Damon Dickson - Prince and The New Power Generation
9th December 2024 • Musicians Reveal with Joe Kelley • Joe Kelley | Musicians Reveal Podcast
00:00:00 01:20:51

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Damon Dickson, a talented member of Prince and The New Power Generation, shares his incredible journey working alongside one of music's greatest legends. He offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the creative process that fueled some of the most iconic music of the '90s, detailing unforgettable studio sessions and life on tour. Damon reflects on the unique dynamics within the band, revealing the camaraderie and challenges they faced while bringing Prince's vision to life. He also discusses the importance of mentorship, inspiration, and the impact of their performances on audiences worldwide. Tune in for an engaging conversation filled with personal anecdotes and insightful reflections on artistry and the legacy of Prince.

Damon Dickson, a pivotal figure in the Minneapolis sound, shares his extraordinary journey of creativity and collaboration alongside the legendary Prince. He delves into the unique dynamics of being a dancer and artist in Prince's world, revealing how the iconic musician's vision shaped their performances. Dickson recounts his experiences on stage and in the studio, illuminating the intense preparation and spontaneous creativity that went into crafting unforgettable music. The conversation also touches on the evolution of the music industry and the impact of the Minneapolis sound on contemporary artists, as well as the challenges of maintaining artistic integrity in an ever-changing landscape.

Throughout the discussion, Dickson offers a candid look at the realities of life on tour, from the camaraderie shared among band members to the pressures of performing at the highest level. He shares personal anecdotes that highlight both the joy and the trials of being part of Prince's creative team. The episode serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of resilience and passion in the pursuit of artistic excellence, while also emphasizing the enduring influence of Prince's music on generations of musicians and fans alike.

Takeaways:

  • Damon Dickson reflects on his journey with Prince, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from their creative sessions.
  • The creative process involved collaboration, with Prince encouraging dancers to contribute to choreography.
  • Damon discusses the impact of his experiences on underprivileged youth through motivational speaking.
  • He highlights the importance of professionalism and artistry in the music industry, inspired by Prince.
  • Damon recalls the excitement of performing in iconic venues like Radio City Music Hall during tours.
  • The episode emphasizes the significance of friendship and personal connections in the music industry.

Transcripts

Host:

My next guest on Musicians Reveal is an outstanding performer.

Host:

He toured and recorded with Prince for three major tours and various performances through the years.

Host:

In the 90s, we saw him in concert many times.

Host:

Choreographer, producer, soon to be author, inspirational speaker, and one of the keystones of the Minneapolis sound and the movement that stood still exist.

Host:

We gotta welcome once again.

Host:

It's been too long.

Host:

I checked.

Host:

2004.

Host:

That's.

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That's.

Host:

That's incredible.

Host:

Sorry.

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Wow.

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Yeah, yeah.

Host:

Damon Dixon, Damon D and Damon Day.

Host:

Day where I forgot to mention designer as well.

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Yeah, yeah.

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The day they wear.

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Yeah.

Host:

So how you been doing?

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I've been all right, man.

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Just, you know, like I said, laying low, just trying to, you know, living life and, you know, just trying to navigate through the next phase of life.

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You know what I mean?

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Yeah, yeah.

Host:

I mean, since you were high profile in the.

Host:

The music industries, a lot has changed.

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In the 90s, man.

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I mean, you gotta look at where we came from.

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We were just dancing and trying to get in that scene, you know what I mean?

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And.

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And then through our navigating through things, we started realizing dancing was.

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Was just one thing that we had to have and you had to have, you know, music and do, you know, to be able to move forward in that stuff.

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So what I look at the music back then to now, wow.

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It's a big change from what it used to be, you know, which I see the artists out now that are just.

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It seems like not saying that one hit wonders, but, you know, it's like hit or miss on what's really out there.

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What, you know.

Host:

Yeah, you.

Host:

You came from a different era of rehearsal and hard work and tax on your body and mind and everything and time and family and everything like that.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Host:

So.

Host:

So let's go back to the early days of Minneapolis and your family.

Host:

Were you born in Minneapolis?

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No, I actually I was born in a little town called Lubbock in Texas.

Host:

Oh, okay.

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Yeah.

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So I grew up partly down there.

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We moved to Minnesota.

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I think I was about 11, about 9 or 11 years old, and moved to Minnesota.

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My father had a brother that went up there and that's what brought us up to Minnesota.

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And then from that point on, it was a year in Minnesota, a year back in Texas, a year in Minnesota, a year back in Minnesota.

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So it was almost like I was an army brat without the anomaly thing.

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That's right, yeah.

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to move back to Minnesota in:

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And I think that's where we stayed from that point on.

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w up the rest of my life from:

Host:

So where'd you grow up in?

Host:

Minneapolis.

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North Minneapolis.

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North Minneapolis.

Host:

You're the original.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely.

Host:

We hear so much about Northside Mini and community and everything.

Host:

And what was it like at that age and getting into music and dancing.

Host:

How was it?

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Minnesota was such a different.

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And from what I know now, you know, we had.

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I mean, it was just easy going.

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You could have, you know, we, you know, you could go to the park, play ball all day long, do all those other things.

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I mean, we used to have house parties.

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My mother allowed me to have a house party.

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Wow.

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You know, have those little house parties.

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You could go down to North Common park, which was on the weekend.

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They'd have looked like a disco.

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All the kids that could come there, you know, teenage kids partying at North Commons park, you know, getting the opportunity to be at all the Battle of the Bands north side the Way, which was ran by a guy named Spike Moss, who, yeah, got on, like, created this.

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This atmosphere for everybody to just have fun on a.

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You know, like on special days.

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And it was.

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It was incredible, man.

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We didn't have a care in the world.

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It was, you know, we didn't have, you know, a bunch of people mad at each other or doing crazy stuff or any of that stuff.

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So it was.

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It was a different time, right, you know.

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Yeah.

Host:

We had Andre Simone on a couple months ago, and he had mentioned Spike Moss, and he came back, his mom was honored with the street, and I.

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Went up there for that.

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Yeah.

Host:

Oh, you did?

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Yeah.

Host:

What was that like?

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Oh, very cool, man.

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Very cool.

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Bernadette was a big staple in Minneapolis, man.

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You know, she was, you know, very welcoming to all the kids.

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Everybody knew who she was, and it was well deserving for her to get that and.

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And to celebrate, you know, that that day, Andre put together a great little thing.

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I saw some of the show that he put together, and it was cool.

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He had a bunch of people, you know, from all over and then.

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Plus they did all the honoring of her, his mother.

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It was real nice, man.

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Real, real nice.

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Couldn't ask for a better day.

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It was sunshine and wow, lots of people that you, you know, you grew up knowing all of these people and everybody was seeing you and it's like, hey, what's up?

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So it was.

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It was.

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It was surreal to go back and see that and feel that, so.

Host:

And all the Reminiscence.

Host:

Like, hey, you remember this?

Host:

Remember that?

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Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, man.

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And like the battle of the band type thing, you know what I mean?

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It's like they.

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A stage put up and it just brought back those memories, man.

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Right.

Host:

Yeah.

Host:

I hear so much.

Host:

I mean, when, you know, Flight Time and.

Host:

And Graham Central, Grand Central, all the battle.

Host:

I hear a battle of the band so many times.

Host:

How about for dance crews back then?

Host:

Was it the same?

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There were.

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There were just a few, man.

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Not.

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Not a whole lot.

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There was a group called Art, I think they called Ram or whatever they called.

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It was a little rap group that did damn stuff.

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And I think we kind of brought that to the front, you know, when we started getting out there, because we started getting opportunities to do things in different places, man.

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Different.

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Some out in the suburbs and different stuff.

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And people would call us to come, like, teach dance classes when we found out that we did Purple Rain and all that.

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So back then, dance crews were just, you know, around the neighborhood, different guys.

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I actually had two guys I went to high school with.

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I started with doing little dance stuff, you know.

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Cause we thought we were, you know, the stuff.

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I had met a brother from Chicago who came, and so he was teaching me how to do Chicago bop.

Host:

Oh, okay.

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And so we're learning that kind of dance and, you know, and I'm showing him the stuff I did when I was in Texas and.

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And, you know, we did that.

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And fast forward moving through high school, you know, when I met Tony.

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Okay.

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Yeah.

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You know, and it was really Tony Mosley.

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Yeah.

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His boys came to me and said, you know, they got.

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We were playing Hot Hand.

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Remember the game Hot Hands?

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Yeah, yeah, vaguely.

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Yeah.

Host:

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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So we were playing that.

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And that's how I met Tony.

Host:

Oh, okay.

Host:

Playing Hot Hands.

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Yeah, Playing Hot Hands at lunchtime at school in the.

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In the dead of winter, right outside.

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Cold Hands, you know, that was.

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It was crazy.

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But then that's how I met Tony.

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And then after we graduated school, you know, Tony went into the military.

Host:

Oh, that's right.

Host:

Yeah, I read about that.

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And then I was.

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You know, by that time, I figured out my.

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My high school career was over.

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Playing basketball, playing sports and stuff.

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Because I thought I was going to play basketball.

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Okay.

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I was pretty good.

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I'll just say, you know, not trying to toot my horn, but I play.

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Right, right.

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Play basketball, play football, play, you know, baseball, all that stuff.

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And had a kid my senior year in high school and that kind of cut everything out.

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Right, right.

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Yeah, by some coaches and stuff.

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So was living my life at that time and moved down to these apartment complex where Tony lived with his mother.

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And we happened to run into each other.

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And he was talking about going down the First Avenue.

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And that's how the dance stuff started getting created between me and him.

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So.

Host:

Well, so first half, before Prince set up shot.

Host:

I mean, he did some shows there, but setting up shop for the.

Host:

For the movie.

Host:

How much in advance did you go down there?

Host:

And we're dancing.

Host:

Making a name for yourself.

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You know, we.

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We went down there quite a bit.

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I mean, we were down there for all the little dance contests they used to have the Great Pretenders Night.

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So you could go down there and be Little Richard or James Brown.

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Right.

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Or whoever you was trying to be.

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And then they had a dance contest, you know, during that week as well.

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And you come down there and you.

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You know, you win a little.

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Little prize and stuff.

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And we went down there.

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Tony had asked me about going down.

Host:

Excuse me.

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Me and him went down and checked it out, you know, one time with some friends of ours.

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And he was like, man, we could do that.

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And, you know, I know you still dance.

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And I'm like, yeah, I guess so.

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I mean, you know.

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Right.

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We winded up talking about it and, yeah, we.

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We figured we'd go down there and get in that contest.

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Now, mind you, like I said, the Battle of the Band stuff was still happening in North Minneapolis.

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And, you know, they always have.

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The little festival was held right behind our apartment complex.

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Oh, okay.

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And so we did a couple things down there at First Avenue.

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So people started knowing who we were.

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And we got.

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Actually, me and Tony did a little dance at one of the Battle of the Bands outside and stuff.

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So little cool thing, you know.

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And so it was.

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It was real interesting how we.

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How we got started.

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But, like, you know, we went down and won that contest about.

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I think we won about three or four times.

Host:

That's impressive.

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Oh, yeah.

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Oh, yeah.

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And then we got bumped off by Kirk and his group.

Host:

Oh, really?

Host:

What was the name of his group?

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His group was V Train.

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Oh, yeah.

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You know, they were.

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They were pretty good, man.

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You know, so.

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And once they beat us, then we found out about Prince getting ready to do that Purple Rain thing down there.

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We were like, oh, okay.

Host:

And so did he know you by then, or he didn't know.

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No, no, no.

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We.

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He didn't know any of us.

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We knew who he was.

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I mean, everybody knew Prince was.

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At that point.

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I mean, we were just Kind of going through the motions of just, you know, coming down and performing and stuff.

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But everybody.

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I mean, we knew Press from the neighborhood, the battle of the Band stuff growing up there, what have you.

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And those were, you know, them days was like.

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And, you know, people are.

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You just don't.

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I mean, we just kind of knew everybody in the community.

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I mean, Jelly Bean and Terry and Jimmy and them.

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I mean, Jimmy used to be a DJ at one of the discos that we used to go.

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Yeah, right, right.

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So that's how I first saw him and stuff.

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And, yeah.

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So we, you know, we got that opportunity to do Purple Rain.

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It's like this lady asked us about being a part of it, and we were like, cool.

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We thought, you know, get a chance to be in this movie.

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Come to find out later, we weren't really going to be in the movie.

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We were going to help people get picked to be on the set.

Host:

Oh, that.

Host:

That had to piss you off.

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Oh, man.

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We.

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Look, we were sitting there like, what do you mean, pick people to be on the set?

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Right, right.

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And it was crazy.

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But, you know, we wind up doing it.

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We like, all right, if that's a way to get a foot in, we gonna go down here and do this thing.

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And.

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Right.

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I think that went on for a couple days.

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And then one of the downtimes, we was like, yo, man went in the bathroom and started dancing and doing things.

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And he walked in on us and stuff.

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So.

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Right.

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And we thought we were going to be in trouble.

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It was like he walked in with Chick and look and just stood there.

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And we were like.

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We kept dancing.

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We didn't stop.

Host:

Right.

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Even though it's supposed to be a downtime, it was supposed to be a quiet time and all that stuff.

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But, you know, we were kind of doing our thing.

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You know what I mean?

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What we wanted to do was dance.

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So he leaves.

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And while everybody was still dancing, I walked outside the bathroom and I looked down to where he was.

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It was over one of the rails.

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And I'm like, oh, man, who is he talking to?

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And he's talking to this guy who I found out later is Alan Lead, who was his manager at the time.

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Right?

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And he points up there, and I'm like, oh, shit, he's gonna come up here.

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He walks up, he said, hey, you want to do that?

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Was dancing in the bathroom?

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I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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And it was funny because.

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Yeah, right.

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He's like.

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Then he's like, oh, well, the kid wants to know if y'all do something for him.

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I'm like, oh, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, we.

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We can do something.

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He's like, yeah.

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He said, you would know who the other guys were.

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And I'm like, yeah, I gotta let him know and stuff.

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And he walked away, man.

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And Tony came out the bathroom and I pulled him.

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I said, hey, man, some dude just came up to me and was talking about us doing something in the movie.

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And he goes.

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He said, what?

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He said, man, you what?

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Are you kidding, man?

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I'm like, no, for real, dude.

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He's getting ready to go get a cassette and bring it back to me.

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He's like, yeah, well, when he get that, man, let me know.

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I'm gonna be down here trying to get in this scene.

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Right, right, right.

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And I'm like, all right, whatever.

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And before the night was out, Alan came back with a cassette and handed it to me in.

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And me and Tony was standing in.

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I'm like, you know, he walks away and I thought I told you, dude.

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He's like, oh.

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He said, so what do we mean?

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I said, look, he said, there's seven songs on here, man.

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And he said, you know, get the guys that was in the bathroom.

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Well, there was about eight of us in there.

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So, you know, we kind of picked the ones who we were thought he may have talked about and stuff.

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So it was me, Kurt, Tony, a guy named Scott, okay?

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A guy named Everett Kimbrough.

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So it was us five and we went on and did the little thing.

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So the next day, that night, I stay go back that night we left the set and when we went home, we went over to Tony's mother's house, her two bedroom apartment, right?

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So we're on the second floor and we're up there, you know, getting our little groove on in this apartment.

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And his mom is, you know, she's like, what's all this noise out here?

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And we, you know, we're like, oh, we're trying to put together these routines.

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Y'all better not be too loud because it was, you know, it's one in the morning.

Host:

Yeah, you got neighbors below and above.

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Got neighbors below and, you know, we up here blasting this, this cassette, right?

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You know, so we wind up doing that and we got the tape finished and went on down there.

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The next morning we had to go back to the set and rest of it was history, man.

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He asked us to come in to go show them guys the routine.

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I think we did.

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I think the song they played for was Computer Blue, right?

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For us to dance to.

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And we did it like, 30 seconds of that thing, and he was like, I'm.

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That's good enough.

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And then he, you know, with no smile on his face, no expression, and we're like, did he even like it?

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You know what I mean?

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And we walked out of the room and we heard the little laughing and whatever's going on, it was like, okay.

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And Alan came out.

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He says, hey, so we're gonna put you guys on the balcony.

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Oh, okay.

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Yep.

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Oh, cool, Cool, cool.

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Right.

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That's where y'all gonna be the rest of the movie.

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Like, we're in.

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Yeah.

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And it happened.

Host:

Yeah.

Host:

You're on the balcony.

Host:

And tell us about the outfits and the particular moves you did during the Purple Rain scenes that you were in.

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The outfits were.

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Well, me and Tony had an outfit made.

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Everybody's kind of stuff was individual Kirk hats, whatever him and V Train had on.

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Me and Tony had on these.

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They were like military jackets.

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And he had little mirrors put on them on the shoulders and stuff.

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And I think Everett had on something different and Scott had on something different.

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So him and Kirk.

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Scott and Kirk had the same thing on.

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Me and Tony had the same thing on.

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And Everett was just the freelance guy that had whatever.

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So.

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But you couldn't tell.

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I mean, in the show, you see silhouette.

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You don't see what we had on.

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And we did, like, Computer Blue.

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We did Modernaire.

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Oh, okay.

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Yeah, that dad Dickerson did.

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Right.

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And we just, you know, did the Time.

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The Bird, Jungle Love, all that.

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We did all them songs.

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Right.

Host:

So when the movies released, where did you see it the first time and how.

Host:

Obviously you were excited.

Host:

Where did you go?

Host:

And how many family members went along?

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Well, I did.

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None of my family went.

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But we.

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We initially were supposed to see it in Hollywood for the premiere.

Host:

Oh, at the Chinese Man Theater.

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Yeah.

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And that got cut out.

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Oh, okay.

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We got told.

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We.

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We actually got told we were going out there and we were going to lip sync a new song for him.

Host:

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Host:

Tell us about this.

Host:

So I.

Host:

So I've heard you or someone tell it.

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Yeah.

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Scott, what was it?

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Erotic City.

Host:

Oh, Roddick City.

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Yeah.

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So we rehearsed for that.

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And then we were supposed to go out there and we were supposed to walk the red carpet, get a chance to see the whole movie, all that stuff with all the celebrities.

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And we got out there and.

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Yeah, we got that call and said, oh, we can't bring you guys to that, but we're still gonna have you guys do the show after show.

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Do the after Party and.

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Right.

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Like, okay, all right, whatever.

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And we wound up doing that.

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So we did the after party.

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But my first time seeing the movie, me and Tony went downtown to this place called the Skyway, which was the theater that everybody went to, that's in north Minneapolis.

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And we watched the movie there after it came out.

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So.

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Yeah.

Host:

Were you guys pointing out, that's us.

Host:

That's us.

Host:

That's us.

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Well, no, we were just kind of sitting there trying to see how much of it we were going to actually be in.

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Right, right.

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And we noticed that there was a lot that we didn't get seen in.

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It was just like, you know, I mean, but it was cool because we got to see parts there.

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Like Tony's gonna part at the Taste at the club called the Taste, where that vanity or Apollonia 6 played.

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Yeah, yeah, right.

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Or Vanity 6 in the movie where they were supposed to be.

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But he was in a pipe in that section.

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I was in this part at First Avenue, right by the front door when Chicken Kick.

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What?

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Wouldn't let Vanity in.

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Or Abalone again.

Host:

Right.

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And put us.

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She put her foot in the door while I was in that scene that you could only see part of me.

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Okay.

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You know what I mean?

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So we were just kind of picking out pipes where we knew we were supposed to be.

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Right.

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But, yeah, first time seeing it was at the Skyway Theater downtown Minneapolis.

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Wow.

Host:

And at that time, you guys, I'm sure you were thinking, okay, we're in the fold.

Host:

When's he taking us out?

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We just kind of.

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Well, we.

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We knew we did the movie, and we kept thinking, man, this might be, you know, opportunity.

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Maybe you'll take us on the road.

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Right.

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You know, and we.

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We were called out quite a bit to come to just rehearsal stuff.

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Yeah.

Host:

You had a lot of promises and things didn't pan out.

Host:

Tell us about that.

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Hey, come out here and do this and that.

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And we're like, yeah, yeah, all right, all right.

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We come out there, dance around, you know, because that's what he wanted us doing.

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And then there was a couple times we were asked about y'all want to go on the road type stuff, and then he go, psych.

Host:

Oh, really?

Host:

Just like that.

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Just like that.

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Wow.

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Just like that.

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Wow.

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But it was all in fun, you know, we kind of, you know, thought we were going to be some going out at different times, but it just never came about.

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I think the.

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The last time we got that site thing done to us, we looked up and Jerome, Wally, and Brooks with the.

Host:

Three dancers oh, was this for the Hit and Run tour or Sign of the Times?

:

That was the Sign of the Time thing.

Host:

I think it was.

:

Yeah.

:

And we were just like, what?

:

Hold on a second.

Host:

Because you had rehearsed the song, and.

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We ain't gonna be in this thing.

:

Wow.

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So, you know, I remember that.

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That time real.

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I mean, it's so great.

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We saw that.

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And we went down to this place called Napkins, which was a restaurant downtown.

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And, you know, we were, like, in our feelings about it, and so we went down there to, you know, get us one of these things called a Wonder Punch, which was this big alcoholic drink.

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Okay.

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And we drunk.

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Each one of us drunk one of those, and they were huge.

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And went over the first.

:

Over the Glam slam.

:

And we were dancing and, man, that should have been us.

Host:

Whoever.

:

Yeah, right.

Host:

Did Prince come by that night to glam some?

:

No.

Host:

You know, probably a good thing.

:

Yeah, probably a good thing.

:

Cause we were a little tipsy and.

Host:

Yeah, right.

:

Like, in our feelings.

:

But, you know, it just.

:

At that point, we.

:

We kind of realized, like, well, man, we need to be doing something else.

:

You know, we got to figure out something else to do.

:

So we started incorporating playing music.

:

Oh, okay.

:

Yeah.

:

Kirk was already a drummer, and.

:

And I think Tony was kind of just writing stuff in a notebook, so to speak.

:

So we started trying to create our own little image.

:

We put together a band, and we called the band mpls.

:

Right.

:

And it was a abbreviation for the name Multitalented Players Laying Sound.

:

Oh, okay.

:

So that's where the name came from.

:

So we winded up doing that, and we started, you know, we solicited some guys that we knew who played music and brought them in and we played.

:

And like.

:

Like, Kirk knew this guy named Billy McLaughlin, who was a good guitar player who was absolutely phenomenal.

:

And so we just started putting together this nucleus of this group and Kirk's sister Kathleen, and, well, two of his sisters, they were helping us with background vocals and that kind of stuff like that.

:

And so we put together this band and we started doing the college circuits.

:

Oh, okay.

:

So we played some college circuit stuff here and there.

:

Now, mind you, this is between that, you know, 86 to 88, 89 era.

:

Right.

:

And we started trying to put together all the stuff that we was trying to do as a band.

:

And we winded up getting a couple, you know, big shows.

:

We did a show in Chicago for a bunch of celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Cheryl Pepsi Riley, and a bunch of other people.

:

Yeah, we did a show There.

:

We did some stuff at the Fine Line.

:

And we did a Christmas party for local KMOJ radio station.

:

Right.

Host:

There was Cubby.

:

Right?

Host:

Was there Walter.

Host:

Oh, Walter.

Host:

Walter Banks.

:

Walter Banks.

:

Yes.

:

Yeah, yeah.

:

So we did that, and Prince came down to that.

:

Okay.

:

And we were like, you know, we didn't know he was going to be there.

:

So we started putting together, you know, the show.

:

And I mean, we.

:

We absolutely killed it.

:

Right?

:

I mean, like, we killed it.

:

And then in the first couple songs, we look over to the side and here's Prince standing over to the side of the stage talking about.

:

And we're like, dude, we're doing a show.

:

What are you talking about?

:

You know, like, you know, he sends Robin Powers, who was working with him at the time, sends her up on stage to try to, you know, see how professional we was.

:

In my opinion, I think he was trying to test us to see how we would react if somebody came up on the stage.

:

Right, right.

:

And we let her do a little thing and then we kicked her off the stage and got back to what we were doing.

:

Right.

:

And then we finished.

:

And he's like, you guys never said.

:

You guys played instruments and sing and do all that.

:

It's like you never asked.

:

You told us to come dance.

Host:

Yeah, right.

:

That's what we going to do.

:

We dance.

:

Right, Right.

:

We did the little damn thing.

:

And he asked us to come out to Paisley park.

:

And we were like, okay.

:

You know.

Host:

And is that the first time you had been out to Paisley?

:

Yeah, that would have been the first time we actually went out there.

:

I mean, we.

:

We had already did Glam Slam, the song.

:

Oh, okay.

:

Out at Paisley.

:

Right.

:

So we had been out there before, but not, you know, as he wanted us to come out there.

:

He asked us to come out there and do that video.

:

Right.

:

We did that video well before Graffiti bridge and all of that stuff.

:

So.

Host:

So you went out there was roughly.

Host:

Late 89.

Host:

Was that?

:

Yeah, yeah.

:

Late 88.

:

89.

:

Right.

:

You know, he was.

:

He.

:

He had us come and we were just kind of just sitting around waiting to see what he wanted us to do, because we didn't.

:

We had no clue, you know, and so we're doing all this waiting, and the next day after, we stayed there the whole night, the next day.

:

I had three jobs at the time.

:

Wow.

:

Yeah.

:

So I was trying to work my jobs, and then, you know, when he said he wanted us to come out there, I'm like, what time?

:

Because I got, you know, I got these jobs.

:

I gotta be At.

:

So.

:

Right, right.

:

The next day we went out there again.

:

And so we were also rehearsing for a show we were.

:

We had to do.

:

So we're at Kirk's house, his mom's house, and Kirk comes in and he goes, yeah.

:

He said, man, they asked me to come back out there to, you know, be the dj.

:

And we're like, who told you what?

:

And he's like, yeah.

:

So at the time, there was a guy named Cowboy who was supposed to be the dj, was, I guess, was going to go on the road with them as the dj, and something happened with him and it didn't happen.

:

So Kirk wind up being the dj.

:

Now, Kirk's no dj.

:

Right.

:

So it was going to be a front, right?

:

Right.

:

So we're like, wait, what?

:

And we leave.

:

So the next day we go to rehearsal, we're sitting around.

:

Kirk's sitting up in the back of the band on this thing by some turntables, and we're like, what the hell's going on?

:

So we sit there all night and nothing happened.

:

Nobody talked to us, no nothing.

:

We're like, okay.

:

So me and Tony leave.

:

And then I'm like, dude, I ain't got time for this, dude.

:

I got two jobs.

Host:

You ran out of sick days?

:

Yeah, I'm not gonna sit here, dude.

:

So the next day, Tony went and I.

:

I didn't go.

:

I had to work.

:

Right.

:

And I get a call from Craig Rice.

:

Right?

:

Right.

:

Like, hey, man, where were you at?

:

I'm like, edward, what do you mean, where am I at?

:

And he's like, well, you got to be out of rehearsal tomorrow.

:

I'm like, maybe.

:

And he's like, well, you need to come out.

:

We can talk to you or whatever.

:

And I'm like, all right, man.

:

I said, how long is that going to take, man?

:

Because I got to be at work, you know?

:

And he's like, well, just get out there at 1:00.

:

And I'm like, all right.

:

So I call my job and I thought, hey, I need to, you know, the day off to go out here and do this or whatever.

:

I go out there and we're sitting, and then Tony goes, yeah, man, they signed me yesterday.

:

Da, da da da da.

:

And I'm like, what?

:

I'm like, okay.

:

And so Craig called me into his office and me and him talking.

:

He said, yeah, we signed the other two guys.

:

And it comes to our attention Levi talked to Prince and said, it probably ain't cool if we didn't have all three of y'all and blah, blah, blah.

:

And I'm like, right, yeah, man, all right, whatever, you know?

:

So wind up signing a little contract and getting there.

:

And then I was like, all right, so what time are we done now?

:

He said, yeah.

:

And I started to.

:

Headed toward the front door.

:

And he goes, where you going?

:

I'm like, dude, I gotta go to work.

:

Right?

:

Right.

:

And he's like, you got a job?

:

I'm like, no, no, no.

:

I mean, I got a 9 to 5.

:

I gotta go to work.

:

And he's like, are you crazy?

:

Yeah.

:

I'm like, no, dude, I gotta tell this other job I'm not gonna be able to be there.

:

Whatever, right?

:

So I wind up staying the rest of the night.

:

Talked to my job the next day and told him that I was, you know, assigned to be in a band.

:

And they're looking at me like, yeah, okay.

:

So when you get done with that, can you go over there and take care of it?

:

Yeah, right?

:

So that's how we all got in the band.

:

Everybody signed different contracts at different times, and.

:

But we were there as the group, so.

Host:

So you.

Host:

You're on call with him for anything when you sign something like that, right at that time?

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, pretty much.

:

You're, you're, you're, you're.

:

You're not even on call.

:

It's like, rehearsal starts at 1 o'clock in the motherfucker.

Host:

Seven, right?

:

And you figure out from there it's like, you know, whatever he's gonna do.

:

So the first few days, we were just sitting around, like, trying to see what was happening.

:

And he just playing music.

:

He got the band playing all these different songs, and we're just sitting there and he like, one day, what y'all got for this?

:

And we like, okay, so we jumping up, trying to figure out a dance step, and he's like, hey, so why don't y'all give us a tape, give us a room, and we'll go put together the songs.

:

Yeah, yeah.

:

You know, so that we don't have to stop when y'all stopping, because something may, you know, you gotta tweak this or tweet that.

:

And he wound up getting us a cassette tape.

:

And we go to the other room and put together all the dance choreography that we needed for all the songs.

:

And then when we walk back in and they start playing, we jump up whenever there was a new song and cite the routine.

Host:

So working your own routines, did he pretty much let you have leeway to do whatever?

Host:

Or did he say, nah, you might have full range.

:

We have full range of whatever we was putting together.

:

Yeah.

:

Going.

Host:

Going back to then you from a dancing background.

Host:

And of course, Prince, great dancer.

:

What.

Host:

What was your opinion of him as his style of dancing back then when you first saw him?

:

Yeah, you know, I mean, I.

:

All I knew is what I saw in Purple Rain.

:

Okay.

:

The little dance stuff he did in there.

:

And I didn't really see him as a dancer, performer type person until we started.

:

Like, we did the glam slam video, and then we got to watching him, I'm like, oh, okay.

:

So he picks up stuff.

:

So as we're putting together the routines and stuff, especially when we started getting ready to go on tour for the new tour.

:

Right.

:

He would come into rehearsal, and when we were putting together dance stuff, he had, you know, because he had cameras everywhere.

:

Yeah.

:

So he was already watching what we were doing, and he was putting himself in position for whatever song it was, what he could jump into and get rolling.

:

So, you know, for me, I.

:

I thought he was great as a dancer.

:

He had a lot of energy, right.

:

And.

:

And he watched.

:

He paid attention to everything.

:

So he kind of.

:

He picked up stuff pretty easy.

:

And some of the other stuff, like, he.

:

He knew his limit on what he was going to do with us because he had to be singing at the same time.

:

So, you know, I mean, there may have been one or two times we was like, yo, dude, this is a little bit much.

:

You might, you know, take a break.

:

We doing a lot of jumping and diving.

:

Right, right.

:

So, you know, but yeah, he.

:

He paid attention, man.

:

And he.

:

He definitely surprised me as far as Dance Wives, the stuff that he wanted to jump in and do with us.

Host:

Now, I.

Host:

I didn't see.

Host:

I mean, I didn't see in person the new tour, but I've seen.

Host:

Seen performances on video and, you know, the.

Host:

The kid, the sexy dancer, the three songs that go together, man, that was some great dancing right there.

:

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Host:

And what.

Host:

What part of the show was that?

Host:

Like, earlier in the show or the.

:

Yeah, it was.

:

It was pretty much the early part of the shows.

:

I mean, because as we went on to the night, dude, is that.

:

I mean, we, me, Tony and Kirk was like, out on every song, and I think we had, you know, wardrobe changes at least three times.

:

Three or four times out the show.

:

Right.

Host:

And a big show was, you know, you ended the tour in Japan, right?

:

Yeah, we did.

:

Yeah.

:

Yeah, we did Japan, Australia, we did Brazil.

:

We did.

:

You know, we did quite a few places and, you know, and I mean, the first tour that we went on was in Rotterdam, Holland.

:

Wow.

:

That was the first tour for new tour.

:

And it was pouring rain that day, man.

:

And we thought he was gonna cancel the show, right?

:

Not happening.

Host:

Very rarely was a show he wasn't, he wasn't.

:

It wasn't one of them things like, oh, it's raining.

:

We all let it calm down.

:

It was like Joe starting it's raining.

:

All right, y'all ready?

Host:

Yeah.

Host:

I mean, instruments, electricity and everything.

Host:

And you guys dancing?

:

I mean, well, they had a canopy kind of like, you know, we had to.

:

And if you look at the new tour, there was the big emblem sign above us, right?

:

So they had to have something covering that.

:

But the front of the stage where he stood was out in the rain.

:

Wow.

:

And here we are dancing on the side of him on the stage, you know, and it's wet up there.

:

So I remember that first show and we were getting the show opening credit coming down, me and Tony coming down this ramp that was on the side of the stage.

:

And I mean, literally I slid to the front of the stage doing this move, you know, want to kick your leg and jumping back and kicking leg, dude.

:

I came down that joker and I mean, just slid all the way to the front of the stage to.

:

My legs were hanging off the of the stage.

:

And I looked over, Prince was still going.

:

I looked back to see where Tony was so I could get back on routine, jump back up on the stage.

:

I'm like, jesus Christ.

:

Like, we're still doing this thing.

:

So it did.

:

Rain didn't stop.

:

So whenever I talk about the super bowl when it rained, I'm like, eh, that ain't nothing.

Host:

Right, Right, Yeah, we were the originators of that.

:

We were originators of the rain, dancing and stuff we're gonna keep on doing, right?

Host:

So that tour, the new tour, you know, Michael Bland's first tour, and you guys, what a way to start your careers, like full out.

Host:

That's incredible.

:

Michael Bland, a 19 year old kid.

Host:

Yeah, yeah, I know.

Host:

Just discovered out of the.

Host:

The clubs, playing in the clubs, Right?

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, right.

Host:

So the new tour comes to the end.

Host:

You guys head back to the States.

Host:

Does Prince tell you we're not gonna, we're not gonna tour the US or are you left in?

:

Never really said, you know, anything like, you know, hey, we're not touring the States or anything.

:

I think he just went wherever, wherever the people were buying his music.

:

Oh, okay.

:

You know, and I think that's pretty much what all the IDIs is if.

:

If a place is not.

:

That's like somebody playing in Iowa, and.

:

But nobody's buying the music.

:

He's not gonna go there and put on no show because he don't feel like there's gonna be anybody buying tickets.

:

Yeah.

Host:

Which is surprising, as our artists is talented.

Host:

Biggest Prince.

Host:

Yeah, but I guess the.

:

I mean, we stayed over in Europe.

:

I mean, Jesus Christ, If I think about it, I mean, we did some US tour when we did the Act 1.

:

Yeah.

:

The Act 1 and Act 2 tour.

:

We did some stuff in the state for that.

:

Right.

:

And then after we did, like, one half, we did the East Coast.

:

He canceled the west coast, and then that was it.

Host:

Yeah.

:

Yeah.

Host:

I thought, I've only had one Prince cancellation.

Host:

It was like there were two shows in Connecticut.

Host:

It was.

Host:

Larry Graham opened up.

Host:

I bought tickets for both shows, and all of a sudden they said, due to studio commitments, there's only gonna be one show, and they're gonna mix the ticket.

Host:

I'm thinking, that ain't studio commitment.

:

This guy.

:

Yeah.

Host:

He records wherever he wants.

:

So.

Host:

Yeah, that's.

Host:

That's what they said.

Host:

But I.

Host:

I.

Host:

Probably Fig sales.

:

Yeah.

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

:

It's crazy, man.

:

That's crazy.

:

Yeah.

:

I.

:

I don't.

:

I don't recall him ever just telling us, well, we're just gonna do this or we're just gonna do that.

:

It just.

:

When it came up, we, you know, had to be ready.

:

Yeah.

Host:

So.

Host:

So let's move along to Diamonds and Pearls era.

Host:

Which.

Host:

Were you involved in any of the student recordings, or was it primarily on.

:

Most of the stuff that recorded?

:

Like, he'd have all of us in there at one time.

:

You know, if we did any background vocals or that kind of stuff, it, you know, had everybody in there.

:

We were doing the chance, you know, behind or whatever, and just laid up.

:

Now, there was once or twice when we had rehearsal and we finished, and then he called and say, hey, can you come back out and just lay, you know, vocal here?

:

And I'm like, I just left it two hours ago.

:

What?

:

You know, and.

:

And you, you know, you're on the contract, so you go back and do whatever it is he asked you.

:

Right, right.

:

You know, and I think I did that once or twice on some of the vocals, but for the most part of it, no, I didn't really.

:

I didn't really get, you know, that opportunity to do a bunch of other stuff, you know, so when he did call, I think he was more.

:

He had me come out there.

:

I did some Little vocals.

:

And then he.

:

Then we'd sit and talk.

:

Right, right.

:

You know, and it was just like.

:

I think you were just bored.

:

You just got me out of here.

Host:

Yeah.

:

Which was cool because I got a chance to sit down with him and just, you know, just shooting a breeze.

:

Right, right.

:

You know?

Host:

Now the Diamonds and Pearls, another European tour which didn't hit the States, but that was a little bit different, I guess, from.

Host:

From the new tour.

Host:

There was a lot more going on stage.

Host:

The horns, you had diamond and Pearl.

Host:

I met them at a record store signing in New York City.

Host:

They were doing some promotion for that.

Host:

But tell us about going to Europe and the Diamonds and Pearls tour and what was added for your.

Host:

Your parts in there.

:

They had a Diamond and Pearl tour.

:

Rehearsal was, like.

:

Rehearsal was.

:

Was grueling.

:

I mean, we did a lot.

:

You not only went over all the diamond and Pearl music, but any other music that he might want to use.

:

So choreography wise, we had to be prepared if he changed his mind, you know, the way he wanted to set up the show as far as music lineup and, you know, so we.

:

We kind of already have been through a lot through diamond, through the new tour, with all the songs that he played on there.

:

So rehearsal was, you know, every day.

:

There was always something new.

:

We were always trying to create something different.

:

But for the most part, his mind was working on everything that you can think of, man.

:

And we just, you know, kind of roll with whatever he was trying to do.

:

But he let us have all, you know, our realm of whatever choreography we were doing.

:

And then he would be joining in, like, certain things that we would dance.

:

Like when we did the Arsenio hall show.

Host:

Yeah, I love that.

:

Yeah.

:

The first rehearsal for the diamond and Pearl stuff was the glam slam show.

:

That was the first, like, oh, okay.

:

Wow.

:

After everything got put together, that was the first time that we wanted to see what it looked like, what it was going to take, how long, you know, everything was and what have you.

:

So we were.

:

We were prepping everything for that.

Host:

Yeah, the die, you know, it was the glam slam show.

Host:

I.

Host:

I love that.

Host:

I mean, you guys just.

Host:

I think it should.

Host:

I wish.

Host:

I'm sure there's plenty other shows throughout his career just like that that are amazing.

Host:

I gotta ask you, you've probably been asked about the dance sequence when Prince goes into Push, jumps off and goes downstairs and jumps on the bar.

:

It jumps on the bar.

:

A man.

Host:

That wasn't planned.

Host:

He didn't give you that in advance.

:

It was Just him being prince and.

Host:

Dancing high heels, a narrow bar, man.

Host:

You think he.

Host:

Where did he practice that look?

:

So you got to remember, though, you know.

:

You know, he's not that big.

:

Right, Right, right.

:

So him being on the bar.

:

The bar probably, you know, maybe two to three feet wide.

:

Right.

:

And he's a little guy, so he ain't doing a bunch of.

:

He's not doing nothing too crazy.

:

Right, right.

:

You notice he didn't do no splits on them jokers.

:

That's right.

Host:

Yeah.

Host:

Oh, I.

Host:

I saw his brother was.

Host:

He was there as the bodyguard.

Host:

He was somewhere in the bar scene.

:

Yep.

:

Yeah.

:

Yeah.

Host:

So that was.

Host:

That was just amazing.

Host:

And when you first saw that, when it was first released, is that the first time you saw the actual concert?

:

Yeah.

:

So when they.

:

When they said they were doing it and then they.

:

, I was like, you know, so in:

:

Okay.

:

That was the first time I actually seen the footage from that pipe.

:

Wow.

:

And it's funny because Kirk had messaged me and told me that, you know, we were going.

:

He's talking about doing this, and he hopes everybody can get on board and whatever.

:

And he, you know, was trying to.

:

And I initially told Kirk, I don't know if I want to do it or whatever, because I was at that time dealing with the mpg.

:

Oh, okay.

:

Yeah.

:

And how they were acting and, you know, it was just, you know, they had cut me out of being a part of that little tour and stuff, and I just was like, whatever, man.

:

You know?

:

Yeah, I heard about that.

:

I told Kirk.

:

I said, I didn't know.

:

He said, well, man, he said, I.

:

You can't do this.

:

We can't do this if you're not there.

:

And I'm like, what do you mean?

:

He's like, dude.

:

He said, you're in all this footage.

:

Right?

:

Right.

:

If we're going to do prints on a big screen, you're in all this footage.

:

And I'm like, okay.

:

And he's like, so I can't.

:

I cannot do this if you're not there.

:

Right.

:

What are we going to do when your parts come up?

:

And I was like, well, Rosie's not there.

:

And he's like, yeah, it's kind of a little different, you know?

:

And I was like, okay.

:

So we.

:

That's the first time I'd actually seen the footage of it because he had me come over.

:

I went over to his house.

:

And we sit down and he showed me, and I'm like, all right, man.

:

I said, I'm in there.

Host:

Yeah.

:

Yeah.

:

And I said, I.

:

I'll do it because you're asking me.

:

I said, other than that, if it had been anybody else, I'd have still said no.

:

And he said, yeah.

:

And I think Kirk was just trying to do something that was different from all the other stuff that was happening at Paisley park at the time.

:

Right.

:

And he wanted to bring that element of Prince on the big screen right behind the band playing live, playing exactly what's on the screen and putting all that together.

:

So that was the first time I actually saw it.

:

So, you know.

:

Yeah.

Host:

I mean, you.

Host:

You're part of.

Host:

You know that that's right up there with the tops of Prince concert releases.

Host:

I've seen that.

Host:

That's.

Host:

I could watch that over and over and over.

:

Yeah, I.

:

I watched it.

:

I haven't, like, sit and watch the whole show.

:

Yeah, right.

:

But I've watched bits and pieces of it.

:

Right.

:

You know what I'd love to see is the one we did in.

:

That they had out at Paisley.

:

I know somebody has a.

:

Has that on video somewhere.

:

Right.

:

I just wanted to.

:

I'd love to see what that looked like, you know, with that.

:

Him being on the screen behind us.

:

Right.

:

Right.

Host:

Now, let me ask you around that air a few.

Host:

Few of the dance routines that I really loved was.

Host:

You mentioned Arsenio hall with, you know, Kiss and, you know, you guys surrounding Prince and, you know, he's in the middle of.

Host:

You guys who came up with that routine.

Host:

Because that.

Host:

That's, you know, you take that little.

:

That's us.

Host:

Yeah, the two minute part of that song.

Host:

That's.

Host:

That's got to be in the Prince highlight reel.

:

Yeah, that.

:

That's.

:

That's all.

:

That's all me, Tony and Kirk, choreography wise.

:

You know, I mean, he would always tell us, you want to see something different?

:

You know, can you guys come up with some creative.

:

And that's what we came up with.

:

One of the moves we did when we did the Ride Divine, where this thing where I would do a handstand over Tony's shoulder and he grabbed my legs.

:

Yeah.

:

Kirk would grab the front of my legs and we'd do like a teeter totter.

Host:

Yeah, that's the one I was gonna.

Host:

That's.

:

So Prince wanted to do that.

:

Right.

:

So here, you know, with me, Tony and Kirk, it balance out weight wise.

:

Right.

:

Well, Prince wants to grab.

:

Be the person in the front doing all this craziness.

:

And I'm thinking to myself, I'm so used to Kirk's weight on my legs.

:

So when Prince got on it, it was kind of like, whoa.

:

You know, And I'm.

:

And I was begging Tony, I was like, man, please don't let go of my legs when he jumped out.

:

Because you talk about what look crazy on film.

:

I'm like, yeah.

:

So, you know.

:

But he definitely liked all the stuff that we did.

:

And he always wanted to be, you know, involved in some of the dance stuff, which was.

:

For me, it was like.

:

That was a testament of what we were doing that he liked.

Host:

How about.

Host:

How about the puppet marionette scenario where you guys are dancing?

:

Yeah, he loved that too.

Host:

How difficult was that to coordinate?

Host:

Because, I mean, you guys aren't saying.

:

We were already doing.

:

We were already doing the move.

:

So.

Host:

Okay.

:

All he did was jump up there because he.

:

Like I said, he paid attention and he watched everything we did.

:

Okay.

:

And so when we started doing it, he automatically ran and jumped on the riser and was.

Host:

So it was up to him to.

:

Yeah, like, what pipe gonna marionette what he's gonna do?

:

Yeah, he.

:

He did that himself.

:

That was his creation.

:

It's like, oh, I'm gonna do this.

:

Right, Right.

Host:

Which.

Host:

Which was real nice.

Host:

Now another one, which, you know, even people who aren't like, pr.

Host:

When did the MTV performance when he had his ass hanging out.

Host:

And you were the guy who started off and you were face down.

Host:

Tell us about the preparations before.

Host:

Were you alerted this was going to be no happening.

Host:

And what was your reaction?

:

No, there was no forewarning.

:

There was no.

:

We rehearsed that thing over and over and over.

:

And just the landing on him, all the old.

:

How we were supposed to do it.

:

And that day, we come out the dressing room, we had our little prayer on the side.

:

Came up on the stage, he had a long coat on.

:

And we're sitting there going, okay.

:

And that.

:

That scream went out.

:

Yeah.

:

And that jacket went off.

:

And we look, and I'm standing there like.

:

And they d.

:

You gotta fall.

:

I'm like, oh, snap.

:

So I'm falling on this dude, and I'm trying my best not to look at his butt.

:

Right, right.

:

Because I didn't at the time, I didn't know they had sold in some piece of it.

:

Yeah, that looked like it.

:

But.

:

But at the same time, I'm thinking, this boy got his ass out and I fall on him.

:

And I'm like.

:

And if you go back and look at that Joe, if you go back and look at that particular thing and then watch that pipe when we sliding off of him, you can see me trying not to look like.

Host:

Yeah, yeah, I saw you were like.

:

Like, what the is he doing here?

Host:

Now after the performance backstage, did you guys have a laugh about it or he.

Host:

Yeah, yeah.

Host:

Okay.

:

We're like, dude.

:

Because you know, when we, when we rehearsed it, we were out there in LA and we rehearsed it and you know, the people from the MTV came to check it out to make sure there wasn't nothing crazy going on.

:

Yeah, right, right, right.

:

And so we're, you know, he just played it off and when we came off that, you're like, dude, did you really just do that?

:

Right?

Host:

Well, everybody, you know, the morning talk shows, all they're talking about, I'm sure.

:

Oh my God, I could imagine.

:

I mean, mission accomplished, coming home, people talking about, man, you fall on his butt.

:

Like it's work.

Host:

Thankfully, it was a one time only thing, right?

:

It's a one time only thing.

:

We're not doing that every night.

Host:

I wanted to talk about actually with the rest of the dance in, in act number one, which I saw.

Host:

I saw two shows at Radio City Music Hall.

Host:

You went on tour, which was great performances.

Host:

And you know, I went one of the nights Madonna was there and.

Host:

Tell us about that tour.

Host:

I mean, you hit the state.

Host:

You finally hit the States properly.

Host:

You did a tour like that.

Host:

What was, what was that tour like?

:

Oh, man, it was pretty cool, man.

:

You know, getting that opportunity again.

:

We never really got a chance to go to the, to the West Coast.

:

It was mostly on the east and you know, it was, it was.

:

We took a lot of stuff from the diamond and Pearl stuff and placed in that whole thing.

:

And it, you know, it was just, you know, and some of the new music that was being brought out and stuff.

:

So it was cool, man.

:

Cause we had diamond and Pearl with us on that and you know, I, I get it.

:

I kept getting talked to about that show because there was one section where diamond and Pearl both jump on me and I'm walking with one on my back and one in the front and.

:

And he says something about Damon had a pimp sandwich tonight or something, like, oh my God, I'm walking with these.

Host:

Two girls on the stage.

:

I'm like, yeah, yeah.

:

And Mike, it was, it was cool because, you know, we got a chance to do the West Coast, I mean, the east coast stuff and Radio City music.

:

I mean, that was the first time we've been there.

:

I'm like, this is incredible.

Host:

Yeah, yeah, it was great.

Host:

And I think I told you when we were doing the on the Electric Vibe with Cat tribute that, yeah, I saw Prince wipe out during.

Host:

I think it was scandalous.

Host:

Insatiable.

Host:

When the.

Host:

Before he had the.

Host:

The pearls were coming down.

:

Yeah.

:

And.

Host:

But he was up in the flash, you know, and you.

:

And that's what happened.

:

You gotta.

:

He jumps back on it and, you know, and I've just chose his testament to his professional side of him.

:

Right.

:

You know, you don't just lay there, you got to get up and get.

:

The show must go on.

Host:

Exactly.

Host:

Yeah.

Host:

As far as getting into other stuff, was that the last or.

Host:

You did act two, right?

:

We did act two, but it was very brief.

:

Yeah, right.

:

Right.

Host:

Now why.

Host:

Why did that change?

:

You know what?

:

I don't really recall why he changed his mind.

:

I know that he was having a bunch of stuff going on with Warner Brothers during that time.

:

Right.

:

Yeah.

:

You know, with the whole name change and, you know, and all that, you know, he would.

:

They would be an asshole toward him or whatever.

:

But, you know, he, you know, in my opinion, he was.

:

He wasn't wrong for what he was trying to do.

:

He's like, you know, you're gonna tell me I can't use my God given name and you're trying to take it from me and anything I do, you want to take all the money from it and all that.

:

Yeah.

:

He started schooling us on what it is that business.

:

And I think we all kind of paid attention to how much that was impacting what he was and what he was trying to do.

:

His creativity.

:

Right, right.

:

You know, wanting to be in the studio, put out when he get ready, not when you tell me to get ready.

:

Right.

:

You know what I mean?

:

Yeah.

:

So that in itself was a testament.

:

And then, you know, here we are, you know, watching this stuff go down and going, okay.

:

And you know, you learn, if you pay attention, you were learning do's and don'ts.

:

Right, Right.

Host:

So it.

Host:

Does it take its toll?

Host:

I mean, did you see it as far as him dealing all this and then relating it to the band?

:

Yeah.

Host:

What kind of.

Host:

You noticed the change, right?

:

Yeah, yeah.

:

I mean, it was just, you know, there's days where he would come in and he, you know, he was something on his mind and you just kind of was like, okay, so you just rolling with him.

:

Yeah.

:

And then you had the days where he would load, laugh and loaf off and jack off and stuff like, you know, just Talking crazy, being goofy.

:

And then there was some days, like I said, it was, you know, it was hit or miss, what person you were getting that day.

:

Right, right.

:

He had.

:

He had.

:

He had a few people that he'd be.

:

One day he'd be the laughing, jokey prince, and this day would be the real business print.

:

This day would be the, hey, let's have a, you know, let's do your mama jokes.

:

Right, Right.

:

And this day.

:

And don't say nothing.

:

It's like business, you know, so you never knew who you were getting when he walked in the room.

:

You had to wait for him to walk in and be paying attention, like, okay, who we got today?

Host:

Well, you guys are spending so much time together and on the road and like your family and everything, and.

:

Yeah, yeah.

Host:

You got so many different personality.

Host:

Everybody's different.

Host:

That's tough.

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

:

And he.

:

And, you know, him being the biggest personality of all of us and stuff and.

:

And, you know, always said, whenever people ask, like, well, how was it working with him?

:

How do you deal?

:

You know, what was the biggest thing you take from.

:

It's like, man, he was definitely a professional, first and foremost businessman.

:

He paid attention to everything.

:

He knows how to handle his business, so forth, and what we're going to do with it.

:

He watched everything.

:

There was nothing he didn't know from who was.

:

I don't care what part you played in his.

:

In his camp, if you were a lighting guy, if you were a.

:

A technician, the dancer, the guitar player, the bass player.

:

He knew everybody's part.

:

There was nothing that he didn't know.

:

He was that chef.

:

That's like, I'm gonna put it in this term.

:

If he was Emerald of Lagasse.

:

Right.

:

And cook.

:

Right.

:

He's got people sitting over here chopping up all this stuff for him.

:

People.

:

You chop up the onion.

:

You chop up over here, you make sure this is there.

:

You make sure this.

:

And I'm making sure that it all comes into this pot and we finna make this thing be funky.

:

Right, right.

Host:

And he succeeded.

:

And that's what he did.

:

I mean, and I looked at that with us and go, man, he's been doing that with all the other bands too.

:

Yeah, yeah.

Host:

When's the last time you saw Prince, had interaction with him?

:

Last time I actually saw him face to face was two years before he passed.

:

Oh, okay.

:

We were.

:

I went out to Paisley park with a friend of mine who had asked me.

:

She came into town and she wanted to go out there, and I initially Told her no.

:

And I thought, yeah, I'll go out there.

:

And we wound up going out there and they were having some little dance party, slash he was going to play later type thing.

:

And we were just kind of hanging out before that.

:

That.

:

That year.

:

I had already, like, I think he had messaged me.

:

I had been going out there prior to that.

:

Like a year and a half prior to that.

:

Was just going out there because he was just, you know, he.

:

He messaged me, hey, what are you up to?

:

You want to come out or.

:

Da, da, da.

:

And I would just go out there and hang out and just me and him, we were, you know, do little poo talk crazy.

:

And he tried to talk me into playing ping pong.

:

I was like, no, I'm good.

:

You ain't gonna beat me like that.

:

So.

:

So we were just talking about life stuff, man.

:

So, right.

:

We did that quite a bit.

:

He was trying to pull me into that Jehovah witness thing, and I was like, yeah, yeah.

:

But we talked about Bible.

:

We talked about life and all that stuff.

:

And then he had found out I was dating this woman who told me she was getting a divorce, and she didn't.

:

And so when we were talking religious stuff, he says to me, hey, until you change that, we can't do this Bible talk no more stuff.

:

And I was like, I didn't ask to do this in the first place.

:

Yeah, right, right.

Host:

You were just kind of, you know.

:

And I said, I'm just being honest.

:

He said, well, you need to fix that.

:

And I was like, all right, whatever.

:

And then I left.

:

And then I started trying to do this book thing back then.

:

Right, right.

:

I winded up letting, you know, asking him if he, you know, was cool with it or whatever.

:

Come to find out later that somebody had already presented it to him.

:

Your book.

:

Your book helping me write.

:

I presented it to Larry.

:

Larry Graham.

:

And I think Larry wind up showing it to him.

:

And then when I finally got my chance to sit down with him, like, we were at the Kingdom hall, which was down the street from Paisley.

Host:

Okay.

:

He gave, you know, we came out and I was like, hey, man, you know, I'm doing this book, and I want you to check it out.

:

Da, da, da.

:

And so I handed it to him, and he looks at it and he says, oh, book, huh?

:

And I was like, yeah.

:

And he leaves.

:

And then he called me back in like two minutes and said, hey, are you still there?

:

And I'm like, yeah.

:

He said, I'm coming back.

:

And I'm like, Cool.

:

And he comes back and he goes, in the car.

:

Get in the car.

:

I was like, all right.

:

And I sit down, he goes, so why are you doing this?

:

And I said, cause I got kids, and I love for my kids and my grandkids, future grandkids.

:

If there was something to come out, I'd love for them to see what I was doing all my life.

:

And he's like, I don't think you should do it.

:

And I'm like, huh?

:

And then he went into this scenario about vanity and whoever else was trying to write a book at that time.

:

And I was going, what?

:

You know, I was confused.

:

I'm like, ah.

:

And he's like, yeah.

:

Plus, you signed a contract that said you would never talk about what we did.

:

And I'm going.

:

And mind you, at that time, it had been 10 or 15 years since I had been in the band.

:

I'm going, huh?

:

I said, you know what, dude?

:

I said, no matter what, dude, if you don't want me to write this, it's fine.

:

I said, but you have to understand something, dude.

:

You didn't.

:

I don't even think you read what I had in there.

:

And he said, I read the first two pages.

:

I said, well, good.

:

If you read the first two pages.

:

Did you read the part where I said, I thank my grandmother for me being here, my mother for being here, because I could have been left for dead because I was born premature and they thought I was going to tell my.

:

My mother I was dead, and you for giving me the opportunity that I had?

:

Did you read that dedication?

:

He said, wow.

:

I mean, I just read.

:

I said, never mind, man.

:

It's good.

:

Never mind.

:

Don't worry, I won't write it.

:

When I left, he called me two days later, asked me to come out to Paisley.

:

I go out there and we started talking, and he goes.

:

He says, everything all right with you?

:

I'm like, everything's fine, man.

:

He's like, well, do you need anything?

:

I'm like, no, I don't need anything, dude.

:

I'm just, you know.

:

He's like, well, how do you feel about not writing a book?

:

And I was like, is that why you called me out here?

:

That's all you had to say, right?

:

Right?

:

That's all you had to say.

:

I was like, I'm a little disappointed because I wouldn't write anything negative about you.

:

I said, I have nothing but positive stuff to say about who you were in my life.

:

And we had that conversation, you know?

:

So fast forward to the two Years before he passed.

:

And I went back out there.

:

We didn't get a chance to sit down and have a conversation.

:

At that time, Kirk was his main body guide, manager, whatever.

:

And I asked Kirk then I was like, hey, man, you think you could let him know, you know, I want to talk to him for a second?

:

Because to me at that time, I looked at him and he didn't look well to me.

:

Yeah, right.

:

He looked very fragile.

:

And to say he lost weight would be like, ah, well, he's already a little guy.

:

No, he.

:

He had lost some weight, and he looked a little different to me.

Host:

Yeah, I saw the.

Host:

The picture I know you've probably seen.

Host:

Well, you saw him in person, but it was a black and white photo and he's got a guitar.

Host:

And I was.

Host:

When I first saw.

Host:

I said, wow, he doesn't look right.

:

He doesn't look right.

Host:

And I.

:

And I.

:

And Kirk told me.

:

And I'll never forget it because I.

:

I kind of had words with Kirk after that.

:

Sometime later, I'd go, hey.

:

You know, he goes, well, if I do it for you, I gotta do it for everybody else.

:

And I went like, dude, are you serious right now?

:

I'm like, I just want to talk to this brother.

:

You know, it just bothered me what I saw, you know, his physical.

:

And I was like, something ain't right, you know, but, you know, fast forward.

:

I'm working my little security job at a place called Allianz Life Insurance.

:

I was the security officer at the front desk.

:

And, you know, the stuff comes across the news, and I'm sitting there and I hear this thing, and then I get a phone call from somebody, say, hey, have you watched any of the news?

:

I'm like, no.

:

They said.

:

They said, you might want to turn on a news station.

:

And I'm like, okay.

:

And so I'm on the computer trying to find a local news station, and it's all over the news.

:

And I'm like, what the hell's going on?

:

Yeah.

:

And that's how I found out.

:

Right.

:

You know, so I was.

:

Needless to say, I was a little hurt that Kirk didn't give me an opportunity to sit down and talk to him.

:

Because if I.

:

I guess in my mind, if I'd have talked to him and I sensed something wasn't cool, I probably would have said something, you know, Ask him.

:

You all right?

:

You know?

:

Yeah.

:

What's going on with you, man?

:

I mean, you always looked a little healthy to me.

:

You're not looking, you know, But I don't know if things happen for a reason, man.

:

You know, and after that situation, I talked to Kirk and, you know, I told him I felt, how I felt about it, and, you know, he apologized and stuff, you know, but it was just.

:

It was just weird to me, you know, that, you know, I didn't get that chance to really talk to him because before he would be calling me, and here I am.

Host:

Yeah.

Host:

I guess if he's.

Host:

What he was going through and, you know, the stuff.

Host:

Yeah, that came out, stuff was.

Host:

It wasn't really him.

Host:

It's just, you know, probably that's.

Host:

Withdraw from certain people, like friends like yourself and.

Host:

Yeah, it's sad.

:

Yeah.

:

Yeah, it's tough because I.

:

You know, like I said when I left the band and, you know, I would at the time, working at a daycare, man.

:

And he called me all the time talking about, hey, what are you up to?

:

Can you come out here?

:

And I'm like, okay, cool.

:

You know, and then when it stopped, I was just like, well, what the hell's going on?

:

You know, So I.

:

I don't know, man.

:

If everybody.

:

Everybody views something different or whatever and how they feel about it and whatever.

:

I mean, I had a.

:

I had a different relationship with him.

:

It wasn't.

:

It wasn't about the music.

:

It wasn't about the bands.

:

It was just, you know, we just had conversation, real conversations.

:

You know what I mean?

:

Right.

:

You know, we talked.

:

We talk.

Host:

Right.

:

You know, little things that we know.

:

Just that.

:

And it just felt weird to me not to have a conversation with him again at that point.

:

It's like, what the.

:

What's going on?

:

You know, but you just leave it alone and let it.

:

Let it work its way out.

:

So.

Host:

Well, you had that special connection not a lot of people who were in the band necessarily had.

:

You know, everybody talks about their.

:

Their connection with him and what they have with him.

:

Like I said, I got called by him to come just hang out.

:

And so for me, that was.

:

To me, that was.

:

That was real personal for me because I felt like I didn't really get a chance to do a lot of stuff in the band.

:

Then I come.

:

Come and wonder, why would you call me and ask me to come out of everybody, you know?

:

Yeah.

:

Yeah.

Host:

Well, obviously, he.

Host:

He treasured your friendship, so.

:

Yeah.

:

And that's what I took.

:

That's what I take from that.

:

Is that right?

:

The fact that I.

:

I spoke my mind and I'm still like that to this day.

:

I might say stuff that gets under people's Skin, you know?

:

And I.

:

I don't say I'm sorry for that.

:

It's like certain things, you know, I don't sugarcoat.

:

I'm not gonna sugarcoat for anybody.

:

Yeah.

Host:

If you go on Damon Dixon's Facebook page, you'll see once in a while, you put out.

Host:

You speak your stuff.

:

Yeah.

:

Yeah.

:

I mean, I'm just.

:

It's just straightforward.

:

It's like, I don't.

:

I respect everybody until you disrespect me.

:

I give everybody the benefit of a doubt.

:

I uplift all the people that I've been in the band with.

:

I.

:

I always talk about how great they are, all of them.

:

I don't care what they did.

:

Yeah.

:

And then I just found out here last year, and it's really weird.

:

I just found out that Maite had an album, and I was going, wait, what?

:

Right?

:

And, you know, but I was sitting there thinking to myself, you mean to tell me, out of everybody in this band, I'm the only person that didn't get nothing done?

:

And then I started thinking back to when I went through the situation with the.

:

The mpg, and when they asked me to sit out and all this stuff, and I'm going, and then their manager telling me that I was unessential, you know, to what they were doing.

:

They could do music without me, blah, blah, blah.

:

And all that stuff played back to the.

:

Back then.

:

And I go, well, hell, maybe that's what it was.

:

I'm not a musician, you know, Even though I would play what little percussion stuff they'd ask you to do, and then, you know, background vocals, I was like, but that don't mean anything to nobody.

:

So I was sitting there going, okay, I have to understand where she was coming from when she said it to me.

:

Y'all could go out and play music, but you can't play music without a keyboard, drummer, bass player, guitar player, whatever.

:

I get it.

:

I get it.

:

But I always looked at what we did with him and go, well, visually don't count.

Host:

I mean, this is my opinion.

Host:

I'm like the Game Boys.

Host:

You guys dancing on the tours and all the videos and everything.

Host:

Just as important as someone who's playing guitar and bass.

Host:

And, you know, it was the whole ensemble, so.

:

Exactly.

:

Exactly.

Host:

You'll always be a part of the mpg.

Host:

That.

Host:

That's.

Host:

That's fact.

:

Well, I always say, I'll be a part of the New Power generation.

:

I never used MPG because MPG was something.

:

After we left, he started using mpg.

:

Okay, all right.

:

New Power Generation, George Clinton thing.

Host:

Oh, yeah.

:

Clinton has a.

:

Has a bunch of different little groups.

:

Yeah.

:

So Prince kind of reminded me of that when it came down to.

:

After the.

:

The original New Power Generation, he put this MPG stuff together.

:

Okay.

:

And so if you look at that from that point when we left and he did the Exodus album with.

:

With them guys, and then everything from that point on was mpg.

Host:

That's a good differentiation.

Host:

Yeah.

:

Yeah.

Host:

But you're always a part of the New Power Generation.

Host:

No doubt.

Host:

So, I mean, that's the only part out.

:

That's the only part I will acknowledge is that I was a part of that.

:

Anything after that, I.

:

I have nothing to do with them.

:

Guys are who they are.

:

You know, that whole, you know, Shelby and Liv and the one chick.

:

What's her name?

:

I can't even think of her name.

:

Anyway, you know, and Kip Blackshire, them and Autumn guys that came up after that, you know, Renaldo.

:

Right.

:

All of them guys.

:

All of them got Hannah, Autumn guys, you know, they.

:

They all are part of that MPG thing.

:

And then going into Third eye and all that stuff, so.

:

All incredible musicians.

:

I can't.

:

I.

:

You know, there's nothing I have negative to say about any of that stuff, so, you know.

:

Yeah.

Host:

Well, let me ask you, before we.

Host:

We wrap this up, a couple dance questions, then we'll.

Host:

We'll talk about something you're doing coming up.

Host:

So.

Host:

So Prince, of course, dancing with the heels.

Host:

Amazing to be able to do that.

Host:

Do you think if he ever had regular.

Host:

Regular shoes, dancing, what kind of dancer would he have been?

:

Who, Prince?

:

Yeah.

Host:

If he had dropped down to the flat heel.

:

Would it.

:

Oh, listen, for sure, man.

:

He'd be like.

:

Like, he liked a lot of the stuff that we did, you know, so he would definitely be, you know, on that rum, the hip hop, you know, break it down.

:

And he loved getting funky, so he would be.

:

He would be writing that hip hop.

Host:

Yeah, but the heels, I, you know, part of his.

Host:

His history.

:

Yeah.

Host:

I mean, he got all the.

Host:

Hey, look.

:

So.

:

So little red Corvette when he did a little shuffle to the side and he did the little.

:

Little thing on the ground with his legs.

:

That was break dancing.

Host:

That's true.

Host:

Was he wearing jeans back then?

Host:

Video.

Host:

It looked like he was wearing jeans in that video.

:

It was.

Host:

Well, that was rare.

:

So it might have looked like jeans, but it still was something I made.

:

Yeah.

:

Okay.

Host:

Yeah.

Host:

It wasn't off the rack at one.

:

Off the racket.

:

Nordstrom yet.

Host:

Nordstrom, yeah.

Host:

All right.

Host:

Another Question.

Host:

Being you such a talented dancer all these years, were you a big fan of Soul Train?

Host:

Of course, of course.

:

Soul Train, American Bandstand.

Host:

Who, who were.

Host:

Oh, go ahead.

:

All the dancers that were on there.

:

There was a lot of dancers that came through that thing.

:

I mean, you know, I watched all these different dancers.

:

But my thing was when, when, when the lockers came out.

:

I don't know if you remember the locker.

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

:

When they came out, I was glued to the tv.

:

Okay.

:

That was, that was me.

:

Like I, I grew up listening to James Brown.

:

I grew up trying to dance like James Brown.

:

Right.

:

Because that back then he was the only entertainer that was actually doing any dance stuff that made you be like, oh, James.

:

Yeah.

:

So when the lockers came along, I was like, oh, my God.

:

So I'm like really picking up that stuff.

:

So for me, that was.

:

If I'm putting myself in a category with dancing, that's the dancer stuff that I, I was doing.

:

Yeah.

Host:

I, I was more of an early 80s.

:

Yeah, yeah.

Host:

But that was, that was a great era too.

Host:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

:

And then when break dancing broke out in the, in the early 80s.

:

Right.

:

You know, that was like something totally different.

:

I mean, I dislocated a finger dancing it.

:

Break dancing.

:

Wow.

Host:

You put the cardboard mat down.

:

You know what?

:

Never did that pipe.

:

But we always get on something that would look like, you know, it has some shininess to it.

:

So you can do it.

Host:

My wife tells me to start.

Host:

My wife used to be a professional ballroom dance champion and her, her ex husband.

Host:

She was telling me a story when break dancing came out.

Host:

They dance competitively, that he wanted to do break dancing.

Host:

So they set it up in the living room and he was trying to do it.

Host:

She said he kicked over a couple lamps.

Host:

It was like.

Host:

It was.

Host:

He didn't, he didn't pursue that too far.

Host:

He stuck to the ball.

:

Look, that breakdance will either break you or make you right.

:

Most times it's breaking you.

:

Yeah, yeah.

:

Right.

:

So.

Host:

So.

Host:

Okay, let me get it before we get off.

Host:

You told me before we got on the air, you're doing something really inspirational.

Host:

Coming up and going to talk to some youth and relating some of your experience growing up that could, could help them.

Host:

How did you get into it and what are you going to be doing?

:

Well, actually, I'm.

:

I'm trying to get more into going to speak to kids at a school, especially the under underprivileged kids.

:

Schools that don't have big entertainment, you know, like bands and you know, theater type stuff in their schools.

:

So I kind of like the idea of going to talk to kids like that because they don't get that opportunity to have someone come in that have probably come from the same background that they have.

:

I'm actually going to be in Louisville, going to a school tomorrow to talk to some kids, underprivileged kids, about what I used to do and how I got to that.

:

So basically I'll be explaining that I'm in the same shoes they are.

:

I grew up poor, didn't have a lot.

:

My mother didn't have a lot.

:

I love playing sports and dancing.

:

My mother didn't have money to put me through a school for dance and didn't have money to pay for me to play sports all the time.

:

So I was always under the free programs, you know, so understanding that and knowing that they, you know, probably have them, same thing.

:

So I'm going to be going to talk to these kids about what I used to do, how I grew up and how I got into that and what it takes to do that, just to try to uplift them and maybe, you know, maybe they'll see something like, oh, my God, if he could do that, I could do that.

:

You know, so.

:

And I can't think of the name of the school, but I will, I think when I do go, I'm going to have somebody either do me live so I can have, you know, they can follow me through it or whatever.

Host:

So, yeah, I'm sure she'll be one hopefully of many, you know, visits to other school.

:

Yeah, yeah.

Host:

I mean, you've got.

Host:

You got a lot to offer especially.

:

Yeah, yeah.

:

So that's going to be one of the things I'm gonna be doing here real soon.

:

That's tomorrow.

:

And like I said before we got on air, I'm trying to get into finishing up doing something on this book.

:

Right.

:

That I'm trying to write that hopefully to have that finished come within the new year, the next few months of it.

Host:

So, yeah, so we got a lot to look forward to and great stories a lot.

:

But it'll be, it'll be.

:

Yeah, yeah.

:

Look forward to.

Host:

Where's the best place that our viewers and listeners can get a.

Host:

Get a hold of you and follow what you're doing?

:

Well, my Facebook page at Damon Dixon on Instagram is Dixon underscore Damon12.

:

I think it is.

:

You can catch me on there.

:

I don't mess with X because there's some people I don't really mess with.

:

None of that Stuff.

Host:

Yeah, I jump ship.

Host:

I'm on Blue sky.

:

Yeah, Jump ship on that X stuff.

:

If you're on X, you need to get off of it because you ain't doing number supporting crazy.

:

But anyway, I'm not on there.

:

And there's a new thread that's out now.

:

People have been asking me about it.

:

You know, they said, are you, you know, are you joining?

:

I'm like, ah, I think Facebook and Instagram is enough for me.

:

Yeah, right.

:

Yeah.

Host:

And it's tough getting, I mean, personally connecting people as far as musicians and everything.

Host:

It's more like of a search.

Host:

I mean, you're, you're easy to contact, always been easy to talk with.

Host:

But some, you know, I'm on Instagram.

Host:

You're trying to find an email on a website and everything.

Host:

It used to be a lot easier.

Host:

I don't know what happened.

:

Yeah, well, I got an email address.

:

I mean, if people's trying to get in touch with me email wise, I mean, you can catch me on Yahoo Day.

:

Is day that, like daytime day, 30day@yahoo.right.com.

:

or, you know, I got a website for my dad for my clothing line.

:

I.

:

Yeah, I haven't set it all up yet, but I got a day date page for my, my day wear.

Host:

Yeah.

Host:

So is, Is that the hat?

Host:

One of the.

:

Exactly.

:

Yeah.

:

So I did this one for commemorating the Purple Rain thing that me and Kirk Antonia did.

:

So I, I wound up coming with this idea and I'm like, hey, DDW with the.

:

Yeah, with the raindrops on it.

Host:

That's sharp.

Host:

Yeah, that looks really good.

Host:

I mean, it's, I'm not even.

Host:

We're on the computer and you could tell it looks really sharp.

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

:

So.

:

And that's what I've been up to and doing on that.

:

But if people want to, you know, I'm going to try to get that rolling into the new year too because I've had people asking me for certain shirts that I had, you know, and if, when you're doing it yourself and I don't have a site I could send people to.

:

Yeah, it becomes a little much so.

:

Right.

Host:

But yeah, you're.

Host:

You're doing what you love.

Host:

And we're looking forward to all the upcoming projects.

Host:

2025.

Host:

And we got to make this more regular.

Host:

My fault for Damon Dixon.

:

It's been a while since we've, you know, we've seen each other in Canada.

Host:

So, you know, I know it's like going back to the core.

:

Exactly.

:

Yeah, exactly.

Host:

And, and you know, it's funny, I.

Host:

I look back and I put the promotion on prince.org when you were on back then, and, like, people were.

Host:

I guess they.

Host:

They knew of the core.

Host:

They were making all complimentary stuff about what you guys were doing.

Host:

So.

:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Host:

So I promise I'm gonna be more on top of.

Host:

And contacting you for coming on, because you definitely.

Host:

Always nice to speak with.

:

Oh, man, I appreciate it, Joe.

:

I appreciate it, man.

:

As always.

:

You know, I'm.

:

I'm humbled by anybody wanting me to come talk about anything, because I'm not that.

:

And it's.

:

It's just me saying this, and it's what I've always been.

:

I'm not the main character or none of the big names that have had a chance to grace that stage with him.

:

I'm just a piece of the puzzle.

:

Yeah.

Host:

And, you know, I'm thinking back to a former colleague of mine, Jehovah's Witness.

Host:

He used to write on like somebody is retiring or something.

Host:

Or something.

Host:

It always say, we're all spokes in the wheel similar.

:

Yeah, pretty much.

:

Pretty much.

Host:

Right?

Host:

So you.

Host:

You've definitely been a huge part of the Minneapolis sound and Prince's world and your own world, Damon Dixon.

Host:

So I gotta thank you, brother, for coming by.

Host:

We're gonna be.

Host:

You'll hear this on Apple, you'll hear it on Spotify, you'll hear it on all the podcasts, and of course, on YouTube and our mix cloud station.

Host:

So thanks for.

Host:

For spending the time and have.

Host:

Have fun out in Louisville.

:

Yeah, yeah.

:

Thanks, man.

:

Thanks for having me, Kurt.

:

I just, Just, just been.

:

Joe, it's been amazing the last year here with everything that I've been involved in, and it's.

:

I'm always humbled by people, you know, giving me an opportunity.

:

So with you.

:

Come on, Joe.

:

Is just another humbling moment.

Host:

Yeah, you're definitely, you know, thanks, Damon.

:

Yeah, man, appreciate it.

:

Peace.

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