Mumio said:

violetcrush said:

Here is the link to the interview with Prince's childhood friend Terrance (Terry) Jackson, if you haven't yet listened to it. Great stories by Terry!!

*

https://www.youtube.com/w...NaG6xIZDEA

*

Don't know why I can't paste with hyperlink....oh well, you'll have to copy and paste into YT...

Fixed it...and thank you.

Thanks Mumio. I do not get the option to "paste as hyperlink" with my PC. Also, when I highlight and right-cilick after pasting I don't get the option to convert it. Not sure why....

ABro said:

Bland said Prince had to keep people at arm's length to remain intact. One of the most honest and key things anyone who knew him has ever said IMO. I don't see that quote repeated like I do the others that are cherry picked.

Michael Bland seemed like a very articulate and insightful guy. What do you think he meant by 'intact'

ABro said:

Bland said Prince had to keep people at arm's length to remain intact. One of the most honest and key things anyone who knew him has ever said IMO. I don't see that quote repeated like I do the others that are cherry picked.

Completely believe that and agree with the rest of what you said here

[Edited 10/2/18 10:23am]

peggyon said:

RJP1205 said:

peggyon said:

Michael Bland seemed like a very articulate and insightful guy. What do you think he meant by 'intact'

IMO he meant: Prince was a man with a plan from day 1; 17 years old. He knew what he wanted and how he wanted to do it. Fighting for artistic control at 17 is/was unheard of, but he did it. Nothing was going to stop what he wanted to achieve and where he intended to take his career. He had to keep people at bay to accomplish this. He was a one man show even when he allowed others in to assist...he always had control of his own destiny.

I also thought Michael meant psychologically intact.

Michael Bland, The Current, June 7, 2017 ~ "He was not the type of person that you could really - he was very personal. So you can only know him to a certain degree. And there's a lot of people that came out after his death saying, "Oh, me and Prince, we were great friends", and it's like, if you really knew Prince, you knew that was an impossibility for the most part. It's unfortunate that a person that works their entire life to be successful ends up being isolated and insulated by that success, because as you well know, the better you do in life, the more people you attract who come for various reasons.
So I never took his general distrust personally. I got it: everybody wants something from you when you're on that level. And you don't want to walk around saying no to everybody, but on a certain level you kind of have to, you know, to keep yourself intact, you have to leave something for you."

peggyon said:

violetcrush said:

benni said:

I do, in some instances, think it was an exaggeration about "loving fans more than family". Coming from a background of extensive abuse and neglect, I can state unequivocally that I LOVED my family. There were certain members that I maintained a close relationship with, others I wish I had, and yet others that I didn't trust enough to keep close to them, and loved them from afar. There is an interesting dichotomy with children that go through such traumas in their youth, and keep in mind that we don't know the extent of anything Prince went through, as he only alluded to certain things during one or two interviews, but children have a great capacity for forgiveness and love. We may hate what our parents, cousins, other relatives, etc are doing to us, but we find a way to separate that part of that person from the parent, cousin, relative. For me, there was a monster family member, and then there was the family member I loved, two sides to one stone.

Prince kept Tyka close towards the end, she even worked for him. Whether we view their relationship as loving or not, no matter the definition we put on that relationship, or how we view her (or others in his family), we cannot state how Prince felt about his family, truly. He once stated that he forgave people instantly. In the Rolling Stone interview: "I note that some people think what Brown did to Rihanna was unforgivable. He’s shocked. “Unforgivable?” he says. “Goodness. That’s when we go check the master, Christ. … Have you ever instantly forgiven somebody?” I shake my head. “It’s the best feeling in the world, and it totally dismantles that person’s whole stance.” <--- I know that feeling, of instantly forgiving someone, because as a child of trauma, it's something we learn to do. It's when we are older that it becomes more difficult as we look at the problems that trauma caused our lives. But Prince seemed to be able to keep that part of himself. He even dedicated his Piano & Mc concerts to his dad. His mom was at the Celebrations back in 2000, and he even had security guards for her, and a place to sit reserved for her at night at PP.

So we can't speak, really, to how close Prince felt to his family, what he thought of them, felt about them, because we only have conjecture, as does whoever stated that Prince felt closer to his fans than he did his family. Speaking as a suvivor of trauma, I loved (and still do) my family tremendously, even though they hurt me deeply. And it's because I loved them so much that they were able to hurt me so much.

It has really come out, especially since his passing, that Prince had quite a normal childhood, in a typical African American neighborhood where people, especially Mothers, looked out for their family and other kids. It is now known that Prince moved out of his Mother's house - not because of any major abuse - but because his Stepfather was strict and didn't want him having his friends over and playing music in the house. Prince moved out in order to be with his friends and to practice playing. Terry Jackson, Prince's childhodd friend, stated in a recent interview that Andre's Mother "adopted" many of the kids in the neighborhood and treated them as her own. He also confirmed that she and Prince's Mother were very close friends, and they had discussed Prince living with her. She knew Prince was safe there. I very much enjoyed hearing some of Terry Jackson's stories about the typical childhood stunts they would pull and funny situations they would find themselves in - all very normal "70's" coming of age stuff.

*

All that being said, it seems that Prince still felt abandoned by his Mother - possibly feeling that she favored her husband over him, and should have supported him more in his conflicts with his Stepfather. Prince has stated in interviews that his Mother did not want him to be a musician, probably because she saw his Father struggle with trying to make it. I'm sure Prince was hurt by that, however, he clearly enjoyed sharing his success with her. I read that when she attended his PR concert he had placed a note on her seat that said, "this one's for U", which is very touching. I think much of Prince's relationship problems - with family, friends, girlfriends, etc - were more about his own inner conflicts with control and trust than anything else.

*

I think the stories of Prince's "abuse and struggles" during childhood were media driven, and espeically fueled by the Purple Rain movie and the mystery that he created afterward.

[Edited 10/2/18 6:18am]

i believe the above as well esp the bolded. i don't think he ever went unloved by his family

or suffered abuse that was outside the boundary of strict parentage.

violetcrush said:

Lovejunky said:

All the Siblings sued him becasue he had Power of attorney over his Johns estate.

Prince "removed"Tyka and put her into rehab at the time..Maybe he protected her..

Not sure what the outcome of the Estate issue was

I think Prince trusted no one, including family, once he reached his pinnical of fame with Purple Rain. He felt that friends, family, and associates would want a share of his success, or want something from him, whether deserving of it or not, and it seems they did in many cases. There have been many statements about Prince becoming closed off and distant from everyone once he got to the top.

which one sued him for u got the look? It was either lorna or tyka wasn't it?

PeteSilas said:

violetcrush said:

I think Prince trusted no one, including family, once he reached his pinnical of fame with Purple Rain. He felt that friends, family, and associates would want a share of his success, or want something from him, whether deserving of it or not, and it seems they did in many cases. There have been many statements about Prince becoming closed off and distant from everyone once he got to the top.

which one sued him for u got the look? It was either lorna or tyka wasn't it?

Lorna

purplefam99 said:

violetcrush said:

It has really come out, especially since his passing, that Prince had quite a normal childhood, in a typical African American neighborhood where people, especially Mothers, looked out for their family and other kids. It is now known that Prince moved out of his Mother's house - not because of any major abuse - but because his Stepfather was strict and didn't want him having his friends over and playing music in the house. Prince moved out in order to be with his friends and to practice playing. Terry Jackson, Prince's childhodd friend, stated in a recent interview that Andre's Mother "adopted" many of the kids in the neighborhood and treated them as her own. He also confirmed that she and Prince's Mother were very close friends, and they had discussed Prince living with her. She knew Prince was safe there. I very much enjoyed hearing some of Terry Jackson's stories about the typical childhood stunts they would pull and funny situations they would find themselves in - all very normal "70's" coming of age stuff.

*

All that being said, it seems that Prince still felt abandoned by his Mother - possibly feeling that she favored her husband over him, and should have supported him more in his conflicts with his Stepfather. Prince has stated in interviews that his Mother did not want him to be a musician, probably because she saw his Father struggle with trying to make it. I'm sure Prince was hurt by that, however, he clearly enjoyed sharing his success with her. I read that when she attended his PR concert he had placed a note on her seat that said, "this one's for U", which is very touching. I think much of Prince's relationship problems - with family, friends, girlfriends, etc - were more about his own inner conflicts with control and trust than anything else.

*

I think the stories of Prince's "abuse and struggles" during childhood were media driven, and espeically fueled by the Purple Rain movie and the mystery that he created afterward.

[Edited 10/2/18 6:18am]

i believe the above as well esp the bolded. i don't think he ever went unloved by his family

or suffered abuse that was outside the boundary of strict parentage.

I do. I think being locked in small closet for hours on end is abuse. Prince moved in with his Dad, and then his Dad kicked him out. Prince didn't move out of the house so he was able to play music.

Prince's abuse was fueled by the media? What media, he was 12...

Prince & Tyka both ran away, Tyka said, nobody even noticed them gone.

I've often wondered if Omarr suffered abuse from his dad or was it just Prince & Tyka.

ABro said:

Michael Bland, The Current, June 7, 2017 ~ "He was not the type of person that you could really - he was very personal. So you can only know him to a certain degree. And there's a lot of people that came out after his death saying, "Oh, me and Prince, we were great friends", and it's like, if you really knew Prince, you knew that was an impossibility for the most part. It's unfortunate that a person that works their entire life to be successful ends up being isolated and insulated by that success, because as you well know, the better you do in life, the more people you attract who come for various reasons.
So I never took his general distrust personally. I got it: everybody wants something from you when you're on that level. And you don't want to walk around saying no to everybody, but on a certain level you kind of have to, you know, to keep yourself intact, you have to leave something for you."

ABro; thanks for the explanation, appreciate it.

Listened to lenghthy interview of Scottie Baldwin (sound engineer) by Michael Dean (Prince Podcast)

2017. Very insightful and highly recommend. (Scottie is hilarious with his imitations of Seal, Maxwell and Prince)

Closer to the end of the interview he quoted Prince as saying, "I don't have any old friends"

Also, he said that when Prince was finished with a' conversation 'with Scottie, he would say "thanks'" and turn his back.

Scottie did abandon, mid-stream, the Piano and Microphone tour...difficulties w/Prince.

When he returned home, Prince's camp had left numerous emails/calls

PennyPurple said:

PennyPurple said:

purplefam99 said:

i believe the above as well esp the bolded. i don't think he ever went unloved by his family

or suffered abuse that was outside the boundary of strict parentage.

I do. I think being locked in small closet for hours on end is abuse. Prince moved in with his Dad, and then his Dad kicked him out. Prince didn't move out of the house so he was able to play music.

Prince's abuse was fueled by the media? What media, he was 12...

Prince & Tyka both ran away, Tyka said, nobody even noticed them gone.

I've often wondered if Omarr suffered abuse from his dad or was it just Prince & Tyka.

Prince was never "lcoked in a closet for hours". In his song Papa the lyrics express a young boy being slapped and locked in the closet as punishment for throwing rocks outside. This would have been his biological Father at that time. Many men during that time were very harsh disciplinarians, as Prince stated hinself during his interview with Larry King in 1999. Prince then acknowledged that it taught him right from wrong. There is another story that Prince told journalist John Bream, which is that his Stepfather made him stay in his room for most of the Summer. He did not give details on this, however, it may have been why he moved out of the house. We also don't know what Prince may have done to fuel that situation. He has stated in past interviews that he gave his Stepfather a hard time, because he wanted to show love with material things instead of his time.

*

Prince's Father kicked him out, because he broke the rules, and was caught in bed with a girl. Would most Fathers have allowed their Son to come back? Probably, but again, we don't know the details of the story, or anything else that may have transpired between them. We also, as far as I know, don't know the details of why Tyka ran away from home. We do know that she got into drugs - she has discussed this in interviews. Many teens went down that road back then.

*

No question that Prince's parents were older, and didn't devote a lot of time with them with regard to nurturing or quality parent-child time. However, both had to work to support the family. I suggest you listen to Terry Jackson's interview if you haven't already.

*

And yes, the media's "guessing game" about the Purple Rain story and whether it was fully autobiographical was constent after the film was released. It just became assumed that Prince's childhood was exactly as what was depicted in the film.

PennyPurple said:

purplefam99 said:

i believe the above as well esp the bolded. i don't think he ever went unloved by his family

or suffered abuse that was outside the boundary of strict parentage.

I do. I think being locked in small closet for hours on end is abuse. Prince moved in with his Dad, and then his Dad kicked him out. Prince didn't move out of the house so he was able to play music.

Prince's abuse was fueled by the media? What media, he was 12...

Prince & Tyka both ran away, Tyka said, nobody even noticed them gone.

I've often wondered if Omarr suffered abuse from his dad or was it just Prince & Tyka.

Yeah, I listened to the interview with Terry Jackson. He was kinda all over the place at times, forgot which story he was telling half the time and bit self-promoting. Don't think he grasped the "whole picture" re: the nuances of Prince's childhood.

[Edited 10/2/18 12:00pm]

I wonder if scottie will ever enumerate why he left any better, i've gotten different impression, he's said it wasn't any big deal that he would leave him and come back later but then someone on here quoted him saying "it went sideways" I wonder if the drugs/pain were making Prince unbearable which it sounds like the case with a few of the other people like Zehetner who left him.

peggyon said:

ABro said:

Michael Bland, The Current, June 7, 2017 ~ "He was not the type of person that you could really - he was very personal. So you can only know him to a certain degree. And there's a lot of people that came out after his death saying, "Oh, me and Prince, we were great friends", and it's like, if you really knew Prince, you knew that was an impossibility for the most part. It's unfortunate that a person that works their entire life to be successful ends up being isolated and insulated by that success, because as you well know, the better you do in life, the more people you attract who come for various reasons.
So I never took his general distrust personally. I got it: everybody wants something from you when you're on that level. And you don't want to walk around saying no to everybody, but on a certain level you kind of have to, you know, to keep yourself intact, you have to leave something for you."

ABro; thanks for the explanation, appreciate it.

Listened to lenghthy interview of Scottie Baldwin (sound engineer) by Michael Dean (Prince Podcast)

2017. Very insightful and highly recommend. (Scottie is hilarious with his imitations of Seal, Maxwell and Prince)

Closer to the end of the interview he quoted Prince as saying, "I don't have any old friends"

Also, he said that when Prince was finished with a' conversation 'with Scottie, he would say "thanks'" and turn his back.

Scottie did abandon, mid-stream, the Piano and Microphone tour...difficulties w/Prince.

When he returned home, Prince's camp had left numerous emails/calls

PennyPurple said:

purplefam99 said:

i believe the above as well esp the bolded. i don't think he ever went unloved by his family

or suffered abuse that was outside the boundary of strict parentage.

I do. I think being locked in small closet for hours on end is abuse. Prince moved in with his Dad, and then his Dad kicked him out. Prince didn't move out of the house so he was able to play music.

Prince's abuse was fueled by the media? What media, he was 12...

Prince & Tyka both ran away, Tyka said, nobody even noticed them gone.

I've often wondered if Omarr suffered abuse from his dad or was it just Prince & Tyka.

penny i know and we won't ever know for sure. but when i heard chazz tell his story

and andre's interview. i don't get the sense that he was unloved, it get the sense they

were like look dude these are the rules follow them or you can leave, he called their bluff and did.

did these events render him scarless , i doubt it, but they were his choices. And where he ran

away too amounted to a couple streets over and around the block. he wasn't miles away. i think

it affected him to not have the traditional set up of a family, but that was not a unique experience

in his neighborhood. he was in good enough hands if he didn't want to follow house rules.

locked in a closet after he disobeyed, i am not inclined to feel sorry for him or told to pick dandelions.

he didn't correct the media when he became known he allowed that to be part of the myth, lore, legend, mystery. i don't count running away to a close friends house as running away to something

completely unknown. i call that "leaving home to go to live with a friend". i am sure if his mother

favored her new husband that hurt, but again not unique. but i could be totally off, but these

are my take-aways and my feelings.

i don't think putting him in a closet was kind or the type of parenting technique that should be employed, but i think it was typical of the time especially if you knew you broke the rules.

like going to cut your own switch off the tree.

[Edited 10/2/18 12:10pm]

[Edited 10/2/18 12:11pm]

I'm not talking about what he put in songs. He most definately was locked in a closet for hours as punishment, he was also made to dig up the dandelions in the entire yard as punishment too. And this was by his step father.

And when we are young don't we all break the rules? His father kicked him out knowing he had nowhere to go, knowing his son had no place to live. Prince even called his father from a phone booth crying and begging to come back, and his father said no.

His father abandoned his older kids and abandoned Prince and Tyka. His father couldn't even get it right the 2nd time around.

Let's not make excuses for abusers.

violetcrush said:

PennyPurple said:

I do. I think being locked in small closet for hours on end is abuse. Prince moved in with his Dad, and then his Dad kicked him out. Prince didn't move out of the house so he was able to play music.

Prince's abuse was fueled by the media? What media, he was 12...

Prince & Tyka both ran away, Tyka said, nobody even noticed them gone.

I've often wondered if Omarr suffered abuse from his dad or was it just Prince & Tyka.

Prince was never "lcoked in a closet for hours". In his song Papa the lyrics express a young boy being slapped and locked in the closet as punishment for throwing rocks outside. This would have been his biological Father at that time. Many men during that time were very harsh disciplinarians, as Prince stated hinself during his interview with Larry King in 1999. Prince then acknowledged that it taught him right from wrong. There is another story that Prince told journalist John Bream, which is that his Stepfather made him stay in his room for most of the Summer. He did not give details on this, however, it may have been why he moved out of the house. We also don't know what Prince may have done to fuel that situation. He has stated in past interviews that he gave his Stepfather a hard time, because he wanted to show love with material things instead of his time.

*

Prince's Father kicked him out, because he broke the rules, and was caught in bed with a girl. Would most Fathers have allowed their Son to come back? Probably, but again, we don't know the details of the story, or anything else that may have transpired between them. We also, as far as I know, don't know the details of why Tyka ran away from home. We do know that she got into drugs - she has discussed this in interviews. Many teens went down that road back then.

*

No question that Prince's parents were older, and didn't devote a lot of time with them with regard to nurturing or quality parent-child time. However, both had to work to support the family. I suggest you listen to Terry Jackson's interview if you haven't already.

*

And yes, the media's "guessing game" about the Purple Rain story and whether it was fully autobiographical was constent after the film was released. It just became assumed that Prince's childhood was exactly as what was depicted in the film.

PeteSilas said:

I wonder if scottie will ever enumerate why he left any better, i've gotten different impression, he's said it wasn't any big deal that he would leave him and come back later but then someone on here quoted him saying "it went sideways" I wonder if the drugs/pain were making Prince unbearable which it sounds like the case with a few of the other people like Zehetner who left him.

peggyon said:

ABro; thanks for the explanation, appreciate it.

Listened to lenghthy interview of Scottie Baldwin (sound engineer) by Michael Dean (Prince Podcast)

2017. Very insightful and highly recommend. (Scottie is hilarious with his imitations of Seal, Maxwell and Prince)

Closer to the end of the interview he quoted Prince as saying, "I don't have any old friends"

Also, he said that when Prince was finished with a' conversation 'with Scottie, he would say "thanks'" and turn his back.

Scottie did abandon, mid-stream, the Piano and Microphone tour...difficulties w/Prince.

When he returned home, Prince's camp had left numerous emails/calls

Scottie was careful with his words but implied Prince was being unreasonable. He said he did not wish to be reached by Prince and his team after he left. Sounded pissed.

I think the difference this time was that he left in the middle of the tour.

purplefam99 said:

PennyPurple said:

I do. I think being locked in small closet for hours on end is abuse. Prince moved in with his Dad, and then his Dad kicked him out. Prince didn't move out of the house so he was able to play music.

Prince's abuse was fueled by the media? What media, he was 12...

Prince & Tyka both ran away, Tyka said, nobody even noticed them gone.

I've often wondered if Omarr suffered abuse from his dad or was it just Prince & Tyka.

penny i know and we won't ever know for sure. but when i heard chazz tell his story

and andre's interview. i don't get the sense that he was unloved, it get the sense they

were like look dude these are the rules follow them or you can leave, he called their bluff and did.

did these events render him scarless , i doubt it, but they were his choices. And where he ran

away too amounted to a couple streets over and around the block. he wasn't miles away. i think

it affected him to not have the traditional set up of a family, but that was not a unique experience

in his neighborhood. he was in good enough hands if he didn't want to follow house rules.

locked in a closet after he disobeyed, i am not inclined to feel sorry for him or told to pick dandelions.

he didn't correct the media when he became known he allowed that to be part of the myth, lore, legend, mystery. i don't count running away to a close friends house as running away to something

completely unknown. i call that "leaving home to go to live with a friend". i am sure if his mother

favored her new husband that hurt, but again not unique. but i could be totally off, but these

are my take-aways and my feelings.

i don't think putting him in a closet was kind or the type of parenting technique that should be employed, but i think it was typical of the time especially if you knew you broke the rules.

like going to cut your own switch off the tree.

[Edited 10/2/18 12:10pm]

[Edited 10/2/18 12:11pm]

Purplefam99 - yes, it has been stated by several of his childhood friends, and now recently Terry Jackson, another close childhood friend, that he was loved, and was never physically abused. I would guess that many of his peers were beaten as punishment, since this was more typical back then. During Terry's interview, he discusses why Chazz stopped showing up to their band rehearsals. In Biographies, it was stated that he was more focused on playing football. However, Terry, without going into detail, stated that his Father was raising him alone and their were issues there. He alluded to the fact that Chazz was abused by his Dad.

*

The fact that Prince was not physically abused does not mean that he did not feel abandoned by his parents - and especially his Mother. Again, based on the stories it is clear that they were absent quite a bit, and not the most nurturing parents. His parents divorced when he was 10, and his Mother re-married very soon after the split. I'm sure prior to that point there it was a tense and difficult situation within the home. Add to that not having a connection or positive relationship with his Stepfather, and the emotional impact on him is understandable.

peggyon said:

PeteSilas said:

I wonder if scottie will ever enumerate why he left any better, i've gotten different impression, he's said it wasn't any big deal that he would leave him and come back later but then someone on here quoted him saying "it went sideways" I wonder if the drugs/pain were making Prince unbearable which it sounds like the case with a few of the other people like Zehetner who left him.

Scottie was careful with his words but implied Prince was being unreasonable. He said he did not wish to be reached by Prince and his team after he left. Sounded pissed.

I think the difference this time was that he left in the middle of the tour.

that's what i don't get, it sounded a little inconsistent with what he said on, was it the purple podcast? he said it was no big deal and he'd left before and it was always a case where the door was still open. Prince being unreasonable was nothing unusual, so i just wonder if it was normal Prince or new shit involving the drugs/pain.

PennyPurple said:

I'm not talking about what he put in songs. He most definately was locked in a closet for hours as punishment, he was also made to dig up the dandelions in the entire yard as punishment too. And this was by his step father.

And when we are young don't we all break the rules? His father kicked him out knowing he had nowhere to go, knowing his son had no place to live. Prince even called his father from a phone booth crying and begging to come back, and his father said no.

His father abandoned his older kids and abandoned Prince and Tyka. His father couldn't even get it right the 2nd time around.

Let's not make excuses for abusers.

violetcrush said:

Prince was never "lcoked in a closet for hours". In his song Papa the lyrics express a young boy being slapped and locked in the closet as punishment for throwing rocks outside. This would have been his biological Father at that time. Many men during that time were very harsh disciplinarians, as Prince stated hinself during his interview with Larry King in 1999. Prince then acknowledged that it taught him right from wrong. There is another story that Prince told journalist John Bream, which is that his Stepfather made him stay in his room for most of the Summer. He did not give details on this, however, it may have been why he moved out of the house. We also don't know what Prince may have done to fuel that situation. He has stated in past interviews that he gave his Stepfather a hard time, because he wanted to show love with material things instead of his time.

*

Prince's Father kicked him out, because he broke the rules, and was caught in bed with a girl. Would most Fathers have allowed their Son to come back? Probably, but again, we don't know the details of the story, or anything else that may have transpired between them. We also, as far as I know, don't know the details of why Tyka ran away from home. We do know that she got into drugs - she has discussed this in interviews. Many teens went down that road back then.

*

No question that Prince's parents were older, and didn't devote a lot of time with them with regard to nurturing or quality parent-child time. However, both had to work to support the family. I suggest you listen to Terry Jackson's interview if you haven't already.

*

And yes, the media's "guessing game" about the Purple Rain story and whether it was fully autobiographical was constent after the film was released. It just became assumed that Prince's childhood was exactly as what was depicted in the film.

Prince's father was older, his mother had him when she was 24/25.

My sense was she was 'unavailable' to him after the divorce from John as she had to work several jobs. Then, it sounds like she "chose" her 2nd husband's needs over Prince's needs. (At least Prince seemed to feel that way).

Prince's father, John, seemed to favor his career over his children.

Prince/Tyka must not have felt they were a priority for either of them; either they were fighting or working too much or remarried and re-focused etc.

PennyPurple said:

I'm not talking about what he put in songs. He most definately was locked in a closet for hours as punishment, he was also made to dig up the dandelions in the entire yard as punishment too. And this was by his step father.

And when we are young don't we all break the rules? His father kicked him out knowing he had nowhere to go, knowing his son had no place to live. Prince even called his father from a phone booth crying and begging to come back, and his father said no.

His father abandoned his older kids and abandoned Prince and Tyka. His father couldn't even get it right the 2nd time around.

Let's not make excuses for abusers.

violetcrush said:

Prince was never "lcoked in a closet for hours". In his song Papa the lyrics express a young boy being slapped and locked in the closet as punishment for throwing rocks outside. This would have been his biological Father at that time. Many men during that time were very harsh disciplinarians, as Prince stated hinself during his interview with Larry King in 1999. Prince then acknowledged that it taught him right from wrong. There is another story that Prince told journalist John Bream, which is that his Stepfather made him stay in his room for most of the Summer. He did not give details on this, however, it may have been why he moved out of the house. We also don't know what Prince may have done to fuel that situation. He has stated in past interviews that he gave his Stepfather a hard time, because he wanted to show love with material things instead of his time.

*

Prince's Father kicked him out, because he broke the rules, and was caught in bed with a girl. Would most Fathers have allowed their Son to come back? Probably, but again, we don't know the details of the story, or anything else that may have transpired between them. We also, as far as I know, don't know the details of why Tyka ran away from home. We do know that she got into drugs - she has discussed this in interviews. Many teens went down that road back then.

*

No question that Prince's parents were older, and didn't devote a lot of time with them with regard to nurturing or quality parent-child time. However, both had to work to support the family. I suggest you listen to Terry Jackson's interview if you haven't already.

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And yes, the media's "guessing game" about the Purple Rain story and whether it was fully autobiographical was constent after the film was released. It just became assumed that Prince's childhood was exactly as what was depicted in the film.

No question that his Father would not win any parenting awards - quite the contrary, and there is no doubt that his refusing to allow Prince back into his home left an impact on him. But again, Prince was never "kicked out" of his Mother's home - he just didn't like his Stepfather, and he didn't want to be there. He could have gone back there to live. They did not support his love of music or him wanting to be a musician. As Terry stated in his interview, he was not permitted to have his friends over, nor was he allowed to play his instruments in the home. When you're 12 yrs old, and that's all you want to do, you find a way to make it happen.

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Yes, his Father seemed as though he was difficult and he was certainly quirky, but by all accounts, so was Prince. There is a reason for the saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". It has been stated by many who knew Prince that he was very much like his Father in many ways, and he had a great respect for him - regardless of the ups and downs through the years. No question that Prince would have benefited by having a more nurturing Father who devoted more time to him, but it's also possible that his circumstances played a part in what made him so driven to succeed as an artist.

PeteSilas said:

peggyon said:

Scottie was careful with his words but implied Prince was being unreasonable. He said he did not wish to be reached by Prince and his team after he left. Sounded pissed.

I think the difference this time was that he left in the middle of the tour.

that's what i don't get, it sounded a little inconsistent with what he said on, was it the purple podcast? he said it was no big deal and he'd left before and it was always a case where the door was still open. Prince being unreasonable was nothing unusual, so i just wonder if it was normal Prince or new shit involving the drugs/pain.

Don't know. Sounded like newer/worse shit. He left during the tour. Did not wish to be cajoled back. Would not take P's calls

PeteSilas said:

peggyon said:

PennyPurple said:

I'm not talking about what he put in songs. He most definately was locked in a closet for hours as punishment, he was also made to dig up the dandelions in the entire yard as punishment too. And this was by his step father.

And when we are young don't we all break the rules? His father kicked him out knowing he had nowhere to go, knowing his son had no place to live. Prince even called his father from a phone booth crying and begging to come back, and his father said no.

His father abandoned his older kids and abandoned Prince and Tyka. His father couldn't even get it right the 2nd time around.

Let's not make excuses for abusers.

Prince's father was older, his mother had him when she was 24/25.

My sense was she was 'unavailable' to him after the divorce from John as she had to work several jobs. Then, it sounds like she "chose" her 2nd husband's needs over Prince's needs. (At least Prince seemed to feel that way).

Prince's father, John, seemed to favor his career over his children.

Prince/Tyka must not have felt they were a priority for either of them; either they were fighting or working too much or remarried and re-focused etc.

Yes, these are my thoughts as well. I read in one of the Biographies that Prince had said he felt that he and his Sister were "mistakes". There is no question that he did not feel fully loved or wanted by his parents when he was younger. But, back then many kids spent a good portion of time by themselves, because both parents had to work - and usually long hours. There was a lot of time for them to get into trouble.

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Andre's Mom looked out for Prince, and Prince's Mother knew he would be safe with her. When Toure mentioned to Susannah that it is not normal for a 12yr old to be living in his friend's basement, she said, "yes, but Prince belonged there. He was safe there. He had a family with Andre and he knew that is where he belonged.

peggyon said:

PeteSilas said:

that's what i don't get, it sounded a little inconsistent with what he said on, was it the purple podcast? he said it was no big deal and he'd left before and it was always a case where the door was still open. Prince being unreasonable was nothing unusual, so i just wonder if it was normal Prince or new shit involving the drugs/pain.

Don't know. Sounded like newer/worse shit. He left during the tour. Did not wish to be cajoled back. Would not take P's calls

ok, so he wasn't telling the whole truth on that podcast, for whatever reason.

peggyon said:

PennyPurple said:

I do. I think being locked in small closet for hours on end is abuse. Prince moved in with his Dad, and then his Dad kicked him out. Prince didn't move out of the house so he was able to play music.

Prince's abuse was fueled by the media? What media, he was 12...

Prince & Tyka both ran away, Tyka said, nobody even noticed them gone.

I've often wondered if Omarr suffered abuse from his dad or was it just Prince & Tyka.

Yeah, I listened to the interview with Terry Jackson. He was kinda all over the place at times, forgot which story he was telling half the time and bit self-promoting. Don't think he grasped the "whole picture" re: the nuances of Prince's childhood.

[Edited 10/2/18 12:00pm]

Yes, he was a little bit scattered, but remember he's much older now, and trying to verbally detail events that happened 50 yrs ago within a small window of time. Gotta cut the brotha a little slack for that

Let's not forget his mother's 1st child, that she left with that father in Kansas City.

violetcrush said:

peggyon said:

Prince's father was older, his mother had him when she was 24/25.

My sense was she was 'unavailable' to him after the divorce from John as she had to work several jobs. Then, it sounds like she "chose" her 2nd husband's needs over Prince's needs. (At least Prince seemed to feel that way).

Prince's father, John, seemed to favor his career over his children.

Prince/Tyka must not have felt they were a priority for either of them; either they were fighting or working too much or remarried and re-focused etc.

Yes, these are my thoughts as well. I read in one of the Biographies that Prince had said he felt that he and his Sister were "mistakes". There is no question that he did not feel fully loved or wanted by his parents when he was younger. But, back then many kids spent a good portion of time by themselves, because both parents had to work - and usually long hours. There was a lot of time for them to get into trouble.

*

Andre's Mom looked out for Prince, and Prince's Mother knew he would be safe with her. When Toure mentioned to Susannah that it is not normal for a 12yr old to be living in his friend's basement, she said, "yes, but Prince belonged there. He was safe there. He had a family with Andre and he knew that is where he belonged.