Interviews · 22 May 2019
Alexander O'Neal On Prince
Alexander O'Neal interviewed by Kevin Durham, 22 May 2019. 6m 07s on tape.
In this Alexander O'Neal interview clip, soul and RnB singer Alexander O'Neal reveals what it was like getting hired and fired by Prince. If you liked this Alexander O'Neal Interview clip then please leave us a comment in the comment section below. Alexander O'Neal is a talented R&B singer and songwriter who first gained attention in the late 1980s with his smooth voice and soulful sound. He has had a long and successful career, collaborating with various artists over the years. One of his most notable collaborations was with the legendary music artist Prince. In this report, we will take a closer look at Alexander O'Neal's experience working with Prince.
What's on the tape
A transcript, made by machine from the audio and tidied up. It gets names and the odd word wrong, so treat it as a way to find the bit you want rather than as a quotation. Every timestamp jumps to that moment in the video.
0:02 Anil talks about what it was like getting hired and fired by Prince and why he didn't like him please subscribe I do comedy and celebrity. Interviews and hit the belt find out when I release new videos again me you had some success fairly early on you assigned by Warner Brothers by Prince. And that must have been incredible I mean Prince is just like a legend what what was it like to get that call to realize that Prince. Had wanted to sign you Oh fantastic you know I got fired from a job before that hey. Let's get partnered a second time well I started recording an album with Prince out of his house in Minnetonka. And I made some inquiries in reference to the financial aspect an adventure.
0:52 And also I was concerned about the drummer. From fight tonight who began to meet on he hired the whole band I was a be singer for that ban on local basis. Local level now I get denied to be the lead singer for this new national act that's going to open the show off for prints on all this concert. To us shows what is like okay but because it was prints a lot of time people would think that you'd be so excited and I'd be so excited. But because it was French I don't think I was excited than they could have been because he was so icon or so big at that time or he was not so big he was getting. Big okay all the fame was getting ready to happen you know it didn't like them to get rid up but didn't like him before.
1:59 And Alexander O'Neal I don't compromise Who I am for success yes or for those types of things so I was apprehensive. Well when the opportunity came I thought it would be an opportunity but I knew that it would be up and it will only I'd only be using that a stepping. Stone because Prince and I was so different I'm so wow. You're pretty black no I know it's that first time I walked in I was like yep it's very black black and Prince on the other hand. Was back when was convenient for him to be black I got you okay yeah so I didn't have respect for that mm-hmm and so therefore.
2:52 I'm trying to get over that and get my head around this whole thing yeah. What she thought I should have been grateful he probably thought I should have been worshiping kisses what make everybody after but I I couldn't do that yeah. You didn't want to set out on your own values you just treating him like a regular Jack Street am I going to do I'm not gonna change. My values because you're Prince I'm not gonna change my values because you have success because I've always felt like I would have success within what I do I always always. Had that confidence so had I think ahead and not been friends with somebody else yeah well Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis my well was in the local. Band with flight time who they just will always was known at the time in the 20s so it changed a why to did take the spelling.
Read the rest of the transcript3 more
3:43 And so you know they came back came home after he got fired then they got the first producing a couple producing the open they came home. Vandagriff minute back to Minneapolis and they say once they got their feet planted firmly on the ground the music and living industry today they would come back and help me get a record deal. Well it's exactly what they did yeah a year later they came back and helped me get a deal deal. What's going on here I'm glad to editing okay the year later they came back and helped me to get a record deal and you know that's. What you call the ultimate friendship you know to come back and do it but it was a seed that was sown about myself because had I not cannot. Have been saying nasty things about prints about the whole thing and the whole Twin Cities had already been saying you know that I had been wrong gonna.
4:43 Everything lift everything I felt I've been wrong but they didn't know that I never. Really had bad feeling throughout prints or the time for going on they left me I'm Nicole mmm I was left in the cold when they went on the stardom. I was definitely cold they went on stardom and that just only. Gave me fuel from the fire because I decided Kevin that if I was good enough to be fired by Prince I must be good enough for the music. Industry yeah so here we are and with all their plans to think final career one way another give me and Terry myself and mostly everybody who came from that era I don't. Know many of a community team we all have friends who think and I'm so glad that we all of it with the phony pass was all water.
5:43 On the bridge and I have acquired nothing but the utmost respect for Prince as well as I feel like he had respect for me spray. Tech heavens channels what you've subscribed. We need you to subscribe. You don't know we don't he.
