I'm sat here at work listening to Prince interviews on YouTube while I work, and I noticed how he doesn't really seem to speak that openly ever. Maybe Larry King was the most personally revealing, but I wondered if anyone had any other Prince interviews where he actually talks about his past in the sense of discussing old albums etc?

[Edited 12/8/17 8:44am]

tbokris said:

I'm sat here at work listening to Prince interviews on YouTube while I work, and I noticed how he doesn't really seem to speak that openly ever. Maybe Larry King was the most personally revealing, but I wondered if anyone had any other Prince interviews where he actually talks about his past in the sense of discussing old albums etc?

[Edited 12/8/17 8:44am]

I think his 2009 interview with Tavis Smiley was pretty revealing.He talked about his childhood and relationship with his father a bit.He also revealed that he was epileptic as a child.I felt he was very open in that interview.

The retracted Rolling Stone interview. When was that? 2014?

The interview was with Richard Wilkins in 2003.

Strive said:

There was a big Australian reporter who told the story about Prince letting NPG answer questions for him, getting fed up, asking for a Prince only interview since that's what the TV station wanted, being led into another room and capturing Prince on audiotape speaking candidly about his anxiety (in an attempt to get out of the interview) But it was all off the record so he won't release the tape or disclose the full conversation they had. Wish I could find the article again. It was released some time after his death and it was interesting.

The sound isn't great but it is a good open interview of Prince in 1981, by Dutch reporter Mick Boskamp.

https://soundcloud.com/mi...29-05-1981

it's hard to say because Prince was so difficult to pin down, he would say revealing things just as soon as he would lie, he would say profound things just as soon as he would lie or be evasive. The neal karlen interviews for rolling stone are pretty open, but i'd have to say at least in terms of him not having his guard up as much, it would be the mojo interview in 87. Nothing mysterious in his voice or statements, sounds happy, completely unlike the guy who we only really saw speak at award shows and that wacky one off one time mtv "interview' which was so contrived and he was obviously prepped for it. so, i'd say the ones i mentioned.

however, i have to say the arsenio interview from a couple years ago is probably as open as he's ever been when i think about it. in fact, it's almost like he knew his time was limited (like the p/m shows) and wasn't as uptight about being mysterious.

CherryMoon57 said:

The sound isn't great but it is a good open interview of Prince in 1981, by Dutch reporter Mick Boskamp.

https://soundcloud.com/mi...29-05-1981

i heard that one a couple times, good interview but he was already off in the italian heritage bullshit which a lot of people believe after all these years. oh yeah, he dismissed some of his influences like smokey, who i do think was an influence, by saying he was before his time. at least he didn't say he never listened to other people's music.

The Rolling Stone interview, & the Larry King interview.

i wish there were more interviews about his music. like "this was my first concert." "this is when i decided to learn drums" "this is how i rehearse my band" But i have to agree, the Tavis interviews are amazing, because of that trust between the two

khill95 said:

i wish there were more interviews about his music. like "this was my first concert." "this is when i decided to learn drums" "this is how i rehearse my band" But i have to agree, the Tavis interviews are amazing, because of that trust between the two

ya, i forgot about the tavis interviews, the first ones (circa 98) were best, tavis wasn't kissing ass in that one and prince was about as open as I've ever seen him, meaning he was very relaxed more than any other interview. Honestly, as much as i love the man, I have a dvd of his interviews and he tries to speak so mysteriously in them that it grates on me after awhile. Some interviews he was more open than others but I don't think he was ever really that open.

rogifan said:

anangellooksdown said:

PennyPurple said:

The Rolling Stone interview, & the Larry King interview.

That RS interview from 1985?

rogifan said:

anangellooksdown said:

rogifan said:

anangellooksdown said:

Oh, ok. I was just wondering if I had missed something.
I always felt that Ebony took it down themselves because they felt Prince wasn't "relevant" enough at the time to publish it.

It also occurred to me that either they and/or Prince decided to take it down because he was somewhat negative in it. Not judging him; I knew he had struggles.

I think your second thought is probably correct. It’s also possible what’s posted on that Facebook page isn’t the entire interview as was posted on Ebony’s site. When I pull up an archive of their website from December 22, 2015 and click on the link to his interview I get page not found.

anangellooksdown said:

rogifan said:

No I guess it isn’t for certain he has them take it down. But it was removed. I can’t imagine Ebony doing that without him asking them to.

Oh, ok. I was just wondering if I had missed something. I always felt that Ebony took it down themselves because they felt Prince wasn't "relevant" enough at the time to publish it. It also occurred to me that either they and/or Prince decided to take it down because he was somewhat negative in it. Not judging him; I knew he had struggles.

oh yes, how could i forget the ebony article? for a guy who spent 3 of his prime, peak years not saying peep to the media he sure made up for it didn't he? you guys keep reminding me of some great interviews where you could say he was "open" but he was open in different ways and in the ebony interview he was open in a way he never was and that's why he demanded it be taken down because he conducted his public persona with class. He never badmouthed all the people who badmouthed him, he did here and even though it wasn't that bad, he had it taken down.

pinkcashmere23 said:

tbokris said:

I'm sat here at work listening to Prince interviews on YouTube while I work, and I noticed how he doesn't really seem to speak that openly ever. Maybe Larry King was the most personally revealing, but I wondered if anyone had any other Prince interviews where he actually talks about his past in the sense of discussing old albums etc?

[Edited 12/8/17 8:44am]

I think his 2009 interview with Tavis Smiley was pretty revealing.He talked about his childhood and relationship with his father a bit.He also revealed that he was epileptic as a child.I felt he was very open in that interview.

+1

could someone send me the full ebony article if they have it?

it would be interesting to read an article where he lets his guard down. Even the Tavis Smalley interveiw to me seems like he has agenda and not at all relaxed.

Wasn't there a long form article I read ages ago maybe during the Gold album era or Emancipation that was pretty open? I can't trmember much other than the interviewer following Prince for days and finally Prince spoke to him. ring any bells?

thanks!!

tbokris said:

could someone send me the full ebony article if they have it?

it would be interesting to read an article where he lets his guard down. Even the Tavis Smalley interveiw to me seems like he has agenda and not at all relaxed.

Wasn't there a long form article I read ages ago maybe during the Gold album era or Emancipation that was pretty open? I can't trmember much other than the interviewer following Prince for days and finally Prince spoke to him. ring any bells?

thanks!!

it's online somewhere, short interview and unlike any other of his. someone here said he was hight off his rocker, but i didn't think it was that but who knows.

ThatWhiteDude said:

PennyPurple said:

The Rolling Stone interview, & the Larry King interview.

That RS interview from 1985?

This one. 2014 interview at PP.

www.rollingstone.com/musi...y-20160502

cathys said:

According to a Billboard article published at the time, Prince contacted Ebony and asked them to take the interview down: https://www.billboard.com...-interview The full interview still isn’t on the Ebony site but you can read it here: https://m.facebook.com/no...788385046/ And to answer the original question, I think this early interview (just after the release of 1999) is one of the most revealing and honest Prince has ever done: https://sites.google.com/...ember-1983

jesus, that RS interview I haven't seen in either a long long time or ever. he doesn't seem to be that honest to me but i don't know. I was always skeptical of him and MJ, so much of what they did was to hide themselves. who knows. his statement that he was hanging out with pimps and hos and preachers daughters i would have chalked up to him being misleading but some of the statements, there was some lady on a panel of Prince experts who said that Prince had thanked a relative of hers on his second album and she said something about him being a street hustler so maybe.

[Edited 12/13/17 6:34am]

The ebony interview is a bit incoherent to me ..i wonder if this was one reason he wanted it removed....meds?

80tomato said:

The ebony interview is a bit incoherent to me ..i wonder if this was one reason he wanted it removed....meds?

someone else said that, what makes you say that? I didn't get that, i took it as he was talking publicly about things he never talked publicly about and he regretted it.

80tomato said: