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[AIDS!]

Accounts from video producers who worked with Prince back in the day

Paul Flattery, producer: Warner Bros. Records had me make some early Prince videos, because he was difficult and they felt I could handle him. [Director] Bruce Gowers and I shot ?Controversy? and ?Sexuality? in one day. Prince wouldn?t talk to you directly. He?d be standing right in front of you, and he?d whisper something to his assistant, and the assistant would say, ?Prince says...? And so I would say, ?Well, tell Prince??

[AIDS!]

Sharon Oreck, producer: Prince?s ?1999? and "Little Red Corvette" videos were just smoke, then Prince?s face, then smoke, then Prince's butt, and then smoke. I liked the songs, but the videos were profoundly bad. They were, like, porn bad. His videos were so filled with smoke that everyone on the set got diarrhea, because mineral oil was so thick in the air.

Simon Fields, producer: I produced most of Prince?s video between 1980 and 1990. He hardly talked to me for the first year; he was very shy. Then he grew to trust me. Which sometimes meant having to fire directors before they?d even started. We?d fly in a director and Prince would whisper in my ear, ?Get rid of him.? So I would, and Prince would direct the video himself.

I hired Larry Williams to direct ?When Doves Cry.? Before the first shot, Prince said to me, ?He doesn?t have to be here.? So I gave Larry a few magazines, and he sat outside and did some reading.

[AIDS!]

Daniel Kleinman, video director: The most difficult person I?ve ever worked with, beyond a doubt ? far worse than anyone else ? was Prince. He?s a nasty little guy. I filmed a live concert with him. He communicated with me via notes. He didn?t like talking to anyone, so he?d send someone down with a little note, like, ?Make sure you get a close-up of the keyboard player in this song.? It was fucking mad. I think he?s slightly sociopathic, actually.

Simon Fields: For ?Raspberry Beret,? we filmed a whole video, then Prince got a Japanese animator to do a completely different video and we mashed the two up. He would mess with directors. He would give them the impression that they?d be in charge of the video, then halfway through he?d go, ?Thank you,? take what he liked, and edit it himself.

[AIDS!]

Howard Woffinden, producer: I was dispatched to Minneapolis, where Prince was rehearsing for a tour, to meet with him about a video concept. I sat in the arena watching rehearsals for three days before somebody came and told me, ?You should go home now.?

[Jon]

He was very eccentric. lol

[Nyan Cat]

p

[AIDS!]

Howard Woffinden: A few of us traipsed to Prince?s house in LA about 11 a.m. to meet with him about a video. Someone lets us in and we?re sitting in the living room for ages, waiting. Eventually Prince comes in, dressed in silk pajamas, with a blue stiletto on his right foot and a yellow stiletto on his left foot. He sits down, looks at the ceiling a little bit, and we launch into our spiel. He listens politely for a minute or two and says, ?Uh, hang on a minute.? He disappears for another 35 minutes or so. Eventually, he wanders back in, and now he?s got the blue stiletto on his left foot and the yellow stiletto on his right foot. He sits down and says, ?Now, what were you saying??

unowat

[AIDS!]

This fag was mad

[Rxxf]

i am going to miss his shady ways

[Rxxf]

Howard Woffinden: A few of us traipsed to Prince?s house in LA about 11 a.m. to meet with him about a video. Someone lets us in and we?re sitting in the living room for ages, waiting. Eventually Prince comes in, dressed in silk pajamas, with a blue stiletto on his right foot and a yellow stiletto on his left foot. He sits down, looks at the ceiling a little bit, and we launch into our spiel. He listens politely for a minute or two and says, ?Uh, hang on a minute.? He disappears for another 35 minutes or so. Eventually, he wanders back in, and now he?s got the blue stiletto on his left foot and the yellow stiletto on his right foot. He sits down and says, ?Now, what were you saying??

unowat

i just LIVE for his mess!

[Rxxf]

Howard Woffinden, producer: I was dispatched to Minneapolis, where Prince was rehearsing for a tour, to meet with him about a video concept. I sat in the arena watching rehearsals for three days before somebody came and told me, ?You should go home now.?

[AIDS!]

Go home Howard

[MelMel]

 

[MelMel]

and fuck u

[charlie.]

Accounts from video producers who worked with Prince back in the day

Prince wouldn?t talk to you directly. He?d be standing right in front of you, and he?d whisper something to his assistant, and the assistant would say, ?Prince says...? And so I would say, ?Well, tell Prince??

IM SCREAMING