Prince “Documentary” on Reelz: What I Learned

With the anniversary of Prince’s death approaching, there will be no shortage of articles, commentaries, events, and television segments about these events— for better or for worse. Among these is a “documentary” program that will air on the Reelz network on April 16.

About a month ago I was approached about appearing in this show. As many are aware, I and Laura Tiebert recently released our book The Rise of Prince: 1958–1988. This prompted the interest of the producers, who said they were exploring themes that very much tracked those of the book. The producer I spoke to seemed friendly and thoughtful, and he indicated that the project would be journalistically rigorous.
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Following my initial discussion with him, a second call occurred, this one with a second producer also on the line. Her questions to me revealed an entirely different focus. First, she spoke in laudatory terms about a recent CNN documentary that had engaged in speculation about Prince’s death, and about who might be to “blame.” She then asked me whether I thought Prince’s death was accidental.
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At that point, I of course developed profound concerns about the project. More to the point, I became enraged.
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“You’ve got two minutes to convince me this project is responsible,” I said, my voice making my anger clear...

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Read More Here

[Edited 4/5/17 11:56am]

As soon as I read the documentary was produced by Reelz, I KNEW not to trust it. They produced a show about Pirnce last year that was full of crass re-enactments of Prince that felt perverse and exploitative.

Hahn seems very protective of Prince, and is quite cognizant of the media bullshit around Prince's death. I appreciate that, and I never had doubts otherwise. He expresses something even I've said for a long while here and in other places:

I believe that to engage in conspiracy theories about Prince’s death largely amounts to an effort to spin entertainment out tragedy. People who try to conjure up stories that have no evidentiary support are being irresponsible at best. I hope that the Reelz show does not end up doing that. I do have some hope, based on my interactions with the original producer, that the show will not be as problematic as his co-producer’s questions implied.

I hate that media lies & almost traps people into saying something, so they can edit a soundbite and make a sensational story about it. Alex is no dummy, and he's compassionate as a Prince fan, and as a writer. I don't think there is ever, ever going to be a real and fair documentary on Prince's life.

There hasn't been on Elvis, MJ, Whitney, or anyone else. It's almost always slanted, whether it's Unsung, Behind The Music, Rockumentary, Independent Lens, Framing America or whatever. This is the reality we have to accept in these situations. And it's why I stay away from them. I remember Dr. Fink saying years ago he felt that a certain author used things off the record, and quoted him. Then Fink ended up having to do damage control with Prince after the fact. And whether it's Owen Husney, Dr. Funkenberry, Apollonia or whoever that sits down for what they believe to be an honest interview, it's always going to get twisted.

I just have to stay away from all of these "documentaries", because a lot of us fans know a better and more truthful story than some random asshole reporter trying to put together "a thought-provoking and insightful piece of Prince's life" or whatever.

And while Hahn has some hope with the documentary based on his interactions - I'm not holding my breath. I don't have Reelz anyway, so I suppose it won't be hard to avoid it. haha

laytonian said:

. We need to remember that REELZ is not journalism; they are shoddy, gossip entertainment. Even HLN (CNN's low-rent sibling)

I almost spit my drink out at that one.

TrivialPursuit said:

Hahn seems very protective of Prince, and is quite cognizant of the media bullshit around Prince's death. I appreciate that, and I never had doubts otherwise. He expresses something even I've said for a long while here and in other places:

I believe that to engage in conspiracy theories about Prince’s death largely amounts to an effort to spin entertainment out tragedy. People who try to conjure up stories that have no evidentiary support are being irresponsible at best. I hope that the Reelz show does not end up doing that. I do have some hope, based on my interactions with the original producer, that the show will not be as problematic as his co-producer’s questions implied.

I hate that media lies & almost traps people into saying something, so they can edit a soundbite and make a sensational story about it. Alex is no dummy, and he's compassionate as a Prince fan, and as a writer. I don't think there is ever, ever going to be a real and fair documentary on Prince's life.

There hasn't been on Elvis, MJ, Whitney, or anyone else. It's almost always slanted, whether it's Unsung, Behind The Music, Rockumentary, Independent Lens, Framing America or whatever. This is the reality we have to accept in these situations. And it's why I stay away from them. I remember Dr. Fink saying years ago he felt that a certain author used things off the record, and quoted him. Then Fink ended up having to do damage control with Prince after the fact. And whether it's Owen Husney, Dr. Funkenberry, Apollonia or whoever that sits down for what they believe to be an honest interview, it's always going to get twisted.

I just have to stay away from all of these "documentaries", because a lot of us fans know a better and more truthful story than some random asshole reporter trying to put together "a thought-provoking and insightful piece of Prince's life" or whatever.

And while Hahn has some hope with the documentary based on his interactions - I'm not holding my breath. I don't have Reelz anyway, so I suppose it won't be hard to avoid it. haha

That's some of the biggest bullshit that I have heard.

Have you not read Possessed ?

muleFunk said:

That's some of the biggest bullshit that I have heard.

Have you not read Possessed ?

I have, indeed. And I'm anxious to read the updated version. However, I quoted that specifically to reflect the nutballs on the Org that are going into that bullshit. Possessed is another whole thing, and frankly I didn't find too much wrong with it. You have to admit though, his book is way better than some of the shit out there, like Ro Ronin's book, or a few other stinkers. I don't own a copy (yet), but it'd be up there with the few I'd choose to spend money on. I keep DMSR nearby all the time for recording date references, etc., and have The Vault on PDF.

DSMR

Prince :A Documentary

Days of Wild

Purple Reign

Let's Go Crazy

The Gold Experience

I Would Die 4 U

Prince by Matt Thorne

A Pop Life

Chaos,Disorder and Revolution

All good books.

muleFunk said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Hahn seems very protective of Prince, and is quite cognizant of the media bullshit around Prince's death. I appreciate that, and I never had doubts otherwise. He expresses something even I've said for a long while here and in other places:

I hate that media lies & almost traps people into saying something, so they can edit a soundbite and make a sensational story about it. Alex is no dummy, and he's compassionate as a Prince fan, and as a writer. I don't think there is ever, ever going to be a real and fair documentary on Prince's life.

There hasn't been on Elvis, MJ, Whitney, or anyone else. It's almost always slanted, whether it's Unsung, Behind The Music, Rockumentary, Independent Lens, Framing America or whatever. This is the reality we have to accept in these situations. And it's why I stay away from them. I remember Dr. Fink saying years ago he felt that a certain author used things off the record, and quoted him. Then Fink ended up having to do damage control with Prince after the fact. And whether it's Owen Husney, Dr. Funkenberry, Apollonia or whoever that sits down for what they believe to be an honest interview, it's always going to get twisted.

I just have to stay away from all of these "documentaries", because a lot of us fans know a better and more truthful story than some random asshole reporter trying to put together "a thought-provoking and insightful piece of Prince's life" or whatever.

And while Hahn has some hope with the documentary based on his interactions - I'm not holding my breath. I don't have Reelz anyway, so I suppose it won't be hard to avoid it. haha

That's some of the biggest bullshit that I have heard.

Have you not read Possessed ?

I second that. Alex Hahn, is engaging in a lot of revisionist history because Hahn wasn't "protective" of Prince when he wrote snide remarks about Prince's personality and music. The only people that have a right to be protective of Prince is Prince's family and relatives. I'm just sick of the self-serving agendas of folks writing books about Prince in the guise of doing it "out of love".

bashraka said:

I second that. Alex Hahn, is engaging in a lot of revisionist history because Hahn wasn't "protective" of Prince when he wrote snide remarks about Prince's personality and music. The only people that have a right to be protective of Prince is Prince's family and relatives. I'm just sick of the self-serving agendas of folks writing books about Prince in the guise of doing it "out of love".

You can't really question people's motives, other than judging it by the final product. You'll know them by their works, not their words. People have a right to write or say whatever. There have been plenty of folks on the Org who have been snide about Prince, too. The only difference is they didn't get published. We all have a right to be protective of Prince. Hell, the Org is full of those people. To tell someone who to make a living or react to anyone's death is rather illogical.

The bottom line is if you don't like Possessed, don't read it again. Don't watch Reelz if you don't like the channel (I don't plan to). Hell, if you don't like a Prince song, skip it next time. Folks are entitled to their thoughts & opinions, though. You, me, everyone.

Oh, Hahn. I think Prince would have appreciated this mentality from you when he was alive.

I don't dislike Hahn because of his book being critical of Prince.

I disliked the fact that he didn't fact check his sources in the book and was trying to discredit Prince because of the Uptown situation.

If he wants to write a book one that I would be very interested in is the one about Uptown Magazine and it's connections or non connections to the bootlegging industry that led to that fiasco.

nisibee said:

kaine said:

every so often he'd throw a little jab or snide comment about the music that just felt wrong and more like his personal feelings that would take me right out of the book.

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Oh please, as if you'd have the same reaction if he'd offer endless praise. Why do Prince fans get so damn upset about opinions?

bluegangsta said:

Oh, Hahn. I think Prince would have appreciated this mentality from you when he was alive.

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Oh, so you're claiming Hahn promoted baseless conspiracy BS back then? Proof please.

muleFunk said:

I don't dislike Hahn because of his book being critical of Prince.

I disliked the fact that he didn't fact check his sources in the book

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Proof?

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and was trying to discredit Prince because of the Uptown situation.

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Do you seriously believe someone would spend countless hours and days and weeks writing a book that most likely wouldn't be read in any significant number as some sort of petty vengeance?

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If he wants to write a book one that I would be very interested in is the one about Uptown Magazine and it's connections or non connections to the bootlegging industry that led to that fiasco.

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Yet more BS you made up. The facts about the lawsuit are well-known.

luvgirl said:

I don't think that the updated book is vastly different than the first one.

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Utter nonsense. There is extensive new research about Prince's pre-fame life, often ignoring and debunking myths.

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A few speculation that we now know as facts were not corrected as well.

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Yet more vague, unsubstantiated claims. Go on, provide a list.

BartVanHemelen said:

muleFunk said:

I don't dislike Hahn because of his book being critical of Prince.

I disliked the fact that he didn't fact check his sources in the book

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Proof?

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Do you seriously believe someone would spend countless hours and days and weeks writing a book that most likely wouldn't be read in any significant number as some sort of petty vengeance?

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If he wants to write a book one that I would be very interested in is the one about Uptown Magazine and it's connections or non connections to the bootlegging industry that led to that fiasco.

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Yet more BS you made up. The facts about the lawsuit are well-known.

Proof is he contacted me about a post I made here about Troy Beyer allegedly being pregnant which was from a USA Today article in 1992. He thought I had inside information about this and was asking me via a fan site????

That should be proof alone that he was trolling Prince.org looking for things to put into the book instead of putting leather to the streets and interviewing the principle subjects or at the very least getting close to the principle parties he's writing about.

That is piss poor journalism in my book.

As for number two.......

Read what I posted Connections or NON Connections between Uptown and bootlegging.

Tell me the story about what happened. I loved Uptown Magazine and it had to hurt to be accused and not have their side come out FROM the principles themselves. Hahn has a great story there.

muleFunk said:

BartVanHemelen said:

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Yet more BS you made up. The facts about the lawsuit are well-known.

Proof is he contacted me about a post I made here about Troy Beyer allegedly being pregnant which was from a USA Today article in 1992. He thought I had inside information about this and was asking me via a fan site????

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So he should have found out your personal details and send you a letter via one of those owls from Harry Potter?

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That should be proof alone that he was trolling Prince.org looking for things to put into the book

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OMG! Writer is looking for stories and sources! How dare he!

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instead of putting leather to the streets and interviewing the principle subjects or at the very least getting close to the principle parties he's writing about.

That is piss poor journalism in my book.

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Yes, because what you do when some doofus on a forum says something is get his private details, book a plane and visit him at home to investigate his claims in person and then harrass the subjects of his claims.

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For the record, he has spoken with several people in person. But you don't know that because you're too busy making up BS and posting baseless personal attacks.

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As for number two.......

Read what I posted Connections or NON Connections between Uptown and bootlegging.

Tell me the story about what happened. I loved Uptown Magazine and it had to hurt to be accused and not have their side come out FROM the principles themselves. Hahn has a great story there.

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Ah yes, the old "when did you stop beating your wife" approach. Odd ideas you have about journalism.

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Again: the details about the lawsuit are well known. Instead you focus on some fan-invented BS excuse, and ignore that other fanmags (e.g. 7 magazine) had already been bullied before the attack on Uptown et al. And those attacks continued in later years, causing for instance the excellent The Prince Family to cease operations because they were sick of the bullying; Diana even sold a large part of her collection.

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Instead you drag up some idiotic theory where the blame for the attacks on fan publications is directed towards... the victims!

Your response speaks volumes about you Bartman.

Hahn's book was just like you and your kind that took over this site many years ago, the quasi Prince hater/fan who posts only to make comments or attacks.

Again I will stand by what I said earlier the book is on the level of tabliod trash and not on the level of other books written about the man.

"Again: the details about the lawsuit are well known. Instead you focus on some fan-invented BS excuse, and ignore that other fanmags (e.g. 7 magazine) had already been bullied before the attack on Uptown et al. And those attacks continued in later years, causing for instance the excellent The Prince Family to cease operations because they were sick of the bullying; Diana even sold a large part of her collection."

I know the details about the lawsuit from what I read in Uptown.

Those details and the details of the other groups would be great material for a book and not other BASELESS He said/She said, Third party opinions and rumors like Possessed contained. You can call it what you like but I'm not in the minority of people who feel like this.

This is true....

If your name is money and someone is using your name to make money and you are not getting profit from that venture you have the right to collect money from whatever party is using your name. In America that's called Trademark infringement. I didn't like the pressure put on Uptown or the other fanzines but at the same time I understood what he did. I also agreed with those publishers that his product that he gave the people was not up to par with those other fanzines. However he had that right.

At the end of the day I was then and still now a Prince fan and I rode with him to the end.

Does that make me less than you ? Hell no it doesn't!

muleFunk said:

Hahn's book was just like you and your kind that took over this site many years ago, the quasi Prince hater/fan who posts only to make comments or attacks.

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Oh look, a bunch of BS you invented.

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I know the details about the lawsuit from what I read in Uptown.

Those details and the details of the other groups would be great material for a book

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No they wouldn't.

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If your name is money and someone is using your name to make money and you are not getting profit from that venture you have the right to collect money from whatever party is using your name.

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Again more BS you invented.

kaine said:

I have the updated version and it's much better. I haven't read Possessed in some time but I do seem to remember my only problem with it was every so often he'd throw a little jab or snide comment about the music that just felt wrong and more like his personal feelings that would take me right out of the book. Those have been removed from this version and it's a much better read. And it seems maybe more research as well. I would recommend it. Brings back sooo many memories.

Thanks for the comments. I came to feel this way as well, concerning the discussion of songs and albums. I was engaging in music criticism, which in retrospect was interruptive of the story, and also it became clear -- maybe it should have been already -- that there are such divergent views on songs, albums, etc., that it makes little sense to claim that one is "right."

It was a valuable opportunity to be able to revisit the approach of the book, which was aided by having a co-author.

AlexHahn said:

kaine said:

I have the updated version and it's much better. I haven't read Possessed in some time but I do seem to remember my only problem with it was every so often he'd throw a little jab or snide comment about the music that just felt wrong and more like his personal feelings that would take me right out of the book. Those have been removed from this version and it's a much better read. And it seems maybe more research as well. I would recommend it. Brings back sooo many memories.

Thanks for the comments. I came to feel this way as well, concerning the discussion of songs and albums. I was engaging in music criticism, which in retrospect was interruptive of the story, and also it became clear -- maybe it should have been already -- that there are such divergent views on songs, albums, etc., that it makes little sense to claim that one is "right."

It was a valuable opportunity to be able to revisit the approach of the book, which was aided by having a co-author.

BartVanHemelen said:

muleFunk said:

Hahn's book was just like you and your kind that took over this site many years ago, the quasi Prince hater/fan who posts only to make comments or attacks.

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Oh look, a bunch of BS you invented.

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No they wouldn't.

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If your name is money and someone is using your name to make money and you are not getting profit from that venture you have the right to collect money from whatever party is using your name.

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Again more BS you invented.

From the BS artist himself.