Tag Archives: Prince

I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked

It’s been quite a beautiful day, no rain, sun shining, nice warm temperature and a cool breeze every now and then. I’ve been busy, up early, running around Hoboken. Bill was up way earlier than me, out before 6:00 this morning to make it to the gym. He’s lost quite a bit of weight and is looking very good. He gave the now customary kiss goodbye, telling me that I looked good as I lay there looking like crap. If that’s not love, then I don’t know what love is. Of course there is more to it than that, but it was a good line that I couldn’t pass up.

Last night before Bill went to bed so early, after watching Michael Eric Dyson filing in for Ed Shultz, we watched Purple Rain. Both of us had seen it before, and both of us loved it. It is truly a 1980’s movie. Prince was great, the Revolution was great and the Time stole the movie. No wonder Prince was so bothered by the fact that the Time stole the show opening up for Prince on the 1999 tour, that he had them playing off stage while Vanity 6 wound up opening.

I saw Prince & the Revolution on the Purple Rain tour. It was an Easter matinee out at the Nassau Coliseum and I went with Rand, his roommate Andrew, their neighbor Ken as well as Debbie Robinson who I worked with and the daughter of a woman that worked with my mom. Me and the guys all dipped into some lysergic and the girls didn’t know, especially since the daughter of the woman that worked with my mom had a police officer for a father. It was a great show from what I remember but what I really remember is the car ride back.

Instead of taking the Long Island Expressway we decided to take a more scenic route, taking he roads rather than the highway. The girls were oblivious and the driver was cautious, getting them home safely to Saddle Brook NJ, then heading to Hoboken where we stuffed ourselves with pizza at the pizzeria no one eats at anymore, then to Maxwells to continue our giggles through the night. Of course, being chemically enhanced all sense of time was distorted and though it seemed relatively early, it was actually pretty late, so much that we closed Maxwells and wound up at Rand & Andrew’s apartment across the street.

I saw Prince a few times since then, the last time being just a year or so ago, and before that in 1988 on the Lovesexy tour. I went the first time with Chaz and Kathe, having seats right above the floor. Great show once again, stage in the middle of the arena. Sheila E was playing drums at that time. It was such a good time I had to go again the next night. But I had no tickets. I did have a contact at Warner Brothers and was able to score one ticket.

The seat was all the way on top in the nosebleed section and after sitting where I was the night before, this location just wouldn’t do. Somehow I developed balls and since I was alone I decided to move. I would walk around the arena, each circle getting me closer to the floor. I would stand at the gate and watch the show until an usher would say I couldn’t stay there. Sometimes the usher would ask for my ticket and I would show them and they would point to the ceiling saying that was where I should be.

The show had an intermission and thanks to my persistent moving I wound up on the main floor in the hallway when people stretched their legs and whatnot. I ran into someone I knew who had floor seats, like 15th row from the stage and he told me to stay where I was as he headed back to his seat. A few minutes later he had a friend’s stub which got me on the floor when the second half started and since everyone was dancing and having a good time, no one was paying attention to their assigned seating.

It was a good time and a good show. No lysergic needed.
In between the Madison Square Garden shows was an early morning show at Roseland Ballroom. I certainly felt like I was tripping but I wasn’t that morning…







01 the beautiful ones

I Could Make You Care

It’s late, it’s cold and I am home. It’s been difficult for me to get back into the work mindset after one day off. But I prevailed and here I am at home, at 11:00 and writing. It was a sort of busy day at the cigar shop.

Most of the regulars kept asking me how Prince was on Saturday night and I don’t know how many time I mentioned how hot Sheila E was and how Prince does not wear high heels anymore. Most everyone agreed he’s a giant with his talent, big enough that the heels were not needed at all. And now with a possible hip replacement, he no longer needs the heels and he doesn’t do splits anymore anyhow.

It was a long day and of course some people had some drama, mainly Sean who is having an ordeal in court regarding child support payments on a part time, college student salary. Homeboy has to learn to stop listening to the smaller head. He’s cute and the girls find him irresistible and he can’t help himself but he is going to have to. 20 years old and in such a mess.

Last night I had a long phone call with Julio who is trying to get a lot done before he flies off to join Stine and Alexander in Denmark. Clean the apartment, tie things up at work, get things set at the West New York property so he could afford to be away. His job is having it’s holiday party at the Cafe Elysian in Hoboken and he mentioned the bonus that he’s expecting which is quite a nice bonus.

No bonus expected for me, except for what is planned on Friday. Calvin is buying a bottle of Port and we will be able to smoke any cigar in the humidor. I intend on having a Padron Family Reserve cigar, a cigar that is usually off limits to the staff.

I mean, we can buy one of those cigars but it’s definitely not one of the freebies that we’re entitled to each day. So that forbidden fruit will be mine to smoke on Friday night after work. Calvin expects the thing to go on until 7:30, I think it will be a 6:30 departure for me. I do have to make it out to Garfield with Bill that night.

I was able to get a nice package sent to California this afternoon. I was going to use the post office to send it, but it was pandemonium at the post office and using FedEx would be about the same cost and getting there in time for Christmas whereas if I used USPS, it might not get there until next week. And of course, I obsessively track the box of presents.

Four days left in the week, and already I am down one day. I’m sure I will be more in the swing of things by Friday. Tonight I of course listened to Prince as I left the cigar shop and stomped my way down to the bus terminal. Kiss and 1999 and half of Little Red Corvette, in about 16 minutes and change. And now here I am, done with writing for the night.

Someone in Bala Cynwyd definitely sports wood for this here blog. What is up with that?