[openbook]

De momento, una parte de la entrevista en inglés, traducida por un forero de prince.org


'what do you want to hear?'. This can't be true. I'm sitting two meters away from one of the most
mysterious and successful popstars of the past decades and he's asking ME what he should play,
sitting there at his black piano. That the mysterious Prince should allow himself to be interviewed
this freely in his paisley park studio's in the american minneapolis is already inconceivable but
what's happening now is beyond words. And something tells me the last surprise is yet to come.

'you have to hop on the first plain. Now. He wants to do the interview tomorrow'. Prince [52] may
have spent the last few years outside of the spotlight but nothing has changed. The legendary
musician is still as unpredictable as ever. For weeks we have been trying to get this interview
scheduled – and due to the new music that he will release exclusively through this paper on july
10th – and just when I started thinking the interview will never happen, this email drops at my
manager's. 'sorry but this is how he wants to do it. It's this, or nothing at all. Good luck'.

When I arrive at the airport in Minneapolis, 32 hours later and switch on my cellphone, some new
instructions appear. 'You will be picked up at your hotel this afternoon. Please be aware that it is
strictly off limits to use photo or soundrecording devices and that you will have to check in your
mobile phone'. Damn. It used to be like that before and it seems it's still going down this way, the
chosen ones who succeed to enter the inner sanctum of Prince won't return with a trophy. No pics
to prove it and so voice on tape.

For those who may have forgotten: they don't come more illusive than Prince. Only very rarely
does the headstrong popstar give interviews. In his heyday, at the time of classics such as Purple
Rain and Sign o the Times, this lead to gossip and wild stories about his life to a point where no
one knew what was truth and what was made up. Prince, the man who never slept and forever
worked in his studio. Prince, the man with a girl on every finger. Prince, the man who would
mercilessly show his musicians the door. Prince, the man who hid a true treasure trove of songs
in his paisley park vaults, amongst which sessions with the legendary miles davis.

And here's the first surprise. It's happens faster than I'd imagined. Shelby, the lady who comes
to pick me up at the hotel, turns out to be one of his back up singers. She drives me to a side-
entrance of the large white complex that is the headquarters of Prince. A building as big as a
film studio, on a wide road. Once inside, she disappears through a door. 'Shall I bring him in?'
I hear her ask.

And before I know it, I'm standing in front of him. Wait. Back. Shouldn't there be 10 managers
and 20 pr assistants standing here. Because that's what usually happens with stars of this kind
of magnitude. No, a laughing prince extends a relaxed hand. 'How's it going?'. I gasp for breath
and try to focus. Yes, he's small. He's wearing strange clothes: white shoes, white loose pants,
a white sleeveless vest and under that a green shirt with wide sleeves. But he looks young and
almost like a rascal.

'What I'd like to propose is that you'll listen to my new music first', he says, with a voice that
sounds very low one moment and much higher the next. He points me to a stool in a corner of
a the red and purple control room of his recordingstudio and puts a pair of headphones on me.
'That's how I like to listen to it myself', he says. 'with the music through the speakers and the
headphones at the same time'. He sees my notebook. 'I wouldn't make notes if I were you. That
would make this seem like a press review of a movie. To unnatural. Listen and enjoy'.



He presses PLAY and disappears. So here I am. At the epicenter of Prince's universe. The place
where it all happens. There are candles burning here and there. On the mixing board I see the
symbol he used as a name for a while, when he didn't want to be called Prince anymore, during
the time he was battling his record company. There's also a dictionary. Even a genius needs a
little help from time to time.

The music rings in my ears. And what music! Naturally, I was a bit scared of another album full
of mediocre songs, the likes of which he's produced so often in the past decade. But this is good.
Very good. I hear songs and sounds that take me back to a time when the world was spellbound
by this inventive musician. I start to smile and before I know it, I'm dancing. Thinking 'there is
bound to be a camera around here somehwere which the sly dude uses to keep an eye on me from
another room', I try to pull myself together.

And then, all of a sudden, Shelby is back, standing next to me. 'Come on', she says and leads me
through a hall decorated with gold records, to a sort of salon. Surprise number 2. Prince is sitting
behind a big black piano which looks futuristic and art deco all at once. Shelby seats me on a chair
and walks over to stand next to two other women, dressed in black, next to the piano. No way! Yes!
Prince starts to play and together they go through a loose rendition of Diamonds & Pearls. My jaw
drops. Next is Nothing Compares 2 U. I have to pinch myself.

'What do you want to hear?', Prince suddenly asks. Blackout. Sometimes it Snows in April, I manage
to remember. And I'm in luck: they haven't rehearsed this beautiful slow songs yet. It means that the
ladies are silent and I've got Prince all to myself, searching, jazzy, improvising on the piano. Fcuz,
he pulls it off. 'Thank you', I say once he's done. 'You're welcome', he says, smiling back at me. All
of a sudden I'm seeing timid brown puppy eyes and a pouted, shy mouth.

'Shall we go outside and talk?'. He holds the door and once on the patio he slides two metallic chairs
up to a table. Once again I'm thinking 'where are the managers and the pr assistants?'. Where is that
eternal person with stopwatch in hand who's telling me that I've got fifteen minutes, starting now?
Why is it that in this large building there is no one to be seen? Not even a secretary or a doorman?
But at the same time I realize, 'This is my interview. Now. Here. What was it I wanted to ask him
again? Which one of my 350 questions should I fire off first?

'sorry I'm making you write', he apologises, 'I don't mind talking to you but I'm not a big fan of
quotes. If you record this conversation, it's all gonna be there, black on white. Then there won't
be no quotes that will haunt me for years. When, what I'm saying now, is something I might feel
completely different about in a few years from now'.

In the midst of all this anxiety I'm starting to think to myself that I like this Prince a lot. 'Wait',
he says 'let me get you a bottle of water'. I choose to start with Belgium. I tell him about those
moments that are etched into my brain. That first concert at Vorst National at the end of the 80s.
That smoldering hot Sign O The Times concert at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp. Does her remember
Belgium at all?
'The things I remember about Belgium, are things I can't tell you', he answers teasingly, only to
realize instantly that it sounds to bragging. 'Which doesn't mean I'm trying to be mysterious on
purpose'.


Why has he suddenly decided to come to Europe and Belgium for a short tour? 'Simple: because
they made me an offer I could hardly refuse', he smiles. Ah, I see, so not entirely insensitive to
the financial side of the business.
Because I don't know how much time he will allow me, I just throw that unavoidable Michael
Jackson question in the ring. Is it weird, without Micheal, the star people pitted him against so
often? Michael: the angel. Prince: the little devil. Because at one time, they were, together with
Madonna, the greatest. 'Next question', is his ultra short answer; smiling.

So I just compliment him on his new music. 'Old music', he smiles. 'Me, I'm already three albums
ahead at this point. You know what angers me? People who say: "Prince, oh yeah, I remember him
from when he was at his peak". What a load of rubbish. Music is my life. It's a profession. I just
continue working and getting better at it. Come see me on july 10th at Werchter and you will see:
our shows are even better now. I've become a much better guitarist. When I listen to my old albums
now, I'm ashamed to hear how I played guitar back then'.

'I remember my father, a musician himself, introducing me to the music of Duke Ellington. Duke
was a long end into his career by that time. Well: I might not have seen the early, legendary Duke,
but I did see the experienced Duke. I saw the whole spectrum of that great musician. My father
raised me, as far as music is concerned. He showed me what someone like Ellington stands for.
He showed me that, in the end, it's only about the music. So come see us and you will find just
as wide a world'.

'I'm working with music all of the time. My head runs over with it. And I have to get it out. It's
like cleaning up a room. Do you know that feeling? Only once everything is tidy, will you be able
to breathe again. Music is a part of my DNA. And the weird thing is: if I don't get the things I
come up with out of my head, I'm unable to function. If you tour too much as an artist, you will
burn up all your energy. It works the same way for me when I'm not playing or recording. That's
when a strange kind of fatigue sets in'.

'Music can do a lot to a person. And I'm not even talking about the simple fact of electricity that
goes through you body. A lifetime of playing electrical guitar does something to a person. I am
convinced that all that electricity is the reason I still have so much hair'. I'm startled and look up.
No trace of a smile. He's serious.


http://prince.org/msg/7/338746/Prince-interview-in-Belgian-paper-June-24th-and-Album-To-Be-Included-With-July-10th-Issue?&pg=3

[box]

SEGUNDA PARTE



ok, so someone already translated. didn't see that. oh well. here is the second part anyway biggrin









I do want to probe a bit deeper into the big mystery, regarding his career, to which he already referred

just now. How can a gifted musician such as Prince continue to be so innovating all those years and

effortlessly knock out classics, only to lose to plot completely a little further down the road? I use a

quote from Sting "Once upon a time I felt like I had my finger at the pulse of Time. The hits just

flowed out of me. Everything sat just right. And then everything seemed to shift, seemed as if I had

lost contact and everything just became a lot harder".



'It's only about the universe that you create', he answers, 'There is no Time. Hits, that's all about the

machinery of music. If something is played on the radio often enough, it becomes a hit. Someone

like Sting can have a hit at any moment in their career, just as long as his song is played on the radio

often enough. Personally, I don't like the word Hit. It's not a word that gangsters came up with for

nothing'. (laughs)



Ok, Today's music then. Once he said he wanted to create a bit of tension and danger in the dull

world of music. What does he think when he sees the Lady GaGa's of today? Aren't we just back

at where we were back then? Back at a music world without too much excitement? 'Well, there

was indeed a bit of danger in the 80s. But consequently it became really dangerous, with just a

little bit too much drugs and violence in the rap community. And now? Oh well. What it's all about

it the music of nature. I'm trying to become one with that. This is, after all, the world of Jehova.

You have to go where God is. And that is so powerful. There is an unbelievable calm in my world

and that is what I'm trying to bring across to others.



So there we are. This is what has dominated the recent years of his life: his religion. Through his

friend, musician Larry Graham, he was introduced to the JW religion. 'What has it taught you',

I try to woo him. 'I don't want to say too much about that', he answers, almost shyly. 'If you want

to, I can give you some books so you can figure it out for yourself. I could describe to you the

street where I live. But no matter how accurate I do that, you won't fully know what it is like until

you're standing on it and seeing it for yourself. You know?'



I try it along a different route. What does he think or feel when he looks at the cover of, say, his

lovesexy album or when he reads back his sexual lyrics from back in the day? Does he wonder,

'what the hell was I thinking?'.



He smiles. 'I live in the here and now. You should do that too. You seem like a very nice person'.



Suddenly, out of the garden, as if out of thin air, two people appear at our table. An elderly Japanese

woman and a man with a badge around his neck. 'Sir', he adresses Prince in a worried matter, 'Can

you please help us. This woman came all the way from Japan to see a man who used to work here.

Do you have his number? Could you please call him?'.



Prince gives me a sly look and whispers 'this could be fun'. The man turns out to be a taxi driver

who drove the Japanese lady direct from the airport to paisley park. 'And what is the name of the

man she's looking for?' Prince asks. "Prince", the driver says. "Prince?", Prince asks. "Indeed! Do

you know him? Can you please call him?"



The Japanese lady is coyly watching the scene. Then she manages to utter a single sentence.

"I came all the way from Japan, just to see you".

With the snap of a finger Prince resolves the situation. He calls one of the backing vocalists

to the scene, asks her to arrange a hotel and some food for the Japanese woman and hush,

off they are. Another wink. 'Never a dull moment, here at pailsey park'. And once again I'm think

about managers and pr assistants and in this instance, security.



However surreal and funny that situation was, I still curse them because it is apparent that this

incident has put an end to our interview. I try another question but to no avail. Prince walks inside,

to a kitchen with a large flatscreen TV. 'Come, I want to show you something'. He picks up the

remote and searches for a fragment from a taped episode of David Letterman's talkshow. 'What do

you think about this?' he asks. A young, unbelievably energetic black singer bounces off the screen.

My mouth opens. It's Janelle Monae.



'Look, as long as there are singers like here coming up, I'm not worried. This is the music world of

today, everyone can make it. On his or her own. It took me fifteen years to get my freedom and get

out of the noose of my recordcompany. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World came in 1995 and

was my first single as a free artist in all that time.



Why would you even try with a big company in 2010? You can do it all on your own. That's why

I'm giving away my music with your newspaper. God is a generous, loving, giving being. Do as

God, it is written. Opportunities abound'.



Yes, I say, but why then did he recently close down his own website? "The internet is over",

he replies. "Why would I give my new music to Itunes? They refuse to pay me an advance

on it. And then they get mad because I won't give them my music. Do you remember when MTV

was still hot? And then there came a moment when MTV was, all of a sudden, done? That is the

same as the internet. It's over. Besides, all those computers and all that digital business, that's

redundant. It only makes your head clog up with numbers. And that can't be good for a person.

A while ago I had a studio technician over and all he could do was think in numbers. He didn't

stick around for long. I can't talk to cats like that'.



Ok, so without the internet. He's giving his new cd away with newspapers now. So what does

the rest of his new business plan or his vision of the future look like? He looks me right in the

eyes, smiles widely and says "I could tell ha, but then I would have to kill ya". Then he pats

me on my shoulder and runs off, down the hallway. I watch him leave and have to think about

all those gossip stories about his hip replacements. Something prince reportedly refused on

ground of religion. But whatever happened, it worked. Because this is not a 52 year old man,

this is a funny 18 yr old. Be it on flats, and not in the eternal heels.



I realize my head is running over. Too many impressions, too many thoughts. I walk out of the

kitchen and see an immense prince symbol on the black and white tiled floor. I look up and see

a door on the first floor with the word "knowledge" on it. It's the study where, reportedly, all

of his JW books are kept. And then, suddenly, a different Prince walks up. "If you don't mind,

I'd like to leave it at this. I have another interview a little later". He says goodbye and as soon

as I walked in, I'm walking out again.



In my hotelroom I play the movie again, in my head. Somewhere halfway through I must have

fallen asleep because it is 10 pm when the phone wakes me and it's Shelby 'You have to come

to the studio right now. Prince is throwing a party. It's gonna be fun". Oh boy, what's going to

happen next?





When I arrive at the Paisley Park parking lot a little while later, there is just one white stretched

limo with shiny hubcaps to be seen. A party? So where are all the guests? The side door opens,

and a ravishing, tall lady appears, decked out like she's going to the Oscars. "Please be patient

a little while longer" she smiles, showing her teeth.



She steps into the car and speeds off. I sit down on the sidewalk. Another door opens. It's Prince

himself. "this way".



And through that other door, I find myself, all of a sudden, in a kind of nightclub. On two huge

screens on the walls I see Prince performing. "my concert at the montreux jazz festival, last year.

Bottle of water?". A little later three singers enter the stage, with two big plateaus, one with raw

vegetables and one with fruit. When I pick up a piece of mango, I see a bible on the table.



Next one to enter is a man who could be a taxi driver as well as a JV preacher and also entering

is the long model from the parking lot. "this is Bria", Prince introduces her. Fcuz, Bria Valente,

the singer whose Elixer was included in Prince's Lotusflower package. The woman who is

rumored to be his new girlfriend.



What happens next, is once again hard to fathom. Under a flight of stairs, in a corner, Prince gets

behind a small stack of machinery and VJ's for us. He choses fragments from old legendary shows

like Soul Train. When Marvin Gaye starts to "sing" he immediately stops the tape. "Playback! Boo!"

When Sly appears in a much to tight outfit he jokes "I invented those clothes". The ladies start to

dance. I rub my eyes. Is this what happens when the huge star Prince throws a party? Where are all

the people?



But Prince is clearly having fun. "Come I want you to hear some stuff" and hop hop, there we go,

through the dark hallways of the empty building. Before I know it, I'm back in the studio where I

started out this afternoon. He puts on some music. And while we listen he starts to improvise,

along with the music, on the electrical piano in the studio. Song after song. He closes with the

song that already seemed bizarre to me when I heard it this morning "I love everybody and

everybody loves me". It's surreal. Him in the middle, us huddled around like his disciples. And

then those words. "I love everybody, everybody loves me".



It gets even more surreal. He wants to play more music and gathers his entourage in the salon

with the black piano. But he can't get the lights to switch on. "oh well, in that case we will be

heading for the large concert hall". A few minutes later we are in the large hall with a stage full

of instruments. "this is what i've always dreamed off, as a beginning artist, tinkering away in

my basement", he confides to us. Bria is ordered behind the mixingdesk, we are ushered onto

the stage.



The small magician sits down at the piano, the backing vocalists behind their microphones. For

a few songs they exercise loosely. Then Prince says "Everyone picks an instrument". I find a

couple of drumsticks. He starts playing Come Together by the Beatles. I tap a bit along on drums

and cymbals and think "this is beyond cool. An interview with Prince, that was already too much

to dream for. But I don't stay afloat for too long. Three words bring me crashing down:



"you are fired!" Prince yells, laughing.





And then it happens again, as soon as it did that afternoon. All of a sudden the party is over,

it's been enough. Galantly Prince and Bria escort everyone out. I want to shake his hand but

he puts his hands around my shoulders and gives me a big hug. "I really can't take a picture?"

I try one last time. "it's better in the memory bank" prince laughs.



And there I am, in the dark, on an empty parking lot, besides that big white building. No pics,

no voice on tape. Only a head full of memories and a bottle of water. No one is gonna believe

this.

[PatricioRey]

Gracias openbook y box, sí que hay gente suertuda en este mundo

[Shockadelica]

Gracias, me ha gustado mucho la entrevista.

[Chuck Romerales]

     Gracias openbú, aunque me imagino que la entrevista estará o en francés o en flamenco (variante del neerlandes)

[mecky]

Gracias a los dos.    Cómo disfruto con estas lecturas 

[openbook]

    Gracias openbú, aunque me imagino que la entrevista estará o en francés o en flamenco (variante del neerlandes)

Ups!   Edito,    Gracias por la corrección,  

[Chuck Romerales]

     Aquí escaneos de la revista

[cat]

Creo que lo he entendido casi todo  , muy interesante y sí, los hay con suerte.

Muchas gracias por ponerla 

[JavierArcanda]

me ha encantado la entrevista, prince es un loco de puta madre, jejeje

y me quedo con dos frases, una que tomo muy en serio, que comparto y que me alegro de que él reconozca cosas como estas:

I've become a much better guitarist. When I listen to my old albums
now, I'm ashamed to hear how I played guitar back then'

y otra que me hace partir la caja:

A lifetime of playing electrical guitar does something to a person. I am
convinced that all that electricity is the reason I still have so much hair

¡¡calvos del mundo, haceos guitarristas !!!!!!

[eldoctorjota]

me ha encantado la entrevista, prince es un loco de puta madre, jejeje

y me quedo con dos frases, una que tomo muy en serio, que comparto y que me alegro de que él reconozca cosas como estas:

I've become a much better guitarist. When I listen to my old albums
now, I'm ashamed to hear how I played guitar back then'

y otra que me hace partir la caja:

A lifetime of playing electrical guitar does something to a person. I am
convinced that all that electricity is the reason I still have so much hair

¡¡calvos del mundo, haceos guitarristas !!!!!!

¿Prince tiene sentido del humor?  
Es curioso que una entrevista a un períodico belga pueda ser más intresante que una a Ebony.

Me ha gustado esto que dice: "'I don't mind talking to you but I'm not a big fan of quotes. If you record this conversation, it's all gonna be there, black on white. Then there won't be no quotes that will haunt me for years. When, what I'm saying now, is something I might feel completely different about in a few years from now'.
¿Pero no se contradice puesto que no permite grabar la entrevista sino que se disculpa porque obliga a tomar notas al periodista? ¿Me he perdido algo en el artículo? ¿Alguien tiene el original en francés?

[Saiber]

     Aquí escaneos de la revista

Bro...

¿Pué ser que el enlace se haya rompío?

Saludos

[Chuck Romerales]

¿Alguien tiene el original en francés?

    La entrevista está en flamenco, que es una variante del neerlandés (como el valenciano o mallorquín y el catalán, vamos). Por cierto, aprovecho la ocasión para comentar a aquellos que vayan al festival de Werchter, en Flandes, que si saben francés ni se les ocurra usarlo allí o en Lovaina (Leuven), dada la fractura social existente en el país belga entre flamencos y valones (que hablan francés). Otra cosa es en Bruselas, donde la mayor parte de la gente es bilingüe o incluso multilingüe (no olvidemos que muchas instituciones de la Unión Europea se encuentran allí)

    Saiber, igual no puedes ver el enlace debido a que no eres amigo de la persona qué colgó las fotos en Facebook. Igual en breve consigo los escaneos en PDF y lo pongo para bajarlo

[Jose]

Gracias openbook y box. Me ha parecido una muy buena entrevista, lo describe como una persona muy cercana y cariñosa pero a la vez, un poco egocéntrico.Tiene puntos muy buenos como ya ha apuntado Javier, tambien hace mención a su libertad que consiguió hace 15 años entonces lo de la WB.....mi nivel de inglés deja mucho que desear pero da entender que si no es por la WB no hubiera podido, por el solo, poner su material en los periodicos?.Y las imágenes de Montreaux, ¿será que tiene el dvd preparado? porque las salieron tienen muy buena calidad y podría haber dicho la entrevistadora la canción que era por si no era una de las que ya tenemos.

[Chuck Romerales]

     El archivo de la entrevista en PDF para descargar aquí

[oceanistheultimatesolutio]

Gracias por la entrevista!!!

Muy interesante, como no podía ser menos.

Tiene cosas muy "sanas" y realmente interesantes , tiene otras cosas que son para descojonarse como lo de la guitarra, la electricidad y la alopecia.  :afro:Jajajajaja...

Y también tiene un tinte un poco decadente y egocéntrico con esa "fiesta de un solo hombre" en su Xanadú particular rodeado de sus palmeros.  :toff:Demasiado "Citizen Prince"!!!

Interesante. Espero que el juicio sobre su nuevo disco sea acertado y supongo un paso adelante musicalmente hablando. 

Muchas gracias por subirla aquí!!!

[Saiber]

     El archivo de la entrevista en PDF para descargar aquí

Ahora sí... gracias Mike

Saiber, igual no puedes ver el enlace debido a que no eres amigo de la persona qué colgó las fotos en Facebook. Igual en breve consigo los escaneos en PDF y lo pongo para bajarlo

Pues va a ser eso... no tengo bastantes amigos todavia en Facebook!!!!

Thanxxxx!!!

[eldoctorjota]

¿Alguien tiene el original en francés?

     La entrevista está en flamenco, que es una variante del neerlandés (como el valenciano o mallorquín y el catalán, vamos). Por cierto, aprovecho la ocasión para comentar a aquellos que vayan al festival de Werchter, en Flandes, que si saben francés ni se les ocurra usarlo allí o en Lovaina (Leuven), dada la fractura social existente en el país belga entre flamencos y valones (que hablan francés). Otra cosa es en Bruselas, donde la mayor parte de la gente es bilingüe o incluso multilingüe (no olvidemos que muchas instituciones de la Unión Europea se encuentran allí)

     Saiber, igual no puedes ver el enlace debido a que no eres amigo de la persona qué colgó las fotos en Facebook. Igual en breve consigo los escaneos en PDF y lo pongo para bajarlo

Pues flamenco no sé. Me quedaré con la duda de una equivocada interpretación mía o una equivocada traduccción al inglés.

[Gori]

¿Alguien tiene el original en francés?

     La entrevista está en flamenco, que es una variante del neerlandés (como el valenciano o mallorquín y el catalán, vamos). Por cierto, aprovecho la ocasión para comentar a aquellos que vayan al festival de Werchter, en Flandes, que si saben francés ni se les ocurra usarlo allí o en Lovaina (Leuven), dada la fractura social existente en el país belga entre flamencos y valones (que hablan francés). Otra cosa es en Bruselas, donde la mayor parte de la gente es bilingüe o incluso multilingüe (no olvidemos que muchas instituciones de la Unión Europea se encuentran allí)

     Saiber, igual no puedes ver el enlace debido a que no eres amigo de la persona qué colgó las fotos en Facebook. Igual en breve consigo los escaneos en PDF y lo pongo para bajarlo

Mike, es cierto que hay gente en la parte Flamenca que no quiere hablar francés pero lo mas que te puede pasar es que te respondan en ingles. Yo viví dos años en Belgica y cuando estaba alli yo no hablaba ni papa de ingles y tanto en Werchter como en Lovaina (asi como en otras zonas de habla flamenca) hable en frances y no hubo ningun problema.
A ellos les molesta sobre todo porque es casi normal que un flamenco hable frances (bien o mal pero se defienden) y sin embargo no es muy comun que los "valones" hablen flamenco.