The impact Prince had on the world is surely only being felt to its full extent after his shocking recent passing, with a veritable who’s who of music paying tribute to the enigmatic musician in the short time that has elapsed since his death.
In the latest piece of news to emerge, Rolling Stone have unveiled what they’re describing as a ‘lost’ Prince Cover Story – an interview which was never published. In it, Prince reveals thoughts on wanting to mentor Chris Brown, recording music, Justin Bieber, sex, and the music business in general.
Below are some of the most revealing moments from the interview.
Prince wanted to mentor Chris Brown, and thinks he can be forgiven for his past.
“Unforgivable?” he says. “Goodness. That’s when we go check the master, Christ. … Have you ever instantly forgiven somebody? It’s the best feeling in the world, and it totally dismantles that person’s whole stance. We’re all connected, right, we’re all brothers and sisters, and the minute we lock that in, we wouldn’t let anybody in our family fall. That’s why I called Chris Brown. All of us need to be able to reach out and just fix stuff. There’s nothing that’s unforgivable.”
He found joy in the discovery that he didn’t need to release music anymore..
“I write more than I record now, and I also play live a lot more than I record,” he says. “I used to record something every day. I always tease that I have to go to studio rehab. I do what feels good in the moment. … I’m not on a schedule, and I don’t have any sort of contractual ties. I don’t know in history if there’s been any musicians that have been self-sufficient like that, not beholden. I have giant bills, large payrolls, so I do have to do tours. … But there’s no need to record anymore. I had to see what it’s like to stop making albums. And then you go, ‘Oh, wait a minute, I don’t feel the need to do that anymore.'”
He thought the music industry was becoming too focused on things other than music.
“You’re trying to find the personality first, make sure you’ve got that locked in,” he says. “And it’s better if they got scandal on ’em or a reality show or sex tape. And they have it down to an art. They’re getting street cred for Justin Bieber now!”
Prince thought playing the guitar had the potential to be equivalent to sex.
“I can take you out there and hit this guitar for you, and what you’ll hear is sex. You will hear something where you’d run out of adjectives, like you do when you meet the finest woman.”
He found himself struggling to remember to eat at various times in his life.
“I have gone long periods with no food, and also water – people have to remind me to drink water because I always forget to do that. … I have gone long periods with no food, and also water – people have to remind me to drink water because I always forget to do that.”
He thought that women needed to be given more of a voice, and men needed to listen more.
“We’re in the feminine aspect now … That’s where society is. You’re gonna get a woman president soon. Men have gone as far as they can, right? … I learn from women a lot quicker than I do from men. … At a certain point, you’re supposed to know what it means to be a man, but now what do you know about what it means to be a woman? Do you know how to listen? Most men don’t know how to listen.”
Watch: Prince – Purple Rain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wA28BYbOME
