clay said:

I also remember reading he showed up at First Ave with his hair short, slicked back and dyed orange. I always wondered if it was during this time?

Perhaps he decided, or corporate pressured him, to abandon an 'extreme' image change (by oh-so-innocent mid-1980s standards), even though it was meant to be only for the moment?

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And the 'bad reaction' story is the fiction?

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It seems like he was going for some kind of Boy George 'Waking Up with the House on Fire' shock value type of thing, but the end result was lame.

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It's beginning to sound suspiciously like a precursor to 1987's reasons for shelving TBA. Was this a common brand management approach with Leeds/WB?

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The dye job would have been in the Spring of 1985, unrelated to whether he wore a wig or extensions during any pick-up/reshoots for PR in early 1984.

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(which, if true, is probably due to not having round-the-clock hairdressers/makeup on the scale of the movie production shoot in November 1983, in this odd little timeslice between 1999/PR as a 'cult film' and superstardom).

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[Edited 8/2/20 8:11am]

I dont think him wearing a wig in the PR re shoots had anything to do with him dyeing his hair blonde. I dont think he dyed his hair yet I think the wig was for continuity. he propbably didn't dye his hair until 85.

I believe it was Steve Parke who made that comment? He wasn't in the camp at the time and retelling something. If this is what you're talking about.

The hair dye happened sometime before the Raspberry Beret photo shoot

Prince's leading protege centers were Sheila E and St Paul for the coming era and they obviously were going to be reflecting what Prince was doing.

It must have been after the ATWIAD listening event

I don't think it's that confusing. And just FYI we are talking about two wigs here, not one.

PR reshoots still happened in 1984 probably. He didn't necessarily have to go blond, but he could have had some sort of haircut that wasn't like the film so a wig was needed for continuity. Remember, he had those TV appearances and the tour thru April 1985 so his hair ultimately didn't change that much besides a trim. He knew he couldn't cut and bleach his hair after the movie because of promotional stuff (tours, pictures, press, etc).

I think it was after that when he went short and blond, and hated it. That timeline makes more sense. As to the hair in "Raspberry Beret," I can't quite tell if it's a wig or his hair. But even Jones saying, "that's all I could do with it" could easily be referring to the wig itself, not Prince's actual hair. As a stylist, I'd say the same thing, "this is all I can do with it." "IT" being the hair in general, whether it's coming out of his head or a lace front. I always thought RB was his hair, tinted back to black. It's pretty shiny and rich in color, which either indicates a wig or a fresh color application. Certain things about it (looking at it as I type) makes me think it could be his hair.

TIS A MYSTERY!

TrivialPursuit said:

I don't think it's that confusing. And just FYI we are talking about two wigs here, not one.

PR reshoots still happened in 1984 probably. He didn't necessarily have to go blond, but he could have had some sort of haircut that wasn't like the film so a wig was needed for continuity. Remember, he had those TV appearances and the tour thru April 1985 so his hair ultimately didn't change that much besides a trim. He knew he couldn't cut and bleach his hair after the movie because of promotional stuff (tours, pictures, press, etc).

I think it was after that when he went short and blond, and hated it. That timeline makes more sense. As to the hair in "Raspberry Beret," I can't quite tell if it's a wig or his hair. But even Jones saying, "that's all I could do with it" could easily be referring to the wig itself, not Prince's actual hair. As a stylist, I'd say the same thing, "this is all I can do with it." "IT" being the hair in general, whether it's coming out of his head or a lace front. I always thought RB was his hair, tinted back to black. It's pretty shiny and rich in color, which either indicates a wig or a fresh color application. Certain things about it (looking at it as I type) makes me think it could be his hair.

TIS A MYSTERY!

I agree. And I've posted something similar in some of the Prince-related FB pages.

As for wearing a wig some of the Purple Rain movie scenes, I don't think he drastically changed his hair during the shooting of Purple Rain; but he probably had it trimmed, keeping it in the same style but noticeably shorter than when the previous scenes were shot. Hence the need for a wig

From what I read, he cut off and bleached his hair after the final PR tour date in Miami. I don't think he's wearing a wig in the Raspberry Beret video though, since Prince has been quoted saying he HATED his hair in that video. If he were going to wear a wig for the video shoot to cover what was salvaged of his own cut and bleach job, he would have chosen a wig that he didn't hate. So it has to be his own hair in the RB video.

PicassoFace said:

I agree. And I've posted something similar in some of the Prince-related FB pages.

As for wearing a wig some of the Purple Rain movie scenes, I don't think he drastically changed his hair during the shooting of Purple Rain; but he probably had it trimmed, keeping it in the same style but noticeably shorter than when the previous scenes were shot. Hence the need for a wig

From what I read, he cut off and bleached his hair after the final PR tour date in Miami. I don't think he's wearing a wig in the Raspberry Beret video though, since Prince has been quoted saying he HATED his hair in that video. If he were going to wear a wig for the video shoot to cover what was salvaged of his own cut and bleach job, he would have chosen a wig that he didn't hate. So it has to be his own hair in the RB video.

Good summation. I agree with it. It makes the most sense. It's the Occam's razor test here. Whatever the simplest answer, is probably the most reasonable and logical truth.

He probably didn't necessarily hate the PR wig either, until he saw it later on the big screen. I would tend to agree that it's likely his hair in RB.

So there, PicassoFace and I solved it. LOCK THE THREAD. WE'RE DONE HERE!

haha

Lost from this discussion is that for Black entertainers with longer hair, wearing wigs isn't always a reaction to a disaster. Keeping a wig in your arsenal wouldn't be abnormal or need a whole long story. It could be timing, or to change looks that would normally require a treatment.

still, the blond look wasn't his best.

(Image removed -OF4$) off topic

clay said:

I've always been confused about the timeline and what's fact and fiction. He dyes his hair blonde, it reacts poorly, bits fall off, he dyes it back. That's the gist. But then it's suggested that it also ties into the Raspberry Beret video and he's wearing a wig in that. How is that possible when Raspberry Beret was shot in June '85, a whole year after PR premieres? Did it take that long to repair/heal? Earl Jones said "The hairstyle in Raspberry Beret was literally all I could do with it." possibly suggesting that the blonde episode happened at that time. By most accounts, he had to do reshoots of Purple Rain with a wig. PR is then released on June 25, 1984. So was he wearing a wig throughout the Purple Rain premiere, American Music Awards (January' 85) where he's quoted as saying "look at that wig!" when rewatching it, the entire Purple Rain tour (ending in April '85)? Did it take almost a year, from PR reshoots to Raspberry Beret video (June '85 shoot date) to get Prince's hair somewhat normal? Or were the blonde reshoots and RB two entirely different incidents. Just confused.

The blonde hair happened afterward. That's why the ATWIAD cover had his hair blonde.

His hair started falling out, so the "RB" was him in a wig.

The PR "wig" was supposedly extensions and was a separate thing for reshoots before ATWIAD was being finalized.

mediumdry said:

still, the blond look wasn't his best.

(Image removed -OF4$) off topic

That's TTD

mediumdry said:

lavendardrummachine said:

Lost from this discussion is that for Black entertainers with longer hair, wearing wigs isn't always a reaction to a disaster. Keeping a wig in your arsenal wouldn't be abnormal or need a whole long story. It could be timing, or to change looks that would normally require a treatment.

But we are talking about Prince. Who isn't a woman and thought his career showed that he wouldn't keep wigs handy just in case.

TrcikyChristopher said:

mediumdry said:

still, the blond look wasn't his best.

(Image removed -OF4$) off topic

That's TTD

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The joke didn't land, clearly.

OldFriends4Sale said:

lavendardrummachine said:

Lost from this discussion is that for Black entertainers with longer hair, wearing wigs isn't always a reaction to a disaster. Keeping a wig in your arsenal wouldn't be abnormal or need a whole long story. It could be timing, or to change looks that would normally require a treatment.

But we are talking about Prince. Who isn't a woman and thought his career showed that he wouldn't keep wigs handy just in case.

I don't follow. Prince isn't a woman, but he wore heels, and eyeliner as a performer, so he wouldn't be caught up in the stigma of it.

I don't have good examples of Black men that wore wigs in the 70's and 80's other than James Brown, but it wasn't unheard of. I doubt anyone would really speak about this rumor of Prince and wigs if there was any real shame or cover up of a big hair disaster involved.

As for Prince's career and wigs...I mean, we're being told he wore one during this period, and as much as we can see thinning or natural hairlines, there are periods where it's certainly possible. The parted in the middle long straight hair for one. It's also not uncommon to have a wig that's pretty close to the same exact style of real hair.

[Edited 8/3/20 16:51pm]

TrivialPursuit said:

I don't think it's that confusing. And just FYI we are talking about two wigs here, not one.

PR reshoots still happened in 1984 probably. He didn't necessarily have to go blond, but he could have had some sort of haircut that wasn't like the film so a wig was needed for continuity. Remember, he had those TV appearances and the tour thru April 1985 so his hair ultimately didn't change that much besides a trim. He knew he couldn't cut and bleach his hair after the movie because of promotional stuff (tours, pictures, press, etc).

I think it was after that when he went short and blond, and hated it. That timeline makes more sense. As to the hair in "Raspberry Beret," I can't quite tell if it's a wig or his hair. But even Jones saying, "that's all I could do with it" could easily be referring to the wig itself, not Prince's actual hair. As a stylist, I'd say the same thing, "this is all I can do with it." "IT" being the hair in general, whether it's coming out of his head or a lace front. I always thought RB was his hair, tinted back to black. It's pretty shiny and rich in color, which either indicates a wig or a fresh color application. Certain things about it (looking at it as I type) makes me think it could be his hair.

TIS A MYSTERY!

I doubt that he ever did one of those highly physical Purple Rain shows with a wig, and what Steve Parke said did not exactly sound 100% certain. Prince could´ve referred to a live performance for an awards show and not a movie scene in Purple Rain....maybe the Raspberry Beret video or some sort of awards show maybe? I tried to google pictures from the last Purple Rain show in Miami and all pics I found show him with what I assume is his regular hair....but I´ve also read somewhere that he and Sheila showed up at an aftershow after that last show and they both had short haircuts, dyed blond, so maybe it happened right after the show? Which wouldn´t be that unlikely since he was pretty tired of that tour and that look.

I think the only way to find out is to get in touch with someone who was there back then, maybe a band member or Hucky the bodyguard (Harlan Austin), he used to answer these kind of questions very openly when he used to post here on the org.

I highly doubt that he wore a wig for any of the Purple Rain scenes, even if it was reshoots. Either he was joking when he said that to Steve Parke or he (or Steve) was referring to some other moment during the Purple Rain era, not a movie scene.

I know it´s not that serious and it´s probably a silly topic but I love threads like this.

And I think his hair was a rather important aspect of his look and his persona...he mentioned it many times in songs and interviews. And I appreciate your expertise.

Speaking of hair.....I could swear we had a black and white picture of him and the 92 version of the NPG where his hairline looked a bit as if it was receding in the temple area and I never saw that pic posted again. Also, I could swear I saw a version of the Same December video at a concert and it was a bit edited later on so that the thin spot was no longer visible in later versions.

Another thing I found interesting was that picture of him with Misty Copeland where they were walking hand in hand at some awards show and he had supershort hair even though it was not THAT short during the Welcome 2 America shows in L.A, which were happening around the same time. Did you see that picture and what do you think about it?

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All this being said, I think Prince always had great hair during his career regardless of what he probably did to maintain it, and I find it strange that many people on the org insist it was a wig even though they found hairdye in his purse. Why would he need dye if he was wearing a wig?

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We need more hair threads here.

KoolEaze said:

I doubt that he ever did one of those highly physical Purple Rain shows with a wig

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Right? It's hard to imagine.

Looking at some of those Miami photos, some of the hair does seem a bit um, perched high... but I think they were just hitting hard witht the aqua net.

KoolEaze said:

I doubt that he ever did one of those highly physical Purple Rain shows with a wig,

Nor did I imply that.

lavendardrummachine said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

But we are talking about Prince. Who isn't a woman and thought his career showed that he wouldn't keep wigs handy just in case.

I don't follow. Prince isn't a woman, but he wore heels, and eyeliner as a performer, so he wouldn't be caught up in the stigma of it.

I don't have good examples of Black men that wore wigs in the 70's and 80's other than James Brown, but it wasn't unheard of. I doubt anyone would really speak about this rumor of Prince and wigs if there was any real shame or cover up of a big hair disaster involved.

As for Prince's career and wigs...I mean, we're being told he wore one during this period, and as much as we can see thinning or natural hairlines, there are periods where it's certainly possible. The parted in the middle long straight hair for one. It's also not uncommon to have a wig that's pretty close to the same exact style of real hair.

[Edited 8/3/20 16:51pm]

Prince didn't wear wigs. People were trying to say that right up until the end. He didn't wear wigs.

It surely would have been interesting to see in person/videos! I remember wondering why his hair was blonde on the ATWIAD cover.

If the blonde results were truly disastrous as we've read (hair damaged) then I doubt we'll ever see pictures.

Se7en said:

It surely would have been interesting to see in person/videos! I remember wondering why his hair was blonde on the ATWIAD cover.

If the blonde results were truly disastrous as we've read (hair damaged) then I doubt we'll ever see pictures.

The ATWIAD cover is the real intriguing one, when was it created? The album came out at the very end of April, his hair is short and slicked back and black in the 4 the Tears of Your Eyes video, recorded in April as well, a few weeks after the last Purple Rain tour show. So either he shaved his head and wore a wig for a while at the end of the tour, or he never quite shaved it, but when did he dye it? Or maybe he dyed it back by the time of that video? I've never been able to work out a satisfactory timeline.

[Edited 8/4/20 8:02am]

TrivialPursuit said:

KoolEaze said:

I doubt that he ever did one of those highly physical Purple Rain shows with a wig,

Nor did I imply that.

I never said that you did but it was implied by several other people on other threads, hence why I mentioned it.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Prince didn't wear wigs. People were trying to say that right up until the end. He didn't wear wigs.

yeah really not trying to get into that war, but I don't think we know or that it matters. why should it be something people get all wound up over debating? would it really matter if he wore one for some shoots or a tv appearance?

i just enjoy talking about prince's hair.

KoolEaze said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Nor did I imply that.

I never said that you did but it was implied by several other people on other threads, hence why I mentioned it.

Frankly, the thread is so damn long, I'm only glancing at replies directly to me at this point. hahaha

about the blonde hair, i was somewhat confused by the time, i think it was in 1985, when The Family album was released, by the pictures in black and white inside the record, especially the one where someone stands on a balcony with a huge view behind, if i remember correctly, on a landscape (Minneapolis?)

i thought at the time the man with blonde hair in dressing gown may be was Prince,

so was he Prince or St Paul?

BlueLantern said:

about the blonde hair, i was somewhat confused by the time, i think it was in 1985, when The Family album was released, by the pictures in black and white inside the record, especially the one where someone stands on a balcony with a huge view behind, if i remember correctly, on a landscape (Minneapolis?)

i thought at the time the man with blonde hair in dressing gown may be was Prince,

so was he Prince or St Paul?