Org exclusive - upcoming Q&A with Alan Leeds: CONTRIBUTE!

...ONLY A FEW HOURS LEFT PEOPLE!

All submissions MUST be recieved by midnight, Friday 2nd November.



Alan Leeds

You might expect a guy who has spent the better part of the last three decades hanging around rock royalty to be egotistical and unapproachable. But, Leeds is generous, warm hearted, and real. He is so incognito, so chill, he is like your best friend from college. He has no need to boast or get puffed up, he’s seen it all...the fans, the groupies, the superstar ego tantrums, the paparazzi, the bright lights, the cities, the drama, ad nauseum.

Simply listing just a few of the names in the social circles Leeds floated in over the years reads like a proverbial who's who of popular culture: James Brown, Jean Michel Basquiat, Kid Creole, George Clinton, Parliament/Funkadelic, KISS, Prince, Bootsy Collins, Sheila E, D'Angelo, Maxwell, Rene Neville, Raphael Saadiq and Meshell N'degeocello.

Leeds managed Prince’s tours from 1983 through to 1990's Nude tour as well as helping co-ordinate movies, one-off shows, recording sessions, rehearsals - you name it, he was more than likely involved in some way with it. In 1990 Alan moved from being tour and production manager to studio executive and personal assistant and came off the road to run Prince’s multi-million dollar studio complex Paisley Park. Leeds took a break from his almost ten year stint with Prince in 1992 and currently manages D'angelo amongst many others.

So, now's your chance to ask those burning questions you've always wanted answered by someone in-the-know, someone who posseses a genuine 'I was there as and when it happened' perspective. As a special Christmas treat for Org members, Alan has kindly agreed to answer 20 questions. This is how it is going to work:


1) The 20 best questions will be chosen by Org moderators and based on merit (ie: substance, interest etc)

2) Moderators decisions are final.

3) There is no limit to the questions you can ask, although only ONE question will be chosen from your submission.

4) Please take a little time to think of an interesting question to put to Alan Leeds, no silliness please. He's taking time out to do this for you guys, so show a little courtesy and respect in return.

5) Only post your questions to this thread in an easy-to-read manner. Any discourse pertaining to the Q&A can easily be answered via Org notes. Anything other than the above will simply be removed.

6) Keep your questions concise!

7) One lucky Orger will be awarded 'best question' and as such...well, you'll have to wait and see won't you?

8) All submissions must be recieved by midnight, Friday December 2nd - NO EXCEPTIONS.


To help give you some possible ideas, I've included some choice quotes from Alan over the years below.

Good luck - get posting, time is of the essence.
'nana

On Prince's career and legacy:
"... what's in a name? Media hype? Good old-fashioned marketing? Pop iconoclasm for the sake of publicity? Perhaps. Sometimes. But in this case the name is MUSIC. Music of all kinds, and lots of it. Did somebody say dance music, music, sex, romance? Rock and roll, catchy pop songs, hyper club anthems, intoxicating ballads, jazzy funk, film scores, cartoon heroes, bawdy lust, visionary poetry with messages both hidden and blatant... more than a name, more than a singer, musician, band leader, producer, composer, lyricist, director or actor. We may as well face it, no matter where we were, what we did and what we thought, as we reflect on the past 15 years, there's a six-letter word that doesn't name a human being as much as it defines a sub-genre of our culture. For where else could so many layers or art assemble so cohesively while retaining a singular identity and influence but under the heading PRINCE."
- Alan Leeds

On Prince's decision to not take the 'Sign o' The Times' tour to America:
"It was a decision that we all were very much in disagreement with him about. We had gone to Europe and did 2 1/2 months, and the reaction was just tremendous. I looked at him and said, 'Are you out of your mind?' He said, 'We're going to make a movie out of it instead.' In retrospect, that was a crucial mistake. The album, as great as it was, lost momentum after that."
- Alan Leeds

On Prince:
"There's only three things for sure in this life: We're all born, we all die, and Prince will make another record one of these days."
- Alan Leeds

IMDB entry


Some content sourced from Rolling Stone / Theskini

JimmyNothing said:

This is awesome.

Mad props to whomever secured this

Edmonton, AB - - "all seeing, all knowing-thats our luv -prb"-"Yeah...we're like the Hotel California of fansites" - Nikademus - Nothinbutjoy¤°: I am so beyond mother fucking glad that it's the God Damned weekend that i could just shit kitttens

Here's my question for Alan Leeds:

which song (or songs) do you feel that you had the most creative input?

how cool is this!

my ? for Mr Leeds is:

for you, what was the defining moment in Prince's career and what did you take away from your time with him?

What is your favorite tour that you were involved with and what was your least favorite? Why?

Mr. Leeds, what projects of Prince's did you see shelved?

Do you think anything of Prince's that was shelved shouldn't have been OR do you think anything that wasn't shelved (it was released instead) should have been shelved?


Have you seen "the Vault?"

It's not mysterious, it's assy.

"i would never let u snort the whooper"


Can I kill a thread or what?

my question is..."DO you think Prince would be able to reach the same heights of superstardom that he had in the 80´s if he were a new artist today" ???

----MODS FEEL FREE TO CONDENSE THIS IF NEEDED-----


Mr Leeds-

Without out a doubt, Prince is one of the all time greats and a unique artist without peer, yet it seems as if his back catalog, as well as existing concert footage/music videos is far from getting the royal treatment that has been given to other artists such as Bowie, Springstreen, Madonna, Michael Jackson,and The Beatles, etc.

If it were up to you, what would be done to preserve Prince's legacy in terms of unreleased material , and remastering/rereleasing his existing albums and so forth?

[Edited 11/25/05 9:13am]

Two quick questions (leading perhaps to not so quick answers):

First, could you comment on the inside real story of Prince disagreements with Warner Brothers Records? In your opinion, leaving WB was a right move in his career at that time?

Second: I for one, have been expecting Prince to show "mature" behavior over the last years, yet this is rather unclear by now. Such a behavior would (IMO) lead almost for sure to some kind of agreement with WB in order to release a fully documented retrospective of Prince career, which could be both beneficial in economic terms and extremely interesting for Prince music lovers. Have you got any hints suggesting this could be the case in the near future?

Hello Mr. Leeds,

First of all, thank you for your time.

How do you feel about the future in Prince's world? Do you believe he has planned his next moves, or do you think he lives one day at a time and will continue to do whatever he feels like doing at that time, regardless what we or the media thinks or want?

Regards,
David - Belgium

Honestly, when do you think D'Angelo will put out his next record?

1. Which one unreleased Prince song do you wish had been / should be released, and why?

2. Your principal roles in the music industry have largely been 'behind the scenes' whereas your brother, Eric, has performed on stage. However, you managed to secure an acting credit (the pivotal role of 'Stage hand' ) in the Oscar-winning film, 'Purple Rain'! In which other Prince films, videos or even song recordings have you ever featured?

3. Can you please share with us one anecdote from your time working with Prince (which you don't think you've widely shared before in print) that you think will surprise or amuse us?

.
[Edited 11/25/05 1:50am]

Thanks you for your time Mr Leeds, it is greatly appreciated.

My question to you are

1) Could you please share with us the most mind blowing musical moment that you ever witnessed during your time with Prince? perhaps an instance during an aftershow or a rehearsal e.g a guitar solo etc....

2) what do you think would win in a fight between a tiger and a lion?


thank you
[Edited 11/25/05 5:35am]

hmmm, here's a few:

Were you ever aware of the huge bootleg market of Prince's studio and concert recordings?

If you were managing the Prince of today, what advice would you give him or what would you like to see him doing with his career?

When was the last time you spoke to Prince? Did you part company amicably?

Do you keep an eye on his career, business and music releases, such as his online music store and website? What do you think of it?

Do you have any regrets as far as Prince is concerned?

hiya Allen,

my Q for you: what happend with Paisley Park Records ?

eye no

Hello Mr Leeds

Do you despare at the state of music now, with the exeption of some true talent that is making music now, there really is nothing around.
Who do you think will be the next big thing ? who looks promising?

Have you ever been to LEEDS in Yorkshire lol

What advice would you give to somebody wanting to start in the business?

What in your opinion is the magic ingredient (x factor) that sets artists like Prince, Madonna, etc appart from all the others, when some other artists have a equally good voice or talent but sink without a trace.

Does Prince really act like a control freak , or is he a pure perfecionist


Many thanks

Nichola



[Edited 11/25/05 5:42am]
[Edited 11/25/05 5:44am]
[Edited 11/25/05 5:46am]

my question for mr leeds



when Prince split with warner brothers, his position was that they wouldn't let him release more than 1 album a year. but since he has left, he hasn't quite released more than 1 album a year, we're lucky to get 1. why do u think that is?



thanks for taking time out to come here and do this. it's an honor and a privillage.



dacoon

my question(s) for Mr Leeds

How closely have you followed the careers of Prince and the former Revolution members, particularly Wendy and Lisa? Do you have any views on the merits or otherwise of the paths they have chosen?

Many around these parts would view Prince as a trail-blaser when it comes to using the internet to distribute his music - the Ahdio shows from the early stages of the npgmusicclub almost being equivalent to todays Podcasts. Do you agree and if so, do you think Prince receives any credit for this?

Prince was way ahead of the game in using the internet to distribute his music, and showed some flair when he included the Musicology CD with concert tickets which (controversially) kept the CD high in the US charts for longer than it would have otherwise. In your opinion does he receive enough credit for being a visionary and does it bother him whether he gets the credit or not?

Would you like to see Prince & The Revolution reformed? Even if for a one-off Charity gig like Sheila E's Lil Bunny Foundation?
[Edited 11/25/05 5:58am]
[Edited 11/25/05 5:59am]

Hiya! Thank you for doing this, it's a nice gesture on your part.

My question is about Kylie Minogue. I understand there is a song called "Babydoll" that Prince wrote either for or with Kylie, could you please tell me if he wrote it for her or with her, and this was ever actually recorded?

Thanx again!

M

Hey Alan, 'dre from London UK

Could U possibly do the liner notes 2 my next album (or my current one even!)

'dre

How did meet Prince? What was your first meeting like?

What did Prince say to you when you left Paisley Park?

My question for Mr. Leeds is:
What did the Dream Factory album mean to Prince? When it was released as a boot, word has it Prince was most angered by its release over any other. Do you also think he should have released it with out the Revolution?

"So strange that no one stayed at the end of the Parade..." - Wendy & Lisa's "Song About" on their 1987 self-titled album.
this was written, composed and performed on my iPhone
RIAA
'nuff said.

Does Prince play or attempted to play any Wind Instrument? If so, what and when did he play it? Was it recorded?
[Edited 11/25/05 23:51pm]

1. How do you rate Prince as a guitarist, when compared to the rest of of the world famous guitar players such as Eric Clapton, Hendrix or Van Halen?

2. Are you aware of any upcoming projects from prince?... new album perhaps?

3. What do you think the future holds for Prince?

4. What is your personal favorite Prince song?

5. How much truth is the the whole "Michael Jackson v.s. Prince" rivalry?

Ok, here's a couple of questions, thanks for the opportunity.

1) Having been involved with both Prince and Bootsy Collins (my two favorite songwriters/musicians), do you know if the two have ever jammed together or discussed collaboration?

2) What was your view of Alex Hahn's book, Possessed, which featured many quotes from you? Did you find it an accurate depiction of the behind the scenes events in Prince's life?

The creativity of Prince's music composition really seemed to hit a wall after the Lovesexy album. It seemed a lot of the instruments/computers for engineering and production made a major leap, and Batman (1989) onto the Come album (1994) seemed to rely a lot on preproduced sounds. Considering Prince had an outstanding band at the time (The Hornheadz, Sonny Thompson, Michael Bland), what kind of insight can you offer as to the direction Prince took with creating music during this period?


more ?s to come in future edits...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

All Glory To the Hypno-Toad!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

You have worked with Prince for a long time, what do you think was his best tour and why?

Both you and Prince being HUGE James Brown fans, how did you relate to this addiction? Did you ever swap rare recordings, like we do Prince's? And what is your fave JB tune and why? Any rare recordings we should have?

Besides Prince, you also worked with loads of other artists. Who was/is your favourite and why? Of all the things you were a part of, what makes you most proud? What is your biggest work related achievement?

Us being Prince fans, I like to know; are you still following his career and if so, what do you think of his career moves? And what do you think of the music? How does it sound compared to the music he made while you worked with him?

I adored the liner notes you wrote for both Star Time and The Hits/The B-sides. In both instances, did you only draw from knowledge or were you also in contact with the artists or any other mentioned persons? For instance, the info on the instrumental intro of Power Fantastic, was that you wanting to put the record straight on Matt's trumpet or was that something Prince wanted to share with us?

What liner notes of other people are you envious of? I must admit I am rather envious of all the inside information you have about Prince's music. For most of us, lines notes like yours make all the difference. I loved reading so many great inside stories on both JB and Prince, that I want to thank you for those jobs. I certainly hope that if Prince ever opens that vault, you will be involved in writing the liner notes.

Again, many thanks!

cool beans, 'nanners! thanx a lot for this... as for my question:

i couldn't help but notice the mention of basquiat in the main post of this thread...i didn't know that you knew him! did you get to work with him? if so, what did all of that entail?

Thank you Nana, this is great!

Mr. Leeds, it is indeed an honor and a privilege,

My Questions;

1. So many fans complain that Prince's best work is behind him and wish he would do what he did 20 years ago, re-form the revolution, etc. I don't agree with this. What do you think?

2. Concerning songwriting, do you feel most people really understand what Prince is trying to convey in his music?

3. If you could go back and change something about your time with Prince, what would it be?

4. Do you think you'll ever perform with him again? I hope so.

Thank you for your time.

Alan How much money does Prince Have?

200 mil<
200 mil>