Then all of a sudden he's telling me: "You're my brother. To be honest, I had basically shut down. Morris Day in the 80s (Credit: TV One) Day’s tenure with the band was fraught with issues and he and Prince clashed over control and money. I had stopped touring. To be honest, I've only seen the movie one time, and that was the premiere at the Chinese Theatre. That was odd for a payday, but we went with it. You'll shine when it's time, and nobody can stop you from doing what you're destined to do in your lifetime. He's cussing and yelling at me. How did you feel after having that conversation? You’ve said that Prince shrouded himself in mystery as a form of control. Morris Day is currently single, according to our records.. He let me come into private rehearsals, let me go on the road with him and gave me a little bit of money. Not only did Prince co-found the Minneapolis project, but he co-wrote and produced their hit song "Jungle Love." Were there any specific things you never got the chance to say to him and wanted to air out? Prince created his own competition when he created your band The Time, but from how you describe it, he would get in the way of your success when he felt “threatened.” Was that hard to navigate? I hold a master's degree from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. “He'd stand in the doorway after we'd practice, looking at me inquisitively,” Day, now 61, remembers. We retaliated. Music career. Alongside Morris and The Time were other artists influenced or otherwise involved with Prince including CeeLo Green, Mark Ronson and Larry Graham & Graham Central Station. (Photo by Michael Ochs ... [+] Archives/Getty Images). Morris Day, lead vocalist of the '80s pop-funk group The Time, is one of the many artists who worked with the late, great Prince during his lifetime. Do you still receive royalties from the film? There are points throughout the book where Prince seemed like a really endearing, magical guy. I'm cussing and yelling back, "Dude, you started this!". It was definitely a one-way road with him. We had a real strong history. But in retrospect, when we did do something musically, it was significant. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. To tell the story of Morris Day is to tell the story of Prince. Prince was The Time, musically on two of their albums. What was that period like? He wanted to control the camp, the money. I never had his phone number once he became “Prince” as the world knows him. Prince, who was found dead at his home in Minneapolis on Thursday at age 57, was remembered by Morris Day, who rose to fame largely because of the “Purple Rain ” singer, via social media. All of a sudden I'm hearing him say, "No, we don't need to talk like that." Then, once you were adults, you couldn't even drop by his dressing room to say hello. I'm like, "What the hell is this? “He wouldn't say s***, then disappear. Morris Day Speaks About Prince's Final Days with Jimmy Jam - YouTube. He was very unusual as an artist and as a friend. Here in the States, we couldn't do New York or LA with him. My mom moved us away to Maryland. What do the black stripes on a school bus mean? Blackpink’s Rosé Joins Psy, J-Hope And August D As The Only Korean Soloists To Chart A Song In The U.K. Morris Day is a singer who made his career in the early 80s with the band The Time. Now mind you, I had to pay my band out of that 50 grand to be in the movie. He said, "I will give you money, or I will give you a record deal." Why don't libraries smell like bookstores? Morris Day was The Time’s drummer, before Prince promoted him to lead singer and the rest is history. What are the aspiration interests do the community participants have? (Photo by Steve Parke/Paisley Park Studios via Getty Images). He discusses the production of Purple Rain and the rivalry between Morris Day & The Time and Prince and The Revolution. Eventually he stopped us from being popular overseas. Below, Day details his new book and relationship with Prince. Or was this also about control? I would have been able to at least tell him the monster that he was up against. NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 22: Prince performs onstage at Nassau Coliseum on March 22, 1985 in Uniondale, ... [+] New York. It's a couple of his band members throwing eggs at us. I got pissed off. I am a music journalist living in New York City. The bright side to this is that sometimes these differences are good for artists and their fans. Then he took us off of major markets [on tour] because we were doing so well. When I was there, he was having the parties and all these young ladies would come in scantily clad, half-naked, and he's telling them, "You need to put some clothes on!" But we had gone so far together until I separated myself and got my solo deal. The charity was supported by Prince with live shows, including his last in the UK. Morris Day and The Time perform during Paisley Park's Celebration 2017 honoring Prince at Paisley ... [+] Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. It was double-edged. Prince attending the premiere of "Purple Rain" on July 26, 1984 at Mann Chinese Theater in ... [+] Hollywood, California. I see royalties, but they're not great. I had heard after the dailies, "Man, you guys are doing awesome." It seems odd that someone you had such a profound relationship with would be so frugal with you when he was making millions. Day’s tenure with the band was fraught with issues and he and Prince clashed over control and money. I went there at a time when my body was still able to rebound. He can be seen in music videos by Janet Jackson and Prince, but he is known for his association with Morris Day and The Time. In a way, I feel like I was shut out. Day says that once the two were acquainted, they quickly became best buddies. Rolling Stone Send a Tip That's just real talk. … The friction between Morris and Prince has been going on now for 30 years. The control issues was through the roof. It's like in terms of looks, they're two sides of the same coin. They went to school together and Morris was in Prince's first band "Grand Central". I had mine. The first freaking song I cut, he wanted it. I went right into denial mode. It's been one year since Prince passed away — and like many, his longtime friend and sometimes collaborator Morris Day of the Time is still coping with the loss. Was that a big turning point in his life and your relationship? I signed up for it. But some of your stories make him seem like a jerk. Morris Day, leader of legendary funk band the Time, premieres a new Prince tribute video and reflects on his lengthy friendship with the late artist. When did organ music become associated with baseball? He was really living the life of the consummate rock star. You really hit a slump at one point in your life. But on their final encounter shortly before Prince’s untimely death in 2016, the musicians shared a loving embrace. I'm looking at him like, "I know you, man." Singer and actor who gained fame as lead vocalist of The Time, a dance-pop group who appeared with Prince, most notably, in both the film and album for Purple Rain. His control issues went way beyond the surface. Jerome Benton (born September 19, 1962) is an American musical performer, backup dancer and comedic actor. I lost my family. No. Not because they were inseparable or because their paths never diverged, but because, even when their paths did diverge, they always intersected again. Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images), New York. He was previously married to Judith Jones. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images). Things always hit me in boomerang fashion. (Photo by Paul ... [+] Natkin/Getty Images). Prince and Morris Day have been friends since they were young. What I'm trying to figure out is the Morris Day/Prince thing. Now, he's sharing his unique insight into the Purple One in a new autobiography. That was just the way it went. (Photo ... [+] by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images). That was a lot for me. God has a plan for everybody. That’s the one and only time I've watched that movie all the way through. But I didn't have the luxury of being able to pick up the phone and say, "Dude, you're f***ed up!" Morris Day poses for a portrait session for "Right On!" I've worked as a producer at E! Any religion that gives you a number of how many people will be admitted to heaven and the rest will just be like nomads in a highly religious state, wandering souls, wondering why they couldn't get in, I was like: "That don't sound like my kind of god. It's okay for people to have their “come-to-God” moments. That's why he had me there. Magazine in 1985. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images). To this day, I think if he had some more real people around him, he'd still be here. I had a lot that I really wanted to get off my chest. He was on People Magazine's cover for making millions that year that I made 25 grand. Did you ever tell him that face to face? Morris Day and Jesse Johnson of The Time perform, Chicago, April 11, 1983. This was after Purple Rain. I had always known about Jehovah's Witness, and I can't hate on anybody's religion, but I can certainly judge what's for me and what's not. True to form, my phone would ring at 3:00 a.m.: "Morris, it's Prince! My music writing has appeared in Noisey by Vice, Vulture and more. Did that feel unfair? This is the perfect outlet to tell my story. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images). This was my boy, but I'm just being honest. We were signed to his production company. Why do you think that was? I'm not looking at it in a negative fashion. My music writing has appeared in Noisey by Vice, Vulture and more. Morris Day time was created in Minneapolis, Minnesota in December 1957. My introduction early on with drugs, I had my bout. ", It took its toll on our performance. You recall a gig during the 1981-82 Controversy Tour where his band threw trash at you guys on stage. In fact, the first word in Day’s new autobiography is “Prince.” That’s because, as he so aptly puts it, to tell the story of Morris Day is also to tell the story of Prince. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images), Chicago, Illinois, December 9, 1982. This is the house that ‘Dirty Mind’ and all the sexual songs built.". I've worked as a producer at E! In his book, Morris Day says that his stage character was based on Narcissus. It was very painful. What are the duties of a sanitation prefect? S*** like that was what made being able to do this book and get some of that off my chest so important. How long will the footprints on the moon last? (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images), Hollywood, California. At one point, I had gotten paid that 50 grand. Were you nervous sitting down in the theater? Prince, also, had substantial involvement on one of my favorite Time albums "Pandemonium". I think it was just out of his sheer wanting to be in control. I'm on the plane going back home, and I'm like, "What just happened?!". Prince was such an important portion of my life, not just musically but as a friend. We get off, and he's thinking this s*** is real funny, and he said, "Don't try and do that to me.". When Morris Day first started playing drums in Prince’s high school band, Grand Central, he found the singer extremely standoffish. They went to school together and Morris was in Prince's first band "Grand Central". In your book, you tell a story where you essentially drove through a blizzard to Prince’s house and made up some fake excuse to borrow money to buy cocaine. I said, "I don't want to be a part of that." We were in Ohio ripping it up; the crowd was going nuts. Quoting the publisher Da Capo Press: To tell the story of Morris Day is to tell the story of Prince. I just had to process that on my own. Who is Morris Day dating? His art lives on," says Morris Day, who reunited with his Purple Rain co-star Jerome Benton for "Let's Go Crazy: The GRAMMY Salute to Prince." He redeemed himself as far as I was concerned because my musical ambitions were starting to come into play. Scared he would lose his song idea, Prince wouldn’t leave until he was given access to his friend’s four-track recorder. I take in the information, then it comes at me later. (The Prince Estate could not immediately be reached for comment.) Was it shame related? But I'm looking around me, and I'm in this freaking Paisley Park, which looks like a shopping mall, and I'm like: "Dude, this is the house that ‘Head’ built. I ended up footing the cost of the damages of that whole fight because he was in control. You're talking about a guy who, as a teen, would bang on your door at all hours. The American Pop Singer was born in Minneapolis on December 13, 1957. I'm like, "Dude, you're the reason they're half-naked in the first place!" How can affordability influence career choice? American Funk and Pop musician Morris Day, of the Time, performsn onstage at the Auditorium Theatre, ... [+] Chicago, Illinois, December 9, 1982. I had no idea what I was going to see. Not because they were inseparable or because their paths never diverged, but because, even when their paths did diverge, they always intersected again.Each artist lifted the other up, pushing one another to be something bigger and better than they thought themselves capable of. Prince and Morris became friends while they were together on the band, and the duo carried on their friendship for the next three decades, till time Prince died in his studio. Prince didn't let any of you guys see Purple Rain until the night of the premiere. You say you were paid only $50,000 for your role in Purple Rain, which is essentially the co-starring role next to Prince. Do you think this was him trying to redeem himself for years of “sin” by being so overtly sexual? But it was pretty much a closed party. What are you doing?". I went from having my house to sleeping on my sister's living room floor. At that time, there was really no need to rehash the past. It was Prince’s insatiable appetite for music that Morris Day revered the most. On the weekend of June 24/25, 2016, Morris Day & The Time appeared at a Prince Tribute in London organised by the charity Autism Rocks. No. He gets on stage, and we're slinging eggs at him and messing up his performance. On another occasion, Prince asked you to return to Paisley Park to record, only to ultimately turn you away when you declined his second request to become a Jehovah’s Witness, right? Morris Day, Actor: Purple Rain. That probably wouldn't have happened anyway, but that was his way of controlling the situation. It was Prince’s insatiable appetite for music that Morris Day revered the most. For some reason I accepted it. Throughout the book, there are many of these hypothetical back-and-forths you’re having with Prince. You won't be that." If you know who Morris Day is, that's because of Prince, and no one knows that better than Morris Day. Do you think that Prince ever withheld money from you because he was afraid you’d crash and burn from the drug abuse? It ended up with he and I in a room with his security guard. Did Prince invent Morris? I reflect on that day a lot. That bar mitzvah was one of those gigs. Eventually he said, "You can come in the studio." Was that hard to confess? Why there is a difference of 2 hrs in local time between Gujarat and Assam. Prince is in Morris Day’s head, and he’s not shy to say it. I think you're right. Things are going well for me right now. Then I put the band back together. Do bengled tigers eat deer antelope wild dogs monkeys and horses sheep and cows? (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images), Sandra Oh And Daniel Dae Kim Give Speeches Condemning Asian Hate, Lil Wayne’s Cannabis Brand GKUA Launches in Oklahoma, K-Pop Superstar Wonho On Going Solo: ‘It's Really A Meaningful Process’, Liverpool To Open Temporary Film And TV Studio, The Depot, ‘Multi-Level Chess’: After A Dark Year, Broadway’s Recovery Is Finally Underway, Blackpink’s Rosé Scores The Third-Highest-Charting Hit In U.K. History By A Korean Solo Musician (On Her First Try). Morris Day spoke on on his longtime friendship with Prince and revealed how the pair finally reconciled two months before his death, in an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV. And Day gets deep about the devastating moment Prince gave him a pious ultimatum: become a Jehovah’s Witness or say goodbye to their working relationship. Morris Day and The Time pose for a portrait circa 1986 in Los Angeles, California (Photo by Aaron ... [+] Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images). You start your book by acknowledging that to tell the story of Morris Day is also to tell the story of Prince. We started playing for pennies and working our way up. I also think that was the downfall with having the “yes people” around. 'On Time: A Princely Life in Funk' by Morris Day with David Ritz. But at midnight, when I was trying to sleep, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Let’s talk about when Prince asked to speak with The Time at Paisley Park. As it broke down, I probably made about 20 grand off the movie. Each artist lifted the other up, pushing one another to be something bigger and better than they thought themselves capable of. And in On Time: A Princely Life in Funk, out now, Day recalls his own history through a 200-page hypothetical conversation between himself and the late mystical artist. Day time was in a band with Prince in senior high school. His introduction came much later, when he was older and didn't have the stamina to bounce back from it. However, I do believe that the song “Pop Life” — I never had that conversation with him, but I felt like he was preaching to me for sure. You make it clear that this really upset you. He was dangling the carrot like: "I'll pull the deal at Warner's. I don't think it was about that at all. News/NBC, Consumer Reports, People and SiriusXM. It was just weird. How many inches tall is a sixteen Oz monster energy can? Again, I sound like I'm talking s***. I hold a master's. We could only do the “B markets.”. It seems there was a lot going on in his head toward the end of his life that he didn't share with the world. When he got hooked, he didn't know what hit him, and it was so late in life, when you're much more fragile physically. Prince wrote, produced, and even largely performed many of the Time's best-known songs, and encouraged Day to take on the ultra-confident character who can still be seen to this day strutting across stages around the world. Morris Day and Jerome ... [+] Benton, Chicago, April 11, 1983. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Oftentimes artists end up thriving on the competition and their passion to ultimately become the greatest artists they can possibly be and it’s clear to see that all parties involved- Morris Day, Prince, and the rest of Time … You won't be this. Morris Day, leader of legendary funk band the Time, premieres a new Prince tribute video and reflects on his lengthy friendship with the late artist. No. I was just waiting. 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