Dance / Music / Sex / Romance

Here we are again, my first podcast in more than a year, and I couldn't have asked for better guests than Harold Pride and De Angela Duff to discuss Prince's fourth and quite possibly most underrated album, 1981’s Controversy.

Last October, I had every intention to mark the 40th anniversary of Controversy with another installment of our in-depth album retrospective podcast series, but life (i.e., my increasingly-predictable end-of-year burnout) intervened. Now, having finally gotten my shit together, I’m putting the finishing touches on the episode, and it will be dropping next Friday! I’m joined […]

For this month's episode, it was my pleasure to speak to music writer Jack Riedy (Pitchfork, GQ, VIBE) about his new book Electric Word Life: Writing on Prince 2016-2021.

This month, it was my pleasure to speak to music writer Jack Riedy (Pitchfork, GQ, VIBE) about his new book Electric Word Life: Writing on Prince 2016-2021.

Darling Nisi and Harold Pride return for another in-depth retrospective on the 1981 debut album by the Time.

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the self-titled debut album by the Time; so, I decided to commemorate the occasion by bringing back Darling Nisi and Harold Pride for one of our trademark track-by-track deep dives. The episode will be available on your podcast service of choice next week; in the meantime, here’s a […]

Darling Nisi and Harold Pride return for a third episode in our series of in-depth retrospectives on Prince's albums, this one for the 40th anniversary of 1980’s Dirty Mind.

Well, folks, after a six-month delay (and what felt like six years of editing), the next episode of the D / M / S / R podcast is finally finished. It will be available to the public in a week; in the meantime, here’s a short preview. And if you’re a patron, you’ll be able […]

October 19, 2018 marks the 39th anniversary of Prince’s self-titled second album–not the most glamorous occasion, perhaps, but reason enough to reassemble the review panel from our For You podcast for a reappraisal. Once again, Zach is joined by Harold and KaNisa for a track-by-track discussion of this underappreciated album, its resonances throughout Prince’s career, and why it still […]

I gave myself a little hiatus from the dance / music / sex / romance podcast after Celebration 2018, but now we’re back in business with guest Takuya Futaesaku, author of the book Words of Prince. Takki and I talk about his book and his experiences as a Prince fan in Japan; it was a pleasure […]

As listeners are no doubt aware, next week will be a big one for Prince fans in Minneapolis: Monday through Wednesday is Prince from Minneapolis, the second-ever (and first in the States) academic symposium devoted to papers about Prince; then, from Thursday to Sunday, Paisley Park will open its doors for its second annual posthumous Celebration event. I will be there for both, so I thought now was the perfect opportunity to talk to Stuart Willoughby, whose book Minneapolis Reign: A Guide to Prince's Hometown documented his own trip to last year's Celebration 2017. Stuart and I had a really fun conversation, which will hopefully give everyone else out there planning their own pilgrimages some pointers about where to go and what to do in Prince's hometown. As always, remember to subscribe to the d / m / s / r podcast on your service of choice (iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play), and to leave us a review if the spirit moves you. I look forward to meeting some of you in Minneapolis next week! 00:00:00   "Calhoun Square” (1993 Recording, available on Crystal Ball) 00:04:12   "1999” (from 1999, 1982) 00:08:28   "Cream” (from Diamonds and Pearls, 1991) 00:13:07   "Nothing Compares 2 U” (1991 Recording, available on Prince 4Ever) 00:30:23   "Paisley Park” (from Around the World in a Day, 1985) 00:34:48   Rudolph's Bar-B-Que 00:44:23   "All the Critics Love U in London” (Live at indigO2, London, 2007) 00:45:09   My Name is Prince Exhibition (Now in Amsterdam) 00:50:28   David Bowie Is Exhibition 00:52:03   Buy Stuart's Book on Amazon 00:54:11   "Rock 'N' Roll is Alive! (And It Lives in Minneapolis)" (1995 B-Side) 00:56:41   Snax on d / m / s / r 00:56:50   Contribute to Snax's Pledge Music Drive!

dance / music / sex / romance is fast approaching its third year, so to celebrate, we're going...backwards? That's right, to mark the 40th anniversary of Prince's debut album, I thought now was the perfect time to go ahead with an idea I've been toying with for a while: our own sub-series of review podcasts looking at each of Prince's albums in isolation. I'm doing this for a few reasons. First, it's a way to bring those of you who have been listening to the podcasts but not reading the blog into the loop on my chronological Prince project--and also a way for me to work through some of these albums before I can get to it with my glacially paced writing schedule. Second, I've known from the beginning of this project that if I really wanted to do Prince's catalogue justice, I would need to incorporate more voices and perspectives than just my own. We all have our biases and blind spots, and as a Prince fan I am acutely aware that one person's sentimental favorite can be another's unlistenable mess (and vice versa). That's why I asked my friends Harold and KaNisa, both of whose encyclopaedic knowledge of Prince's career dwarfs my own, to join me. I think you'll find that our tastes and opinions both intersect and diverge in a lot of interesting ways, which allowed us--and hopefully, will allow you--to take a different perspective on some of these songs and the context in which they were created. I hope you enjoy this new approach to an album that remains underappreciated in Prince's catalogue. If you do, I hope you'll subscribe to the podcast on your streaming app of choice (iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play), and if you're so inclined, leave a review! No matter what, thanks for listening, and see you again soon. 00:00:00   "For You” (1976 Recording) 00:01:01   Harold's Previous Appearance on d / m / s / r 00:01:10   The Prince Podcast 00:01:24   KaNisa's Tumblr 00:04:50   Duane Tudahl on d / m / s / r 00:06:54   "Soft and Wet” (from For You, 1978) 00:09:10   Here's Where to Read the Blog Entries on For You 00:09:19   The New Prince Issue of Wax Poetics 00:11:08   "I'm Under Your Spell" by Mind & Matter, written by and featuring the Artist Later Known as Jimmy Jam (1977 Recording, available on Purple Snow: Forecasting the Minneapolis Sound) 00:14:35   "Everybody Dance" by Chic (from Chic, 1977) 00:14:46   "Shame" by Evelyn "Champagne" King (from Smooth Talk, 1977) 00:15:15   "Mary Jane" by Rick James and the Stone City Band (from Come Get It!, 1978) 00:18:35   "The Closer I Get to You" by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway (from Blue Lights in the Basement, 1977) 00:19:04   "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" by Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams (from You Light Up My Life, 1978) 00:21:06   "You and I" by Rick James and the Stone City Band (from Come Get It!) 00:22:54   Now This is More Like It © Warner Bros. 00:23:10 Getting There © Warner Bros. 00:24:37 Prince Meets His Public, 1978 Photo stolen from Noisey 00:29:58 "Well, I'm going to pick up a flute pretty soon." 00:32:12   "Just as Long as We're Together” (1977 Recording) 00:41:28   "Funkytown” by Lipps, Inc. (from Mouth to Mouth, 1979) 00:48:47   "For You" (from For You) 00:56:10   "For You" (1976 Recording) 01:01:08   "In Love” (from For You) 01:12:40   "Soft and Wet" (from For You) 01:16:08   "Soft and Wet" (1976 Recording) 01:19:22   The Futurama Fry Squint 01:20:58   The Bonobo Statue that Scarred Zach for Life https://www.instagram.com/p/BFaMU6xSsMn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link 01:30:00 "Crazy You” (from For You) 01:32:40   Zach's Original Post on "Crazy You" 01:38:55   "Just as Long as We're Together" (from For You) 01:47:27   "Jelly Jam” (1977 Recording) 01:52:25   "Baby” (from For You) 01:56:49   "School of Life" by Tommy Tate (1972 Single) 02:01:29   "Eye Hate U” (from The Gold Experience, 1995)

For the first d / m / s / r podcast of 2018 (!), it was my pleasure to speak with budding educational historian and Prince scholar Kimberly C. Ransom. Kimberly presented at the University of Salford's interdisciplinary Prince conference last May--those of you who listened to my series of podcasts on that event probably heard her name come up once or twice--and her essay, "A Conceptual Falsetto: Re-Imagining Black Childhood Via One Girl's Exploration of Prince," was published last fall in the Journal of African American Studies’ special Prince issue. If any of my listeners haven't checked out that issue yet, I'm hoping this interview will offer some incentive: Kimberly's essay in particular brilliantly interweaves her lifelong love for Prince with an incisive critique our often-pathologized discourses of Black childhood. She also has a surprisingly lovely singing voice. As we embark on a brand new year of dance / music / sex / romance, allow me to direct your attention to our iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play feeds; if you feel compelled to subscribe, rate, or review us on your service of choice, it will be much appreciated. And of course, if you enjoy the podcast (or blog!), don't be afraid to spread the word. Lots more exciting things to come! 00:00:00   "Miss You” (1978 Recording) 00:01:35   Kimberly's First Shoutout on the d / m / s / r Podcast 00:06:02   "Do Me, Baby” (from Controversy, 1981) 00:10:11   One of the People I've Talked to about Prince's Intimacy 00:15:46   "Uptown” (from Dirty Mind, 1980) 00:19:26   "Schoolyard” (1990 Recording) 00:27:14   "The Sacrifice of Victor” (from O(+>, 1992) 00:34:23   "Private Joy" (from Controversy) 00:43:45   "Race" (from The Beautiful Experience, 1994) 00:49:33   "Lovesexy” (from Lovesexy, 1988) 00:57:27   The d / m / s / r Article Kimberly Quoted in Her Essay 01:03:55   "Crazy You” (from For You, 1978) 01:04:40   The Prince from Minneapolis Conference 01:05:20   Read Kimberly's Article (and the Rest of the JAAS Issue) Here

This is the last d / m / s / r podcast of 2017, and I have to say we're going out on a high note. It was my honor and privilege to speak with Marylou Badeaux: a former Warner Bros. executive who worked closely with Prince for his 17 years with the label, and the author of the newly-released memoir Moments... Remembering Prince. You can probably tell that I was a little nervous at the beginning of the conversation, but we warmed up quickly and had a great chat about Prince and his relationship with the label that, for better or worse, defined his era of peak artistic achievement. Now, I have one last item of business to conduct before the podcast goes on holiday break. There are actually two winners of my contest for iTunes and Stitcher reviews--one for each platform. The first is Louise Be, for her eloquent and incredibly flattering review on Stitcher; the second is Mafalda Taborda, who not only left a very nice review on iTunes, but was also the first person to review the podcast on any platform. Louise and Mafalda, if you're reading and/or listening to this, please email me and let me know which of the two recent Prince books you would prefer me to send: Marylou's Moments, or Duane Tudahl's Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions. And for everyone else who participated--and those who didn't!--thanks for making the first year of the dance / music / sex / romance podcast such a pleasure to put together. I can't wait to see where things go in 2018. 00:00:00   "We Can Work It Out” (1977 Recording) 00:07:42   Previous Podcast with Duane Tudahl 00:08:56   "Prince and the Band" (Live at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan, 2004) 00:23:53   "Controversy” (1981 Single) 00:30:26   "When Doves Cry” (1984 Rehearsal) 00:36:36   "Dirty Mind” (from Dirty Mind, 1980) 00:37:45   Actual Photo of Prince at Warner Bros. H.Q., 1980 Photo by Allen Beaulieu 00:52:47 "Slave 2 the System" (1995 Recording) 01:00:47   "Nothing Compares 2 U” (1984 Recording) 01:20:27   Marylou's Facebook Page 01:20:45   Marylou's Website 01:22:48   "The Future" (from Batman, 1989)

It's been over half a year since the University of Salford's interdisciplinary Prince conference, but I keep connecting with people who presented there and whose topics of research are too interesting not to discuss. This time, I'm talking to actor and playwright Chambers Stevens, who has a fascinating theory about the influence of improv training on Prince's approach to life and performance. But we aren't just retreading Chambers' presentation from the Salford conference; he also has some hilarious stories to share about his own run-ins with Prince (and Chaka Khan), as well as some thoughts about the peculiar nature of Prince fandom. We had a lot of fun recording this--hopefully you'll have fun listening as well! And speaking of fun, there's still a little more time to participate in my giveaway for a free copy of Duane Tudahl’s new book Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984. The rules are simple: just subscribe to d / m / s / r on your podcast app of choice (logging into iTunes or Stitcher and searching "dance music sex romance" should do the trick), and leave a review. It doesn't have to be a positive review; feel free to rake me over the coals if you want, just make it well-written. On Tuesday, December 12, I'll look at all the reviews that have been submitted, pick my favorite--again, not necessarily the most positive!--and announce the winner on the next episode of the podcast. Oh, and speaking of that next episode, this is one you're not going to want to miss: I was fortunate enough to speak to the one and only Marylou Badeaux, former V.P. of Special Projects at Warner Bros. Records and author of the upcoming memoir Moments: Remembering Prince. Come back and listen to it next week! 00:00:00   "Irresistible Bitch” (1984 Rehearsal) 00:01:15   The University of Salford's Interdisciplinary Prince Conference 01:29:00   Band of Merrymakers 00:04:02   Previous Episode with Duane Tudahl 00:04:39   One More Plug for Duane's Facebook Group 00:07:14   Here's That Comment I'm Talking About 00:09:34   "Let's Go Crazy” (from Purple Rain, 1984) 00:19:40   The First Person I've Spoken to Who Has Interacted with Prince 00:20:27   "Irresistible Bitch" (1984 Rehearsal, Reprise) 00:22:42   Don Amendolia's Fimography 00:31:09   "Come” (from The Beautiful Experience, 1994) https://youtu.be/x7yUkrEpP6Y 00:33:01   A Few Clips from Glam Slam Ulysses, Courtesy of Dancer Kevin Stea https://youtu.be/0Z1mGSz0GwM 00:35:33   The New Purple Rain Remaster (and My Review) 00:38:12   (Chambers is Actually Talking about Sonny Thompson Here) 00:40:14   "Crazay" by Jesse Johnson featuring Sly Stone (from Shockadelica, 1987) 00:46:19   The Music Video for "Betcha by Golly Wow!”, 1996 https://youtu.be/qtsYubVEtEs 00:50:30   "Betcha by Golly Wow!" (from Emancipation, 1996) 01:03:20   The Infamous James Brown/Michael Jackson/Prince Moment https://youtu.be/Yy9L4ft7EGk 01:04:18   The Violet Reality 01:08:34   The Prince Podcast 01:12:05   "The Second Coming” (Live at the Met Center, Bloomington, MN, 1982) 01:17:20   "Let's Go Crazy" Makes a Cameo in Kingsman: The Golden Circle https://youtu.be/JAm5m-jvScc 01:21:26   "Soul Man/Kiss” (Live at Madison Square Garden, New York, 2004)

Last week, Duane Tudahl’s long-awaited book Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984 was finally published, and I was lucky enough to speak to him about it. If you haven't read the book yet, you need to listen to this podcast: Duane is a knowledgeable and passionate Prince fan-turned-scholar, and his enthusiasm for the project is infectious. And if you have read the book, you should still listen, because he has a lot to share not only about his research and writing process, but also about his experiences with the celebrated Uptown fanzine and his ideas for preserving Prince's legacy moving forward. NPG/Comerica/Warner Bros., if you're out there, give this man some consulting work; we can all benefit from someone with his dedication and expertise steering the ship. Now, for those of you who haven't read the book yet, allow me to sweeten the pot: I've already bought my copy, but I am planning to secure another one (hopefully signed by the author!) and gift it to a lucky listener who reviews d / m / s / r on their podcast app of choice (iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play). If you've never done this before, it's easy: just subscribe, give the podcast a rating, and leave a short review, then leave a comment on the blog so I know you did it. In about a month, I'll send my extra copy of Duane's book to whoever wrote my favorite review. Note that this doesn't mean your review has to be positive--if you hate my podcast and want to drag me, knock yourself out! As long as you leave a review and tell me where to look for it (and are willing to send me your mailing address, of course), you're eligible to receive the book. For now, I hope you enjoy this interview, and I hope you'll check out Duane's book--it really is phenomenal. Thanks for listening, and see you again soon! 00:00:00   "D.M.S.R.”  (1983 Rehearsal) 00:01:26   Prince in the Studio by Jake Brown 00:02:34  The Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn 00:21:53   "The Screams of Passion” (1984 recording) 00:23:05   Prince from Minneapolis Conference 00:31:07   "The Dance Electric” (1984 recording) 00:54:18   "Possessed” (1984 recording) 01:11:22   "Around the World in a Day" (1984 recording) 01:16:08   Visit Duane's Website for a Free Sample Chapter 01:16:47   Duane's Facebook Group 01:25:35   Cover Art for Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions by Rev © Rowman & Littlefield 01:26:38   "D.M.S.R." (1983 Rehearsal, Reprise)

After much delay, here is my conversation with Chris Aguilar-Garcia and Natalie Clifford, two presenters from this May's interdisciplinary Prince conference at the University of Salford. Both Chris and Nat identify as queer, and both have interesting things to say about Prince's legacy of "revolutionary queerness" and the space he created for less conventional expressions of gender and sexuality in the mainstream. If you liked the last episode with Snax, chances are you'll like this one. This is the part where I would normally say we're switching gears and moving away from the Salford conference, but as it happens, we already have another interview with a presenter in store. So basically, I'll keep doing these as long as people want to talk to me. If you still want to listen to me--and, more importantly, my eloquent guests--feel free to subscribe on your podcast service of choice (iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play), or listen on Mixcloud. And if you really like us, take that aforementioned podcast app and shoot us a rating or review; it will make us more "discoverable" and broaden the listening base. In the meantime, thanks as always for listening! 00:00:00   "Sexuality” (from Controversy, 1981) 00:03:07   The "Esoteric French" Podcast with Joni Todd and Karen Turman 00:12:08   Chris on a Recent Grown Folks Music Podcast with De Angela Duff 00:15:18   "Little Red Corvette (Dance Remix)" (1983 Recording, available on Ultimate Prince) 00:22:27   The Last Episode with Paul Bonomo (a.k.a. Snax) 00:27:23   "What's My Name" (1993 Recording, available on Crystal Ball) 00:29:25   One Infamous Example of These Comments 00:32:50   (The Artist Formerly Known as) Prince's Appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, 1996 00:34:02   An Earlier Episode with Erica Thompson 00:34:31   Erica's Blog Post about Her Interview with Robin Power 00:39:09   "Emancipation" (from Emancipation, 1996) 00:53:50   "Let's Go Crazy” (from the opening scene of Purple Rain, 1984) 00:59:45   Another Earlier Episode with Carmen Hoover 01:07:35   "Controversy” (from Controversy) 01:10:07   Young Thug's Unexpected Tribute to Prince 01:13:38   "Lovesexy” (from Lovesexy, 1988) 01:14:18   Chris' Presentation 01:24:51   "Y Should Eye Do That When Eye Can Do This?" (1999 Recording, available on The Slaughterhouse) 01:29:29   The Upcoming Prince from Minneapolis Conference 01:32:38   Here's the Presentation from My Old Gender Unit as a Graduate Instructor 01:33:57   Recent Article on the Minneapolis Sound by Rashad Shabazz 01:34:17   "I Would Die 4 U (Extended Version)" (1984 B-Side, available on Purple Rain - Deluxe Edition) 01:36:48   Yet Another Earlier Episode with Harold Pride and Felicia Holman

This episode, I'm taking a little break from the University of Salford Purple Reign conference to talk to musician Paul Bonomo, a.k.a. Snax. We discuss Prince's professional and personal impact on Paul, of course, but we also speak more broadly to the two-way flow of influence between Prince and gay culture--an area that's been vastly underexplored in the popular discourse around the artist. I'm excited to see the extended conversation that comes out of this frank and at times provocative discussion. Next episode, we're returning to both Manchester and queerness with two presenters from one of the Purple Reign conference's Gender and Sexuality panels: independent scholars Chris Aguilar-Garcia and Natalie Clifford. If you like what you've heard of Snax, you can also follow him on Facebook and check out his new album, Shady Lights, when it releases on October 27. 00:00:00   "Just as Long as We're Together (Snax's Extended Ending Edit)" by Snax, 2017 00:02:02   One of the Earlier Episodes with Jane Jones 00:07:10   "Delirious (7" Edit) (1983 single, available on 4Ever) 00:11:30   The Cover of Dirty Mind, 1980 © Warner Bros. 00:13:09 "Do It All Night" (from Dirty Mind) 00:19:22   "Automatic” (from 1999, 1982) 00:25:06   "Chocolate” by the Time (from Pandemonium, 1990) 00:27:02   "If a Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)” by Vanity 6 (from Vanity 6, 1982) 00:35:18   "3121” (from 3121, 2006) 00:37:52   "Tasty Love" by Freddie Jackson (from Just Like the First Time, 1986) 00:40:00   "Movie Star" (1986 Recording, available on Crystal Ball) 00:42:25   Prince and Jerome Benton: Way More Chemistry than Prince and Kristin Scott Thomas © Warner Bros. 00:45:37   Here's the Prince Podcast Episode We're Talking About 00:49:30   "Jack U Off” (Live at the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey, 1982) 00:52:10   Troubling Prince Quote Number 1 00:52:47   Troubling Prince Quote Number 2 00:54:40   Prince's Totally Heteronormative Performance at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards https://youtu.be/dPToCnVCQCA 00:55:52   Previous Episode with Erica Thompson 00:57:25   "Let's Pretend We're Married” (from 1999) 01:06:09   Paul's Website 01:06:20   Shady Lights on Facebook 01:06:29   Snax on Facebook 01:06:49   "Turn It” by Snax featuring Mavin, from the Upcoming Album Shady Lights