What would he be doing? Travelling Musiciian, or something else entirely?

In an old audio interview he said he's probably work on movies when his fame faded, maybe as a gaffer. I have it somewhere on vinyl. This was before "1999" I think.

He'd be Andre or Dez.

Actually, he'd be less fuctional than them, destroyed that his ideas never caught on and he never got his break.

At a younger age, maybe a studio rat or Guitar Center employee for the discounts, but he'd be fired for both. He's not a good enough to compete as a session player, but he could have become a songwriter with a publishing deal.

I don't picture Prince being a very functional adult though. He would have had girlfriends taking care of him, and friends letting him sleep in their basement, and he'd probably be dead by now.

I think he would have been a flam author. Yea a Poetic maybe/

If Prince was not famous then the org would not exist and all of us would not be posting here.

He'd be a Michael Jackson fan.

[Edited 2/16/14 20:46pm]

I read in a magazine in 1985 that Prince said that, if he hadn't made it as a singer, that he would've pursued being an artist and that he had drawn or painted a lot of things up to that time.

gold31 said:

I read in a magazine in 1985 that Prince said that, if he hadn't made it as a singer, that he would've pursued being an artist and that he had drawn or painted a lot of things up to that time.

I think his photography skills as well.

treehouse said:

He'd be Andre or Dez.

Actually, he'd be less fuctional than them, destroyed that his ideas never caught on and he never got his break.

At a younger age, maybe a studio rat or Guitar Center employee for the discounts, but he'd be fired for both. He's not a good enough to compete as a session player, but he could have become a songwriter with a publishing deal.

I don't picture Prince being a very functional adult though. He would have had girlfriends taking care of him, and friends letting him sleep in their basement, and he'd probably be dead by now.

What fucking bullshit.

ufoclub said:

novabrkr said:

treehouse said:

He's not a good enough to compete as a session player,

What fucking bullshit.

You have to be off your rocker to think Prince could fit in with the Wrecking Crew, the Funk Brothers, or sit in on a Quincy Jones or John Williams session without doing a Prince thing. Likewise, you wouldn't have called in Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen either.

[Edited 2/17/14 0:48am]

treehouse said:

SuperSoulFighter said:

my hubbie

purplesnowlove said:

I honestly can't see Prince never being able to make it being famous. I mean, he was extremely driven and obsessed with making it. I read that he used to sleep in a studio sometimes before he even got a recording contract and I also read that he and Andre went to New York trying to make it and ran completely out of money while they were there and wondered how they were going to make it home.

.

I think if he had never made it, he would have still been somewhere trying to make it for many years and if all that failed, would still be playing in local bands in clubs, parties, weddings, etc. I can't see him doing something non-music related because he seemed too obsessed with music to do anything else.

artist76 said:

ufoclub said:

In an old audio interview he said he's probably work on movies when his fame faded, maybe as a gaffer. I have it somewhere on vinyl. This was before "1999" I think.

I remember he did say that - he wanted to work in movies. I think he'd still be successful - financially, career-wise - even if he's not famous (most successful people are not famous!). He's very hard-working, goal-oriented, doesn't have addictions, and is pretty smart and talented. That'll get you places.

Not only that, but he said he'd go to college and get a degree.

bluegangsta said:

treehouse said:

novabrkr said:

What fucking bullshit.

You have to be off your rocker to think Prince could fit in with the Wrecking Crew, the Funk Brothers, or sit in on a Quincy Jones or John Williams session without doing a Prince thing. Likewise, you wouldn't have called in Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen either.

[Edited 2/17/14 0:48am]

You were saying that he isn't "good enough to compete" with session musicians. Your argument was not about him "fitting" a specific ensemble like the Funk Brothers.

How often do you hear commercial albums that have guitar, bass or keyboard parts on them that Prince could not have played? Listen to any album that's even remotely similar stylistically to Prince's own stuff that's released during the last 30 years - Lenny Kravitz, Terence Trent D'Arby, Maxwell, D'Angelo, R. Kelly, Beck, whatever... there's nothing on those records that Prince wouldn't have been able to play.

Him doing a "Prince thing" on his records is a result of having been a recording artist himself for years. Given that he had already worked as a session musician before getting a recording deal there's no real reason to doubt that he could have been able to develop further those skills that being a more typical studio musician or a band member requires. The same goes for Eddie Van Halen or Jimi Hendrix.

Although Jimi Hendrix had already worked for years as a session musician for others before becoming famous, so I really don't see the point in bringing up his name in this context.

novabrkr said:

novabrkr said:

Although Jimi Hendrix had already worked for years as a session musician

You don't know what a session musician is?

novabrkr said:

parts on them that Prince could not have played?

Actually pretty often, especially keyboards. Especially on Beck records (hey, you named him), but feel free to believe the virtouso hype about Prince. He does what he does amazingly - but that doesn't mean he can play on any record contracted of him, which was my point. Could he join a band and play backing? Maybe, if his ego didn't get him kicked out, but then he's be famous as the guitar guy who collaborates with the various bands you named, and we're talking about Prince if he stayed anonymous, unknown. I'm saying, as a session guy, not a collaborator, he would have been drowned by the competition. There are lots of guys who can play most of what's on the radio who can't make a living doing it. Can't fathom that?

There would be a large group of people who would've spent the last 19 years with nothing to bitch about.

luv4u said:

Giving food away at Mickey D's.