Do men and women define friendship differently? BEcause most of the women Prince hung with called him a friend without hestitation? Even recently, Selma Hayek defended Prince by calling him funny and "one of her closest friends". Most women he knew don't hestitate to call him a friend. Most male associates are extremely relunctant to do so even when they respect him and seem to have fond memories (Bobby Z is one of the few men who called him a close friend and I am not sure how honest he is being.). The men even seem to ignore his female relationships (when making statements about his lack of friendships) or maybe they are just assuming they are romantic interests more so than friends.

I know people seem to think that Prince was more comfortable around women than men? But is it something else?

I have not read one female associate state that Prince was friendless (like Tommy directly stated and Scottie questioned. Scottie at least framed it as "I don't know how many friends Prince really had.) Leeds brothers, his early managers all seem to imply that Prince had no true friends. (at best he had synchophants, loyal employees and friendly acquaintances.)

Thank you for bringing this up. Tommy B. and the others make me cringe sometimes. As if a man's friendships with women aren't valid, only friendships with other men are. WTF is that??

Prince said early on that he preferred women. He was tiny and had a strong feminine side. Women got it, men were mean. Not too hard to figure out why he preferred women, bed buddies or not, doesn't matter.

Maybe it has something to do with the artistic temperment too, and having been hurt so badly by his mom. My own Dad is the same, many parallels including being a musician, and almost every friend he's ever had has been female. It works for him. Who's to say that's not right just because it's not typical?

I'm female, btw.

He was more on guard with men. It doesn't necessarily mean he didn't like men. With men, he almost always did things symbolically. The whole giving a shout-out to his sound engineer during the first Piano and MIc performance...Who does that? I like Scottie. He seems like a good dude but I wonder if he realizes how generous Prince was to give a shout out like that. NO matter how good the sound was or how hard he worked or how crucial sound quality is , its the performer everyone remembers. Scottie was honored and grateful (don't get me wrong) but I dont think he really thought about what that really meant. It meant that Prince said thank you in his own way.

Maybe women get Prince's symbolism a bit more (or appreciate it more and are less cynical about it). I think he talked in riddles even with women , but I think maybe a little less so. He was more encouraging with women, more warm.

Read this Salma Hayek interview right after she died. He didn't have to use her as his video director. She was a married woman (so no sexual conquest there). She might have been a decent director but she was no Scorsese. So why use her? Because he liked her and enjoyed working with her...and wanted to do a nice deed for her. IF you guys recall he also wrote a song for her "Valentino". Sure, sexually and physically she was his type but nothing beyond friendship or flirting occurred.

Salma Hayek

plays a 17-century queen in

----I was meant to speak to Hayek Thursday, but news broke

I was meant to speak to Hayek Thursday, but news borke of Prince's death just minutes

before our scheduled call. Understandably, Hayek took the news hard: the two were friends, and she even directed the music video for his 2005 single, "

Te Amo Corazon

." I caught up to her Friday afternoon.

I’m very sorry about Prince’s passing. How are you feeling today?
I’m sorry, too. I’m not doing great. At least today I can talk to you.

Have you had a Prince playlist going for

for the last 24 hours?

No, no. I cannot listen to the music right now. That’s too sad for me.

What was it like working with him on the music video?
It was very special. He was so, so supportive of me. He was always telling me that I should go back to directing, because I had done one little thing for television. And then one day, he said, “Okay, today’s the day. You have to do this song for me.” And I said, “Oh god, I don’t know. A music video! I don’t watch them, I cannot do this.” It’s not my thing, you know? And he’s known for being a control freak. So I said, “If I’m going to do this, you have to listen to what I say. What if we’re fighting ...” And he said, “No, we’re going to choose the thing and do the thing.” So I said, “Okay, let’s go have fun.” The girl that’s in the video is one of my best friends; my first A.D. was a friend of ours; the makeup artist was another friend. It was a bunch of friends who went to Morocco. There was no fight, it was very easy, he was really relaxed. He didn’t even realize it was work. A lovely, lovely memory.

How many costume changes did Prince bring to Morocco?
No, he was so easy. No, no, none of that! I know, sometimes you hear the stories. He did whatever I wanted! He was quite relaxed. He didn’t even have that much makeup on! [Laughs] We had a great time; we didn’t really feel like we were working

LovePaisley said:

Thank you for bringing this up. Tommy B. and the others make me cringe sometimes. As if a man's friendships with women aren't valid, only friendships with other men are. WTF is that?? Prince said early on that he preferred women. He was tiny and had a strong feminine side. Women got it, men were mean. Not too hard to figure out why he preferred women, bed buddies or not, doesn't matter. Maybe it has something to do with the artistic temperment too, and having been hurt so badly by his mom. My own Dad is the same, many parallels including being a musician, and almost every friend he's ever had has been female. It works for him. Who's to say that's not right just because it's not typical? I'm female, btw.

[Edited 6/5/17 18:35pm]

[Edited 6/5/17 18:41pm]

Prince employed many of his lifelong friends that he knew from his teens etc. Wally, Brooke, Jerome, etc. You call em bodyguards but I call em my friends. I guess Im used to having them around he said in Hello. Remember?

Morris too of course and more probably that we dont readily know about.

He employed many of his friends overall, giving them jobs and stardom and such.

He sai as much in the famed Electrifying Mojo 1986 interview.

He had many male friends.

I see what you mean but where were Wally, Jerome and Brooks later on in Prince's life? And how can you account for Leeds, Barbarello, Baldwin and others saying they didn't think Prince had true friends? Also, Prince himself even told Baldwin that he didn't have "old friends", implying that he only had new friends. Is it possible that friendship and business are not compatible, that putting your "friends" under your employment is not going to lead to the friendships lasting. I think maybe to Prince when Wally, Brooke, Jerome, MOrris Day and others challenged his authority, they stopped feeling like friends. He stopped trusting them. Leeds stated that a difference of opinion felt like a betrayal to Prince. I think he probably still had fond memories of his old friends but felt betrayed by them or at least felt his friendships with them were tainted by money and artistic disagreements (hell, they may have felt the same way about him.) but unfortunately, he couldn't fit them into his life unless they fit into his career and music. Its almost like Prince felt he had to buy his friends and control his friends. (sounds like insecurity, abandonment and trust issues). (another thing, even before fame, Prince's friendships were musical relationships. His connection even then was music.)

Maybe by the time, Scottie Baldiwn knew him , Prince may have become resigned to idea that friendship and business are bad bed fellows so his employees (male ones especially) were employees first and friends second. Fortunately, for people like Hannah Welton, who shared a spirituality with Prince, Prince was a more benign and warmer boss than probably Tommy experienced.

I remember something Sheryl Crow stated years ago that resonated with me. She stated that music is often the avenue a musician uses to connect with people but unfortuantely once you become successful at it, it becomes the very thing that isolates you from people.

rdhull said:

Prince employed many of his lifelong friends that he knew from his teens etc. Wally, Brooke, Jerome, etc. You call em bodyguards but I call em my friends. I guess Im used to having them around he said in Hello. Remember?

Morris too of course and more probably that we dont readily know about.

He employed many of his friends overall, giving them jobs and stardom and such.

He sai as much in the famed Electrifying Mojo 1986 interview.

He had many male friends.

[Edited 6/5/17 21:35pm]

No other opinions about this topic???

I think the issue here is with how you define "friend" since it's probably very different from how many of us might define it. Prince's life and passion was his music, which was also his job. When you have "friends" around, it can be distracting and can get in the way of other things that you want to do. Not to say he didn't like having friends around, but I would think he probably tried to maintain a relationship with even his closest friends where they weren't so close that he couldn't eventually find a moment where he could just get up, walk away, and go be by himself to flesh out whatever idea just popped into his mind. It's the same for me, when I have people around me, I feel I have to be "on" for them, but when I don't have people around me, I'm in "work" mode, always doing something. I have a feeling it was something similar for him.

I think a lot of us underestimate friendships like he had with Hannah, where she respected that side of him, yet could also be there to work with him, and also (at the same time) have those close intimate conversations discussing subjects that were of interest to them both. To me, she would be considered one of his "friends" along with others who he felt he could openly chat with about issues dear to his heart. In my own experience, it's always been the women in my life who were more patient and understanding (and willing) to lend an open ear, open mind, and open heart. Not to say Prince didn't have male friends who were just as close to him and would also listen and have those deep discussions with, because I know for a fact he did.

Also the issue here is with how others define "friend". After Prince's death, there were dozens of celebrities being interviewed saying they were a good friend. In my opinion, there are hundreds of fans here on this site who were closer friends to Prince than many of those celebrities. Does playing together on stage make you a friend? Or being invited to one of his parties? Or even recording a song together? Maybe watching a basketball game together or discussing your love for the same sports team? I don't know. Maybe guys are more willing to call someone "friend" for reasons such as this? "Yeah, we shared a beer together once, he was a good friend of mine!" That kinda thing?

Personally, I would think that some of Prince's best friends are those we'll never know, or at least those we easily overlook, and not necessarily the ones he was often seen with, but the ones he often spoke with, both male and female, whoever would listen, he spoke to them equally. And it was good. +

I don't know its hard to say. Part of the problem with being famous is that the people around you even when they are being somewhat honest with you are still in awe of you. People forget that friendships tend to be fleeting and based on conditions anyway. We move away or part ways from friends all the time. Prince made choices all the time that made his 'friendships' or association fleeting or sporadic but that doesn't mean there were not bonding moments that left an impact on Prince and others. If he had abandonment issues like Leeds stated, it would make quite a lot of sense for him to create temporary conditional friendships (or sporadic ones) that he controls and that revolve around music. He never feels left behind or abandoned when he parts from people and he can chuck it up to artistic and business necessity. And when he misses them, he can call them back and attribute it to music and business necessity. (This is also a form of shyness if you think about it).

As for the celebrity friendships, I am not sure what motivation they would have to lie when many of them are equally as famous as Prince. there were actually quite a few celebrities who stated that they briefly met him and he was a mystery to them. But I do think they define it differently where Prince is concerned. Its possible due to his reputation for being withdrawn that often when he opened up and got chummy when someone, they immediately felt like they were friends (and maybe he saw it the same way). Maybe it is just that people like Tommy and Scottie wanted more since they knew him longer. Because Prince had a connection to his feminine side, woman are more likely to see chumminess with him as something unique and special (and close) since usually men don't relish that side of themselves.

The other thing about Friendships is that for some people it means that you see that person all the time and then share your lives with each other on a consistent basis. You are in relax mode, your guard is down etc. But friendships could also be like Prince and Andre Cymone's...long periods apart but whenever you see each other again, its like time hasn't even passed. Prince called Andre his best friend in a 2009 interview. NO reason to do that. Its not like PRince needs Andre's clout or hollywood connections. That in itself contradicts what he told Scottie about old friends.

[Edited 6/6/17 21:29pm]

[Edited 6/6/17 21:33pm]

[Edited 6/6/17 21:36pm]