Some funny little asides from TheStarTribune.com:

Our critic's close encounters with Prince
Jon Bream, Star Tribune
March 14, 2004 JONBAR

The calls (and e-mails) still come.

"You're the Prince guy," the pitch will go. It could be the BBC doing a TV special or Billboard magazine publishing a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame section. They want my thoughts because I've covered Prince since the beginning.

Getting face to face with the Twin Cities most famous musicmaker is a daunting dance, and he always takes the lead. He never has liked dealing with the press unless he has something to promote.

This hometown reporter often has been on Prince's dance card -- and sometimes stepped all over his feet. Here's a look back at those pas de deux.

Fall 1977:
I visited the studio north of San Francisco where Prince was recording his debut, but he just sat behind a drum kit on the other side of the glass, hitting a cymbal monotonously with a drum stick. We never even shook hands.

December 1978:
Having arranged a debut concert on short notice, Prince had one of his sidemen contact me about an interview. His face hidden by a cap, he let me carry the conversation for the first half of our 90-minute encounter, but then he opened up a bit. At the end, he said, "I've never talked this much in my life." He laughed. "I swear."

March 1982:
His aide-de-camp called me on a Saturday to say Prince wanted to do an interview before Sunday's concert at Met Center. I was ushered into a dressing room where Prince sat on a couch with guitarist Dez Dickerson, as a film crew captured the interview. After a couple of questions, drummer Bobby Z entered, announced he was going to make a sandwich and then went berserk when he couldn't find any mayo. He kicked over the table and the couch. "Cut!" someone yelled. End of scene. End of interview. More footage was shot -- including steamy scenes at Prince's house -- but the movie never came out.

May 1983:
At the Minnesota Music Awards, I presented Prince with the Musician of the Year prize. We shook hands, and for the first time he looked me in the eye. Then he jammed with members of his band, the Time and Vanity 6 on "D.M.S.R." He strutted across the stage with Vanity and grabbed the mike, "Watch this, Jon Bream!" Unfortunately, I never saw his great move -- I was out in the hallway phoning in my story.

September 1984:
I had just written a book, "Prince: Inside the Purple Reign," so I dropped off a copy at Met Center, where he was rehearsing for his Purple Rain Tour. An assistant phoned later and recited Prince's objections to the book, which lasted nearly an hour. Two months later, I attended the tour opener in Detroit and stayed in the same hotel as the band. Prince had his bodyguards keep an eye on me wherever I went.

December 1984:
I was sitting in the sixth row at the finale of his five-night stand at the St. Paul Civic Center. Prince had a squirt-gun guitar and nailed me during the encore. My shirt was soaked. Backstage, he gleefully boasted to his bandmates: "I got Bream!"

December 1987:
It was a $150-a-ticket New Year's Eve benefit at Paisley Park. There were hats and noisemakers, and I moved a princely crown from my head to my neck. Prince spotted me on the dancefloor. "Jon Bream, you look like Grover," he announced with a laugh. He knows his Sesame Street characters.

March 1990:
I was at Paisley Park interviewing the cast of his movie musical "Graffiti Bridge." I noticed Prince coming down the hallway, but when he spotted me, he did an about-face and walked away.

January 1991:
I bought a ticket to see his revamped band at Glam Slam in downtown Minneapolis. Before Prince took the stage, the club's general manager escorted me out. I later found out that Prince was steamed about my review of "Graffiti Bridge."

February 1993:
Prince performed on TV's "Arsenio Hall Show." At one point, he squirted lighter fluid on a newspaper review of his latest album and ignited it. Sitting in the last row of the studio audience, I joked to another critic, "It looks like my review." Actually it was, I learned the next morning.

October 1996:
A Best Buy official invited me to a listening party at Paisley Park for Prince's forthcoming "Emancipation" triple CD. After Prince previewed several songs, he stood in front of the 75 or so people and asked, "Any questions?" The room was silent. Then he said, "Jon, I see you back there. I'm sure you have some questions." I asked him about the duration of his CD deal. He gave a vague answer and then said, "Jon, you and I should bury the hatchet. We need to talk."

I'm still hoping for that opportunity.

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THE MJ EPISODE (Their 1st meet)
DAVID Z:
I was mixing the soundtrack at a soundstage in Los Angeles. I pull up with two huge tapes under my arms, and I see Prince talking to somebody. 'David, do you know Michael Jackson?' 'Hi, nice to meet you.' The difference in their voices was incredible: Prince had a real low voice and [Jackson] had a real high voice.

In this soundstage, there was a pingpong table. They come in with their bodyguards. Prince says, 'You want to play pingpong?' Michael says, 'I don't know how to play, but I'll try.' The whole crew stops working to watch them play. Pretty soon, Prince says to Michael, 'You want me to slam it?' Michael drops his paddle and holds his hands up in front of his face so the ball won't hit him. Needless to say, the game is over. Michael walks out with his bodyguard. And Prince starts strutting around like a rooster. 'Did you see that? He played like Helen Keller!'

COLD!

bananacologne said:

Helen Keller!!!?????

A Rooster!? Oh man, I can just see it now!

Fan fucking tastic!!

---

bananacologne said:

I love Bream though. Ever since 1984

SENSHY said:

Met him once - in MPLS in '91, REALLY nice guy.

i dunno which is funnier--prince struttin around and feelin all victorious for whatever reason, or the mere fact that michael didn't know how to play ping-pong. the cat's like a kid in a grown-up's body, has a frickin amusement park in his backyard, plays with all these kids all the time...
































...but didn't know how to play ping-pong.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

::dorkenfresh!::

December 1984:
"I was sitting in the sixth row at the finale of his five-night stand at the St. Paul Civic Center. Prince had a squirt-gun guitar and nailed me during the encore. My shirt was soaked. Backstage, he gleefully boasted to his bandmates: "I got Bream!"

Now THERE'S somebody I would hang out with! Too funny.


Beating MJ at ping pong isn't exactly anything to brag about. He said he didn't know how to play. (even thugh it sounds like MJ acted like a lil BIIEEAATTTCCHH, covering his face and all. Who da hell plays ping pong? Now a POOL game with a lil $$$ ridin' on it would have been interesting.....

BlaqueKnight said:

mike would be holdin the pool cue like, "wha? what now?"

Prince is my hero.

Wow, what a little goldmine! Thanks Nana.

I have Bream's Inside The Purple Reign still.

Jon Bream presents Prince with a prize at the 1983 Mn Music awards

SquarePeg said:

he does look like Grover!!!

The Helen Keller comment seems apt, because now, it looks like whoever operated on MJ's face must have been chanelling Helen Keller, cause no fully sighted person could have f*cked up his face so badly.
Also, when MJ holds his hands in front of his face, you know he was protecting that nose job. He'd probably had two or three by then. On the other hand, you'd think the King of Plop would be used to balls flying toward his face.

Milty said:

OOOOMMMMYYYYYGGGGGOOOOODDDDD!!!!!

Jon Bream ..Oh God, I almost Forgot...I met him in 1990 at Ruperts with Fink. Well, he wrote a good book. I liked it. I find his Encounters Comical. Prince with Michael..well, I don't doubt how they Interacted. Still ya Know I like Michael. Kinda Sad,ya know.