"A Private Affair" - Keeping Good News Under Wraps

Last week was a FANTASTIC week for the Prince book! A lot of great things--minor and major--happened for me. Unfortunately, I can't share too many details for various reasons. Here is a general overview of a few things that I'm excited about--and why I'm keeping them under wraps:

In the previous blog entry, I mentioned that I was ordering some Prince-related public documents. I received the first of such documents in the mail last week! Anyone can order a copy of the document, but I won't mention where I got it from--I don't want to ignite a flood of requests for these documents (not that I have tons of blog readers just yet). By the way, Prince is a respected figure in Minneapolis, and many people are extremely cautious when they respond to requests for information.

I feel that I've found two potential gold mines of Prince-related artifacts and articles in two locations. These places are available to the public, but I'm going to keep them secret--I need to stay competitive among other Prince biographers (until I'm published, then I'd be happy to help other serious researchers with positive intentions).

 

Finally, here is the biggest news of all: I talked to a very special person on Friday. I can't say who it was, but there is a chance that Prince may find out about me.

I am feeling very lucky and encouraged, but there is still a lot of work to do! No matter how hard it gets, I will never stop believing in this project. It will get done!

Thanks for reading!

Do you like my fancy graphics?

"The Chord Strikes, Devil No Like" - the "Parade" Album

I had a nice vacation--well, it was really a "staycation" because I didn't go anywhere. I did take some time to work on the book, and I was excited to talk to another person who attended Prince's childhood Seventh-day Adventist church. I was able to get a great anecdote from him. I also made some progress ordering some Prince-related public documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc).

I want to talk about something that is top-of-mind for me today--Prince's 1986 album "Parade," which is also the soundtrack to his second film, "Under the Cherry Moon."

Amazon.com

So...I don't know much about this album. I was listening to the album at work, and I realized that I've probably only heard the full album about four times. As many of you know, Prince has a huge discography of released music (let's not even get into the "vault"). In the current version of my book, I've analyzed a good chunk of his albums, but there are some that I still need to spend some time with, and "Parade" is one of them (unlike Matt Thorne, I will not reference every song that Prince has ever written, but I will cover all albums between 1978 and 2004).

I've been familiar with "Kiss" (of course), "Anotherloverholeinyohead" (one of my all-time favorite Prince songs--so funky I can barely take it) and "Sometimes it Snows in April" for some time. The others are pretty much new to me. So far, I'm really feeling "I Wonder U" and "Under the Cherry Moon." I'm also amazed that the album is so concise--I'm used to extended jams from Prince.

However, my personal taste is not important. I'm looking forward to analyzing the spiritual themes in the album and the movie.

Amazon.com

Though I own the movie, I only saw it once years ago, so I don't remember much. I'm looking forward to watching it again with an analytical eye. Also, I now have some first-hand information about the making of the film from Prince's former press agent, Howard Bloom, who was working with him at the time.

What are your favorite tracks from "Parade," and what did you think of "Under the Cherry Moon?"

"Take a Break From 9 to 5" - Vacation!

Hi, blog readers! I am actually on vacation this week. I will be back on November 5.

Happy Halloween!

"All the Things People Say" - Interviews So Far

Hey, everyone! I think I need to join a support group for biographers who work full-time jobs and try to write at night and on weekends. There are also other things to juggle such as family, friends and health. For the past week, I've been focusing on the latter, so I don't have a ton of updates. As a result, I thought I'd take the opportunity to provide links to interviews I've done so far, for those who haven't read them:


Interview with former pre-Revoluation band member Gayle Chapman

Interviews with Rolling Stone journalists

Interview with former press agent Howard Bloom

Interview with former Warner Bros. Director of Publicity Roberta Burrows

Interview with gossip columnist CJ

Interview with former church youth group leader Art Erickson


As I mentioned last week, I've also interviewed one of Prince's family members. Also, I have identified his childhood Seventh-day Adventist church, and I talked to a church member who remembered Prince as a kid. Those interviews will be included in the book (gotta leave some things for the final product).

I will be on vacation next week, so I'll have a new blog post the following week. See you in November!

"Somewhere Here on Earth" - Looking for Tyka Nelson's Book

I'm excited to say that I talked to one of Prince's relatives last month! I won't mention the name for privacy purposes, but the relative let me know that Prince's younger sister and only "full" sibling, Tyka Nelson, wrote a book about her life, "Mama Never Taught Me How to Sing."

"Royal Blue" CD cover (Amazon.com)

That is not a picture of the book. I actually don't know what it looks like; I haven't been able to find it anywhere. In addition to reading books on Prince, I try to read the biographies of those who are--or were--close to him. As you know, I've read Dez Dickerson's book, and I plan to buy Denise "Vanity" Matthews' book.

So, Prince fans, I need your help. Does anyone own Tyka Nelson's book?

"Now, Turn the Page" - Book of the Week

SO sorry for the late post. I had to take care of some important business yesterday. My last "Book of the Week" highlighted the very first Prince biography (to my knowledge), and now I'd like to talk about the most recent Prince biography: "Prince," by Matt Thorne (released Oct. 4, 2012).

Amazon.com

Whenever I hear about a new Prince book hitting the market, the first emotion that I feel is fear. Did the author cover my angle for my Prince book?

According to a review by The Independent, "Prince's religious journey is hardly mentioned, despite teasers."

Phew!

I read two other reviews by The Guardian and The Telegraph, and the consensus is that although the book is extremely detailed (it has 672 pages), Prince, the man, is still a mystery.

I'm hopeful that because I'm focusing on just one specific area of Prince's life, I will be able to shed just a little light on the incredible musician as a person.

I do want to commend Mr. Thorne. I know how difficult it is to cover one angle of the story; I can't imagine the hard work he had to put in to encompass Prince's whole life and career. The reveiwers said that Thorne references every Prince song, released and unreleased. The Independent notes that, unfortunately, there is an "absence of lyrical quotes, presumably for legal reasons." That is an issue that I, too, will have to deal with, but that's another blog topic...

Thorne and I both talked to Howard Bloom, but I'll bet our conversations were very different. Thorne also talked to Wendy and Lisa, which I'm sure was a terrific selling point for his publisher.

I plan to read the book eventually, but I'm wondering what I would discover that hasn't been covered by Alex Hahn or Per Nilsen. I agree that it seems to be a book for the hardcore Prince fan and perhaps not your average person who wants to learn more about a famous musician. I'm trying to reach both audiences with my book.

I definitely respect Thorne's years of research, and I'd love to chat with him one day about our experiences covering this enigmatic musician.

Will you read "Prince" by Matt Thorne?

"Funk So Pretty, You and Me" - Sheila E. on "Unsung"

Happy October!

So, I ADORE TV One's music documentary series "Unsung." It is a staple on my DVR. I've been saving percussionist and Prince collaborator Sheila E.'s episode for weeks (it premiered in February), and I finally watched it.

I really enjoyed it. There were great anecdotes, especially about her duet with Prince on "Erotic City." I'd always assumed they were saying "funk;" it's interesting that it was so controversial back in the '80s (some radio stations still censor the song, and TV One also utilized "bleeps" during the show).

"There were some words in the song that I thought that 'I can't say that.' So I didn't, and he [Prince] said it." -- Sheila E.

 I've read about Sheila's relationship with Prince, and Howard Bloom talked a little bit about it during our interview, but I hadn't heard Sheila talk about it until this documentary. I was surprised to hear her admit that they "fell in love."

Like "Hollywood Exes," the documentary provided some nice quotes for my book. They aren't about Prince's spirituality, but they will serve as a good foundation for Prince and Sheila's professional and personal relationship. Of course I would love to speak with her one day, but we'll see...

Speaking of spirituality, Sheila talked about her own faith. I'm fascinated by the amount of Prince's family members, friends and colleagues who have had their own spiritual journeys. That is something that I am addressing in the book.

 Enjoy a bonus clip featuring Sheila E. from TV One's website below:



What did you think of Sheila E.'s "Unsung" episode?

Also, who else wants the "Unsung" series released on DVD?