.

But, as an adult, I agree with an earlier post, they were safe. The Kid had problems with separating personal from professional. If Billy was to let The Modernaires go and replace them with Apollonia 6, it would be like "history repeating itself", as Francis L messed up his future wife's music career, so would The Kid mess up Apollonia's. The Kid showed how he was going to be with his performance of "Darling Nikki" and Apollonia wasn't even performing at First Avenue, so imagine how much more of an ass would he be if she was. Now add to that the fact that The Kid was late to his own rehearsals, the drama that he had w/in his band, and his total disregard to the rules ("What's this one song shit" and "Nothing dirty...I have enough problems already").

Here's another thought, which has nothing to do with this thread, but to my above theory about "history repeating itself".....Maybe the reason why he said "no" when asked by Apollonia if he'd help her had more to do with him not wanting them to travel down the same road as his parents (career and relationship) than him not caring about anybody, but himself as Morris put it.

The Modenaires are like the Monkeys. Are they really a musical tour deforce? No. Do the kids like them, and are they a very popular act? Hell Yes.

Billy view's Prince as Amy Winehouse. Really talented if you can get him pointed in the right direction. However he keeps letting personal problems have the front seat with his work. As a promoter, it's easy to see why Billy would choose the Moderaires over Prince.

So many layers

Agreed...so complex. The symbolism of dumping a tramp in the dumpster (Morris leaving The Time), Jill Jones' 'rain' of tears, Jerome's comments about Prince's family (forshadowing his acclaimed work with The Family the following year), Billy's and Prince's sunglasses (showing how bright their futures were going to be), Apollonia's cold nips after her dip in the lake (hard times ahead for her with Prince in act 3) all show the classic structure and subtlety of the Purple Rain.

The secrets of the movie (and how meaningless life can be) were eventually unlocked by Tevin Campbell in Graffiti Bridge when he sang that "Round and round we go. Round and round we go. Round and around and around and around and Around and around we go. Round and round (aww yeah) round and around we go (aww yeah) round and around we go (aww yeah) round and around we go (aww yeah)"

but I'm sure most of you realized that already.

This is a funny thread

You guys are a trip.

the 1st time i saw purple rain i thought they were singing 'mountaineers! mountaineers!!

DoffieParker said:

the 1st time i saw purple rain i thought they were singing 'mountaineers! mountaineers!!

who wouldnt want to be a mountaineer?

I never understood one thing: Billy was blind?

Creussonino said:

I never understood one thing: Billy was blind?

only to talent...

uuhson said:

DoffieParker said:

the 1st time i saw purple rain i thought they were singing 'mountaineers! mountaineers!!

who wouldnt want to be a mountaineer?

& additionally i thought the choreography was emulating climbing actions.. it was all very confusing

Thank u. U have all opened my eyes. So much so that I just googled The Modernaires to see where I can scoop up their album or at least the single from the movie. You can imagine my sadness when I realized it is not available. Why?

Spanky said:

Thank u. U have all opened my eyes. So much so that I just googled The Modernaires to see where I can scoop up their album or at least the single from the movie. You can imagine my sadness when I realized it is not available. Why?

It is available. It was released on a Dez Dickerson 2CD set retrospective of previously unreleased music, and later as a 12" with new remixes.

http://www.thedawnexperie...k/2005.htm

http://www.discogs.com/De...se/1445683

http://www.dezdickerson.com/index.html

NouveauDance said:

The guy in the red suit secures the Modernaires place man, he's the only reason 1st Ave was packed every night!

LOL he was doing his thang wasn't he lol

$50 is steep for a 2 cd set, i would buy if it was released normally but hey ho.

Can you still download Modernaire from Dez's website? I did that years ago...I think I paid $1. Great song btw...shame it was never released at the time.

This was that one track that I always really liked from the movie and wanted to hear and was disappointed it never surfaced in the 80's.

I actually just finally listened to it and glad i did! It is a cool song. I would have been rocking this song all the time back in the 80s.

Does Prince back Dez on this track cause it sounds like it at times? It sure sounds like P on the screaming guitar.

Dez was a cool cat - miss him and Brown Mark more than W&L.

[Edited 10/6/11 13:22pm]

DoffieParker said:

the 1st time i saw purple rain i thought they were singing 'mountaineers! mountaineers!!

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