From 'Prince: A Documentary', by Per Nilsen: Without doubt, Prince's management realized that the controversial nature of much of Dirty Mind's lyrics and the exciting blend of rock and funk made Prince highly interesting to the rock press. Despite Prince's resistance towards interviews, his management [who had hired New York publicist Howard Bloom] convinced him to do phone interviews with several music magazines and daily papers while on the Dirty Mind tour. • From Los Angeles Times, December 1980, Prince: More than just a 'Dirty Mind', by Dennis Hunt: Prince, in Charleston, S.C. at the time, did the interview by phone. Unlike just about every other artist, he prefers phone interviews. "No one can see me on the phone," he explained. His problem has always been extreme shyness: "I wonder what it would be like if you were sitting here with me?" He inquired. "I don't seem shy now but I would if you were here. I'm really shy when I meet someone for the first time...An interview means I have to do all the talking." Until the last few weeks he had done very few interviews. As a result a Prince mystique sprang up...But now he's talking to the media mainly to help people understand his album: "my first two albums were self-explanatory but this one isn't," he said. Skeptics, of course, are saying he isn't so much interested in explaining Dirty Mind as he is in bolstering its lagging sales. The album, stalled at No. 46 on the Billboard chart, does need a boost because most of it, no matter how excellent, is unsuitable for radio. If fans don't hear it often on the radio, they are less likely to buy it..."That's not the idea behind me talking to the media," he insisted. "I never thought the album would get a lot of airplay. Maybe I can help those who buy it to understand it better. Anyway, it's time I step forward and started making myself heard."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
