Who do you think had more class? Morris or Prince?

And by class I mean in the way they conduct themselves in public, interviews, etc.

No question: Prince. His "character" was a bit high brow and that of an aloof artist in a bid to relate to a wider audience. The Morris character was a slapstick pimp which played to his black audience.

mydrawers said:

Who do you think had more class? Morris or Prince?

And by class I mean in the way they conduct themselves in public, interviews, etc.

You should hear the parties The Time held compared to the ones Prince had. There are cartoon stories on youtube.

AZStreet said:

mydrawers said:

Who do you think had more class? Morris or Prince?

And by class I mean in the way they conduct themselves in public, interviews, etc.

You should hear the parties The Time held compared to the ones Prince had. There are cartoon stories on youtube.

That is a good reference point. I think those clips are amazing. Sounds like the Time parties were the "Wild and Loose" ones. I will say that Morris was more diplomatic at times, but yes Prince was seen as the classier in the way he conducted himself, if you take out his Dirty Mind costume and stage persona, and some of his wilder comments. I never saw the primary source for this quote but Prince was once meant to have asked a female interviewer "does you pubic hair go up to your naval?" While this does not sound like Prince and I am sceptical maybe someone could verify or denounce what I read in a Prince bio. The whole dirty mind persona was not class but shock rock, so head, sister and on controversy jack u off etc was not classy but anti-establishment stuff.

I think Morris has shown a kinder, more tactful personality, less egoistic. He could be a bit brash in early days though, likely exacerbated by cocaine use.

Prince, IMO, presented a very classy exterior but was less gracious behind the scenes.

PeggyO said:

I think Morris has shown a kinder, more tactful personality, less egoistic. He could be a bit brash in early days though, likely exacerbated by cocaine use.

Prince, IMO, presented a very classy exterior but was less gracious behind the scenes.

interesting observation. opposite outside/inside personas make sense

Morris was playing a character, and might have believed he was the character at some point, but all the interviews from (women especially) describe Morris and Jerome as being sweet and protective and they're well loved. Part of the Morris Day character is supposed to be a man who thinks he's classy, in homage to someone trying to be both gentleman and pimp. Prince by all accounts could be cold, and during his provocative years, he could be aggressive and crass to test people or see reactions. There's nothing classy about throwing panties into an audience, making tv audiences think your ass is exposed, bandmates simulating oral sex on your guitar, pretending your guitar shoots semen, simulate 5 minutes of masturbation on stage in the middle of a song breakdown, wear clothes that show the outline of your penis... but again, these were conscious decissions out of artistry and commentary on the culture, as opposed to say, not giving people writing credits, or using your fame to take ownership of a former collaborators song title, etc. Prince had that split personality though...it's like the reaction to Paisley Park decor, and shock that, it wasn't that classy, but then we know he had beautiful classy homes too. The stories make it sound like fame got to both of them at some point, but if you encountered them in the last 10 years, you would say they were all class.

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[Edited 12/20/19 11:18am]

[Edited 12/20/19 11:20am]

lavendardrummachine said:

Morris was playing a character, and might have believed he was the character at some point, but all the interviews from (women especially) describe Morris and Jerome as being sweet and protective and they're well loved. Part of the Morris Day character is supposed to be a man who thinks he's classy, in homage to someone trying to be both gentleman and pimp. Prince by all accounts could be cold, and during his provocative years, he could be aggressive and crass to test people or see reactions. There's nothing classy about throwing panties into an audience, making tv audiences think your ass is exposed, bandmates simulating oral sex on your guitar, pretending your guitar shoots semen, simulate 5 minutes of masturbation on stage in the middle of a song breakdown, wear clothes that show the outline of your penis... but again, these were conscious decissions out of artistry and commentary on the culture, as opposed to say, not giving people writing credits, or using your fame to take ownership of a former collaborators song title, etc. Prince had that split personality though...it's like the reaction to Paisley Park decor, and shock that, it wasn't that classy, but then we know he had beautiful classy homes too. The stories make it sound like fame got to both of them at some point, but if you encountered them in the last 10 years, you would say they were all class.

[Edited 12/20/19 11:17am]

[Edited 12/20/19 11:18am]

[Edited 12/20/19 11:20am]

Interesting points. Prince was under alot more pressure and had more responsibility as a young man than Morris though I do think he had a ruthless streak.

I also think Prince 'needed' fame more than any of his childhood friends.

I like what you say about the last 10 years.