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Guitar Techniques — April 1998 Cover feature An April 1998 Guitar Techniques cover spotlighting Prince’s rhythmic genius, framed under the headline: “PRINCE! Right royal rhythm” The issue positions Prince not as a pop icon but as a musician’s musician — a guitarist whose rhythmic sensibility, harmonic daring, and stylistic fluidity demand serious study. 📰 Excerpt Cover text includes: • “Learn to play your guitar like the experts” • “PRINCE! Right royal rhythm” • “GTCD 43 — April 98” • “Workshops in blues, jazz, pop, country & classical” The accompanying CD features Prince’s symbol on the label, underscoring the issue’s focus on technique, tone, and stylistic analysis. 📰 Overview This issue of Guitar Techniques treats Prince as a rhythmic architect, exploring: • his percussive right‑hand attack • chord voicings rooted in funk, jazz, and R&B • the interplay between rhythm guitar and groove • the subtle harmonic colours that define his late‑’90s sound The feature situates Prince alongside other technical deep‑dives in the issue — The Verve, Peter Gabriel/David Rhodes, Gary Moore — but his section stands out for its emphasis on feel, precision, and musical personality. 📰 Source Details Publication: Guitar Techniques Issue Date: April 1998 Price: £4.25 Format: Cover feature + instructional CD Provenance Notes: UK guitar‑specialist magazine; part of the late‑’90s musician‑focused coverage of Prince’s technique. 📰 The Story The feature breaks down Prince’s approach to rhythm guitar: • syncopation as signature — tight, clipped, percussive • hybrid voicings — jazz‑leaning shapes embedded in funk frameworks • economy of movement — minimalism used as expressive force • tone choices — clean, bright, and articulate, favouring clarity over distortion The article emphasises that Prince’s guitar work is often overshadowed by his persona — yet his rhythmic instincts are foundational to his entire catalogue. The inclusion of a CD with symbol‑branded content reinforces the magazine’s commitment to treating Prince as a serious technical study. 📰 Key Highlights • Cover feature on Prince’s rhythm‑guitar technique • Instructional CD with symbol‑branded content • Analysis of funk, jazz, and pop rhythmic structures • Positioned alongside major guitar‑centric features of the era • A rare late‑’90s UK deep‑dive into Prince’s musicianship 📰 Guitar Techniques — Cover feature, April 1998. 📰 Related Material • Explore the tags below for connected eras and themes. 📰 Closing Notes This Guitar Techniques cover stands as one of the clearest acknowledgements of Prince’s stature among guitarists — a reminder that behind the myth, the symbol, and the spectacle lies a musician of extraordinary rhythmic intelligence. 📰 Tags #GlamSlamChronicles #MusicEphemera #Prince #GuitarTechniques #1998Prince #RightRoyalRhythm #GlamSlamEscape

The Times Magazine — 18 July 1998 Cover + six‑page feature A striking Times Magazine cover dated 18 July 1998, featuring a stylised portrait of Prince in shimmering patterned attire and tall matching hat, accompanied by the headline: “The Changeling” “Robert Crampton’s portrait of the artist” The issue positions Prince as a figure of perpetual transformation — a theme that defined his late‑’90s public identity. 📰 Excerpt Cover text includes: • “The Changeling” • “Robert Crampton’s portrait of the artist” • “Jonathan Agnew’s second innings” • “Party dresses for summer sirens” • “PLUS RR — 34 pages of interiors | style | fashion | food & drink” Contributors listed: Angus Deayton, John Diamond, Danbert Nobacon, Lesley Garrett, Jean‑Christophe Novelli, Anna Blundy 📰 Overview This six‑page feature presents Prince as a mercurial, ever‑shifting figure — a man who refuses to be pinned down by genre, identity, or expectation. Crampton’s portrait blends cultural observation with psychological insight, capturing Prince at a moment when he was redefining his artistic and personal boundaries. The article situates him within the broader cultural landscape of 1998: • post‑Emancipation independence • the evolution of the New Power Generation • the tension between mystique and accessibility • the ongoing transformation of his public persona The cover’s visual language — luminous, theatrical, enigmatic — reinforces the theme of metamorphosis. 📰 Source Details Publication: The Times Magazine Issue Date: 18 July 1998 Format: Cover + six‑page feature Provenance Notes: UK national weekend magazine; part of the late‑’90s British press fascination with Prince’s evolving identity. 📰 The Story Crampton’s feature explores: • Prince’s shifting artistic identity • his relationship to fame and reinvention • the interplay between image, myth, and control • the tension between public perception and private reality The article frames Prince as a “changeling” — a figure who continually reinvents himself, shedding skins and adopting new ones with ease. This aligns with the broader narrative of the era: Prince as a shape‑shifter navigating the late ’90s with renewed autonomy. The piece also reflects the magazine’s editorial style: • cultural commentary • lifestyle framing • portraiture as psychological study Prince becomes both subject and symbol — a lens through which to explore creativity, identity, and transformation. 📰 Key Highlights • Six‑page feature exploring Prince’s late‑’90s metamorphosis • Cover branding him “The Changeling” • Robert Crampton’s portrait blending culture, psychology, and style • Positioned within a broader lifestyle and culture issue • A defining snapshot of Prince’s 1998 public persona 📰 The Times Magazine — Cover + six‑page feature, 18 July 1998. 📰 Article Text “Born Again” Robert Crampton From the outside, Paisley Park looks like something on a light industrial estate on the outskirts of, say, Swindon. The building is a low rise modern box, grey panels, set in a few acres of car park and lawns, 50 yards off a highway. There are no huge fences and no armed guards. If you kept driving past it, you’d reach Canada in about 8 hours. Turn left, and you’d hit the Rockies in a couple of days. These are the plains of the Midwest, each state as big as England. This is Chanhassen, outside Minneapolis, in Minnesota, home state of Fargo, Judy Garland, Bob Dylan, the Mary Tyler Moore show and – the man i have come to see – Prince. Or: The Artist, Squiggle, Symbol, TAFKAP, Prince Rogers Nelson, his original name. Whatever. This business of the name is probably what Prince is now is now best known for in Britain. Which is a shame because, still, his worst stuff is better than most other musicians’ best, and his best stuff is very good indeed. Yet it is a long time since 1999, Purple Rain and Sign ’O’ The Times. There have been alot of second rate albums, canceled tours and weird, self-indulgent stunts masquerading as the eccentricities of genius since his prodigious talents last found their way fully into the shops. His live act, I read, remains unsurpassed. Inside the building, things get a little stranger. The symbol by which Prince now prefers to be known is painted on the walls, carpets, mixing desks. There are piano keys painted on some ceilings, a blue sky and clouds on some walls, a night sky on others, starfish and crescent-moon designs in the carpet, naked theatrical bulbs around the reception desk, a dove mural on another wall. On the wall facing the front door is a huge montage of mountains, clouds and Prince’s head in profile. Yet none of this is as garish as it sounds. It isn’t probably what you or I would call tasteful but, with the quiet and the smell of incense, the atmosphere is pleasant enough. There is a bit of faffing about, but thankfully not too much of the disgusting sycophancy with which American superstars often surround themselves. We hear the new album, Newpower Soul. It doesn’t make a great impression, apart from one song called Come On, about being married, and another called Until U’re In My Arms Again, which I take to be about his baby son, born horrifically handicapped in October 1996, dead within the week. “Every morning when I awaken/I imagine you sleeping in your bed/Wrong or right the reason you were taken/from my embrace – well it’s never said.” Thinking of this man thinking of his boy who isn’t there makes you feel for him. It could be a potential crossing point over a racial, geographical and cultural divide which proves to be otherwise nigh-on unbridgeable. But we can’t mention this subject. “No baby,” the publicist says. “Or he’ll walk.” The Complete Rhyming Dictionary is on the mixing desk – which could be a great disappointment for those who think their man is a great poet, or a tribute to his desire to write listenable-to lyrics. Back out to reception, I admire the wall-loads of gold, platinum and, more often, triple-platinum discs. He says they mean nothing to him, these and the awards in their display case. So why put them up? We are shown his latest video (lots of Hispanic women in tassled white underwear, so no change there) and, during this, Prince appears and stands around nervously. he is tiny, 5ft 4in, can’t be much more than 8st, has a 27in waist apparently. A real flyweight. He is wearing a maroon velvet suit. The jacket is open to the waist, showing his hairy little chest, yet the eye is drawn to his left ear.Fitting around the outside of it is a thing which I later learn is called an ear cuff. It looks like a bodyguard’s ear piece, except it is made of gold and has a star hanging off the top with a diamond in the middle of the star. All the members of his band wear these ear cuffs. He is also wearing a diamond wedding ring – he got married in 1996. His face is very heavily made up with a foundation that lightens his skin, mascara, eyeliner. His moustache and sideburns are shaved to a tiny trace, but he has thick, Chaplinesque eyebrows. He is carrying a cane. His hair is straight and elaborately set. He comes over. His handshake is weedy – deliberately so, according to his publicist, who has told me that, a bit like the Royal Family, he has to go easy with the greetings so as to preserve his fingers. Despite the clothes and the accesories, he does not have that aura which very famous people are supposed to have. Which is good, because usually aura can reliably be translated as insufferably arrogant. He is not arrogant at all. He asks if I would mind Larry Graham sitting in on the interview. Larry Graham was the bass player with Sly and the Family Stone. These days he works with Prince (and the influence of Graham’s former band shows on the album we have just heard) and seems to be a kind of mentor and father-figure to him, although he is just 11 years older. I say, well, no disrespect to muso legend Graham, I’m happy to interview him later. Prince nods and accepts my wishes. Off we go, up to a conference room, where we sit at one end of a long glass-topped table. I ask if he always dresses so flamboyantly for the office, whether he ever feels like putting on jeans and a t-shirt. “Man, I wore jeans in 1982!” I nod. “They were uncomfortable! I like to be comfortable. Feel that,” he says, fingering his trouser leg. I half extend my hand. “Go on man, feel that, it’s like skin.” I reach over and under the table, and pinch a fold of the velvet. It’s actually a bit scratchy, but I say, very nice, lovely. “Right. Like skin.” He adds, cryptically and in a more level tone: “I like to be clean.” His voice is deeper and much more confident than I had imagined. I had expected some kind of ghostly, batty murmurings. Instead, there is this earthiness and humour in his tone, and a trace, perhaps, of self parody. His accent is more southern than you would expect from someone who has spent all of his 40 years in Minneapolis. The rhythm is alot like Muhammad Ali, another black icon who, for a while, was better known for his name change than for his artistry. indeed, Prince has invoked Ali’s rejection of his “slave name", Classius Clay, by way of a case law in his own defense. The difference was Ali did it early in his life and career, his glorious achievements still ahead of him. Also he chose a name, not a pretentious symbol. Also, Ali was making a political point against his record company and made it unashamedly. Prince is, was, making a point against his record company and, I think, his father and made it in a half-baked fashion. He’s got himself into a pickle with the name. You’ve got to call yourself something, so he’s ended up with this awful The Artist. The people around him, if they have to, refer to him in rather embarrassed fashion as The Artist. Those of us not in his employ don’t call him anything. Besides No Baby, we are told most definitely No Prince. I say, so tell me about your life here. Is it true you only sleep three hours a day? “Yes,” he says. “From 6 till 9.” In the morning? “Yes.” Don’t you ever feel like a lie-in, say till 10 or 11am? Aren’t you tired? His expression goes grave, like a chessy politician contemplating the sacrifices he has to make to serve the public. “Yes, I’m tired. But I have so much to do, directing the flow between two studios, recording all the time, jamming all the time.” I say, do you work so hard because you have to be in charge of everything? “It’s not so much that I have to be in charge of everything, it’s that I do everything.” A look at the sleeve credits to his new album – and indeed all his albums – bears this out. He even gets a half credit for the photographs. So we talk about his motivation for all this work. “I do my music to excess. Music, music, music – it’s like a curse that way. It can be a curse. It’s been like that since I was seven years old and my father left for the last time. That’s alot to do with it. My sister used food and I used music.” Is your sister (I pause, struggling to remember the current American euphemism for fat), er, a big lady, then? Prince nods ungallantly. “Uh-huh, yes she is.” We both look at the table. “Not that we blame him, my father,” he says, unconvincingly. “He didn’t like me to play as a kid. He was a musician, he didn’t want that racket on the piano. Then he split and i played all the time. The music sort of filled the void. It was cool.” Was it a poor background, I ask? “No,” says Prince,. “I got poor when I was a teenager.” He then talks about the ghetto only existing in your mind, how “if you think like you’re disenfranchised, then you are disenfranchised, you dig?” and so forth. He said that as a teenager he was broke and he had to wear the same shirt, and that was a trial. “Like you feel special, but you don’t look it,” he says, and that is why now, he reckons, flash clothes, a rich man’s clothes, are so important to him. He says: “Right now, I’m trying to eliminate all drama from my life.” I look at the gold and diamond ear cuff and nod. “I became so obsessed about not having any power that I was reduced to writing on my face.” I ask if he regret that now and he shakes his head and says: “Absolutely not, no.” So, about 8 minutes into our alloted 30 we are talking about his wrangle with his former record company, Warner. At the height of the fighting a few years ago, he took to writing Slave on his face in eyeliner, something which earned him a great deal of criticism. My sympathies tend to be with the record company – they seemed to have allowed him a great deal of freedom anyway, and balked at his wish to release three albums a year, arguing – with justification – that a sub-standard product might alienate his audience. Besides, multi-millionaire rock stars who renegotiate their already vastly lucrative contacts in full maturity (Prince was 34) and then start comparing themselves to people in chains it’s a bit much. I have no doubt that Prince is being sincere in saying he wasn’t free under Warner – because of course he wasn’t, fully – but when he talks about all the argy-bargy, he mentions money a lot more than he does artistic freedom. “Purple Rain sold 14 million. Say $10 a pop – that’s on the low side, but say $10 a pop. That’s $140 million I made for them. For one album.” How much did he get per album> “Seven cents. That ain’t so cool.” He says: “I see brothers trapped into this daily. You’re 17. An entertainment lawyer says, ’Here is the standard seven-album deal’. You don’t own your music, but there’s a cheque for $80,000 with your name on it and you think you’re in the promised land.” He says promised with the stress on the first syllable, just like Martin Luther King once did. He says that he is now free, but “Prince’s music is still enslaved”. “I paid for that music,” he says. “And they own the tapes. They can own the stores, the stations, that’s cool. But don’t keep the music. There is $38 billion worth of recorded music sold each year.” He is very taken by David Bowie’s recent deal whereby he has leased his masters to his record company for 25 years and $90 million. “That’s pretty nice ain’t it? He was the creator, he still owns the music and his son can have it. I did 14 or 15 albums for Warner. That’s more than David Bowie – and he’s older than me.” He talks with ironic admiration of the way record companies, radio stations and cable channels can manipulate and, if necessary, terminate an artist’s career. “It’s brilliant, man. It works perfectly.” I say, is it the case that most of the executives of these companies would be white and, in the US anyway, many of the artists whom he says are being ripped off are black? He isn’t ready to go that far, even though it is uncontroversially true. He mumbles. “They are your words, not mine... but power is structured that way...these brothers, they want money, power and respect. They end up powerless, broke and degenerate.” There is not much chance of Prince ending up powerless or broke, not with his back catalogue, even if he cannot profit from it as fully as he would like. Should he choose 1999 could make alot of money next year – even though Warner owns the title. I point out that his name change has made him a figure of fun in Britain at least. He laughs. “I get $7 an album now. If I sell 100,000 albums – which they consider a failure – I’ve got $700,000 in the bank. That’s cool. I’ve got the money in the bank. I’m holding the puppies, you dig?” Nor is he ever going to be degenerate. Famously abstemious, he does not smoke, drinks only the occasional glass of wine and has sacked members of his entourage for taking drugs. Indeed, he barely eats. He is a vegan. His musicians are required to be at least vegetarian. His life is work and business, and whatever time is spare, if his songs are anything to go by, goes on sex and religious worship. I ask him why sex and his (by now tellingly repetitive – there’s more of it on this new album) boasting about his own athleticism in that department is so important to him. He says: “Sex is spirtuality. Flesh on flesh, it’s the highest form of spirituality here on earth. Wanting somebody, building a light for them, them wanting you, your lights becoming one light, becoming them, making love. Then you are just beings moving their bodies around.” Had he ever wanted somebody who didn’t want him? “Yes, my teacher. When I was 15.” Was he popular with girls back then? “Not at the beginning, no. After we got in a band...” Now we talk about fame. I want to talk about the gilded cage, the prison of celebrity. He isn’e having any of that. “You are surrounded by people who love you and want to care for you, who will build your light up, who want to do hings for you. You walk differently, talk differently, act differently. You hold your head up.” There is no possible downside to this that Prince can comprehend. Most British stars can at least understand that it might not be entirely healthy to be surrounded by people who agree with everything they say, and many will go to great lengths to enhance their one-of-the-boys/girls credentials. Prince is not like most British stars. He does have some humility – but that humility is before God, not man. What a deeply religious people the Americans are, and none more so than black Americans. Prince is no exception. He was brought up in several denominations – Seventh Day Adventist and Baptist among them. Now, he seems o be leaning – as I discover later from Graham – towards another, more fundamentalist sect. “You’ve gotta have belief,” says Prince. “It’s the only way to make it through this maze. And God is there, he’s everywhere, he ain’t dead, contrary to popular opinion. And he will come again and it will be the most beautiful, powerful, electric moment, the sky’s gonna go all purple and red.” He says that, “I’ve always imagined angels and demons fighting, like two people arguing. You’ve got to battle it out.” He says that he has given alot of his wealth away. He says that “30 million people in the world have Aids and 21 million of them are in Africa” – which is precisely accurate. “That’s an organised effort to diminish light. It’s fertile soil, rich soil. These people are farmers. You see folks with flies on ’em, then who are you? You’d better help somebody.” I ask him why he has stayed in Minneapolis. “Hey,” he says. “It’s pretty beautiful.” He gestures out of the window. I follow his hand and we both look at the car park for a while. I think of the miles of featureless sprawl surrounding us. Maybe, I think, if you were brought up in the grim city, this burbscape does look beautiful. Later, some of us drive around one of Prince’s old neighbourhoods (he had alot, moving many times between parents, relatives and friends). It is perfectly pleasant: tree-lined streets; well-kept, small, wooden blue-collar houses neatly maintained – and lots of huge brick churches. He says: “All my life I fantasised constantly about this. Having somewhere I could work all the time.” Did he ever think of moving to LA, like most entertainers do? “It’s a different energy there. I go there, make videos there hang with Stevie (Wonder) or whatever.” What about other celebrity friends? “Lenny Kravitz flies up. Chaka Khan.” Does he have other homes? “I had houses in Paris, LA. Got rid of ’em all. Paris, it was a million-dollar villa for a month of the year.” Now, he just has his mansion up the road where, heart-achingly, he has built an adventure playground so that he could watch his son play while he worked. Feeling rather shoddy, I try to get him to talk about the tragedy by praising the song he wrote about it. I really liked that song, “Until U’re In My Arms Again", I say. “Thank you, thank you,” he says in a small voice. His eyes lock onto mine for the first time. I think there is some beseechment there. Later I read that Prince gave a press conference soon after the birth and said he was “enjoying being a father”. The baby, born with Pfeiffer’s syndrome, a rare deformity in which the skull hardens prematurely, was already dead when he said that. At this point Prince’s wife, Mayte, comes in, along with two Yorkshire Terrier puppies, Mary and Mia. The puppies start chasing each other round the room, yapping. Mayte is a beautiful 25-year-old Puerto Rican dancer, and she is wearing a dress that seems to be clingy and floaty, transparent and opaque all at once. “Is that my dress or yours?” asks her husband, deadpan. Her attitude to him is, if not servile, then certainly subservient. Her attention is all on him, his well-being, his – probably precarious – equilibrium. There is an awkward pause as we admire the puppies’ antics. “I’m from Yorkshire,” I say, with obvious desperation. Prince fusses over a dog. “Right. Best dogs I ever had.” Another pause. “You gotta hear Chaka’s album, man. It’s amazing.” He shows me to the door. “Man bought me a book yesterday,” he says. (It is on the table, a music-industry reference book.) “It says I’m a record-company executive now. It’s only a title, man. ’Rock star’ is a title. ’Negro’ is a title. I don’t want a title.” He says he will play London in the autumn, but “there are some funny people in London. I want to make sure I’m dealing with the guy who hands you the money rather than the guy that hands you the bill, you know what I’m sayin’?” Minnesota is 1 per cent black, compared with 12 per cent across the States. It is a liberal state – the only one to vote for Walter Mondale in the Ronald Reagan landslide of 1984. It is known throughout America as a place where blacks and whites get along. Prince listened to alot of “white” music as a boy, and became a superstar by producing music that white people liked. His heroes – Miles Davies, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye – did the same. Unlike them, partly because he employed Hispanic dancers and musicians, partly because he avoided race-conscious lyrics and partly because he stayed in the sticks – Prince never became a hero to his own people. As big in the Eighties as Michael Jackson, in the Nineties Prince could have gone down what seems to be Jackson’s preferred route towards an abandonment of his ethnicity. Maybe he did go down it a little way. But he stopped and came back. Now, he seems – at 40, out of Warner’s embrace, still on strained terms with his father, after such a dreadful personal loss – to be a man looking for faith. Yet, he does not seem at ease finding that faith in racial consciousness or exclusivity. Instead, he is finding his faith in the verities of old-time religion. For instance he has given up swearing. Graham, whom I spoke to as promised, told me: “He’s a spirtual man. Sometimes we study. For hours, six, seven, eight hours a day we sit down and get into the scriptures.” I ask Graham where he goes to worship. “We go to the Kingdom Hall in Navarre, just 15 minutes up the road, for our spirtual training. Five meetings a week.” And does The Artist go too? “He goes with us sometimes.” I ask Graham what people who go to the Kingdom Hall are called. He says: “In England, yeah, they would be called Jehovah’s Witness.” Sure enough, I later find copies of Watchtower and Awake in Studio B, right next to a symbol-shaped guitar. In one issue, God is referred to as The One. That is also the title of Prince’s latest single. I ask Graham: how do people react to The Artist at the Kingdom Hall? “Totally different from if we went any place else without security. There’s no security needed. The star of the show is God.” So be warned. Next year is 1999: he may come knockin’ on your door, but he won’t have come to party. © to respective publications 📰 Related Material • GlamSlamEscape entries on late‑’90s UK press • GlamSlamChronicles features on identity, reinvention, and public persona • External references on Prince’s 1998–1999 transitional period • Explore the tags below for connected eras and themes. 📰 Closing Notes This Times Magazine feature stands as one of the most visually striking and thematically resonant portraits of Prince in the late ’90s — a moment when transformation wasn’t just an artistic choice but a defining principle. 📰 Tags #GlamSlamChronicles #MusicEphemera #Prince #TheTimesMagazine #1998Prince #GlamSlamEscape

One‑page concert advert — August 21, 1998 Paris Zénith, 20:00 Guest: Larry Graham A striking one‑page French advert promoting New Power Generation’s 1998 Paris Zénith concert, with Prince front and centre in full late‑’90s theatrical styling. The show — held on Friday, August 21, 1998 — featured Larry Graham as special guest, underscoring the deepening musical and spiritual connection between the two. 📰 Excerpt “New Power Generation — Vendredi 21 Août — Paris Zénith — 20h Guest: Larry Graham” The advert’s bold typography and dramatic portrait of Prince position the event as a major European stop in the late‑’90s NPG live cycle. 📰 Overview This advert captures the energy of Prince’s late‑’90s touring era — a period defined by: • heavy funk • spiritual undertones • deep grooves shaped by Graham’s bass • a band operating at peak tightness The Paris Zénith date was one of the standout European shows of 1998, with Prince leaning into extended jams, reworked classics, and the evolving NPG sound. The advert’s design — dark background, jewel‑toned lighting, ornate styling — reflects the theatricality of the era and Prince’s flair for visual drama. 📰 Source Details Publication: French music press / concert listings Issue Date: August 1998 Format: One‑page advert Provenance Notes: Distributed across French magazines and venue‑partner publications; co‑presented by NRJ, M6, and Rock & Folk. 📰 The Story The advert highlights: • Prince + New Power Generation as the headline act • Larry Graham as guest — a major draw for funk audiences • Paris Zénith as the venue, known for its acoustics and scale • Ticketing through FNAC, Virgin Megastore, France Billet, and Minitel services This show sits in the lineage of Prince’s late‑’90s European performances — muscular, improvisational, spiritually charged, and anchored by the Graham‑NPG synergy. The imagery reinforces Prince’s evolving aesthetic: ornate, mystical, and intensely charismatic. 📰 Key Highlights • One‑page French advert for the August 21, 1998 Zénith concert • New Power Generation headlining with Larry Graham • Late‑’90s funk‑driven live era • Strong promotional backing from major French media partners • A defining snapshot of Prince’s European touring presence in 1998 📰 📰 Related Material • Explore the tags below for connected eras and themes. 📰 Closing Notes This advert stands as a vivid marker of Prince’s late‑’90s live power — a moment when the NPG was a fully evolved funk machine, and Paris was one of its most electrified stages. #GlamSlamChronicles #MusicEphemera #Prince #NewPowerGeneration #LarryGraham #ParisZenith #1998Prince #GlamSlamEscape

Prince O{+> appears on NBC’s Today Show for a live “innerview” promoting Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic and the New Years Eve Pay Per View special Rave In2 The Year 2000 on December 8, 1999.

Cover + seven‑page feature interview A major Blues & Soul cover story published across the December 15–27, 1999 issue, marking one of the most substantial UK interviews of the Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic era. The feature — titled “Fantastic Voyage” — positions The Artist as a figure on the brink of a new millennium, navigating reinvention, industry shifts, and a renewed sense of purpose. 📰 Excerpt “Has life begun again for the artist formerly known as over?” The cover teases a resurrection narrative, framing the interview as a deep dive into The Artist’s creative state at the close of the 1990s. 📰 Overview This seven‑page feature captures The Artist in a moment of transition — newly signed to Arista, promoting Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, and re‑entering mainstream conversation after several years of turbulence and experimentation. The tone of the piece blends: • career reflection • spiritual undercurrents • humour and self‑awareness • commentary on fame, identity, and artistic evolution The interview positions Rave as both a summation of late‑’90s Prince and a bridge toward a new era. 📰 Source Details Publication: Blues & Soul Issue Date: December 15–27, 1999 Format: Cover + seven‑page feature interview Provenance Notes: UK R&B and soul magazine; one of the most significant British interviews of the Rave era. 📰 The Story The feature explores The Artist’s mindset as he enters the year 2000: • reflections on the late‑’90s albums (Chaos and Disorder, Emancipation, Newpower Soul) • thoughts on creative independence and label politics • the collaborative spirit behind Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic • the balance between spirituality and sensuality • the ongoing evolution of his public identity The cover image — The Artist in ornate black and gold, holding the collar of his outfit with a knowing stare — reinforces the theme of rebirth and self‑possession. The article’s title, “Fantastic Voyage,” suggests both a retrospective journey and a forward‑looking leap into the unknown. 📰 Key Highlights • Seven‑page interview exploring The Artist’s late‑’90s reinvention • Major UK cover positioning him at the centre of R&B and soul culture • Discussion of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic and its high‑profile collaborations • Commentary on identity, spirituality, and artistic renewal • A defining snapshot of Prince at the turn of the millennium 📰 Blues & Soul — Cover + seven‑page feature, December 15–27, 1999. 📰 Related Material • Explore the tags below for connected eras and themes. 📰 Closing Notes This Blues & Soul feature stands as one of the most important UK interviews of the Rave era — a moment when The Artist reasserted his presence, recalibrated his narrative, and stepped into the new millennium with renewed clarity. #GlamSlamChronicles #MusicEphemera #Prince #BluesAndSoul #RaveEra #1999Prince #GlamSlamEscape

CBS-TV Early Show Airs December 29, 1999

Some have called him eccentric, others have dubbed him a musical genius. There was​ ​a time when he​ answered ​to his given​ name—Prince—before changing​g it to ​an unpronounceable glyph. But here,​ on the brink of a new millennium, at what might be a new phase in his professional career, there is now one term used to describe The Artist, as he is now known, on which all can agree. He is, in a nutshell, a free man. Freedom for The Artist has manifested itself in a number of wa​ys. Once notoriously aloof, reclusive and painfully camera-shy, ​The Ar​tist now seems quite unrestricted and at ease in his​ own​ skin as ​we​ll as in the ​public eye​, where he routinely displays a playfulness and sense of humor that is both surprising and refreshing to strangers in his presence​. Additionally, The Artist is no longer stifled by the creative choke hold he felt was inflicted on him by Warner Bros., his former recording label. After severing a nearly 2​0-​year-old, ​often contentious relationship with the label in​ 1995, The Artist now celebrates a new​ deal inked with Arista Records and his​ own New Power Generation label. The arrangement grants him the ultimate freedom to retain ownership of his​ master recordings as well as giving him the option to independently sell his records via direct mail or through the Internet. This new-found professional flexibility seems to have also inspired The Artist creatively,​ evidenced by the​ release​ last November of his newest​ album. ​Rave Un​2 the Jo​y ​Fantastic​, a delicious fusion of funk, rock, R&B​, this. album​ features The Artist performing​ e​very track and​, with a nod and a wink​, acknowledges "Prince" as the album's​ producer. The collaboration between​ both personalities makes for a piece of work that's both fun and inspirational to groove to. Lounging in a suite at the New York​ Palace Hotel in New York City, the Artist is​, as always​, the image of serene royalty.​ Dressed stylishly, yet casually in flowing black, from the neck of his mohair tunic ​to the tips of his Cuban-heeled boots​, he exudes power and strength, despite his slight built and diminutive height. His face stands out in stark contrast to his dark outfit—light complexioned and slightly powdered, dominated by those famous doe eyes and accompanying shy smile. The symbol that now represents his name hangs from​ his neck as a diamond-encrusted gold pen​ant. ​One is never quite prepared for the startlingly deep bass voice that reverberates from this seemingly frail frame upon greeting,reminding you that, despite appearances, the Artist is the biggest thing in the room. Yet the expense of hid presence comes nowhere near close to matching the size of his legacy within the music industry. At 41, The Artist has spent halt his life in the limelight, starting with his breakthrough chart-topping hit in 1979, "I Wanna Be Your Lover." His astounding proficiency on vocals, keyboards, strings, percussion and lyrics demonstrated on masterpiece albums such as 1980's Dirty Mind,.1982's 1999 and 1987's Sign of the Times soon earned the young Minneapolis, MN native the same "artistic genius" accolade reserved for the likes of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. At this juncture, The Artist still remains one of the-few recording artists to make an appearance on Billboards' pop and R&B ' singles and album charts every single year since 1978. And he shows no signs of reining himself in. "I really don't know what number of releases I've made," The Artist admits, when pressed to give a tally. ''I've often made records just for friends, full albums that I've given as gifts." The Artist's generosity doesn't stop with his close friends .. A diverse array of musicians, including Mariah Carey, Chaka Khan, TLC, Sinead O'Connor and Herbie Hancock have benefited from his talent by covering The Artist's songs, while other performers such as Madonna, Sheena Easton, Patti LaBelle and the Bangles have claimed him as their producer. And scores of younger artists, from Maxwell to D'Angelo to Lenny Kravitz consistently show and tell how heavily he has influenced' their music and stage performances. These days, The Artist is a study in tranquility and contentment. No longer a frustrated artist at war with his professiona1 obligations and his personal integrity (he once wore the word 'slave' emblazoned down his face to protest his perceived indentured servitude at the hands of his record label), he now seems centered and grounded at this point in his life's journey, having found himself as well as inner joy.in the process. His union with his wife Mayte, in 1996, might have much to do with the transformation. So might his increased immersion into spirituality and his adoption of a vegan lifestyle. 'You've gotta have belief. It's the only way to make it through the maze,' The Artist has said. "We don't eat anything with parents," he has also said. "Thou shalt not kill, means just that. We don't have to kill things to survive. This cleansing of his mind, body, and spirit, coupled with the sobering effects of adversity, have all contributed to shaping The Artist into the socially conscious, and strongly convicted man he is today. His much publicized fight with Warner Bros. over artistic freedom and ownership.of his product left him bitter, an wary of the industry at large. "What I had with Warner Bros: was a contract. i"rn a real.stickier about words and the prefix lot contract is 'con'," he says in retrospect. And the joy he felt upon becoming a father in 1996 was short-lived after his infant son died shortly after his birth, reportedly the victim of Pfeiffer's syndrome, a rare deformity in which the skull hardens prematurely. But The Artist appears to have risen from the ashes, bruised, but not broken, with a renewed enthusiasm surrounding his new album and the path it might take-him into the year 2000 and beyond. "The message of this album is to be joyful for life," he says. Indeed,, the sampling of cuts-from Rave Un​2 the Jo​y ​Fantastic, including its. first single, the lushly orchestrated, "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold," tells as only The, Artist can. of the many facets of relationships and the impact they have on our lives. Featuring a number' of collaborations with disparate artists such as Chuck D., Ani Difranco, Gwen Stefani, Sheryl Crow, Maceo.Parker and Eve, this new album appears to have allowed' The Artist 'to do something professionally that perhaps he hadn't done in quite some time—just have fun. "I, real!y just wanted to work' with my friends," he says. "The whole idea is about ownership— claiming it and knowing that your art is.completely yours. I can't wait to step out on tour with this project!" For him, freedom, to just create and be, is the ultimate expression of joy. But even In midst of having fun, The Artist is ever mindful of the adage that to whom much is given is much required, as well as the one that admonishes that, in order to know where you are going, you must know from whence you came. At this point in his life, The Artist acknowledges a newfound connection with the Motherland, particularly after making a visit to Giza to visit the Egyptian pyramids. He jumps up to demonstrate-how he physically experienced seeing the pyramids for the first time, which felt like a rumbling sensation throughout his whole being. The reaction was so vivid, he recounts, that.he found himself asking his traveling companions, "Did you feel that?" Despite making millions of dollars .from his art, The Artist is known for giving a lot of his wealth, away. He once said, "Thirty million people in the world have AIDS and 21 million of them are in Africa, You see folks with flies on 'em, then who are you? You'd better help somebody.' And help others he does. Recently, he played host to a number of high school students from around the United-States at his Paisley Park recording studios in Minneapolis. The students, who were selected to attend based on their grades and written essays, were treated to a private audience with The Artist, as well as Artist-related paraphernalia. And with Mayte, he has founded the Love 4 One Another foundation, which was established to offer assistance to underprivileged children and adults. Through his official websites www.love4oneanother.com and www.newfunk.com, The Artist is now positioned to his reach out to his followers in even new different ways. "My audience now has a direct line to talk to me without some writer interpreting who I am for them," he says.' His message to them is simple: "The millennium is not the end of time," he says. "Hopefully, it will be a chance for us to finally, close the divide between the sexes." From the look of things, If there is anyone up for the challenge, it would be The Artist. Black Diaspora January 1, 2000 The Artist - A New Era Dawn M. Baskerville

The Artist looks wizard-like in the soft glow of Paisley Park’s Studio A. Clad in red satin and seated behind the mammoth SSL console, he cues up some cuts from his new album, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. “There’s guitar madness all over this,” he warns, firing up the title track at ear-splitting volume. Destined to be one of the album’s sing-along hits, it features grinding guitar work and a lead melody that sounds as if a snake charmer is playing through a pair of flanged Marshalls. “I recorded that in 1988,” he quips, pulling down the volume. “It has two guitars going through Leslies. One was the Auerswald [the custom symbol guitar shaped like his unpronounceable name]. It’s made of one piece of wood—and doesn’t have much guts—but if you crank it, it sounds like a car is running over it!” The preview continues. On “So Far, So Pleased” and “Baby Knows,” I’m pinned to my chair by hurricane-force guitars over pounding rhythms. On “Tangerine,” The Artist deftly picks fingerstyle acoustic over a trippy kick and fretless-bass figure. As the songs unfold, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic proves to be full of contrasts and revivals for the 41-year-old Artist Formerly Known As Prince. It’s the hardest-edged guitar record he has ever made, he performed all of the tracks by himself (something he hasn’t done since the 1982 smash 1999), and it’s his first major-label release since he jettisoned his Warner Bros. contract in 1995 (which involved legally changing his name to a symbol). There’s more: Production credit on the new album goes to the now returned Prince (apparently The Artist’s fave producer), and there are cameo performances by Sheryl Crow, Ani DiFranco, Chuck D, Gwen Stefani, and Maceo Parker. Explaining why his former personality nixed guest appearances, The Artist revealed, “I’m competitive, and I’ve definitely let my ego control me. But I’ve discovered that when it comes to music, ego has to sit down.” Rave punctuates this collaborative spirit with a cover of Crow’s “Everyday Is a Winding Road”—a track that finds The Artist riffing over hip-hop beats with a stinging attack worthy of Albert King. Is the notoriously sly funkster really the “brand new kid” he now claims to be? Perhaps. After all, a lot has changed in his world over the last few years. The split with Warner initiated a four-year span in which his only major-label affiliation was a distribution deal with EMI for the album Emancipation. Subsequent releases on his own NPG-label— including the five-disc Crystal Ball (which sold more than 250,000 copies at $50 a pop), the EP The New Master (which features seven fresh versions of the hit) and the New Power Generation album Newpower Soul—have been marketed via the Internet. By all accounts, The Artist has been successful at managing his own affairs. In fact, he talks of owning his masters (the original recordings) with the zeal of someone who’s discovered the secret of eternal youth. But with all the complexities of running an operation the size of Paisley Park, who could blame him for inking a saccharine-sweet deal with a major record company and getting back to doing what he does best—writing and producing cutting-edge funk-rock, and playing awfully good guitar. As if to underscore this last point, The Artist played a video clip from a recent live performance that showed him shredding like a madman. When the solo ended, he flicked off the VCR and said with a grin, “I just wanted you to see that I can do it live, too.” Why did you decide to play the majority of instruments on Rave? I had always planned to revisit my sound. This year felt like the time to do it. You mentioned coming full circle with your guitar playing. What is exciting you most about guitar now? Habibe [a custom Schecter guitar], and the doors that metal has opened for harder-edged records. Do you conceive songs and arrangements in their entirety, or do you play around with the music and lyrics until you get what you want? I always know what the whole thing is going to sound like. It’s all in here [taps his head], but it’s here, too [points at the console]. Recording hardware is part of the songwriting process? I use punch-ins and spot-erasing as a compositional style—that’s how I build and edit arrangements and performances. I’m quick enough with the Record button that I can shave a letter off a word. But that’s because I’ve been doing it for 20 years. How do you create rhythm tracks? I generally build my tracks one at a time, but sometimes I use the band to get the rhythm down. In a way, it’s more fun to get it out of people. You know, an idea is still yours even if you give it to someone. Is it easier for you to play all the instruments? It’s not easier, but when I play all the instruments I’m not as greedy. I’m more greedy when we play live. [Laughs.] I like your solo on “Baby Knows.” I tried to go after Chuck Berry for that one. I think I used my Tele through a small amp. Sheryl Crow played harp on that song—she nailed it in one take. Who’s playing guitar on “I Love You, But I Don’t Trust You Anymore”? That’s Ani DiFranco. I showed her the chords to the song, but I didn’t tell her how it actually went. If I’d told her too much, then silence wouldn’t have been one of the sounds. How did you get such a massive tone on “So Far, So Pleased”? I ran my guitar through a Boss Vibrato and Flanger. The octave and delay effects are from the Zoom 9030. Do you double your guitar lines? A lot of times, I’ll sample a guitar that I’ve recorded, and then overdub the same part with a keyboard. The attack of the keyboard gives guitar lines more impact and punch. Did you do that on “Man O’ War”? Yeah. I also had my Cry Baby cracked halfway open for that one. Do you have any special ways of recording acoustic guitar? Sometimes I record the guitar and vocals live—just sitting here at the console. That’s how I recorded The Truth [the acoustic-only disc on Crystal Ball]. Speaking of Crystal Ball, how did you get that eerie lead tone in “Animal Kingdom” and the incredible rhythm guitar sound in “Da Bang”? If I told you, you’d have to die. Are you still playing the Cloud guitar? Yeah, but it’s painted blue now. Who built that guitar? It was made by David Rusan. Do some instruments have a more spiritual vibe than others? I’m spiritual by nature, and I appreciate the time it took someone to make an instrument. It doesn’t matter if it’s a guitar or a synthesizer, someone still had to take the time to make it. What’s one of the most important qualities for a musician to have? You have to respect your spiritual base. You have to respect the instrument. The volume and tone of an instrument is so important. You’ve recently produced albums by Chaka Khan and Larry Graham. Are there any guitarists that you’d like to produce? Carlos Santana. I love his playing—especially on his early albums. What guitarists have most influenced your funk rhythm style? Sonny T. [one of the early members of The Artist’s backup band, New Power Generation], Freddie Stone [Sly Stone’s brother], and Tony Maiden [of Rufus]. How do you create such freedom in your songs without sacrificing the groove? God gives you everything, and one of those things is freedom. Art Thompson Guitar Player January 1, 2000

Prince finds peace – the Artist reflects on God, genius, and the joy fantastic! nterview by José Luis Corral, January 1, 2000. Finally at peace with himself, the purple dwarf from Minneapolis returns in great shape with Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. A record performed by The Artist, but produced by Prince... Or when schizophrenia rhymes with genius. The Artist, Prince: "I learned many lessons from life and all of them sent me back to God" Finally at peace with himself, the purple dwarf from Minneapolis returns in great shape with Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. A record performed by The Artist, but produced by Prince... Or when schizophrenia rhymes with genius. The Artist spent several days in Madrid. It was only at the end of his stay that he agreed to meet me. The (little) Prince we have in front of us is much less exuberant than the one we can see on stage. And yet, when he starts talking about God, love, happiness and especially when he talks about doubles, we say to ourselves that "The Artist" is still capable of astonishing... and to release great records. José Luis Corral: What made you decide to sign again with a record company, you who wanted to remain independent? Prince: The particularity of the agreement I made with Clive Davis [President of Arista records, editor's note] allows me to still feel totally independent. Clive Davis and I really understood each other very well, a handshake was enough to seal our agreement. Does being associated with a record label limit creativity? No, not when you are powerful and productive enough to impose your own views. Let's take an apple that represents creation and an apple stall where creation is sold. The owners of the stall say that without them, we could not sell apples. So what? Well, I tell them: "OK, but who tells you that I don't want to deliver my creations to someone who sells bananas?" The day when the musicians of the planet think like this, I think we will witness a real revolution in this field... How and do you feel now? For years, I felt like a slave to the record industry. Today, I am finally free. I think I'm happier, fitter and more toned than ever Why is your album performed by The Artist but produced by Prince? When I'm The Artist, I have a hard time channeling myself. I'd rather Prince go to the coals! That's why I left it to him to watch over the production. Only he could breathe the spirit of the 80s into it. Prince and The Artist got along well? Yes! The result is very satisfying to me: there is in this album everything that Prince's fans want to find in it, in addition to the new trends of The Artist. I think it's a record that is resolutely against the grain, the opposite of the violence and selfishness that dominate today's music. What is new, precisely, in this record? The energy of life and the expression of pure happiness! Through a mix of pop, funk and rock, I wanted to express a wide variety of emotions. The goal with this record was to create a universe in which only the joy and love of God exist. You have your own website. What do you think about the Internet? The Internet is just a tool. I use the computer, it's not the computer that uses me. It's like a bus that takes us from one place to another in the blink of an eye! The Internet is a good way to communicate with the people you love. Have you become a kind of sage? I learned many lessons from life and all of them sent me back to God. Music allows me to express what I have in my heart and in my love. For we are nothing without our soul.

Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic A one‑page review published on January 1, 2000, assessing whether Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic signalled a genuine creative rebirth for 0(+> — or merely a momentary spark. The headline, “Second Coming?”, frames the piece as a question of resurrection, renewal, and artistic recalibration at the dawn of a new millennium. 📰 Excerpt “Has life begun again for the artist formerly known as over?” The review opens with a wry, provocative line, positioning the album as a potential turning point after several uneven late‑’90s releases. 📰 Overview The critic situates Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic within the broader arc of 0(+>’s late‑’90s output — Chaos and Disorder, Emancipation, Newpower Soul — arguing that Rave represents a more focused, disciplined effort. Not quite a full return to form, but a clear sign that he “means business.” The review highlights: • muscular funk • high‑octane harmonies • X‑rated lyrical swagger • a roster of high‑profile collaborators It also notes the album’s blend of dance‑floor energy and unexpected tenderness, particularly in the slower, more introspective tracks. 📰 Source Details Publication: Unspecified (UK music press) Issue Date: January 1, 2000 Format: One‑page album review Provenance Notes: Part of the critical response to Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic following 0(+>’s signing with Arista. 📰 The Story The review explores the album’s key elements: • Title track — feverish, high‑energy funk • “Everyday Is a Winding Road” — a Funkadelic‑leaning reinterpretation • “Hot Wit U” — playful, explicit, aerobic rather than erotic • Guest roster — Sheryl Crow, Chuck D, Gwen Stefani, Maceo Parker The critic argues that while the album doesn’t break new ground, it offers enough quality to reassert 0(+>’s relevance. The emotional centrepiece is identified as: “The Sun, The Moon & Stars” — a slow‑burning acoustic ballad with dramatic tenderness, suggesting a more mature, reflective artist approaching 40. The review closes by suggesting that Rave is strongest when it slows down — when it leans into vulnerability rather than bravado. 📰 Key Highlights • One‑page review of Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic • Frames the album as a potential creative rebirth • Notes improved focus after several uneven releases • Highlights major guest appearances • Praises the ballads as the album’s emotional core • Positions 0(+> as entering a new, more mature phase 📰 Image (Insert your scan here) Alt Text Box Caption One‑page album review — January 1, 2000. 📰 Article Text Paste your cleaned transcription or selected excerpt here. 📰 Related Material • GlamSlamEscape entries on Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic and late‑’90s output • GlamSlamChronicles features on transitional eras and label shifts • External references on Arista, Clive Davis, and the album’s rollout • Explore the tags below for connected eras and themes. 📰 Closing Notes This review captures a moment of recalibration — a late‑’90s artist stepping into the new millennium with renewed focus, high‑profile collaborators, and flashes of the brilliance that defined his earlier work. 📰 Tags #GlamSlamChronicles #MusicEphemera #Prince #RaveUn2TheJoyFantastic #2000Prince #GlamSlamEscape

The artist formerly known as Prince bends over slightly, wipes his blow-dried hair out of his face and answers in a determined voice: "I'm here to bring pleasure, to provide music for the party (read: life)." Then he gets up, walks towards the bedroom, returns, shakes hands and says: "That's enough, there are other journalists who want to talk to me. Thank you and goodbye." And he is gone. The Artist, in his red glittery hip pants with matching shirt and heelboots. A dazed Journalist is left with only one thought: 'What an ego. That man can only listen to himself.' Then such a thought says something about the journalist. The person in question can live with that! What preceded it: His Royal Badness, TAFKAP, Prince, The Artist, The Symbol, the musical genius behind Sheila E., Vanity 6, Apollonia 6, The Time and The New Power Generation had decided it was time for some press promotion again. And so the man went to the Netherlands with his entire band, ex-wife/now life partner Mayte and supporters for a few interviews. Sunday evening the TV-Show at Ivo Niehe and Monday the written press. What happened at the TV-Show was not seen and heard by the viewers who turned on their TV later that week, because Prince Roger Nelson found the quality of the performance and the subsequent interview far below par. All that remained was an angry Ivo and a tape confiscated by Prince. That tape is demonstratively in the trash of the hotel room where The Artist is just hanging up the phone. He turns around, smiles and walks towards the chair. A short description: he is not small, he is mini. His black hair has been freed from the red headscarf with which he entered the hotel earlier this evening. It stands straight up, in all directions (the hair, not the cloth!). Around his neck a gigantic gold necklace with an even larger golden 'Symbol' in it, around his neck another necklace with 'The Symbol'. The Artist is not a handsome man, but he is fascinating. (Or is it secretly just the hype that the media created around this man that makes you intimidated?) The Artist belongs in the list of top stars, which also includes Madonna and Michael Jackson. "But I don't live like a star," he says. "People make me a star, an idol. I just live the way I do. A famous American rapper, whose name I won't mention, once said to me: 'I'm not commercial, people make me commercial'. That's how I see it too. I am not a product, I am a creation of God. Do you know the word 'recreation'? Write it down." The Artist takes a pen and puts a line between 're' and 'create'. "Now read it again; it says re-shovel. What something like that means when God wants us to help him; He wants us to create with him." True Prince fans know that the man is quite in the Lord. It is not for nothing that he divorced his wife Mayte on the day they got married, and then entered into a spiritual commitment. The Artist believes in equality between men and women. I'm not here to question my private life, but what I do want to say is that I've seen the truth and therefore know how to live. As long as you follow the "truth, you don't do wrong things. The law states that the woman is less than the man. Mayte and I disagree, we are both children of God and therefore equal. Anyone who starts talking about faith and God strikes a sensitive chord with the musician. The Artist is firmly convinced that he has seen 'The Truth' and therefore knows better than anyone how life works. I'm not 41 years old, I'm only 1 year old, because I've only had one birthday and that was when I was born. Who counts his birthdays, counts down to death and I am immortal S" Right, what can you say against that? Not much, because to every argument you put forward, he answers with the clincher I have seen the light and you have not, because if you had seen the light, you would have agreed with me!'. He continues: "Many people think that music occupies the biggest place in my life, but nothing could be further from the truth. My fulfillment in life is learning the truth. Music is only a side issue. I hear it 24 hours a day, that's true... How can I explain it? I will give an example; Tonight's TV show, for example. I do not approve of those (audio tapes, because they do not reflect reality. (Later, to everyone's surprise, Prince announced that he would remix the soundtrack at his Paisley Studio. December 21st his performance could be seen on Ivo Niehe's show.) The reality was that I played damn well. The truth, however, was that the sound engineer does not understand his work and has therefore screwed things up. Hey, I'm 'just another brother' trying to show someone (in this case the sound engineer) that he has the wrong job. That is the truth. I take no credit for that. Write that down!" The Artist. . bent over' from his chair, the right index finger piercing forcefully towards noteblock. "But put it in your own words". I want people to take responsibility for their actions, which is why I never have my interviews recorded. And if something is not right, then it is their fault, not mine! I've also written bad things about people in songs, but in the end that says more about me than about them." Veronica (Gids) January 7, 2000 The Faith According to The Artist

The Artist opens up – what happened to Prince and the fight for freedom! interview by Stefan Picker-Dressel in Hamburger Abendblatt, January 8, 2000 The artist, whom everyone still calls Prince, was downright famous for constantly changing pseudonyms, symbols and partners. In the meantime, he is called The Artist and sees his story as a self-liberation from the golden cage of the record multinationals. In an interview, he tells us what became of Prince and why. The artist, whom everyone still calls Prince, was downright famous for constantly changing pseudonyms, symbols and partners. In the meantime, he is called The Artist and sees his story as a self-liberation from the golden cage of the record multinationals. In an interview, he tells us what became of Prince and why. He was the somewhat different carnival prince in the carnival of international pop stars; a hybrid, dazzling stage plant that always sprouted new blossoms, sometimes as a sex symbol, sometimes as an environmental preacher. In the background, he used other names and symbols in a constant clinch with his long-time record company Warner Brothers in order to be able to release with other companies. In 1994, Prince symbolically buried himself on the LP "Come" and became "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince", as well as founding his own label "New Power Generation". He released his new album "Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic" on Arista. The artist everybody still calls Prince wants to continue to place himself musically between all styles. JOURNAL: After a long time, you used the name Prince again as a producer on your new album. How come? Are you tired of the game of hide and seek around your name? THE ARTIST: No, I'm The Artist and I'll stay that way. But I can seek closeness to my second self or alter ego - call it what you want - and consult with him in silence. When choosing the songs, for example, we often talked. It was like a kind of telepathy. JOURNAL: That sounds spiritual. Are you a believer? THE ARTIST: I've always had a connection to God, but never as strong as in the past two or three years. God has changed a lot in my life. It is no coincidence that everything has turned out this way. Nothing in the world happens by chance, everything is planned. Once you have dealt with this topic and opened your heart to it, you see God everywhere. JOURNAL: Where do you get your sudden spirituality from? THE ARTIST: I draw my strength from my love of nature. I'm finally a free man who can do everything I've always wanted. It doesn't matter what you're born as. Everyone has the power to do something extraordinary. Everything has a meaning, everything has power. And all living beings on our planet have a meaning and therefore a tremendous charisma. Because everything forms a cycle and belongs together. JOURNAL: Do you draw strength from the Bible? THE ARTIST: The Bible exerts an insane fascination on me. I see a deeper meaning behind every story. Nothing happened in the Old Testament without meaning. For me, the Bible is the most important book of all. JOURNAL: Your former record company Warner, which still holds the rights to your old songs, released the last regular Prince album with Prince songs at the end of August 1999. How did you find out about it? THE ARTIST: Well, I knew there was an album coming. I was informed of this. But I didn't get to see it until my wife discovered it by chance in the record store. JOURNAL: In retrospect, what sense do you see in the dispute with Warner Brothers? THE ARTIST: The whole thing showed me personally what is important in my life. I signed with Warner when I was 19 years old. At that time, I didn't deal with the contract in more detail and was happy to be able to release my music at all at such a young age. Today, on the other hand, I can do whatever I want. I feel like a free man. JOURNAL: What does that mean? THE ARTIST: I can allow myself to make the music that I think is right at the moment. If I feel like a techno record, I make a techno record. If I want to do hip-hop, I do hip-hop. And when I'm in the mood for jazz, I make a jazz album. No matter what comes out, it will always be an album by The Artist. I never thought in categories, they were always the others. JOURNAL: What do you think of new superstars like Puff Daddy or Will Smith? THE ARTIST: Oh, the guys are okay, really nice guys. But musically I can't support everything they do. None of this sounds very innovative. And when Puff Daddy performs with these sloppy rappers like Lil' Kim, it just seems vulgar. JOURNAL: Do you feel misunderstood by the media? THE ARTIST: Yes, in the past it was often like that. Although I can understand them too. If I were to look at my life as an outsider, I would probably be suspicious of a lot of things. In the past, I have often withdrawn and lived like in a crystal ball for many people. I thought a lot about my life during this time. I've been looking for the truth. JOURNAL: And? Have you found them? THE ARTIST: Ich für meinen Teil schon. Aber die Vergangenheit hat gezeigt, dass nicht viele etwas mit meiner Auffassung von Wahrheit anfangen können. JOURNAL: Was ist Ihre Wahrheit des Lebens? Hat man Sie betrogen? THE ARTIST: In gewisser Hinsicht schon. Ich bin sehr von einigen Leuten bei meiner ehemaligen Plattenfirma enttäuscht. Ich habe ihnen Unsummen angeboten, um die Rechte an meinen alten Songs zurückzukaufen. Sie haben nur gelacht. So etwas prägt. JOURNAL: Wie viel haben Sie geboten? THE ARTIST: Eine zweistellige Millionen-Summe [in Dollar]. Mehr will ich nicht sagen. Die dachten wohl, ich bin ein eigentümliches Männchen, das sich mit den alten Hits einen netten Lebensabend machen will. JOURNAL: Was würden Sie heute anders machen? THE ARTIST: I will never again commit myself to a contractual partner as firmly as I did then. I felt enslaved as a wage clerk and paid that way. The others enriched themselves back then. Every song I wrote led to long discussions. No, I can't and don't have to do that to myself anymore. Today I earn more than I used to. JOURNAL: How can that be? Your record purchases are stagnating, aren't they? THE ARTIST: Until recently, I distributed my music through my own label. Seven dollars go to me. More than before. At that time I didn't get two dollars per album. JOURNAL: You are considered a person who hates interviews. You are talking very openly about that today. What happened? THE ARTIST: Life is like an illusion. Over the years, I have separated myself strongly from this business. Out of pure self-protection. But now I feel like I'm up to the public again. People also have a right to know what moves me. After all, I want you to hear my music even now in the new millennium. JOURNAL: There were rumors that your marriage to the dancer Mayte was over. What is the truth in that? THE ARTIST: That's stupid chatter. Mayte and I still feel very comfortable. The truth is that she spent the summer in our new villa in Marbella. She has set up her own dance group there. That's all. JOURNAL: She is said to have had an affair with the flamenco artist Joaquin Cortes. THE ARTIST: Oh, that's not true. Marbella is a jet set, so you're never among yourself. Such rumors already appear when you meet at the kiosk in the morning and buy the newspaper together. JOURNAL: You call yourself The Artist, the omnipresent love symbol dangles from your chest, your employees address you as Sir. How do you sign autographs? THE ARTIST: I haven't signed autographs for years. Something strange happened to me the other day. I was in Philadelphia at the airport. Suddenly there is a crowd of people next to me, all of whom started screaming. I only ever heard a woman shout, "Oh my God, it's him." In the middle of it, the loudest, are the two tennis sisters Serena and Venus Williams. When I recognized her, I just screamed along. JOURNAL: Why? THE ARTIST: Because they are so enormous. When playing tennis on TV, the two look much smaller.