And people say, "Prince doesn't look back"

"I remember those Park West shows (in Chicago) that I played when I was just starting out. I'll dream about the Park West sometime. I can see it so clearly in my dreams, that wide open look from the stage, the people right up on you. Those were life-changing shows."

Yes, I like the line in the sand idea.

But mr P doesn't draw a line, or at least not a definitive one.

He does hits, more hits and then some. Even while there's sooo much more. The NSJ 2011 shoes gave a hint of that.

I had the idea that maybe the 11-piece horn section might be inidcative of a change. At least w.r.t. arrangements etc. Maybe even w.r.t. setlist. Would the 11-piece hornsection be inspired from the 2011 hornsection (band!) that was at the Copenhagen NPG festival? (they were great!)

Real fans fix and arrange their own soundchecks, BTW.

udo said:

Yes, I like the line in the sand idea.

But mr P doesn't draw a line, or at least not a definitive one.

He does hits, more hits and then some. Even while there's sooo much more. The NSJ 2011 shoes gave a hint of that.

I had the idea that maybe the 11-piece horn section might be inidcative of a change. At least w.r.t. arrangements etc. Maybe even w.r.t. setlist. Would the 11-piece hornsection be inspired from the 2011 hornsection (band!) that was at the Copenhagen NPG festival? (they were great!)

Real fans fix and arrange their own soundchecks, BTW.

what do u mean by that?

Nice, liked it a lot.

He came across well.

I especially like the bit where the talks about being short and how he uses humour to alleviate stress, quite candid.

Speaking of Betty and Andy....

Betty Davis

Andy Allo

Betty

Andy

[Edited 9/21/12 11:19am]

2elijah said:

The similarities in looks,

Betty Davis

Andy Allo

Betty

Andy

[Edited 9/21/12 11:17am]

That is hilarious.

They kinda sound alike to me, too.

Stymie said:

2elijah said:

The similarities in looks,

Betty Davis

Andy Allo

Betty

Andy

[Edited 9/21/12 11:17am]

That is hilarious.

They kinda sound alike to me, too.

I noticed a slight similarity in looks too.

Stymie said:

2elijah said:

The similarities in looks,

Betty Davis

Andy Allo

Betty

Andy

[Edited 9/21/12 11:17am]

That is hilarious.

They kinda sound alike to me, too.

I want to hear Allo scream out "He wassss a bigggggggggg FREAK!" regarding Prince.

rdhull said:

Stymie said:

That is hilarious.

They kinda sound alike to me, too.

I want to hear Allo scream out "He wassss a bigggggggggg FREAK!" regarding Prince.

Anytime I think of Betty, that's what immediately comes to mind.

Prince and Andy

Betty and Miles

2elijah said:

Prince and Andy

Betty and Miles

no comment, but....

Stymie said:

rdhull said:

I want to hear Allo scream out "He wassss a bigggggggggg FREAK!" regarding Prince.

Anytime I think of Betty, that's what immediately comes to mind.

Betty was a badass on stage. Anyway, didn't mean to take this away from the article, but since Prince mentioned Betty Davis in the interview, just thought I'd put up a few pics of Betty and Andy.

[Edited 9/21/12 11:45am]

I really dug this interview especially the parts about behind the scenes rehearsing and also Prince's stance on the current situation on the music business. It's a messed up scene out there business-wise for artists, especialy those that aren't able to gig on a regular basis.

2elijah said:

Speaking of Betty and Andy....

Betty Davis

Andy Allo

Betty

Andy

[Edited 9/21/12 11:19am]

Wow.

Prince said:

I don't want anyone to fail, so if you can make money off music even though you can't sing or dance, that's genius. More power to you.

It all makes sense now.

WaterInYourBath said:

Prince said:

I don't want anyone to fail, so if you can make money off music even though you can't sing or dance, that's genius. More power to you.

It all makes sense now.

I seem to reall Prince having an opposing view some time back - I mean, didn't he used to celebrate real music by real musicians; doesn't that include singers....

WaterInYourBath said:

Prince said:

I don't want anyone to fail, so if you can make money off music even though you can't sing or dance, that's genius. More power to you.

It all makes sense now.

Sounds like he was more or less referring to what the music industry is trying to pass off as talent today, and that he prefers to work with real musicians/artists.

WaterInYourBath said:

2elijah said:

Speaking of Betty and Andy....

Betty Davis

Andy Allo

Betty

Andy

[Edited 9/21/12 11:19am]

Wow.

Different strokes, for different folks.

2elijah said:

Prince and Andy

Betty and Miles

Wow! Thats eerily familar....

2elijah said:

Speaking of Betty and Andy....

Betty Davis

Andy Allo

Betty

Andy

[Edited 9/21/12 11:19am]

wow, interesting,

I wonder how does that work, telling her to sorta be like this other woman? I know every to a degree emulates someone they admire, but ... a lot of what's on stage is acting anyway, creating characters. This is a bit different character emulation than say Vanity 6 or Sheila E

2elijah said:

WaterInYourBath said:

It all makes sense now.

Sounds like he was more or less referring to what the music industry is trying to pass off as talent today, and that he prefers to work with real musicians/artists.

[img:$uid]http://images.paraorkut.com/img/pics/glitters/b/bored-7264.jpg[/img:$uid]

80spfantwp said:

WaterInYourBath said:

It all makes sense now.

I seem to reall Prince having an opposing view some time back - I mean, didn't he used to celebrate real music by real musicians; doesn't that include singers....

All lies. He's finally revealed the truth.

totheteeth said:

Read it here.

The first part of the interview is below. Couldn't get to the second part, because of the Tribune's paywall ...

A peek into Prince's mind

The Tribune's Greg Kot gets a look behind the scenes as the musician and his 20-member ensemble rehearse for this week's United Center residency

Greg KotMusic critic

5:04 p.m. CDT, September 20, 2012

CHANHASSEN, Minn.— Prince is rolling his eyes.

"The hardest thing with musicians," he explains to a visitor to his Paisley Park recording studio, "is getting them not to play."

The quintuple-threat singer-songwriter-producer-performer-multi-instrumentalist is running a nine-piece band through a vigorous rehearsal in preparation for a Monday-Wednesday residency at the United Center, and right now the arrangements are getting too busy for his liking. He's like a drill sergeant in a brown, button-up, Asian-style long coat with a hypnotist's lulling voice.

"John, what's the thing you're doing?" he asks John Blackwell, as if he were asking his drummer to pass a bag of potato chips. "Your time changed again and it got boomy and ugly." To a guitarist he calmly advises, "You should throw that pedal away ... it's just taking up too much space frequency-wise." To his bassist: "I wouldn't thumb this, either. Mute it. Mute it."

No big deal. The musicians comply and recalibrate. A little accent on the cymbal here, an up-stroke on the guitar strings there, and everything moves a little closer to the sound Prince imagines.

The singer wants to hear different combinations of instruments — guitars with drums, then with keyboards and bass; voices a cappella, then with tambourines and drums — and he is constantly tweaking, adjusting voicings ("give that last chord more value"), humming individual parts and then seeing how they gel.

I've always enjoyed peaks into his rehearsals and backstage stuff

by Neal Karlen
Rolling Stone, April 24, 1986

On the stage, Lisa and Wendy strap and plug themselves into position — Lisa back in her dark apartment with a little smile and her head cocked slightly; Wendy in front with a wide grin, next to Prince in the fully lit, empty auditorium. Gone are the days when Fearless Leader put his friends through all-afternoon sound-check jams that could last as long as that night’s concert. Clean-cut, dressed in a resplendent black suit and a white ruffled shirt, Prince faces the band and orders up a tune. The Revolution begins hammering.

“Okay,” says Prince, “Sheila comes in here.” Cut. “Is Sheila here yet?” he asks. Momentarily, Sheila E. strides in, stage left, in sunglasses and a trench coat. She and Prince huddle for a second, then the meastro barks, "'Controversy'! Ready!" The band is pounding again. “Come on, stay in beat,” says Prince. “I’m listening.” Perfection is found in a few measures, and the band carries on with the song. Prince then announces, “End of ‘A Love Bizarre.’ Check it out.” He jumps offstage and runs up an aisle, both listening to the sound and practicing an audience run he will perform that night.

“Can we lose that low range somehow?” he asks. “Let me hear the bass out.” Perfection again, then into the Revolution’s new single, “Kiss.” Prince pauses. “I think finger cymbals would be better. Now when we film videos tomorrow, we’re going to drag it out so everybody will get their chance to be in it.” With that, he heads offstage. Wendy unstraps herself from the guitar, Lisa unplugs from the keyboard, and they head back upstairs for dinner.

WaterInYourBath said:

2elijah said:

Sounds like he was more or less referring to what the music industry is trying to pass off as talent today, and that he prefers to work with real musicians/artists.

[img:$uid]http://images.paraorkut.com/img/pics/glitters/b/bored-7264.jpg[/img:$uid]

LOL!

OldFriends4Sale said:

2elijah said:

Speaking of Betty and Andy....

Betty Davis

Andy Allo

Betty

Andy

[Edited 9/21/12 11:19am]

wow, interesting,

I wonder how does that work, telling her to sorta be like this other woman? I know every to a degree emulates someone they admire, but ... a lot of what's on stage is acting anyway, creating characters. This is a bit different character emulation than say Vanity 6 or Sheila E

Don't most artists emulate a little of other artists? The catch is to take what you borrow and turn it iinto your own style. Beyonce has borrowed from Tina Turner many times.

Prince has JB, Ike Turner, Chuck Berry, Santana and other music greats' influences and that's been incorporated in his music styles and stage performances, and he turned l that into his own style and owns the recipe to it. Nothing new and unusual about artists/muscians borrowing off of one another.

[Edited 9/21/12 13:27pm]

OldFriends4Sale said:

he seems to run away from, is the one he worked hard to make happen, the one that the foundation for his life in 2012 still

He's running away from the good ol songs, since he's a washed up Jw singer now. I thought U'd know by now!

WaterInYourBath said:

TwiliteKid said:

OzlemUcucu said:

This article is prove Prince is reading the Org. He's answering all of the questions that have been raised here. It's like a Q&A with orgers. This piece needs some proper analysis. Somebody go first please...there is a lot of stuff going on...I'll attempt later.

Yeah, that's it. Couldn't possibly be Greg Kot doing a bit research first.

It does not matter. If Greg did research on the org, it still provided insight for all the questions that were raised here. I am very impressed that Greg addressed all the issues.