Prince on Prince
Interviews and Encounters
Prince on Prince gets behind the controversies to tell the Prince story in his own words.
Prince is among the most respected and influential entertainers of the twentieth century, breaking sexual, racial, and creative barriers throughout his almost forty years in the spotlight.
He was a multitalented studio artist, a master songwriter who produced and performed almost all of his own music on yearly LPs and countless singles and videos. He was one of the most dynamic live performers ever to hit the stage, a world-class dancer, and musician who’s still remembered for the best Super Bowl halftime performance in history. He fought for artists’ rights, changed his name to a glyph, and took a star turn in the Oscar-winner Purple Rain.
But for all this, he was a quiet and private individual, reluctant to talk about the work he felt should speak for itself. This volume offers a chronological look at some of Prince’s most entertaining and revealing interviews, from 1978 and the release of his debut LP, For You, to a 2015 interview conducted only months before his untimely death at the age of fifty-seven.
Prince’s memoir was left incomplete, but this volume offers a view of the man as he sought to portray himself in his own words to journalists of every status throughout his career.
Arthur Lizie is a professor of communication and media studies at Bridgewater State University. He is the author of Prince FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Purple Reign and Neil Young on Neil Young: Interviews and Encounters. He lives in Massachusetts.