Reclaiming His Crown,
The Artist is back with his best CD in years. And who is his producer?
Believe it or not, it's Prince BY CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY
So I'm hanging out with [The Artist] in a suite in
the New York Palace Hotel, and one of the first
things he tells me is that his name isn't really his
name.
Now [The Artist] is a cool guy to chat with: funny,
insightful and, except for the fact that he's a
musical genius, a regular guy. Truth is, he puts
on his bell-bottom, glittery blue stretch pants one
leg at a time, just like the rest of us. But his
perspective on the world is like his
music--constantly surprising. For example, a few
minutes into the conversation, an insanely
beautiful woman enters the suite and cuddles up
in [The Artist]'s lap. It's Mayte, [The Artist]'s wife.
Only she's kind of also not really his wife,
because they had their marriage annulled so they
could transcend the "legal bonds that people
demand."
Then there's [The Artist]'s new CD, Rave Un2 the
Joy Fantastic. It's a terrific album, full of some of
[The Artist]'s freshest, most focused music in
years. It's being released by Arista--the first time
[The Artist] has hooked up with a major label
since 1996--but [The Artist] says he doesn't
really have a contract with Arista, merely an
"agreement." That agreement, [The Artist] says,
is only two pages long. Two pages? Most pop
acts need longer contracts just to cover the
number of M&Ms that have to be in their dressing
rooms after a gig.
And, of course, there's [The Artist]'s name. Ever
since he changed it from Prince to [The Artist] in
1993, folks in the media have called him "The
Artist Formerly Known as Prince." [The Artist],
as it turns out, doesn't care for that title. His
name, he says, is simply that unpronounceable
symbol that looks like a combination of an ankh,
an ampersand and a lollipop. Says [The Artist]:
"I've made choices, and people can respect them
or they can not respect them."
In recent years, [The Artist], 41, has been
releasing records on his own label and selling
them via the Internet. Some of those records
have been sprawling; his 1998 album Crystal Ball
was a five-CD set. Rave is smarter and trimmer,
a single CD, 15 songs, with an impressive roster
of guest stars that includes, among others, folk
rocker Ani DiFranco, the rapper Eve and
saxophonist Maceo Parker. And [The Artist]'s old
pronounceable name makes a return on the new
album. Rave's credits list Prince as the producer.
[The Artist] adopted his old persona to recapture
some of the creative spirit of his Prince-era
albums. "I was curious as to how Prince used to
edit himself," says [The Artist]. "I was interested
in my approach to music then. I didn't care what
other people were doing. I came up with my own
program."
Speaking of programs, one of [The Artist]'s
favorite films is The Matrix--the sci-fi thriller in
which the human race is trapped inside an
oppressive computer simulation. [The Artist]
frequently uses the movie as a
metaphor--especially when he talks about the
music industry. Says [The Artist]: "People aren't
supposed to go into the studio to make music
thinking about 'How will this look in the video?'
That's a matrix. That's dangerous to me. People
shouldn't have to ask permission to record with
other artists. That's a matrix. I had to get out of
the industry to realize what it's like to record from
a free place." He charges that record companies
like Warner Bros. (Prince's former label, which is
owned by the same company that owns TIME)
are making more and more money while the
artists' share of the profit remains the same.
"Now are you gonna write that," challenges [The
Artist], "or is the matrix gonna stop you?"
It's nearly time to go. I'm still thinking about that
ankh-ampersand-lollipop looking name. What
does Mayte call him at home? "I never called him
Prince when I met him," says Mayte, from her
snug position on his lap. "Now I realize that
names don't matter. For example, I don't know
your name."
"You don't know my name?," I say.
"No," says [The Artist]'s insanely beautiful sort-of
wife.
"It's Michael Jackson," I say.
[The Artist] laughs, but his wife just keeps going.
"When I need to talk to him around the house, I
just stand in front of him and get his attention.
But if you need to say what I call him, you can
say I call him 'honey.'"
The interview's over. [The Artist] gets up from the
couch.
"Nice to meet you, Michael," says [The Artist].
I'm a little startled by this. I wonder if a) he's just
joking, or b) he forgot my name, or c) I really am
Michael Jackson and only [The Artist] has the
power to see through the illusions of the matrix!
"Nice to meet you...um..." I say. Should I call
him Prince? Artist? Honey?
Whatever. I shake his hand without another word.
As long as [The Artist] keeps making albums as
good as Rave, he can call himself anything he
wants. END
COPYRIGHT © 1999 TIME INC. NEW MEDIA