Prince rarely grants an interview, but, suddenly, out of the blue, he was open to a conversation by email. Prince and his band New Power Generation arrive in Australia this week for shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Forty questions covering the Prince gamut, from his sexed-up early work to Purple Rain and his disdain for the internet to the song he wishes he’d written, were proffered.
Prince answered 12 – most tour-related. He replied in abbreviated Prince-speak – a form of communication he used before text culture – with authority and, in some cases, a wicked smirk.
1. How do you compose a set list for a show? Good question, the set list selection is initially chosen by the length of time that has passed since we’ve last played a particular market. Then many other factors take hold: the size and average age of an audience; bigger, younger crowds like the party songs played immediately, so we generally comply. Hosting parties offstage in a private setting 4 larger crowds has trained us well in dancefloor management, if u will.
2. How many songs do you have on call (rehearsed and ready if you want to slot them into the show)? Roughly 200-300 songs with variations 4 each of them. 4 example: based upon crowd response any song can b lengthened or shortened with a simple cue: Raspberry Beret’s second verse and bridge can b added if the audience sings louder than r lead singer. :-) Also depending upon the diversity of the crowd we can quickly segue in 2 Cool, The Time’s theme song. An urban audience knows all the words to that song whereas folks from Helsinki... well, u get the picture.
3. How do you view your catalogue of B-sides, which to some fans are as important as your hits? The concerts r tending 2 skew younger these days so once folks know they r on familiar ground, we can play some rarities. U don’t put kids in the deep water until u make sure they can swim.
4. How do you approach those classic super-high notes these days? By hitting higher ones.
5. What are the three most important things on your tour rider, and why? Riders r the least important thing on tour.
6. As a band leader, what do you expect from the musicians you work with? 1. Foot washing 2. Locks of hair 3. Per diem.
7. You have said in interviews that you impose a basketball team type discipline on your band. What does that mean? That they play 2 win. Otherwise they’ll b back-up dancing 4 Robin Thicke.
8. Live, what does the NPG give to your pre-NPG catalogue, especially the Revolution material? Every band is different. Most Revolution concerts stuck 2 setlists. In contrast, all past and present lineups of the NPG r based upon a collective conscience. In other words, they play like eye would if in their position.
9. Britney Spears has done two world tours lip-syncing her show. Your thoughts? Different strokes 4 different folks.
10. What do you think of 360 deals? They r great... 4 me 2 poop on. :/
11. What do you think about the album in this iTunes culture (and the ability to buy single songs)? It’s cool cuz we usually buy books by the chapter. When we rented Avatar, we watched 5 scenes every weekend til it was finished.
12. How has iTunes ruined or saved music? Personally not a fan of digital music. Happy 2 say we grew up with the record player. Altho this current generation experiences the world differently - neither better nor worse, just different. It’s not up 2 the past 2 dictate. That said, the decision 2 turn analog music in2 numerical data was not made by a musician. It was made by a music consumer. We all got dragged unwittingly 2 this well and r now paying the cost. When hipping a young artist 2 Joni Mitchell’s canon of work, we don’t direct them 2 iTunes. We sit them down and play the music chronologically. Finally, we would like 2 say how excited we all r 2 come back 2 Australia 2 show everybody what they’ve been missing all this time. Get ready 2 dance!