- Ultimately, all music is or can be inspirational.
Fanbase I have now, they're so sophisticated,
they almost expect me to do the unexpected.
I don't look at myself through other people's eyes.
One of my favorite bandleaders is Bruce Springsteen.
I've watched him many years.
I don't wallow in it, I don't spend time in a place,
I let myself move on.
- Yeah.
- There's enough things that bring you down,
we don't need to jack our music up that way, too.
I don't really care so much what people say about me,
because it usually is a reflection of who they are.
I used him as a role model in trying
to play all the instruments.
I kind of wish we got back to the days where the music
was more like the soul music of the '60s and '70s.
- Yeah, when was--
- Born-- - Yeah.
- On a certain day,
you had no more birthdays after that.
So I don't celebrate birthdays.
- He was an American singer, songwriter,
record producer, actor, and artist.
He was an innovator in the music industry
and was known for his flamboyant style
and wide musical range.
He sold over 100 million records worldwide,
making him one of the most popular recording artists
of all time.
He's Prince, and here are his top 10 rules for success.
(swoosh)
(thunk)
- How would you describe your music?
- Hmm...
- [Larry] What idiom would you put it in?
- The only thing I could think of,
'cause I really don't like categories,
but the only thing I could think
of is inspirational and I think music
that is from the heart falls right
into that category.
People really feel what it is
that they're doing and...
Ultimately, all music is or can be inspirational.
That's why it's so important to let your gift be guided
by something more clear.
Well, first of all, I don't know who was the one
that came up with the notion that you have
to play the same songs every concert.
- Probably fans.
- Yeah, well. - (laughs)
- Most of the people that come see us now,
they've been to see me umpteen times.
And the only pity is when they bring their kids
and they're trying to show their kids
the experience they had.
But I don't know how any of us grow
if we just tread water.
The idea is that we keep growing,
like we were saying before is the fanbase
I have now is so sophisticated,
they almost expect me to do the unexpected.
And that gives me a lot of room to challenge myself
as well as them.
I don't look at myself through other people's eyes.
I had an interesting discussion with Larry Graham,
a journalist upstairs, about criticism of music.
If you're a true artist, you're using the gift
you've been given from God.
- Yeah.
- To criticize a gift from God is sort of to criticize God.
- Yeah.
- Now you can cut that any way you want,
but (laughs) it's the truth, so...
- Yeah.
- I looked at the writer,
I said I wouldn't criticize your writing here,
I'm not a writer, I don't write books, I wouldn't...
- I was reading that you'll go out there
with 300 songs that you might decide
at the last minute to perform.
That's very risky, is it not?
The whole band has to be in sync with you, right?
- Well, they rehearse a lot, it's a well-oiled machine.
One of my favorite band leaders is Bruce Springsteen,
I've watched him many years
and I was backstage one night
and I saw him turn around and give a cue
and the band switched on a dime.
I used to see James Brown do that a lot.
You learn from the best.
I've always known that God was my creator
and that without Him, nothing works.
It works to a point and then it just kind of deteriorates,
entropy takes place.
- [Larry] When bad things have happened to you,
do you blame Him?
- No, absolutely not, no.
- How do you explain, how do you resolve that in yourself?
- I learn from it and I don't wallow in it,
I don't spend time in a place.
I let myself move on.
Right today, I could sit and say
I have animosity towards--
- [Larry] A record company.
- Yeah, a company that owns the rights to my work.
They're businessmen, they're doing what it is
that makes their business successful.
And I'm also allowed to do things
that make my business successful.
And for me, that would be to own my work.
So I just chose to step away from that and knowing that,
I sent a nice letter to the then-president,
cause they changed a lot, weekly, during that time--
- (chuckles)
- I told him that I loved him,
and that I was glad
that I had this experience.
- Cause your music, it gets ya, but in a good way
and I think that's what music should always do.
- I think it should uplift--
- Yeah.
- There's enough things that bring you down,
we don't need to jack our music up that way, too.
I mean, there's still a way to get anger
and even hate across sometimes, in music.
But you have to resolve it, you have to show
that it's useless to hold these ideas.
I don't really care so much what people say about me,
because it usually is a reflection of who they are.
For example, if people wish I would sound
like I used to sound,
then it says more about them than it does me.
If I change the lyrics to a song
then that begs the question
why do you want me to curse?
Why do you want me to talk like other people?
See, cursing was cool when nobody was doing it.
- (laughs)
- Or just a couple people.
- Yeah.
- Yeah, like if everybody wears the same clothes,
it ain't cool no more.
You're trying to be different.
One can't be different by being racy today.
It's not interesting anymore.
Sexiness was in the mind, it was in your imagination.
When you lose that, then, like you said,
it's just old skin.
I use Stevie Wonder as an inspiration,
whom I look up to a great deal
just for the way that he crafted music
and his connection to the spirit.
And boy, back then I used him
as a role model
in trying to play all the instruments
and be very self-contained and keep my vision clear.
So word spread very quickly about what I could do.
A lot of people knew about it.
I meet a lot of artists but the record industry,
they tend to promote things
that are more salacious and...
hit-driven, I guess,
to use a term.
I kind of wish we got back to the days
where the music was more like the soul music
of the '60s and '70s.
Alicia Keyes, I dig.
I think she's kind of puttin' it out there,
there's a few out there.
- In other words, the lyrics were what made you feel sexy,
not the fact that you had barely anything on.
- Yeah, yeah, it's a reality show, nowadays, so...
Once a person gets a firm grip of life and death,
then they fully understand both.
For example, you had how many birthdays?
- Me, what do you think?
- Well, I know that you had one birthday.
- Yeah, when was--
- Born--
- Yeah.
- On a certain day,
you had no more birthdays after that.
So I don't celebrate birthdays.
So that stops me from counting days,
which stops me from counting time,
which allows me to still look the same
as I did 10 years ago, just like that man said.
(cheering)
- Thank you guys so much for watching.
I made this video because D.J. El Magnifico asked me to,
so if there's a famous entrepreneur
that you want me to profile next,
leave it in the comments below
and I'll see what I can do.
I'd also love to know which of
Prince's top 10 rules meant the most to you,
leave it in the comments
and I'll join the discussion.
Thank you guys so much for watching,
continue to believe, and I'll see you soon.
(swoosh)
(thunk)