laurarichardson said:

PennyPurple said:

It looks like Moon helped him with a lot, Husney too. That Larry King interview where Larry asked P who is first manager was, P said that he couldn't recall...that was P throwing shade at Husney. But both of these guys really helped Prince, so I don't understand it either. ?

-- Pepe Willie said that Owen told him he was not going to throw his agency away for some singer that might not make it. Pepe told Prince what Owen said and Owen was let go the next day. See the link below with the interview with Pepe. The part about Owen is right past the pic of Prince playing the piano with his eyes closed. http://beautifulnightschi...2.html?m=1 [Edited 5/3/17 19:08pm]

Was this taken out of context? The story I got got (from Pepe as well) was sort of the same...Prince needed a space heater, Pepe went and asked Owen for one, then Owen told Pepe "What am I supposed to do, quit my job..." basically being sarcastic in that Owen couldn't be Prince's "gofer". According to Owen,he had given up his job at the Ad agency in order to back Prince (as per quote) "I believed in Prince enough to walk out of my ad agency, and just put my life into him" ....anyway, in regards to Prince hating Owen afterward, I don't think that is so. In an interview with Husney, Husney stated that Prince wrote him a letter in which "he professed his love for me", that the letter was written "around the time we were breaking up".Husney also stated that he would keep that letter until the day he died. (see link below which is an interview with Husney 4 weeks BEFORE Prince died..interesting read)

AND...I'm going to put this out there, since I haven't seen it discussed before, IMO the way Husney addresses Prince comes off as he was kind of "sweet" on Prince....Laura, I know you've read as many if not more interviews with Husney, thoughts??

(DON'T CLOBBER THE MESSENGER)

https://noisey.vice.com/e...wen-husney

[Edited 5/4/17 9:58am]

[Edited 5/4/17 10:00am]

[Edited 5/4/17 10:02am]

precioux said:

laurarichardson said:

PennyPurple said: -- Pepe Willie said that Owen told him he was not going to throw his agency away for some singer that might not make it. Pepe told Prince what Owen said and Owen was let go the next day. See the link below with the interview with Pepe. The part about Owen is right past the pic of Prince playing the piano with his eyes closed. http://beautifulnightschi...2.html?m=1 [Edited 5/3/17 19:08pm]

Was this taken out of context? The story I got got (from Pepe as well) was sort of the same...Prince needed a space heater, Pepe went and asked Owen for one, then Owen told Pepe "What am I supposed to do, quit my job..." basically being sarcastic in that Owen couldn't be Prince's "gofer". According to Owen,he had given up his job at the Ad agency in order to back Prince (as per quote) "I believed in Prince enough to walk out of my ad agency, and just put my life into him" ....anyway, in regards to Prince hating Owen afterward, I don't think that is so. In an interview with Husney, Husney stated that Prince wrote him a letter in which "he professed his love for me", that the letter was written "around the time we were breaking up".Husney also stated that he would keep that letter until the day he died. (see link below which is an interview with Husney 4 weeks BEFORE Prince died..interesting read)

AND...I'm going to put this out there, since I haven't seen it discussed before, IMO the way Husney addresses Prince comes off as he was kind of "sweet" on Prince....Laura, I know you've read as many if not more interviews with Husney, thoughts??

(DON'T CLOBBER THE MESSENGER)

https://noisey.vice.com/e...wen-husney

[Edited 5/4/17 9:58am]

[Edited 5/4/17 10:00am]

[Edited 5/4/17 10:02am]

Yeah, I found it interesting the way he says "professes his love for me" and "when we were breaking up". Odd terminology coming from a man about another man.

But I think that there were many men, hetero men in particular, who ended up crushing on P...and I think it made them feel extremely uncomfortable within the context of their sexuality, even if it was a platonic crush, they weren't prepared for the emotions that knowing him brought out in them...whether it be from his music, his personality, his physicality, his looks, etc.

When Jamie Fox did the story in his act about being "gay for P" and trying not to look into his eyes, that ish is real. P had a certain quality and magnetism that women recognized and accepted, but for men, that ish was hard on them...very hard for men to reconcile, thus lotsa men simply turned their inner turmoil into "I don't like P, he's gay" cuz that was the only way they could explain the emotions THEY were feeling and they weren't pleased.

Crazy, isn't it?

precioux said:

laurarichardson said:

PennyPurple said: -- Pepe Willie said that Owen told him he was not going to throw his agency away for some singer that might not make it. Pepe told Prince what Owen said and Owen was let go the next day. See the link below with the interview with Pepe. The part about Owen is right past the pic of Prince playing the piano with his eyes closed. http://beautifulnightschi...2.html?m=1 [Edited 5/3/17 19:08pm]

Was this taken out of context? The story I got got (from Pepe as well) was sort of the same...Prince needed a space heater, Pepe went and asked Owen for one, then Owen told Pepe "What am I supposed to do, quit my job..." basically being sarcastic in that Owen couldn't be Prince's "gofer". According to Owen,he had given up his job at the Ad agency in order to back Prince (as per quote) "I believed in Prince enough to walk out of my ad agency, and just put my life into him" ....anyway, in regards to Prince hating Owen afterward, I don't think that is so. In an interview with Husney, Husney stated that Prince wrote him a letter in which "he professed his love for me", that the letter was written "around the time we were breaking up".Husney also stated that he would keep that letter until the day he died. (see link below which is an interview with Husney 4 weeks BEFORE Prince died..interesting read)

AND...I'm going to put this out there, since I haven't seen it discussed before, IMO the way Husney addresses Prince comes off as he was kind of "sweet" on Prince....Laura, I know you've read as many if not more interviews with Husney, thoughts??

(DON'T CLOBBER THE MESSENGER)

https://noisey.vice.com/e...wen-husney

[Edited 5/4/17 9:58am]

[Edited 5/4/17 10:00am]

[Edited 5/4/17 10:02am]

-----

I think the space heater was one issue of many. Owen still had his ad agency and I am sure he did not want to give it up just manage Prince. I do not think they hated each other at all just had a different why of seeing things. Prince wanted somene to be on board 24/7 just like the way he worked and Owen was not going to be able to do that running an ad agency.

I am sure Owen was disappointed and hurt when Prince left and maybe bitter later since Prince went on to make millions and his assesment was wrong. Like I said before you have got to have people who are down 100% for the cause.

LBrent said:

Here is a great interview with Husney, it goes into detail about the things we are reading about in Chapter 6.

What is your most treasured piece of Prince memorabilia?
It's probably a letter that he wrote to me. I don't want to go into it, but it was a great letter, and in it, he professed his love for me, and what he wanted to do. It was probably right around the time we were breaking up. I didn't want to carry on, I felt I had done my job: to take somebody who had never been in a studio, practically, and make all this happen. There was a point when I just didn't want to do it anymore, and so I told him I was out. And he wrote me a long letter. At the time, I thought, "God, now he's just turned into this ugly prima donna." I realized retrospectively now that he really needed that kind of support. And he really needed these things to be done [for him] so he could put himself 150 percent into the music. I don't have a whole ton of stuff, but what I have is pretty uniquely interesting. And that letter will never go anywhere. It will probably be with me until I die.

https://noisey.vice.com/e...wen-husney

PennyPurple said:

Here is a great interview with Husney, it goes into detail about the things we are reading about in Chapter 6.

What is your most treasured piece of Prince memorabilia?
It's probably a letter that he wrote to me. I don't want to go into it, but it was a great letter, and in it, he professed his love for me, and what he wanted to do. It was probably right around the time we were breaking up. I didn't want to carry on, I felt I had done my job: to take somebody who had never been in a studio, practically, and make all this happen. There was a point when I just didn't want to do it anymore, and so I told him I was out. And he wrote me a long letter. At the time, I thought, "God, now he's just turned into this ugly prima donna." I realized retrospectively now that he really needed that kind of support. And he really needed these things to be done [for him] so he could put himself 150 percent into the music. I don't have a whole ton of stuff, but what I have is pretty uniquely interesting. And that letter will never go anywhere. It will probably be with me until I die.

https://noisey.vice.com/e...wen-husney

Kind of backs up what Pepe said. Prince needed someone aroung 24/7 and Owen was not going to be that guy.

PennyPurple said:

Here is a great interview with Husney, it goes into detail about the things we are reading about in Chapter 6.

What is your most treasured piece of Prince memorabilia?
It's probably a letter that he wrote to me. I don't want to go into it, but it was a great letter, and in it, he professed his love for me, and what he wanted to do. It was probably right around the time we were breaking up. I didn't want to carry on, I felt I had done my job: to take somebody who had never been in a studio, practically, and make all this happen. There was a point when I just didn't want to do it anymore, and so I told him I was out. And he wrote me a long letter. At the time, I thought, "God, now he's just turned into this ugly prima donna." I realized retrospectively now that he really needed that kind of support. And he really needed these things to be done [for him] so he could put himself 150 percent into the music. I don't have a whole ton of stuff, but what I have is pretty uniquely interesting. And that letter will never go anywhere. It will probably be with me until I die.

https://noisey.vice.com/e...wen-husney

That's the interview I posted a link to...LOL!

[Edited 5/4/17 13:18pm]

precioux said:

PennyPurple said:

Here is a great interview with Husney, it goes into detail about the things we are reading about in Chapter 6.

What is your most treasured piece of Prince memorabilia?
It's probably a letter that he wrote to me. I don't want to go into it, but it was a great letter, and in it, he professed his love for me, and what he wanted to do. It was probably right around the time we were breaking up. I didn't want to carry on, I felt I had done my job: to take somebody who had never been in a studio, practically, and make all this happen. There was a point when I just didn't want to do it anymore, and so I told him I was out. And he wrote me a long letter. At the time, I thought, "God, now he's just turned into this ugly prima donna." I realized retrospectively now that he really needed that kind of support. And he really needed these things to be done [for him] so he could put himself 150 percent into the music. I don't have a whole ton of stuff, but what I have is pretty uniquely interesting. And that letter will never go anywhere. It will probably be with me until I die.

https://noisey.vice.com/e...wen-husney

That's the interview I posted a link to...LOL!

[Edited 5/4/17 13:18pm]

Really? Oh my gosh, I'm sorry.

PennyPurple said:

precioux said:

PennyPurple said:

Really? Oh my gosh, I'm sorry.

As if! No need for apologies, sweets! The link is in my reply#210, I agree, it's a great and informative article [Edited 5/4/17 14:51pm]

It was a very good article. We must think alike.

NO+NO!

LBrent said:

precioux said:

Was this taken out of context? The story I got got (from Pepe as well) was sort of the same...Prince needed a space heater, Pepe went and asked Owen for one, then Owen told Pepe "What am I supposed to do, quit my job..." basically being sarcastic in that Owen couldn't be Prince's "gofer". According to Owen,he had given up his job at the Ad agency in order to back Prince (as per quote) "I believed in Prince enough to walk out of my ad agency, and just put my life into him" ....anyway, in regards to Prince hating Owen afterward, I don't think that is so. In an interview with Husney, Husney stated that Prince wrote him a letter in which "he professed his love for me", that the letter was written "around the time we were breaking up".Husney also stated that he would keep that letter until the day he died. (see link below which is an interview with Husney 4 weeks BEFORE Prince died..interesting read)

AND...I'm going to put this out there, since I haven't seen it discussed before, IMO the way Husney addresses Prince comes off as he was kind of "sweet" on Prince....Laura, I know you've read as many if not more interviews with Husney, thoughts??

(DON'T CLOBBER THE MESSENGER)

Yeah, I found it interesting the way he says "professes his love for me" and "when we were breaking up". Odd terminology coming from a man about another man.

But I think that there were many men, hetero men in particular, who ended up crushing on P...and I think it made them feel extremely uncomfortable within the context of their sexuality, even if it was a platonic crush, they weren't prepared for the emotions that knowing him brought out in them...whether it be from his music, his personality, his physicality, his looks, etc.

When Jamie Fox did the story in his act about being "gay for P" and trying not to look into his eyes, that ish is real. P had a certain quality and magnetism that women recognized and accepted, but for men, that ish was hard on them...very hard for men to reconcile, thus lotsa men simply turned their inner turmoil into "I don't like P, he's gay" cuz that was the only way they could explain the emotions THEY were feeling and they weren't pleased.

Crazy, isn't it?

If someone wants to summarize chapter 7 and then 8, feel free to do so.

precioux said:

laurarichardson said:

PennyPurple said: -- Pepe Willie said that Owen told him he was not going to throw his agency away for some singer that might not make it. Pepe told Prince what Owen said and Owen was let go the next day. See the link below with the interview with Pepe. The part about Owen is right past the pic of Prince playing the piano with his eyes closed. http://beautifulnightschi...2.html?m=1 [Edited 5/3/17 19:08pm]

Was this taken out of context? The story I got got (from Pepe as well) was sort of the same...Prince needed a space heater, Pepe went and asked Owen for one, then Owen told Pepe "What am I supposed to do, quit my job..." basically being sarcastic in that Owen couldn't be Prince's "gofer". According to Owen,he had given up his job at the Ad agency in order to back Prince (as per quote) "I believed in Prince enough to walk out of my ad agency, and just put my life into him" ....anyway, in regards to Prince hating Owen afterward, I don't think that is so. In an interview with Husney, Husney stated that Prince wrote him a letter in which "he professed his love for me", that the letter was written "around the time we were breaking up".Husney also stated that he would keep that letter until the day he died. (see link below which is an interview with Husney 4 weeks BEFORE Prince died..interesting read)

AND...I'm going to put this out there, since I haven't seen it discussed before, IMO the way Husney addresses Prince comes off as he was kind of "sweet" on Prince....Laura, I know you've read as many if not more interviews with Husney, thoughts??

(DON'T CLOBBER THE MESSENGER)

https://noisey.vice.com/e...wen-husney

[Edited 5/4/17 9:58am]

[Edited 5/4/17 10:00am]

[Edited 5/4/17 10:02am]

No kidding! No I was not aware of Husney being sweet on Prince, but who wasn't sweet on Prince?? lol. Interesting though! Thanks for the link. One thing I can add here is that interviews done before Prince died (like the one you link to here) are often strikingly different in tone from those done after he passed. The "halo effect," I guess you coudl call it. We were fortunate to have dozens of interviews at our disposal, which were done years ago.

laurarichardson said:

bsprout said:

[803's comment]: I'm not from the area but have deep family roots in the area and spent time with relatives in the area...I'm older than prince and I remember sitting around kitchen tables with relatives in the late fifties and sixties and hearing that remark..sometimes other words were substituted for "bad". And these discussions were usually accompanied by some reference about how they didn't have the problems of Milwaukee or Chicago cuz the cold weather kept "them" out. According to advertisements I've seen, prince's father played in some of these areas and prince himself has referenced playing "white" music in the area when he was young. And, watch his expression when he says this..I see a little knowing smirk... I hope I'm not being too controversial or explicit...but, as a child I remember being offended by the remarks and I can vividly remember the discussions and the people involved...unfortunately, they were some of my favorite relatives and it was hard to reconcile my love for them with the hateful remarks. [803]

[bsprout] Thanks for sharing. If he was being sarcastic, that smirk while he says this would be very Prince-like, indeed.

I don't think he was being sarcastic. Back in the day you had sundown towns. Towns in which black people had better not be in at sundown. No reason to think that if you wanted to be away from minorities you would move somewhere cold and remote.

Actually, the remark about cold weather keeping the bad people out was directed specifically at minorities (esp. mexican and african american). This was a common expression where I grew up as well. The thought was that those particular groups could not stand the cold (a mix of their ancestral climate and their disposition to avoid difficult circumstances), in other words that they would prefer a warm climate where they could lay about. Saying this made the white speaker feel superior (hearty, industrious).

I have no idea how Prince understood it, but that is the only way I have ever heard it said, and the people who say it were not trying to be subtle.

laurarichardson said:

I don't think he was being sarcastic. Back in the day you had sundown towns. Towns in which black people had better not be in at sundown. No reason to think that if you wanted to be away from minorities you would move somewhere cold and remote.

plasticwood said:

Actually, the remark about cold weather keeping the bad people out was directed specifically at minorities (esp. mexican and african american). This was a common expression where I grew up as well. The thought was that those particular groups could not stand the cold (a mix of their ancestral climate and their disposition to avoid difficult circumstances), in other words that they would prefer a warm climate where they could lay about. Saying this made the white speaker feel superior (hearty, industrious).

I have no idea how Prince understood it, but that is the only way I have ever heard it said, and the people who say it were not trying to be subtle.

I've only heard this remark a few times when P used it in interviews cuz I'm not from Minnesota and I remember thinking when I heard it that it gets comparatively cold here in NY and not understanding what the big deal was about places like Minnesota and Chicago making such a fuss about their winters cuz until recent years we got 6 feet of snow in the winter MINIMUM.

But from folks who live in the midwest I've learned that apparently in that area the winters are different so that's the big fuss.

I do get the feeling that P probably knew the veiled meaning and used it as both a midwesterner AND a lil bit of shade to the other meaning as well.

[Edited 5/5/17 7:55am]

LBrent said:

plasticwood said:

Actually, the remark about cold weather keeping the bad people out was directed specifically at minorities (esp. mexican and african american). This was a common expression where I grew up as well. The thought was that those particular groups could not stand the cold (a mix of their ancestral climate and their disposition to avoid difficult circumstances), in other words that they would prefer a warm climate where they could lay about. Saying this made the white speaker feel superior (hearty, industrious).

I have no idea how Prince understood it, but that is the only way I have ever heard it said, and the people who say it were not trying to be subtle.

I've only heard this remark a few times when P used it in interviews cuz I'm not from Minnesota and I remember thinking when I heard it that it gets comparatively cold here in NY and not understanding what the big deal was about places like Minnesota and Chicago making such a fuss about their winters cuz until recent years we got 6 feet of snow in the winter MINIMUM.

But from folks who live in the midwest I've learned that apparently in that area the winters are different so that's the big fuss.

I do get the feeling that P probably knew the veiled meaning and used it as both a midwesterner AND a lil bit of shade to the other meaning as well.

[Edited 5/5/17 7:55am]

I course he knew the meaning and was throwing shade. Some of us know what time it is and some people on this board do not understand things do to cultrual differences

laurarichardson said:

LBrent said:

I've only heard this remark a few times when P used it in interviews cuz I'm not from Minnesota and I remember thinking when I heard it that it gets comparatively cold here in NY and not understanding what the big deal was about places like Minnesota and Chicago making such a fuss about their winters cuz until recent years we got 6 feet of snow in the winter MINIMUM.

But from folks who live in the midwest I've learned that apparently in that area the winters are different so that's the big fuss.

I do get the feeling that P probably knew the veiled meaning and used it as both a midwesterner AND a lil bit of shade to the other meaning as well.

[Edited 5/5/17 7:55am]

I course he knew the meaning and was throwing shade. Some of us know what time it is and some people on this board do not understand things do to cultrual differences

you know I always felt uncomfortable when I heard and watched Prince say this remark and I always thought it was because Prince looked uncomfortable when he said it ....and I suppose I always knew the meaning behind it

80tomato said:

laurarichardson said:

I course he knew the meaning and was throwing shade. Some of us know what time it is and some people on this board do not understand things do to cultrual differences

you know I always felt uncomfortable when I heard and watched Prince say this remark and I always thought it was because Prince looked uncomfortable when he said it ....and I suppose I always knew the meaning behind it

P knew. He was always very clever with his barbs -just look at his lyrics. Assuming he was talking about the actual weather misses his wit completely.

PennyPurple said:

bsprout said:

PennyPurple said:

If someone wants to summarize chapter 7 and then 8, feel free to do so.

I can do Ch 7

Perfect. Thank you. Now who wants chapter 8?

PennyPurple said:

bsprout said:

PennyPurple said: I can do Ch 7

Perfect. Thank you. Now who wants chapter 8?

I've got some time ATM. I'll do 8.

Ch. 7 - Record Sense - pgs. 103-111

Main people: Mo Ostin, Lenny Waronker, Tommy Vicari, Andre Anderson, Tony Saunders, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder

Warner Bros. agrees to let Prince at least coproduce his first album. They don't, however, yield on letting Prince be the sole producer, despite repeated tries from Owen Husney and Prince. Warner doesn't think that Prince has the necessary "record sense" - record industry lingo for someone who can create a sound that's ready to be played on the radio.

Warner suggests Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire to be the co-producer. Prince emphatically declines the offer, as Husney assumed he would, arguing that the band's sound is dated and generic.

Husney suggests an in-studio audition to prove Prince is ready to solo produce, an idea that had worked well previously with CBS and with an early meeting with Lenny Waronker. Company execs who hadn't seen Prince record agree and Husney tricks Prince into recording in front of them. Prince thought the execs walking through the studio were janitors.

This session was enough to convince the execs that Prince could solo produce, however they insist on an executive producer, and select Tommy Vicari, a veteran recording engineer. Prince wanted to record in Minneapolis, and starts work at the Sound 80 studio. Vicari prefers a more sophisticated L.A. studio. They finally compromise on a Sausalito stuido near San Francisco called the Record Plant. They rent a house and Prince moves in, along with Andre Anderson, Vicar, Husney, and Husney's wife, Britt.

Recording at the Record Plant, Prince records each song himself and does not allow any guests, phone calls, or soicalizing whatsoever in the room. He becomes deadly serious and exacting, and the songs he records demonstrate this. He barely speaks to his exec producer Vicari. Eventually he brings in David Z. to do background vocals and this lightens the mood.

The album goes well over budget due to Prince's perfectionism and the slow recording pace. Warner doesn't object to this but Waronker flies in to oversee a session. Prince erupts and insists that he leave the studio. Waronker realizes they have signed an artist who will not be satisfied with anything less than total control over his career.

Prince becomes increasingly less interested in Vicari as exec producer. He plays a practical joke on him one night in the rental house, involving a dummy dressed as Husney with a knife in its back. Upon coming home and discovering the dummy, Vicari is really screaing and terrified; he thinks Husney has been killed. According to Husney, Prince really wants him out at this point, and Vicari is heartbroken.

At this point, Andre Anderson also wants to contribute but is left out creatively, because Prince wants to make the whole album himself. Prince also seals himself off from other musicians and studios at the Record Plant; he even has a bodyguard stationed at the door to his studio. He eventually begins socializing with a 21-year old bass player named Tony Saunders, who soon introduces him to his friend, Sly Stone. Sly and Prince do some playing together, and sly teaches Prince his "slap bass" technique used on his hit song, "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."

Prince leaves for L.A. in Jan. 1978 to add finishing touches, and Warner plans the album release for early spring ("For You"). Some observe that, while Prince has demonstrated his musical ability and technical skills, his album is not all that engaging, unklike Sly Stone and Stevie Wonder, who have both released energetic records. Prince does not see it this way and believes that his diligence and perfectionism in the studio have created a stunning debut.

[Edited 5/5/17 15:01pm]

[Edited 5/5/17 15:08pm]

sorry this looks like one long run-on sentence. I give up trying to get the paragraph spaces to show up on here

Chapter 8

• Prince starts putting together a touring band after the recording of For You is finished by holding auditions in a warehouse Owen has rented. He'll require 2 guitarists, 2 keyboards, a drummer and a base player to reproduce the sound on For You.

• He auditions various people including childhood friends William Doughty and Terry Johnson, whom he allows to hold a six figure cheque he's received from WB.

• He's already decided on Andre (now) Cymone for base and Bobby Z for drums. Dez Dickerson auditions for 15 minutes, then has to leave for a gig out of town. P talks to him further in the parking lot outside the warehouse but Dez doesn't know if he has the gig or not.

• Gayle Chapman comes in on keyboards as does Matt Fink, a friend of Bobby Z's. Gayle is quite religious and tells P that God has gifted him.

• Rehearsals are four to five days a week, several hours a day. Because both Andre and Dez (who finds out he's hired because someone hands him a cheque) bring a Rock/Punk/New Wave sound to the mix, they are beginning to sound more and more like a Rock/Funk band.

• P continues to hit the local music scene to scout potential musicians and, through Andre, runs into a group named Enterprise (Sonny Thompson and Morris Day are in it) whose lead singer, 16 year old Sueann Carwell, impresses him to the degree that he wants to do a side project with her.

• A similar difficult childhood background bonds them, especially after they discover that Sueann's father, “Sticks”, gigged with John L.

• P is now living in a rental house where he has a four track reel-to-reel, and recording sessions with Sueann begin. A demo is sent to Russ Thyret at WB, but he deems it too Prince-like to be released.

• Owen, also representing Sueann, has managed to get her a deal with WB. At the same time, she's asked by Lipps Inc. to sing on their song “Funkytown” but chooses to forgo the opportunity in favour of the LA deal. Prince views her decision as a direct betrayal. She suggests Cynthia Johnson to Lipps Inc. The song is #1 in 28 countries. Sueann's debut, Sueann, fares much less favourably.

• Returning to MN, she runs into P who tells her he hated her album with the exception of a Ricki Lee Jones cover, Company.

• About a year later, P asks her to open for him and The Time at a local concert and does the soundboard mixes for her set. While he is encouraging to her, he doesn't invite her on the 1999 tour.

• Sueanne goes on to be a session singer with Rod Stewart and Christina Aguilera and succeeds in her own right, but she and Prince never re-connect professionally. She feels he stayed pissed at her for at least 20 years.

I think Prince was talking about phoney *L.A. / NYC Showbiz types.

plasticwood said:

laurarichardson said:

I don't think he was being sarcastic. Back in the day you had sundown towns. Towns in which black people had better not be in at sundown. No reason to think that if you wanted to be away from minorities you would move somewhere cold and remote.

Actually, the remark about cold weather keeping the bad people out was directed specifically at minorities (esp. mexican and african american). This was a common expression where I grew up as well. The thought was that those particular groups could not stand the cold (a mix of their ancestral climate and their disposition to avoid difficult circumstances), in other words that they would prefer a warm climate where they could lay about. Saying this made the white speaker feel superior (hearty, industrious).

I have no idea how Prince understood it, but that is the only way I have ever heard it said, and the people who say it were not trying to be subtle.

Thank you bsprout and misslink.

Just found this in an old thread about Sue Ann Carwell:

http://prince.org/msg/5/153075

This is an interview with T.C. Ellis (Sueanne's brother) that talks a lot about the music scene back then, P's recording sessions with Sueanne, and T.C.' working with P (although later, in the 90's again). It seems that the music scene was really tight and they all either knew each other or knew of each other.

http://beautifulnightschitown.blogspot.ca/search?q=t.c.+ellis

[Edited 5/5/17 18:41pm]

bsprout said:

Ch. 7 - Record Sense - pgs. 103-111

Main people: Mo Ostin, Lenny Waronker, Tommy Vicari, Andre Anderson, Tony Saunders, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder

Warner Bros. agrees to let Prince at least coproduce his first album. They don't, however, yield on letting Prince be the sole producer, despite repeated tries from Owen Husney and Prince. Warner doesn't think that Prince has the necessary "record sense" - record industry lingo for someone who can create a sound that's ready to be played on the radio.

Warner suggests Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire to be the co-producer. Prince emphatically declines the offer, as Husney assumed he would, arguing that the band's sound is dated and generic.

Husney suggests an in-studio audition to prove Prince is ready to solo produce, an idea that had worked well previously with CBS and with an early meeting with Lenny Waronker. Company execs who hadn't seen Prince record agree and Husney tricks Prince into recording in front of them. Prince thought the execs walking through the studio were janitors.

This session was enough to convince the execs that Prince could solo produce, however they insist on an executive producer, and select Tommy Vicari, a veteran recording engineer. Prince wanted to record in Minneapolis, and starts work at the Sound 80 studio. Vicari prefers a more sophisticated L.A. studio. They finally compromise on a Sausalito stuido near San Francisco called the Record Plant. They rent a house and Prince moves in, along with Andre Anderson, Vicar, Husney, and Husney's wife, Britt.

Recording at the Record Plant, Prince records each song himself and does not allow any guests, phone calls, or soicalizing whatsoever in the room. He becomes deadly serious and exacting, and the songs he records demonstrate this. He barely speaks to his exec producer Vicari. Eventually he brings in David Z. to do background vocals and this lightens the mood.

The album goes well over budget due to Prince's perfectionism and the slow recording pace. Warner doesn't object to this but Waronker flies in to oversee a session. Prince erupts and insists that he leave the studio. Waronker realizes they have signed an artist who will not be satisfied with anything less than total control over his career.

Prince becomes increasingly less interested in Vicari as exec producer. He plays a practical joke on him one night in the rental house, involving a dummy dressed as Husney with a knife in its back. Upon coming home and discovering the dummy, Vicari is really screaing and terrified; he thinks Husney has been killed. According to Husney, Prince really wants him out at this point, and Vicari is heartbroken.

At this point, Andre Anderson also wants to contribute but is left out creatively, because Prince wants to make the whole album himself. Prince also seals himself off from other musicians and studios at the Record Plant; he even has a bodyguard stationed at the door to his studio. He eventually begins socializing with a 21-year old bass player named Tony Saunders, who soon introduces him to his friend, Sly Stone. Sly and Prince do some playing together, and sly teaches Prince his "slap bass" technique used on his hit song, "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."

Prince leaves for L.A. in Jan. 1978 to add finishing touches, and Warner plans the album release for early spring ("For You"). Some observe that, while Prince has demonstrated his musical ability and technical skills, his album is not all that engaging, unklike Sly Stone and Stevie Wonder, who have both released energetic records. Prince does not see it this way and believes that his diligence and perfectionism in the studio have created a stunning debut.

[Edited 5/5/17 15:01pm]

[Edited 5/5/17 15:08pm]

WB really let him get his way, for being brand new and never cutting an album before.

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And the pattern of him not wanting anybody around and wanting to do things alone, his way, & only his way has begun.