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

In before KCOOL drops his boybutter all over this megahit thread talking about his super brilliant "MasterPiece" bullshit.

From the article:

"I nearly had a nervous breakdown on 'The Purple Rain' tour (in 1984) because it was the same every night," he says. "It's work to play the same songs the same way for 70 shows. To me, it's not work to learn lots of different songs so that the experience is fresh to us each night."

This is the part of the article I liked the most. He made a good point about changing the setlist each night while on tour, makes it more challenging for the band members as well.

2elijah said:

From the article:

"I nearly had a nervous breakdown on 'The Purple Rain' tour (in 1984) because it was the same every night," he says. "It's work to play the same songs the same way for 70 shows. To me, it's not work to learn lots of different songs so that the experience is fresh to us each night."

This is the part of the article I liked the most. He made a good point about changing the setlist each night while on tour, makes it more challenging for the band members as well.

Interesting. That may explain why there has been no Prince and the Revolution reunion tour and probably never will be.

electricberet said:

2elijah said:

This is the part of the article I liked the most. He made a good point about changing the setlist each night while on tour, makes it more challenging for the band members as well.

Interesting. That may explain why there has been no Prince and the Revolution reunion tour and probably never will be.

Yes it is. I think that answers a question that has long been asked. He seems to like changing up the setlists on different nights when he's touring, which gives him a chance to challenge his skills/creativity continuously, perform different genres of music, and challenge the skills of current band members he's working with. Seems as fans, his admission of not really liking to have to play the same songs, every night during a show, well that really shouldn't surprise us, since it has never been a secret that he never liked being pigeon-holed into one genre of music or as a musician. So it's not surprising that he likes to change the setlist on different nights during his recent tours, as he made clear in that interview.

From his response in that interview, sounds like he became bored after a while, during the Purple Rain tour, playing the same songs, 'every night' with similar sounds, and prefers to be more versatile with the setlist, on different nights of touring with his band.

This may explain why he enjoys performing other musicians/artists' songs (covers), his own music, whether its classics, and 1 or 2 songs from current releases. It seems although so many of his fans desire to see him perform again, with all his former band members, as the same group on a tour, i.e. the Revolution, it doesn't seem to be something he wants to do right now, and fans will have to accept that. Even when he mentioned about music in the vault on The View. He said something like (paraphrasing) maybe someone else may release music from his vault, but he likes to make new music and keep it fresh for now.

This is not to say that he wouldn't invite 1 or 2 former band members, as he has already, to perform with him on stage and do a couple of songs, with his current band members. That response in that interview, just seems to give some closure to what he is not interested in repeating anymore in his music career. I could be wrong of course, but that's what I get from that response.

[Edited 9/20/12 21:15pm]

2elijah said:

electricberet said:

Interesting. That may explain why there has been no Prince and the Revolution reunion tour and probably never will be.

Yes it is. I think that answers a question that has long been asked. He seems to like changing up the setlists on different nights when he's touring, which gives him a chance to challenge his skills/creativity continuously, perform different genres of music, and challenge the skills of current band members he's working with. Seems as fans, his admission of not really liking to have to play the same songs, every night during a show, well that really shouldn't surprise us, since it has never been a secret that he never liked being pigeon-holed into one genre of music or as a musician. So it's not surprising that he likes to change the setlist on different nights during his recent tours, as he made clear in that interview.

From his response in that interview, sounds like he became bored after a while, during the Purple Rain tour, playing the same songs, 'every night' with similar sounds, and prefers to be more versatile with the setlist, on different nights of touring with his band.

This may explain why he enjoys performing other musicians/artists' songs (covers), his own music, whether its classics, and 1 or 2 songs from current releases. It seems although so many of his fans desire to see him perform again, with all his former band members, as the same group on a tour, i.e. the Revolution, it doesn't seem to be something he wants to do right now, and fans will have to accept that. Even when he mentioned about music in the vault on The View. He said something like (paraphrasing) maybe someone else may release music from his vault, but he likes to make new music and keep it fresh for now.

This is not to say that he wouldn't invite 1 or 2 former band members, as he has already, to perform with him on stage and do a couple of songs, with his current band members. That response in that interview, just seems to give some closure to what he is not interested in repeating anymore in his music career. I could be wrong of course, but that's what I get from that response.

[Edited 9/20/12 21:15pm]

PERFECTLY SAID!

It does answer why he does covers and why he likes changing the flow of things. Ain't nothing wrong with that.

If there is not one thing I learned; is that Prince is about love and compassion. Now he always is going to bring that back to God. He has been a Jehovah's Witness now for 2 decades, and the focus is more about the Kingdom Hall, and the New Living Translation, but in summary he knows pure love is what we all long for. Regardless of association, love for one another is the only way.

One of my favorite parts of this article was this. (Snippet)

"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."

^^ Here he seems positioned to change, I mean he needed a calm, and apparently he has that now, and what is so wrong with that?

I think it is also good to know he is very much involved with his band!

Prince, we love you man! Keep serving us smiles, and joy...That is why we respect and look up to you, because of the joy that is brought through the music!

Stymie said:

I think this is a good article and is just about as clear as I've ever heard Prince "speak".

I agree Sis...this is the type of article I really like reading because it's not the same dumb questions he always gets asked but rather the journalist allows the interaction to flow and Prince is relaxed enough that we get some good insight into his thought process.

I think the difference is that he's less guarded when he feels at ease and it shows.

Thanks for the post. This is nice to get a glimpse into what his rehearsals are ran like and how he conducts his band. Lucky for those in attendance. Prince seems excited and open.

2elijah said:

From the article:

"I nearly had a nervous breakdown on 'The Purple Rain' tour (in 1984) because it was the same every night," he says. "It's work to play the same songs the same way for 70 shows. To me, it's not work to learn lots of different songs so that the experience is fresh to us each night."

This is the part of the article I liked the most. He made a good point about changing the setlist each night while on tour, makes it more challenging for the band members as well.

I think my favorite part was reading his thoughts about his process of making music and how he gets his band to express what he hears in his mind. He is so precise about getting that sound exactly right and it is fascinating when he talks about it.

It reminds me of my very favorite show when we were there for the soundcheck and I could witness him putting all the pieces together. It was a real treat for me because that's the kind of thing that interests me the most.

And to your point, I think that the main reason I still dig what Prince does is because he makes changes according to his vision at the time and I don't miss any particular sound or band member when he changes direction.

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.

" But I don't have to record to eat or to get out of debt or to pay my taxes" C'MON SON! (Ed Lover voice)

Spinlight said:

Nice read. Thank you so much for posting it.

actually that is a very good interview, obviously a few of the usual contradictions / hypocricy ! [youtube!!]. The sad thing is that he clearly has lost the love of making 'proper' albums.

As I have oft' said the last few albums / singles serve only as a promo for tours. In a way that is quite reassuring as it makes me think that the crap he puts out is not the best he is capable of - if that makes sense.

The flip side is that he lacks the pride in his recorded art and that is pretty damning.

Ultimately, as it oft does with him his creative decisons are now driven by $.

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]

I got nothing from that other than the usual guff and brown nosing. Doesn't anyone dare ask him any interesting questions for fear of being banished in a puff of purple smoke?

Nice read.

His interviews these days seem to be mostly about references to what other people have said to him or about him. Or he'll say the same things all over and again about other music icons.

I kinda found the beginning of the article / interview the most interesting part. Especially what he says about musicians being not willing to stop playing. I think that's one of the biggest differences between artists / bands that make great music and those that never get really anywhere. It's about listening to others and leaving them enough space.

I can understand his take on the music business these days. It's a bit sad situation indeed. You could spend a lot of time doing an album, but people aren't going to be listening to it or are just going to listen to it "on earbuds", as he puts it. However, I think he should still at least do downloadable album releases or something like that.

BartVanHemelen said:

So instead he fetches a most likely illegal upload from YouTube.

' Illegal' only in the minds of those who believe in 'IP'.

The internet is dead. I guess it means it won't be anymore like it was back then.

Free, open and wild.

Of course there's hotpsots here and there, but more change is gonna come.

love2thenines2003 said:

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 !!!

Way to overreact to a fluff piece for the tour.

Although I thought it was a crappy interview (*gasp* is he really covering Crimson & Clover.... Prince, you say? - Oh, that's right he covered it on CD a couple of years back, but you didn't do your research) - like novabrkr, I did dig the part about singles vs albums and why he isn't releasing albums at present. -- But remember, Prince talks BS - he says this at the same time he supposedly has a new protege album breaking the waters any minute *cough, cough*

I agree with him on this front - where he is specifically and his input vs output where an album is concerned, I don't see a lot of point in him releasing a full physical album. Of course, if the material was worth releasing and he had fire in his belly about some new project, theme or batch of songs I think it would be different and he'd be revving to go.

NouveauDance said:

love2thenines2003 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.

It's always a treat to read a well-written article about Prince. He still has some of the sound-bites as a year ago but I liked that he made fun of his height, at least.

babynoz said:

2elijah said:

This is the part of the article I liked the most. He made a good point about changing the setlist each night while on tour, makes it more challenging for the band members as well.

I think my favorite part was reading his thoughts about his process of making music and how he gets his band to express what he hears in his mind. He is so precise about getting that sound exactly right and it is fascinating when he talks about it.

It reminds me of my very favorite show when we were there for the soundcheck and I could witness him putting all the pieces together. It was a real treat for me because that's the kind of thing that interests me the most.

And to your point, I think that the main reason I still dig what Prince does is because he makes changes according to his vision at the time and I don't miss any particular sound or band member when he changes direction.

Yes, I remember the soundchecks at the Empire Club in Vegas back in 2006, and some of us got a chance to witness a music genius at work, before the shows.

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. It seems Prince brings out the potential in many of the musicians/artists he works with. I remember my older sister and her boyfriend going to Betty's concerts and coming back talking about it, because they were so blown away by Betty’s performance/stage presence, signature afro and her distinctive voice. She knew how to capture her audience. I think Betty left the music scene too fast for many to have a chance to witness her in action on stage and appreciate her music.

It was different time period then where many people wasn’t ready for a female artist with Betty’s stage presence, talent and boldness. But today, it’s a different story, and thank goodness times have changed, especially for female musicians/artists. I think many today, when they speak of Betty Davis, also may not be aware or realize that Larry Graham used to be part of Betty's band as well. Back in 2005, I ordered 3 of her cds and still have it in my collection. Hey, gotta preserve the music of classic artists ya know?

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. He made that clear. He is blessed to be living his dream/passion, and not too many can say that, and I doubt those who obsess themselves with harshly criticizing him for every, little thing, may not be able to make the same claims, about being blessed to be live their life’s passions. Could be the reason why some of them spew so much venom, because they’re miserable with their lives, not able to live their life's passions. Why not embrace another’s blessing instead of trying to block them, is what I always say. You get less wrinkles that way.

I get his point also, when other people think they can predict his future or destiny with his music, assuming he’s washed up or can’t sell tickets at arenas, or think they can pick and choose which and what type of band members he should/should not hire or work with, etc. Not to mention some fans thinking they can actually pick or choose his personal friends, what he wears how he should wear his hair, etc., etc., . just to satisfy their selfish tastes or the image they’ve drawn up in their minds to how they think he should be as a person/musician to them.

At the end of the day, the man has a mind of his own and can think for himself and can choose which direction he wishes to take his life, and I think that’s the point many don't seem to get. Rock on Prince! Good interview though. Thanks to those who posted both parts of the article here.

.

[Edited 9/21/12 8:19am]

electricberet said:

2elijah said:

This is the part of the article I liked the most. He made a good point about changing the setlist each night while on tour, makes it more challenging for the band members as well.

Interesting. That may explain why there has been no Prince and the Revolution reunion tour and probably never will be.

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