General Prince/O(+> Frequently-Asked Questions
Matt Conrad
URL: http://www.prince.org/faq/display_faq.html?type=G
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Copyright: (c) 1999, 2000 prince.org Partners
Maintainer: Matt Conrad (ma...@prince.org)
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General Prince/O(+> Frequently-Asked Questions
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1. Statistical information
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Q. What is his real name and date of birth?
A. Prince Rogers Nelson was born June 7, 1958.
For more info, see:
http://www.prince.org/events/showevent.html?m=6&d=7&y=1993&t=N
Q. What's with his name change?
A. On June 7, 1993 (his 35th birthday), Prince announced that he would
change his name to an unpronounceable symbol. The glyph incorporates
the male and female signs along with the alchemy symbol for soapstone.
The usual ASCII representation of the symbol is:
O(+>
That's a capital "o," open parenthesis, plus sign, and greater-than
sign.
However, on May 16, 2000 Prince announced that he would resume using
his former name, because his final contract with Time Warner (i.e.,
his publishing contract with Warner-Chappel) had expired. It seems
that he will continue to use the symbol as a logo.
Q. How tall is he?
A. It is believed that he is 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm) tall. Whether that
is in his heels or not is unknown. ;-)
Q. Is Prince married?
A. On February 14, 1996 Prince Rogers Nelson married Mayte Garcia. It was
a small ceremony in Minneapolis, attended by family and friends.
O(+> subsequently announced in December 1998 that he intended to
annul his present marriage and become reunited with Mayte on February
14, 1999 in a manner more compatible with their current beliefs. As of
June 2000, it is believed that their marriage has been legally
annulled, and that the two are no longer a couple.
For more info, see:
http://prince.org/events/showevent.html?m=2&d=14&y=1996&t=N
Q. Is he gay or bisexual?
A. Whenever this question comes up, a common answer is "Who cares?" Most
Prince fans are entranced by the music, not the sexual orientation.
If one gives the matter some serious thought, though, the vast majority
of his work is unmistakably about heterosexual relationships (except
where he plays with double meaning), and there have been no sightings
of him with another man. His women, on the other hand, are known to be
world-class beauties.
The man obviously doesn't mind if people think he's bisexual, and it's
possible he is or was, but he's very much in the closet about it if so.
Even if he's perfectly straight, his lyrics indicate that he would
welcome any sexual orientation into the utopian "Uptown." Most fans
tend to believe he's simply androgynous: displaying characteristics of
both genders.
[credit: Jon Brode]
2. General Info
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Q. I want to write to Prince. What's his address?
A. Contact Prince via Paisley Park. The info:
Paisley Park Studios
7801 Audubon Road
Chanhassen, MN 55317-8201
Q. What about email?
A. He almost certainly has an email address; however, he apparently
prefers to keep it private.
Q. Does O(+> have an official Website?
A. Yes. In fact, he currently has several Websites. NPG Online Ltd.
(http://www.npgonlineltd.com) is his "main" site, with news,
downloadable media files, and other features. Love 4 One Another
(http://www.love4oneanother.com) is the official Website for his
non-profit charitable foundation. 1-800-New-Funk
(http://www.1800newfunk.com) offers merchandise for sale. And
finally, Paisley Park Studios has a new Website
(http://www.paisleyparkstudios.com).
Q. Is there a Prince fan club?
A. There is currently no "official" fan club. However, it is believed
that Paisley Park does keep a mailing list in-house. We are sure that
a donation to his "Love 4 One Another" non-profit charitable
foundation will get you placed on their list.
In the past Paisley Park officially recognized the UK-based
"Controversy" fan club and fanzine, founded in 1986. Members received
benefits such as bimonthly magazine issues, priority concert seating
and the opportunity to attend fan conventions in Minneapolis (1991 and
1992). Additionally, a system of area "organizers" allowed fans to
contact a nearby representative for information and assistance in
hooking up with other enthusiasts.
[credit: Tim Andrassy, Dennis Roszkowski]
Q. Was O(+> in the movie Fargo?
A. Short answer: no.
A modified version of the symbol does appear in the credits, though.
Here is an excerpt from an interview with the Coen brothers in
Premiere magazine, explaining it:
Premiere: A question for all the Coenheads on the Internet: What is
that Prince-like symbol, the smiley face on its side, in the end
credits?
Ethan Coen: That was our storyboard artist, who played the guy who
drives by in the car with the red parka. He asked us if he could have
that credit. We also use a lot of names of people we grew up with,
scattered throughout the movie, being paged on telephones. But that's
mostly because we couldn't think of names that would be appropriate.
Q. Why can't I operate the safe in the Interactive CD-Rom?
A. For whatever reason, the safe doesn't work unless you set your display
resolution to 640 x 480.
Q. Why is track four on Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic silent?
A. The track is a moment of silence in honor of the late jazz trumpeter
Miles Davis. Prince worked with Miles on multiple occasions before his
death.
Q. What is the hidden message in the "Alphabet St" video?
A. After the first verse ("...from my head to my feet"), and before the
first chorus, the following message, printed vertically in small
purple letters, appears on the screen for a split second:
"Don't buy the Black Album. I'm sorry."
Q. So what's the deal with the Black Album?
A. In late 1987, Prince planned to release an album popularly known as
the Black Album. The actual album had an all-black cover with only a
catalog number, and no artist information or title. The Black Album
contains eight tracks, most of which are "funk" songs.
The album was canceled mere days before its scheduled release, after
hundreds of thousands of copies were pressed. A few escaped
destruction, and rank among the most coveted Prince collectables. In
addition, the Black Album became the most bootlegged record of all
time.
At the time, a rumor circulated that Warner Bros. canceled the album
due to concerns about explicit lyrics. Prince, on the other hand, has
said that he canceled the project after having a religious experience
involving a vision. What really happened? Per Nilsen, respected
author of several books on Prince, claims that Prince decided to
scrap the album after an experiment with the drug MDMA (aka ecstasy)
that resulted in a bad trip. Former Prince associates have confirmed
the ecstasy story.
The Black Album was replaced with Lovesexy, an album that contained
one track ("When 2 R in Love") from the Black Album. In 1994, Warner
Bros. officially released the Black Album as a limited edition.
3. About Minneapolis
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Q. I'm going to Minneapolis; what should I do or see?
A. One thing to do before you go is to check out the "Minneapolis Music"
Website. It gives details on concerts & gigs of both national and
local, related and unrelated artists performing in the Twin Cities
area. It also may contain some info about special parties or events in
the Prince section. The URL is found below.
If you've got spare time, and appreciate the "arts," you should also
check out the Walker Museum downtown. It's always got good shows on;
if it's not too cold outside, there is also a sculpture garden and
conservatory right across the street, too. And if you want to check
out the "unusual," there is a "mini-museum" on the other side of town
called "The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices." This place has an
incredibly collection of quackery and medical sham paraphernalia, and
most of it you can play with! Very cool, I highly recommend it if
you're into the bizarre; it's located in a shopping center called
Historic St. Anthony, and their phone is (612) 379-4046.
Oh, if you're in the mood for shopping, there's always the Mall of
America, the USA's largest mall (I think...it's pretty damn big). And
if you enjoy gambling, Mystic Lake casino (http://www.mysticlake.com)
is a short drive from the city. The minimum gaming age there is 18,
and no alcohol is served (although you can have all the free soda you
care to drink).
[credit: prince.org staff and Jonathan Carter]
For more info, see: http://xenon.stanford.edu/~jlc1/mpls-music/
Q. Does Prince still have a store and nightclub in Minneapolis?
A. The NPG store in Minneapolis (and the London store) have closed; today
the Artist sells merchandise via the 1-800-New-Funk telephone line and
the www.1800newfunk.com Website.
The Glam Slam has been renamed the Quest Club
(http://www.thequestclub.com), and no longer has any affiliation with
Prince. The Glam Slam locations in other cities have closed. However,
if you want to visit First Avenue (of Purple Rain fame), that
establishment is alive and well. Most shows there require patrons to
be 21 with ID.
For more info, see: http://www.first-avenue.com
Q. Is there any way to find out when he is having a private party?
A. NPG Online Ltd. has announced that there will be a party at Paisley
Park every friday night during the summer of 2000, unless announced
otherwise. Doors usually open around 1 am (early Saturday morning), and
the cover charge ranges from nothing to $7. It is recommended that you
arrive early, as capacity is limited. These parties are open to people
of all ages (although infants may not care for loud music).
Jonathan Carter runs a email list that notifies the recipients of
upcoming happenings at Paisley Park. The emails are usually on pretty
short notice, so it may not benefit you to be on the list if you aren't
within 5 hours of Paisley Park, and able to drop everything on a
whim... and his list is by no means official.
Also, the prince.org news service (http://www.prince.org/news) will
pass along anything they hear regarding upcoming Paisley parties.
For more info, see: http://xenon.stanford.edu/~jlc1/mpls-music/
Q. How to I get to Paisley Park by car?
A. The first step is to navigate yourself to Interstate 494, the beltway
around the Twin Cities. In the southwest portion of the loop, you'll
find exit 11C, which will put you on State Road 5 westbound. Follow SR
5 for seven miles; you'll see a large green sign marking the
intersection of Audubon Road and SR 5. Paisley Park will be on your
left; access is off Audubon.
Note that the portion of route 5 near I-494 has been under construction
for a few years, and will likely remain so for the near future. Please
use caution while driving in this area.
Q. Can I take a tour of Paisley Park Studios?
A. Paisley Park usually does not offer tours. However, in the summer of
2000 fans were able to tour the facility as part of "Prince: A
Celebration." A $15 day pass allowed you to take a short tour that
focused on the studios, whereas those with $70 VIP passes were able to
see almost the entire complex.
Normally, unless Prince is throwing a party you'll have to settle for
a drive-by view. Attempts to enter the property will probably result in
your being chased away.
Q. Can my band rent one of the studios at Paisley Park?
A. Paisley Park ceased renting the studios in 1996, when the complex was
renovated. The studios are slated to reopen for outside bookings in
August 2000.
An archived version of Paisley Park Studios' pre-1996 Website, with
detailed information on the facilities, is available at:
http://www.bitstream.net/gods/tgg/paisleypark/
For more info, see: http://www.paisleyparkstudios.com
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