...says his music teacher, but she said those things as a preface to something better.

source

"I would have given my left arm to crawl inside that kid's head."

From the City Pages archive, August 22, 1984, by Philip Weiss...

Prince's piano teacher, Mary Ann Stark (Bryant Junior High School), says the prodigy was self-absorbed, unhappy, and not very articulate, but tremendously gifted. "I couldn't teach him a thing," she confesses.

For a month, Stark found a tack on her chair every morning. She was convinced Prince Nelson put it there — "I think I might have seen him do it." And every day she waited till no one was looking, then brushed it off and sat down.

Meanwhile, the diminutive artist noodled away brilliantly on the keyboards. Occasionally he might call the instructor over and ask what a B flat minor 7th chord was — "he could play it, but he didn't know the name for anything." So Stark tried to teach Prince about musical notation.

Often she reminded him that John Lennon had had to learn how to read music and that writing it down was a protection against someone stealing it, but the sullen composer would just glare at her. Stark became intrigued by him: "I would have given my left arm to crawl inside that kid's head."

So one day she decided to sit on the tack. She walked to the chair briskly, lowered herself on the tack in such a way that it wouldn't pierce her, and let out a fake howl. Then she shot a glance at the budding genius. "He smiled," she reports. "It was one of the only times he did."

TrivialPursuit said:

So one day she decided to sit on the tack. She walked to the chair briskly, lowered herself on the tack in such a way that it wouldn't pierce her, and let out a fake howl. Then she shot a glance at the budding genius. "He smiled," she reports. "It was one of the only times he did."

sounds like something I'd do on purpose too just to gauge responses (I teach)

[Edited 5/28/16 16:34pm]

Prince just made me laugh. again.

Some of these stories are gold.

He was 13 year old kid going through puberty. its normal

Thanks for making an unhappy, inarticulate and self-absorbed child smile. As shy as he was, he still had that sense of humor.

So nothing changed then?

Sounds like every other child living in a poor family environment; very likely didn't trust any adults and felt it was a waste of time talking to people that didn't "get" him.

TrivialPursuit said:

So one day she decided to sit on the tack. She walked to the chair briskly, lowered herself on the tack in such a way that it wouldn't pierce her, and let out a fake howl. Then she shot a glance at the budding genius. "He smiled," she reports. "It was one of the only times he did."

Hehe so Prince only smiled then when he was being an asshole. That's her take home point. Cut the genius some slack.

Anyone who writes a song like Automatic (or would later go on to) can be as unhappy, inarticulate and self-absorbed as they want.

I grew up in Minneapolis, and I had teachers who had taught him. I had a music teacher who taught him, and she was not impresssed with him at all. I tried to convnce her what an amazing piano player he was, and she just dismissed it as studio trickery. She talked about what a bad attitude he had, and even launched into a rant about how it was a shame how people with 'attitudes like that' get awarded by society... It was apparrent that they had some kind of interaction, and whatever it was she was still mad about it!

JudasLChrist said:

I grew up in Minneapolis, and I had teachers who had taught him. I had a music teacher who taught him, and she was not impresssed with him at all. I tried to convnce her what an amazing piano player he was, and she just dismissed it as studio trickery. She talked about what a bad attitude he had, and even launched into a rant about how it was a shame how people with 'attitudes like that' get awarded by society... It was apparrent that they had some kind of interaction, and whatever it was she was still mad about it!

Ahhh...bitter, salty musicians.

I love this story!! Prince was a prankster that liked to see women quirm then too. lol

Prince was a child prodigy and he was going through some personal stuff at home. I completely understand why he was acting that way.

JudasLChrist said:

I grew up in Minneapolis, and I had teachers who had taught him. I had a music teacher who taught him, and she was not impresssed with him at all. I tried to convnce her what an amazing piano player he was, and she just dismissed it as studio trickery. She talked about what a bad attitude he had, and even launched into a rant about how it was a shame how people with 'attitudes like that' get awarded by society... It was apparrent that they had some kind of interaction, and whatever it was she was still mad about it!

Prince reminds me of that movie, Amadeus. Everyone seems to hate his personality and love his talent. Yea he was an asshole sometimes, who isnt? Genius are different than others and they cant 6e understood.

CalhounSq said:

I love that this bitch sat on a tack just to see if it was him

OMG Love it

Marrk said:

Prince just made me laugh. again.

Some of these stories are gold.

indeed they are

creepy little kid

TrivialPursuit said:

...says his music teacher, but she said those things as a preface to something better.

source

"I would have given my left arm to crawl inside that kid's head."

From the City Pages archive, August 22, 1984, by Philip Weiss...

Prince's piano teacher, Mary Ann Stark (Bryant Junior High School), says the prodigy was self-absorbed, unhappy, and not very articulate, but tremendously gifted. "I couldn't teach him a thing," she confesses.

For a month, Stark found a tack on her chair every morning. She was convinced Prince Nelson put it there — "I think I might have seen him do it." And every day she waited till no one was looking, then brushed it off and sat down.

Meanwhile, the diminutive artist noodled away brilliantly on the keyboards. Occasionally he might call the instructor over and ask what a B flat minor 7th chord was — "he could play it, but he didn't know the name for anything." So Stark tried to teach Prince about musical notation.

Often she reminded him that John Lennon had had to learn how to read music and that writing it down was a protection against someone stealing it, but the sullen composer would just glare at her. Stark became intrigued by him: "I would have given my left arm to crawl inside that kid's head."

So one day she decided to sit on the tack. She walked to the chair briskly, lowered herself on the tack in such a way that it wouldn't pierce her, and let out a fake howl. Then she shot a glance at the budding genius. "He smiled," she reports. "It was one of the only times he did."

LOL He was the typical gifted MENSA child -- mischevious! and awkward.