WaterInYourBath said:

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

big difference between inspiration, influence and copying.

FunkySideEffects said:

WaterInYourBath said:

It all makes sense now.

My thoughts exactly. His quote was left open for many assumptions

Exactly!!! And what's up with the reference with Betty and Miles? They were married, right? Again I leave that for assumptions too.

2elijah said:

erik319 said:

2elijah said:

I think with the youtube situation and how he may feel about it, may only be in regards to his music being on there, not other artists. I also think when he said the internet is dead, I think he was referring moreso as to how music is distributed/sold on there and how musicians/artists music is often stolen via internet, as it seems he's not really a fan of digital music as well, even if he has released a few that way.

Wow, you really know how to expand the word 'hypocrite'.

Wow, you really know how to be pissed off when somebody says something you don't want to hear. You'll be alright.

2020 said:

2elijah said:

Prince and Andy

Betty and Miles

Wow! Thats eerily familar....

I just see the pic as a similarity of two music geniuses being an inspiration musically, to both of those artists. I'm sure with the comparison of the two images, some fans will take the pic and let their imaginations run wild with it. A familiar thing some have a habit of doing on the org and creating their own assumptions and stories.

2elijah said:

2020 said:

Wow! Thats eerily familar....

I just see the pic as a similarity of two music geniuses being an inspiration musically, to both of those artists. I'm sure with the comparison of the two images, some fans will take the pic and let their imaginations run wild with it. A familiar thing some have a habit of doing on the org and creating their own assumptions and stories.

uh huh

but those seperate pix of the women was 2 show resemblance;-)

2elijah said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

wow, interesting,

I wonder how does that work, telling her to sorta be like this other woman? I know everyone 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]

Yes, thats what i said that most people emulate others

But my question is, is she a fan who naturally emulates her

Or as it may seem in that interview is Prince telling her to emulate this woman

OldFriends4Sale said:

2elijah said:

I just see the pic as a similarity of two music geniuses being an inspiration musically, to both of those artists. I'm sure with the comparison of the two images, some fans will take the pic and let their imaginations run wild with it. A familiar thing some have a habit of doing on the org and creating their own assumptions and stories.

uh huh

but those seperate pix of the women was 2 show resemblance;-)

The separate pics, yes, as far as looks and the hairdo, but not the other one.

Bobby Z was at one of these rehearsals recently

OldFriends4Sale said:

2elijah said:

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]

Yes, thats what i said that most people emulate others

But my question is, is she a fan who naturally emulates her

Or as it may seem in that interview is Prince telling her to emulate this woman

'May seem' is the key phrase isn't it? Many assumptions can be drawn from what he said, because it seems to me that Betty may be one of Andy's inspirations. If that is true, then by Prince showing her vids of Betty's performances then he's basically using that to school her, to draw inspiration/motivation from Betty's style of performing and talent. So that if Andy wants to be as good as Betty, then it will take practice/hard work/dedication/creativity and motivation to develop her own creativity as an artist and singing and performance style, and make it her own.

So it doesn't sound to me like he's saying that Andy has to be exactly like/emulate Betty, when he told the interviewer that's "What we aim for". It just sounds to me more or less, like he uses Betty's vids, as a source of inspiration for Andy to build/develop/perfect her own style/talent and learn from real musicians/artists.

I'm sure over the years Prince has had many musicians he drew inspiration from or either watched their performances live, tv appearances/vids of their work, and you could see that in his performance style over the years, watching him perform at concerts. He didn't become 'exactly' like those musicians/artists that inspired him, he eventually developed his own style and made it his own.

[Edited 9/21/12 21:25pm]

I can understand why the Purple Rain tour was tough....The set list didn't change too much and the core songs were pretty much the same each night. People were coming to experience the "Prince" they fell in love with in the movie NOT the "Prince" from Dirty Mind. They wanted to see the moves, the kiss on Wendy's cheek and to see if Applolina was going to be there. I'm sure it got old.....that's why he got a hair cut and changed up his sound for the next two albums.

I often asked myself (as far back as the early 90's) if he ever gets tired of playing the same songs. How many time has he played 'Purple Rain'? I know if I never heard 'Kiss' again I wouldn't be mad.

The problem with the new stuff......it's just not good. I am the biggest fan (pretty much for 30 + years) and a lot of the new stuff is weak. He was releasing better stuff when he was "washed up" in the mid 90's. GOLD album would crush his new stuff. I don't know....it's all Larry's fault. HAHAHAHAjust messin' (but for real it is). LOL!!!!

I find it funny that he was on youtube?!?

OldFriends4Sale said:

udo said:

Real fans fix and arrange their own soundchecks, BTW.

what do u mean by that?

They do not depend on 2002-like soundcheck ticket sales, etc.

bashraka said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

I wouldn't say that's why, since the PR tour was not his last with the Revolution. Parade was and Parade was seriously much looser, this is also the period where After Shows & After Parties began.

Also during his Rave period? There would have been a Revolution reunion if the Roadhouse Garden album happened.

I read that quote by Prince before, and it doesn't make sense, since he could have changed the show up however he wanted to, surrounding the PR songs.

Has any of his shows prior to that or even after at times been set lists changed up all the time? Didn't SOTT follow an even tighter format, Lovesexy didn't divert from the Sin2Salvation flow and many tours after that.

I never got Prince and his issues with the PR tour, going thru set lists of PR shows, it was not the same every night. And this is still when Prince previewed new songs like America (14min live workouts), Condition of the Heart, the Ladder etc And the off shows showed the diversity that could have been played like the 1983 Benefit Show, the 1984 Birthday show, and so many songs in his back catalogue that could have been added removed changed shifted

the era that 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

I can definitely understand Prince's issues with the Purple Rain tour. Prince fans have created threads about the way he should WEAR his damn hair for concerts (see the many threads about his afro). I think he was also talking about doing the same choreography and performing the scenes from Purple Rain movie to keep his fans entertained night after night. PR was his most anticipated tour and it's interesting to read how he felt trapped by casual fans' expectations .

Bruce Springsteen once said "you know, I've had big success like the Born In the USA album a couple times in my career, it's sorta nice when it's there but you don't miss it when it's gone" I can imagine the stress of that level of fame is magnificent. Also, that kind of success is a trap, Michael Jackson was clueless after Thriller, what can you do to top something that huge? Prince intentionally scaled down after Purple Rain for his own reasons. I don't think he really enjoyed it. He has also compared his other bands to the revolution unflatteringly over the years. No question, his later bands were musically better but didn't catch Prince at his peak or have the chemistry that the revolution had all together. Interview is great, you get the man in his element where most people think he can still do a first rate job, on stage. Sometimes it's just great to hear a public figure speak on the nuts and bolts of the business they are in because it's one thing they are knowledgable and intelligent about. The pop-star facade drops and we see a professional. We rarely get to see Prince like that. He knows his craft, and as a musician myself, I can attest to the fact that musicians generally play to damned much and don't like to be told not to play anything in a portion of a song, it's a difficult thing to manage.

TheFreakerFantastic said:

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.

ya, and that was a nice Chuck Berry reference, always good to see Prince mention his heroes and his watching/reading/listening to them.

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....

well, singers are musicians but they are very different. Usually the engine that drives them is a lot more narcissistic with them and that says something because musicians are prima donnas. Singers though tend not to give a shit about music, singing or anything other than being in the limelight, that's why some musicians like myself who also sing, don't really like them much. You can go to karaoke's and see some talented singers but there really is no substance there and no artistic meaning, without that, it's no better or different to me than a good american idol contestant, meaningless.

2elijah said:

prime said:

2elijah said:

About the second part of that interview, it blew me away. I love that he mentioned Betty Davis, and if that's the plan he has for Andy to rock it like Betty, then that is so cool.

Oh for crying out loud, dude was claiming Bria was gonna be the new Sade. Look at AA's ACTUAL contribution to his gigs before parrotting such ridiculous nonsense.

So far, this is one of the best interviews I’ve read where Prince expressed his feelings on a lot of things that are questioned. I also liked that he said he doesn’t have to record to pay his debt/taxes, so that right there should put a sock in the mouths of those who wish for his downfall or jump up and down with glee when they read a news clip about him owing taxes.

Yes, Prince never lies. Except for the gazillion times that he was proven to be a liar.

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.

Yeah, like that powerhouse of talent Andy Allo. Or Bria.

Praxis said:

"just not good" you said. With all due respect to your opinion, there r millions of people including myself who dig Princes new art and are always excited for his next releases.

No there are not. If there were Prince wouldn't be handing out free discs with newspapers.

BartVanHemelen 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.

Yeah, like that powerhouse of talent Andy Allo. Or Bria.

I feel sorry for you Bart. You always spew so much vile. I guess when misery can't find company, it becomes famously known as 'miserable.' I must say you do a good job of that, with very, little effort.

Let us know when the sun finally finds a crack, in that sad hole in your life, and lets a ray of sun shine in.

erik319 said:

2elijah said:

Wow, you really know how to be pissed off when somebody says something you don't want to hear. You'll be alright.

Lol, calm down dear. Just to clarify, I wasn't calling you a hypocrite. I was pointing out that you could have used the phrase 'he's a hypocrite' instead of your paragraph & it'd have ended up meaning the same thing.

I am aware you wasn't calling me that, but what you think I should have/could have done, wasn't something I had to do. Cheers!

Praxis said:

Nice interview.

It's funny because just recently, I began seeing Andy as a kind of golden 70's star transported to modern day. My comparisons, mostly image wise were to Betty Davis....and this is a great thing. I always said we needed more artists like that and i'm greatful to Prince in getting a potential one out there.

Now this is not to say that Andy will be a new Betty because, let's face it, Betty was one of them "once in a lifetime" artists and Prince is certainly saying the same....but nonetheless, this is what he says they can attempt to aim for and rightfully so. That's a work ethic we need in today's industry.

I'm simply hoping that Andy brings some of that golden age back whilst maintaining originality and a modern edge. Very confident we're getting that.

I'm extremely chuffed that he's actually picked out Betty as a major influence on his next protege because Betty is one of my all time favourites and owner of the 4 funkiest albums in existence....Also, i always wondered what Prince thought of Betty. I'm thrilled with the mention and usage of Betty via Prince.

Learn from the greats, respect the greats. No one has said in this interview that they should outright copy them except the usual obsessives here.

That comment about people who make money who can't dance/sing is CLEARLY sarcasm towards today's industry. Hence the mention of laughter afterwards....obviously, those same obsessives choose to ignore such things....Or they simply don't have a good enough humour to register sarcasm.

We'll see what happens with Prince and his future albums, but i'm excited about him getting fresh talent out there too. Sure, i'd prefer more from him, but the man is the greatest to ever do it....he doesn't need to. There's no rush....that's what that freedom he's earned tastes like.

[Edited 9/22/12 11:29am]

[Edited 9/22/12 11:32am]

BartVanHemelen said:

http://www.chicagotribune...ull.column

Gotta love his hipocrisy:

The artist who pioneered using the Internet as a way to communicate with his fans and distribute music in the '90s, declared the Internet "over" in 2010. His experiences with selling music through his Web sites were poorly managed and alienated many fans, so now he has no website. He says digital services such as iTunes and Spotify don't impress him.

"Remember Betamax?" Prince says with a grin, referring to the outmoded video cassette format. "That's the system we've got now in the music business. We're in a singles market again. It's crazy for me to walk into that with a new album. Young people have decided they like to listen to music in a certain way, through ear buds, and that's fine with me as long as it doesn't bother them that they're not hearing 90 percent of the music that way. But I don't have to record to eat or to get out of debt or to pay my taxes. I looked forward to the day I could do this. Freedom is an interesting thing. You have to work really hard to get free."

[..]

He moves to another room upstairs where he has two large computer screens set up, and he toggles between a video-in-progress of Allo and a video of a recent "Welcome 2" tour date in Australia. Then he dials up a YouTube video of the '70s singer Betty Davis, a gritty track called "If I'm in Luck, I Might Get Picked Up."

Paying for music through iTunes or the likes? That's "Betamax". So instead he fetches a most likely illegal upload from YouTube.

Because the artist do not make any real money off of I-Tunes. And he is listening to Betty Davis on YOUTUBE big difference between listing and downloading illegally or getting ripped off by YOUTUBE. In addtion, Mrs. Davis hooked up with the Light of the Attic people and may actually be getting some royalties for her work now. Do you think P is some bum who cannot go out and actually buy Mrs. Davis music? You need to wake up and smell the coffee music sales are down and are going to stay down because the public does not want to buy music. The public wants to listen or YOUTUBE or steal it.

In the long run it hurts the artist and is destroying the quality of music. P sounds happy and that is killing some of you.

2elijah said:

BartVanHemelen said:

Yeah, like that powerhouse of talent Andy Allo. Or Bria.

I feel sorry for you Bart. You always spew so much vile. I guess when misery can't find company, it becomes famously known as 'miserable.' I must say you do a good job of that, with very, little effort.

Let us know when the sun finally finds a crack, in that sad hole in your life, and lets a ray of sun shine in.

It is interesting to see people comment on the format instead of on the content of the message itself.

I get that myself every once in a while and I hate it when people cannot even see the real issue.

love2thenines2003 said:

http://www.chicagotribune...umn?page=2

Part 2!

Though his musicians are highly skilled, he says technical ability is not the primary attribute he looks for when auditioning potential band members.

"They need heart, the willingness to try something different," he says. "When something's funky, everyone gravitates toward it. I love to see the joy when they can feel it happening."

Like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, James Brown, Sly Stone and George Clinton before him, Prince is taking the notion of what live performance can be to another level by combining composition and improvisation, precision and spontaneity. When he last performed in Chicago in 2004, he had built his band up through theater tours until it was ready to perform at a high level on a huge scale. His arena tour that year was a major commercial and critical success, pulling in more than $87 million in revenue and reviving Prince's career.

Now the music industry is in such a chaotic state of transition that he doesn't see much point in releasing the music he records "all the time" at Paisley Park. Once upon a time, new Prince albums flowed like water, particularly once he dropped out of the major-label system in the mid-'90s. In both 2003 and '04, he released three albums each year through various channels. But he hasn't released any new albums since 2010.

The artist who pioneered using the Internet as a way to communicate with his fans and distribute music in the '90s, declared the Internet "over" in 2010. His experiences with selling music through his Web sites were poorly managed and alienated many fans, so now he has no website. He says digital services such as iTunes and Spotify don't impress him.

"Remember Betamax?" Prince says with a grin, referring to the outmoded video cassette format. "That's the system we've got now in the music business. We're in a singles market again. It's crazy for me to walk into that with a new album. Young people have decided they like to listen to music in a certain way, through ear buds, and that's fine with me as long as it doesn't bother them that they're not hearing 90 percent of the music that way. But I don't have to record to eat or to get out of debt or to pay my taxes. I looked forward to the day I could do this. Freedom is an interesting thing. You have to work really hard to get free."

At one point, he turns to ask, "So what do you think the future of all this is going to be?" There are no sure answers. Nobody knows. And that's both a daunting and thrilling prospect. What excites him most, he says, is helping new artists. The 21-year-old drummer Hanna Ford is on his list of future band members. He's already jammed with rising jazz star Esperanza Spalding. He flips on video of a solo performance by the young British folk-soul singer Lianne La Havas. "She is Joni Mitchell to me, the way she tells a story, the way she puts those interesting guitar chords underneath it."

The next minute he's taking a call from his protege, Andy Allo, who will perform with him in Chicago. He moves to another room upstairs where he has two large computer screens set up, and he toggles between a video-in-progress of Allo and a video of a recent "Welcome 2" tour date in Australia. Then he dials up a YouTube video of the '70s singer Betty Davis, a gritty track called "If I'm in Luck, I Might Get Picked Up."

"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," he says with a laugh. "More power to you. But I play Betty Davis for Andy Allo and say, 'This is what we aim for.'"

Prince has said repeatedly that he's not a great businessman, and he's taken his share of wrong turns in trying to fashion himself into a one-man music industry. But he is great at building bands, making music and inspiring people to dance. Though he's 54, he looks and moves like a much younger man. In part, he says, that's because the stress that dominated his life for much of the '80s and '90s is gone.

A new single, "RNR Affair," provides a small window into his life. It's a horn-spackled, guitar-chugging ode to "two people in love, with nothin' but the road ahead." A relaxed, sing-speak vocal rides the groove, then ascends to falsetto.

"It's a driving song," Prince says. "The world is so jagged, I like smooth waves. It's the way I live now. When Larry (Graham) first came around here (in the '90s) we had a lot of crazy people in here. Now, no one argues, no one swears, no one smokes, no one talks harsh. We all enjoy each other. You don't know what that's like till you start living like that, because for a long time I didn't. It was affecting me up here (points to his head), which in turn affected me here (points to throat). I changed the way I operate. A lot of my contemporaries didn't. That's the reason I'm still here, and a lot of them aren't."

It troubled him when people started to write him off in the '90s, when the hits dried up and he began playing smaller venues, partially by design.

"I had a former band member tell the media, 'He'll never play arenas again,'” Prince says. "Now why would someone want to go and say a thing like that?"

The singer gets defiant.

"That's like telling Michael Jordan he can't play any more. Like telling Ali he's washed up." Despite the bravado, he circles back to the topic later in the conversation. He'd like to suggest that the criticism bounces off him, that he's tougher than that. But he doesn't forget. The hurt lingers. He describes letters that the Chicago singer Mavis Staples wrote him in the '80s when they began working together on a couple of her solo albums: "They were so full of encouragement. You don't get much of that in this business."

And his eyes glisten when he recalls a few words spoken to him at the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall just a few hundred yards down the road from Paisley Park, where he regularly attends Bible study.

"I had missed a bunch of meetings because I was on tour, and you know how people like to gossip and talk behind your back? Well, there was none of that," he says. "When I came back, there was one older person there who came up to me. He didn't lay a guilt trip on me. He just spoke with love and compassion, and I'll never forget what he said. 'We just miss you.'"

Rehearsal is about to resume, and he relishes the work ahead even though he's tired.

"You know what I look at when I'm stage? I look for the smile on people's faces. That's what I want, where I put all my energy."

He leans back in his chair.

"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."

And then, his heels click down the hallway toward the rehearsal hall. The band is still settling in, but the music has already started inside Prince's head.

greg@gregkot.com

Twitter @gregkot

Copyright © 2012, Chicago Tribune

PS> 1st point: no more Album from Prince anymore

second : The tj have burnt Prince's Brain 4 GOOD

third : last alone digital single ...very weak!

Decision: Enough is enough ....it's OVER 4 ME !!!

[Edited 9/21/12 2:47am]

Good !!! See you

laurarichardson said:

Because the artist do not make any real money off of I-Tunes.

Now that is the bad thing in the system that exploits 'intellectual property' (ideas, patents, art, music, books, etc). How can a system like i-Tunes (made by the biggest brand of current time AAPL, grossing teh most, etc, yadda yadda yadda) not share a decent amount of wealth with the artist, author, etc?

It's not about technicalities.

It's about ethics.

The system is corrupt.

The legal system doesn't help here.

The recod companies won't help here because of fear of their share.

So emerging artists use their own direct marketing. They have a site with downloads.

2elijah said:

BartVanHemelen said:

Yeah, like that powerhouse of talent Andy Allo. Or Bria.

I feel sorry for you Bart. You always spew so much vile. I guess when misery can't find company, it becomes famously known as 'miserable.' I must say you do a good job of that, with very, little effort.

Let us know when the sun finally finds a crack, in that sad hole in your life, and lets a ray of sun shine in.

Your devotion to Prince and all his stupid absurdities is astounding. I really wish you could be personally recognized and directly thanked by him in some way.