herb4 said:

Then later, he seemed to have figured out a way to make more money while selling fewer records and, later on, when he needed a real cash influx he'd just go on tour.

He seemed to be living a pretty simplified and eventually minimalist lifestyle by design. I say that knowing he had multiple homes, but it seems like the money he made went into the rock star machine, new output, or philanthropy. PP might have allowed that to happen, because ultimately he could also just sleep in a small room and go play out with a piano and little overhead.

I know he got house money on the after shows and some tours, where he negotiated rates nobody else could, but it's not like he had the highest grossing tours around even though they sold and he charged a lot. Honestly the last tour, if he could have sustained that, I think that could have been his biggest tour ever, with the lowest overhead.

rap said:

motherfunka said:

The door is still painted like that, but they're not making it a Black Album room.

Pressumably, they have plans to.

No, they don't.

rap said:

motherfunka said:

The door is still painted like that, but they're not making it a Black Album room.

Pressumably, they have plans to.

The door was done for fun.

Inside its just a cupboard with no windows and just contains pipes and cleaning equipment.

Wanted to pop this snippet I read in another article into this thread. Seems on point. Sorry if it's been referenced.


Paisley Park​ was an imaginary space first – a microcosmic Eden, over the hills but very close by, where everyone was welcome: the halt, the lame, the uncool, the dorky, anyone whose beauty or sexuality didn’t fit inside square society’s miserly norms – before it became the name of Prince’s Minneapolis-based complex, built with the profits from Purple Rain, comprising two recording studios, a dance studio and a huge soundstage, where videos were filmed and performances rehearsed. It also contained his home and offices.

It was a smart move, no doubt, to set up his own studio, but you have to wonder whether it’s a good idea for anyone to bring everything they need in the world together in one place. It’s a kind of Boy’s Own dream, which brings with it the dangers of insularity, a creeping alienation from the currents of life elsewhere. Prince had sealed himself off inside a hygienic smiley-face concept-world (the initials of Paisley Park might also stand for Pleasure Principle). But the original happy family dream of Paisley-Park-the-concept was eventually replaced by a vision of pleasure that felt more like a 24/7 duty, even a bit of a slog. Prince constructed a world in which absolutely nothing was left to chance; in which everything he saw, all around him, every hour of every day, was a reflection of no one and nothing but Prince.

SquirrelMeat said:

rap said:

Pressumably, they have plans to.

The door was done for fun.

Inside its just a cupboard with no windows and just contains pipes and cleaning equipment.

Even if the room was the size of a broom closet, still would be fun to paint it all black inside and have stuff like some squirrels and a reddish-brown wig inside. Maybe a poster of Cindy Crawford. LOL

herb4 said:

Wanted to pop this snippet I read in another article into this thread. Seems on point. Sorry if it's been referenced.


Paisley Park​ was an imaginary space first – a microcosmic Eden, over the hills but very close by, where everyone was welcome: the halt, the lame, the uncool, the dorky, anyone whose beauty or sexuality didn’t fit inside square society’s miserly norms – before it became the name of Prince’s Minneapolis-based complex, built with the profits from Purple Rain, comprising two recording studios, a dance studio and a huge soundstage, where videos were filmed and performances rehearsed. It also contained his home and offices.

It was a smart move, no doubt, to set up his own studio, but you have to wonder whether it’s a good idea for anyone to bring everything they need in the world together in one place. It’s a kind of Boy’s Own dream, which brings with it the dangers of insularity, a creeping alienation from the currents of life elsewhere. Prince had sealed himself off inside a hygienic smiley-face concept-world (the initials of Paisley Park might also stand for Pleasure Principle). But the original happy family dream of Paisley-Park-the-concept was eventually replaced by a vision of pleasure that felt more like a 24/7 duty, even a bit of a slog. Prince constructed a world in which absolutely nothing was left to chance; in which everything he saw, all around him, every hour of every day, was a reflection of no one and nothing but Prince.

It was his Neverland, minus the kids and the extra beds.

It wasn't his neverland at all. Without getting into a massive MJ vs. Prince argument, Paisley Park was primarily a place of work, not a house.

I always looked at it as more iike his Chocolate Factory.

I wish there was a Paisley Park during the 1982-1985 period

But there was something about the Warehouse, Sound80 Sunset Sound etc recordings

Seriously, I wish Prince had lived in a place like Neverland but with studio complex, concert venue tagged on.

Why? Better quality air. More privacy. Would've been difficult to have regular gigs, parties there, yet PP could remain as that party going function. Then again, Turks & Caicos retreat provided that same escape. Maybe P could have spent more time there. All those empty rooms at PP and very few staff must have made it a lonely place in his later years.

Here's the thing:

-

Prince didn'tlock himself up away from the world in Paisley Park any more than a person locks themself away in an office building for a 9 to 5 job.

-

Prince was frequently out and about in his hometown of MPLS or in other spots in the world. Did he have marathon sessions of recording/filming/creating that ran all hours of the night and day at PP? Of course. That was his job and passion.

-

I believe it's a fallacy to claim that, with the creation of Paisley Park Studios, Prince was more isolated and alone than before. Listen to the official blogs....Prince was typically in a creative space by all by himself from day one. I don't think Paisley Park changes that aspect of his life at all. If anything, he had more room for visitors, guests, family, friends, fans and events...

[Edited 9/8/20 14:38pm]

skywalker said:

Here's the thing:

-

Prince didn'tlock himself up away from the world in Paisley Park any more than a person locks themself away in an office building for a 9 to 5 job.

-

Prince was frequently out and about in his hometown of MPLS or in other spots in the world. Did he have marathon sessions of recording/filming/creating that ran all hours of the night and day at PP? Of course. That was his job and passion.

-

I believe it's a fallacy to claim that, with the creation of Paisley Park Studios, Prince was more isolated and alone than before. Listen to the official blogs....Prince was typically in a creative space by all by himself from day one. I don't think Paisley Park changes that aspect of his life at all. If anything, he had more room for visitors, guests, family, friends, fans and events...

[Edited 9/8/20 14:38pm]

That's entirely true and 100% what he wanted. He built his own little world and good on him. Can't say I wouldn't do the same tbh if I could. Shit...I'm JEALOUS of what he created and built if I'm being honest.


BUT

Thing is though, as anyone who works from home will tell you, SOMETIMES it's better to have a separate place you go to work, apart from where you call home and go to relax. Sometimes. And maybe PP was big enough to accomodate all that. Maybe. Not saying it was better or worse in Prince's case and I've posted enough stuff in this thread to explain my thoughts on it either way but, especially considering how it all ended, there's an argument to made either way and what started out (to me) as sort of a silly thread idea has evolved into some good discussion I think.

One of the better threads I've read here in a bit. Good stuff being discussed.

I wonder sometimes if at 57 and considering how prolific he was making music his whole adult life, P would have felt close to retiring? - at least as a recording artist. With the fact he'd spoken to Tyka about having "done everything i came here to do" and the recent interview given where he said he recorded a lot less nowadays, Paisley Park as a work-from-home abode would only reinforce any lingering feeling of loneliness he seemed to be experiencing.

From the autobiography:

"Once I got out of high school... I had cut myself off totally from everything. And that's when I really started writing. I was writing like three or four songs a day. And, they were all really long. Which is interesting for me as a writer, because it's hard to just take a thought, and continue it for a long period of time without losing it. And it's harder for me to write than it was back then, because there's so many people around me now"

imo one of the most profound things he ever said. Sure, his music would cover more range from having close associates work with him (like Wendy & Lisa), but actually, being by himself, there's more coming from the well, so to speak, as an individual. That he could still have been hearing new ideas at age 57, perhaps, is even more surprising than the well drying up - for somebody who could and often did write at least a song a day.

And so if he had reached that point where any musical ideas he's hearing were merely repeating, say, what he recorded or put out before
I could imagine that not sitting easily with someone who had gone on record saying "I record because it's in my blood, if I didn't I'd die."

[Edited 9/10/20 5:15am]

idk if anyone records at PP anymore, but how feasible is keeping PP open these days? there are tours i know, and they look expensive, but how much money would those really generate? does PP have that much footfall?

[Edited 9/10/20 2:17am]

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

idk if anyone records at PP anymore, but how feasible is keeping PP open these days? there are tours i know, and they look expensive, but how much money would those really generate? does PP have that much footfall?

[Edited 9/10/20 2:17am]

idk maybe checking at the estate thread may help? that's if you can wade through the minefield of mindfuckery first.