Misslink88 said:

206Michelle said:

Reading about Prince juggling multiple women at a time in ch. 19, I wonder if he learned this behaviour from his father because my understanding is that John L. Nelson had a lot of women also. I think that Prince didn't really know how to have healthy romantic relationships in his 20s. People can play it off as him being young, sexy, and famous, but not every young, sexy, famous 20-something man behaves like Prince did, having multiple women at the same time.

.

He got better in his 30s and 40s, and he seems to have cut down substantially on the sleeping around starting in the mid-1990s and onward. I think he got better with relationships as he got older, but still struggled with them because both of his marriages ended in divorce.

I was under the impression that his Mother "fooled around" and that was the reason for the fights and divorce. I'm only basing this on some of his lyrics, particularly the "why is your sweather on backwards?" comments he'd intersperse in "Something In The Water Does Not Compute" and the "under tone" of the Mother's PR character. Considering his abandonment at such an early age, perhaps he followed the "never put all your eggs in one basket" rule. If he had several women, he could never really invest in one and run the risk of her leaving him.

I was thinking about John Nelson as being the one who fooled around. I can't remember what it was, but I swear that I have read something about John L. Nelson warning Prince to be careful with women because John Nelson ended up with a lot of children. My memory could be fooling me though.

PennyPurple said:

LBrent said:

Um. You're right. I didn't write the book. I have no dog in that race.

.

I think when P and Sheila met she was either still with or just ending the affair (she has talked about this in interviews) with Santana at 18, or possibly still involved with Santana. I don't think she was thinking about P romantically that early on, 1980.

No Sh*t, I didn't know Sheila was with Santana.

I didn't know that either. I think I knew that Sheila knew Santana, but she and Santana being romantically involved was news to me.

kmama07 said:

I don't know the average she of everyone participating in this book club, but for those of you who may not have been around during this period: the Tipper Gore thing was a HUGE DEAL. The PMRC and labeling albums based on content had never been done before. Senate hearings, local protests at record stores, televangelists backing the PMRC brigade...an interesting time to say the least. The funny part was, virtually ANY album with the PMRM label skyrocketed in sales based solely on people wanting to see what the fuss was all about.

Yep. I was little but I remember all the fuss about it on TV. Some of those songs on the PMRC "Filthy 15" list were great songs. Our Princey had "Sugar Walls" and "Darling Nikki" on there. Even Vanity made it on the list with "Strap on Robbie" (LOVE that song by the way) . Also "She Bop"- Cyndi Lauper and "Dress You Up" by Madonna were on there too. I was singing those two as a little kid without even knowing their meaning.

[Edited 5/29/17 19:06pm]

206Michelle said:

206Michelle said:

Vashtix said:

Hmmmm . . . in his 30s, Carmen/Nona/Mayte/Robin Power . . . I do not think he stopped the harem until he married Mani and became a JW.

Vashtix, Perhaps I should have said mid-30s, but I do state at the end of the sentence that "he seems to have cut down substantially on the sleeping around starting in the mid-1990s." He and Mayte were engaged . Yes, I am well aware that he had a lot of women in the early 90s, but by the time he got to like 1995, he was more of a one-woman-man.

I thought he was going to propose to Nona Gaye and they broke up in December of 1995?

206Michelle said:

Misslink88 said:

I was under the impression that his Mother "fooled around" and that was the reason for the fights and divorce. I'm only basing this on some of his lyrics, particularly the "why is your sweather on backwards?" comments he'd intersperse in "Something In The Water Does Not Compute" and the "under tone" of the Mother's PR character. Considering his abandonment at such an early age, perhaps he followed the "never put all your eggs in one basket" rule. If he had several women, he could never really invest in one and run the risk of her leaving him.

I was thinking about John Nelson as being the one who fooled around. I can't remember what it was, but I swear that I have read something about John L. Nelson warning Prince to be careful with women because John Nelson ended up with a lot of children. My memory could be fooling me though.

The only thing I remember is the line in PR ("never get married") and P talking about something similar in the Tavis Smiley interview (2009), but he never said it because John L. fooled around. He said his father had "lots of girlfriends" in another interview (maybe late '80's?) but it was long after his parents divorced.

laurarichardson said:

206Michelle said:

Reading about Prince juggling multiple women at a time in ch. 19, I wonder if he learned this behaviour from his father because my understanding is that John L. Nelson had a lot of women also. I think that Prince didn't really know how to have healthy romantic relationships in his 20s. People can play it off as him being young, sexy, and famous, but not every young, sexy, famous 20-something man behaves like Prince did, having multiple women at the same time.

.

He got better in his 30s and 40s, and he seems to have cut down substantially on the sleeping around starting in the mid-1990s and onward. I think he got better with relationships as he got older, but still struggled with them because both of his marriages ended in divorce.

-Andre said his brother Eddie was a pimp and that Prince got a real education living in the Anderson household. I think he got the idea from his dad and from Eddie who Andre also said worked for Prince for a short time.

Great points about Eddie.

Misslink88 said:

206Michelle said:

Vashtix, Perhaps I should have said mid-30s, but I do state at the end of the sentence that "he seems to have cut down substantially on the sleeping around starting in the mid-1990s." He and Mayte were engaged . Yes, I am well aware that he had a lot of women in the early 90s, but by the time he got to like 1995, he was more of a one-woman-man.

I thought he was going to propose to Nona Gaye and they broke up in December of 1995?

Not sure about Nona. He proposed to Mayte in July of 1995 though.

Misslink88 said:

PennyPurple said:

Chapter 20 ~ Typecast. Pages 223-231

Purple Rain stage set was designed by Roy Bennett and was elaborate. It included the Purple bathtub which Prince was injured while he was in it and it fell.

.

Risers were set on top of each other, which Prince would jump off of wearing 4 inch heels. In the book it is said this is when P started taking pain killers to help with the pain from his grueling performance.

.

Karen Krattinger entered the picture.

.

Shows were being sold out where ever they went. Prince created a show with visual elements. Dez on the sidelines said that he felt nauseated by the spectacle.

.

In 1984 after hearing Darling Nikki playing in her daughters room, Tipper Gore started to advocate warning labels on records.

.

Prince started to become more recluse and surrounded by body guards, & with fame started to shut himself off.

.

Drugs was rampent on the tour with the crew but not with Prince and the band. Again it is mentioned in the book, that Prince was still on pain killers for a legit issue.

In many interviews, P said his message was about God but in order to deliver that, he first had to meet people (his audience) were they were before he could lead them to what he had to say. He also said "I always knew I had a relationship with God. But I wasn't sure if God had a relationship with me." If anyone is familiar with the creative process, it is something you do by yourself. You can't have other people distracting you from what you're working on and their mere presence will be a distraction (or an influence). Alan Light, in his book Let's Go Crazy, is the source for the pain killers story so I'd like to know who was his source.

Misslink88 said:

206Michelle said:

Vashtix, Perhaps I should have said mid-30s, but I do state at the end of the sentence that "he seems to have cut down substantially on the sleeping around starting in the mid-1990s." He and Mayte were engaged . Yes, I am well aware that he had a lot of women in the early 90s, but by the time he got to like 1995, he was more of a one-woman-man.

I thought he was going to propose to Nona Gaye and they broke up in December of 1995?

I do not think Prince was a one-woman-man through the 90's at all. He was juggling Mayte, Nona and whoever else in harem 2.0 up to and possibly beyond his proposal to Mayte if Misslink88 is right. Misslink, if I may, where did you get that information from?

Then when you consider Mani entering the pic around '98, he was definitely not a one-woman man at that point since he was still married to Mayte.

[Edited 5/29/17 20:04pm]

purplegirl00 said:

Misslink88 said:

I thought he was going to propose to Nona Gaye and they broke up in December of 1995?

I do not think Prince was a one-woman-man through the 90's at all. He was juggling Mayte, Nona and whoever else in harem 2.0 up to and possibly beyond his proposal to Mayte if Misslink88 is right. Misslink, if I may, where did you get that information from?

Then when you consider Mani entering the pic around '98, he was definitely not a one-woman man at that point since he was still married to Mayte.

[Edited 5/29/17 20:04pm]

I said "more of a one-woman man." In her book, Mayte never mentioned anything about infidelity on his part during their engagement/marriage except for with Mani.

[Edited 5/29/17 20:21pm]

I think it is interesting that Prince felt an inner struggle between the sexual content of his music and his Christian values during the Purple Rain era. Here is some of what he said during his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech in 2004:

“When I first started out in this music industry, I was most concerned with freedom: Freedom to produce, freedom to play all the instruments on my records, freedom to say anything I wanted to,” he said. “I embarked on a journey more fascinating than I could have ever imagined. But a word to the wise: Without real spiritual mentoring, too much freedom can lead to the soul’s decay. And a word to the young artists: A real friend or mentor is not on your payroll. A real friend and mentor cares for your soul as much as they do their own. This world and its wicked system will become harder and harder to deal with without a real friend or mentor. And I wish all of you the best on this fascinating journey.”

Source: http://ew.com/article/201...induction/

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"The soul's decay" is a very powerful phrase. I know he was heavy into the JW faith at the time of his RRHOF induction, but that phrase is just very striking to me. The inner struggle taking place during the Purple Rain era suggests that he was not totally comfortable with the sexual nature of his lyrics, and yet, he still released music with those explicit lyrics. So in 1984, the career/worldly things definitely took precedence over his Christian values. But as his RRHOF speech indicates, later in life, his faith was more important than pushing the envelope of music sexually.

PennyPurple said:

Chapter 20 ~ Typecast. Pages 223-231

Purple Rain stage set was designed by Roy Bennett and was elaborate. It included the Purple bathtub which Prince was injured while he was in it and it fell.

.

Risers were set on top of each other, which Prince would jump off of wearing 4 inch heels. In the book it is said this is when P started taking pain killers to help with the pain from his grueling performance.

.

Karen Krattinger entered the picture.

.

Shows were being sold out where ever they went. Prince created a show with visual elements. Dez on the sidelines said that he felt nauseated by the spectacle.

.

In 1984 after hearing Darling Nikki playing in her daughters room, Tipper Gore started to advocate warning labels on records.

.

Prince started to become more recluse and surrounded by body guards, & with fame started to shut himself off.

.

Drugs was rampent on the tour with the crew but not with Prince and the band. Again it is mentioned in the book, that Prince was still on pain killers for a legit issue.

To me, Prince and the body guard symbolized all that was wrong with Prince interpersonally at the time. Huge fame can already be so isolating, yet he chose to isolate himself even further by pushing away his inner circle at such a critical juncture. I remember perceiving the body guard and Prince image as so off putting at the time as did many others, so it even put more distance between he and his fans by making him seem so arrogant and aloof. The body guard was such an obstacle in his already difficult journey on working on building interpersonal skills. What a lonely guy by his own device.

206Michelle said:

purplegirl00 said:

I do not think Prince was a one-woman-man through the 90's at all. He was juggling Mayte, Nona and whoever else in harem 2.0 up to and possibly beyond his proposal to Mayte if Misslink88 is right. Misslink, if I may, where did you get that information from?

Then when you consider Mani entering the pic around '98, he was definitely not a one-woman man at that point since he was still married to Mayte.

[Edited 5/29/17 20:04pm]

I said "more of a one-woman man." In her book, Mayte never mentioned anything about infidelity on his part except for with Mani.

Mayte left stuff out from her book but that is a topic for another thread. I still think Prince was not anywhere near a one woman man for some time after the 90's, but that's only my

206Michelle said:

Yes, I am well aware that he had a lot of women in the early 90s, but by the time he got to like 1995, he was more of a one-woman-man.

Sweet. lol

purplegirl00 said:

206Michelle said:

I said "more of a one-woman man." In her book, Mayte never mentioned anything about infidelity on his part except for with Mani.

Mayte left stuff out from her book but that is a topic for another thread. I still think Prince was not anywhere near a one woman man for some time after the 90's, but that's only my

Exactly. It would've tainted hers and his memory, so she had to leave those parts out in detail but she does mention what was going on. It was only the tip of the iceberg. But yes, wrong thread.

gandorb said:

Vashtix said:

I think part of the problem was the band was used to having access to him, and they were a little perturbed to have part of that access taken away.

.

I also find it interesting that it seems that Dez is seemingly never to fail seems to get some digs in at Prince, at least it seems that way from the book.

.

Personally I think he wasn't cheating on Mayte until Mani came along. I also feel that he wasn't cheating on Mani either. But again who knows?

purplegirl00 said:

gandorb said:

PennyPurple said:

Chapter 20 ~ Typecast. Pages 223-231

Purple Rain stage set was designed by Roy Bennett and was elaborate. It included the Purple bathtub which Prince was injured while he was in it and it fell.

.

Risers were set on top of each other, which Prince would jump off of wearing 4 inch heels. In the book it is said this is when P started taking pain killers to help with the pain from his grueling performance.

.

Karen Krattinger entered the picture.

.

Shows were being sold out where ever they went. Prince created a show with visual elements. Dez on the sidelines said that he felt nauseated by the spectacle.

.

In 1984 after hearing Darling Nikki playing in her daughters room, Tipper Gore started to advocate warning labels on records.

.

Prince started to become more recluse and surrounded by body guards, & with fame started to shut himself off.

.

Drugs was rampent on the tour with the crew but not with Prince and the band. Again it is mentioned in the book, that Prince was still on pain killers for a legit issue.

To me, Prince and the body guard symbolized all that was wrong with Prince interpersonally at the time. Huge fame can already be so isolating, yet he chose to isolate himself even further by pushing away his inner circle at such a critical juncture. I remember perceiving the body guard and Prince image as so off putting at the time as did many others, so it even put more distance between he and his fans by making him seem so arrogant and aloof. The body guard was such an obstacle in his already difficult journey on working on building interpersonal skills. What a lonely guy by his own device.

Big Chick said in the media that Prince was getting a lot of death threats back then. We have no way of knowing if this was true or what he may have told Prince. Remember this is a few years after John Lennow got shot and Prince was in a hotel right down the street from the shooting when it happened.

PennyPurple said:

luvgirl said:

I think the conclusion that Prince was faithful to Mayte in the beginning may differ for many depending on how you want to view their relationship...

Awesome.

luvgirl said:

I read her book as well, and I came away with the impression that he wasn't faithful after some of the things she'd said. Although she might not have come right out and say, "He was sleeping around" she certainly gave enough clues to hint at him not being faithful. That French girl with the Afro in the video The Greatest Romance that she mentions with suspicion comes to mind-which coincidentally was rumored to have had a fling with Prince.

He had a good life over here.

purplegirl00 said:

Misslink88 said:

I thought he was going to propose to Nona Gaye and they broke up in December of 1995?

I do not think Prince was a one-woman-man through the 90's at all. He was juggling Mayte, Nona and whoever else in harem 2.0 up to and possibly beyond his proposal to Mayte if Misslink88 is right. Misslink, if I may, where did you get that information from?

Then when you consider Mani entering the pic around '98, he was definitely not a one-woman man at that point since he was still married to Mayte.

[Edited 5/29/17 20:04pm]

There was a lengthy Youtube vid with 5 or 6 journalists (Toure was one) that was done in June of 2016 I think, where they touched on that. The words used were "she was not in good shape; she was devistated" as well as a couple of Nona's interview. In them, Nona said he had spoken to "a very good friend" and had told that person he was going to ask her. She also said that Mayte flashed the ring onstage at the venue P had invited her to (which took place in December of 1995) and that was how she found out, so the July 1995 engagement date doesn't jive. As to other women, Mayte said in a recent interview that she'd recently been in touch with some people from back then and "didn't know how he found the time" alluding to there were others she was not aware of.

purplegirl00 said:

Vashtix said:

Prince was a creative genius.I did know him but seeing how some are niw trying to pick apart the totslity of his genius since his desth I get the solitude. If this is true I do not get all the stories shared about songs snd convos. S man thst private woukd not divulgevwhat was truly in his heart in conversation not even with a se partner. Just an observation. [Edited 5/30/17 2:30am]

I agree with this^. Naturally, with becoming a superstar, he was going to need to turn inward more as far as the world stage and fans go. Prince was a little guy and getting mobbed by fans was a real possibility. Like other rockstars, he could be in serious physical danger. If anyone has watched his entrance/ walk on the red carpet towards Mann's Chinese Theatre for the premiere of Purple Rain, some fans were besides themselves trying to even touch him. It was a new reality for Prince. Bodyguards were essential. As far as his inner circle goes, Prince seemed to have had trust issues stemming from his childhood. With his new status, he may have become somewhat reserved with some. This is understandable. However, he was not totally inaccessible to his inner circle because it's obvious he did have intimacy, personal relationships and shared of himself with some. [Edited 5/30/17 3:27am]

Pepe spoke of that time he was signing autographs, early on, where they were mobbed by 3000 people and P felt "like a piece of meat". They had to hightail it out of the record store. That may have involved the car chase where his manager was hurt or that could have been another incident. I think it was Dez who spoke of their trailer being mobbed at another concert. Physical danger was a very real thing and a bodyguard was a necessity. When P did the Piano & A Mic tour, the first show at PP, he talked fondly about Lisa and Wendy and he's always said he had more and deeper friendships with women. So, some of the guys in the band may have felt alienated, you're right - he didn't cut himself off from personal relationships altogether.

gandorb said:

PennyPurple said:

Well, there goes the notion out the door that Prince could even be faithful during marriage.

Misslink88 said:

purplegirl00 said:

Vashtix said: I agree with this^. Naturally, with becoming a superstar, he was going to need to turn inward more as far as the world stage and fans go. Prince was a little guy and getting mobbed by fans was a real possibility. Like other rockstars, he could be in serious physical danger. If anyone has watched his entrance/ walk on the red carpet towards Mann's Chinese Theatre for the premiere of Purple Rain, some fans were besides themselves trying to even touch him. It was a new reality for Prince. Bodyguards were essential. As far as his inner circle goes, Prince seemed to have had trust issues stemming from his childhood. With his new status, he may have become somewhat reserved with some. This is understandable. However, he was not totally inaccessible to his inner circle because it's obvious he did have intimacy, personal relationships and shared of himself with some. [Edited 5/30/17 3:27am]

Pepe spoke of that time he was signing autographs, early on, where they were mobbed by 3000 people and P felt "like a piece of meat". They had to hightail it out of the record store. That may have involved the car chase where his manager was hurt or that could have been another incident. I think it was Dez who spoke of their trailer being mobbed at another concert. Physical danger was a very real thing and a bodyguard was a necessity. When P did the Piano & A Mic tour, the first show at PP, he talked fondly about Lisa and Wendy and he's always said he had more and deeper friendships with women. So, some of the guys in the band may have felt alienated, you're right - he didn't cut himself off from personal relationships altogether.

No he did not cut himself off from people. Even Jill said he had public and private relationships. He also had death threats which we know from bodyguards that worked for him, FBI file and from the Carver County Sheriff logs. He needed bodyguards for protections and he mentioned needing peace and quite to work something he did not understand about his dad when he was a child but something he realized he needed as an adult.

I wish this whole he was loney thing would stop. If he wanted to get off the fame coaster he had more than enough money and assest to liquidate to do so. He stayed on the fame coaster because he liked it Prince, liked the good life and was living it for a long time. I do not see the misery in that life that he lived.

A lot of people wish they could be that miserable.