Prince by Prince

Author:Prince [Prince]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Melville House
Published: 2019-03-12T00:00:00+00:00

A PRINCE OF A GUY

INTERVIEW WITH CATHERINE CENSOR SHEMO

VEGETARIAN TIMES

OCTOBER 1997

MOST KNOW HIM as the guy with the symbol for a name—the rocker whose raunchy lyrics were quoted in Congress during the debate over parental advisories on recordings; the guy whose sense of style includes peek-a-boo clothing and bold gestures such as scrawling “slave” on his cheek during his disputes with Warner Bros. But there’s a surprising side to The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

The man behind the symbol is witty, political, compassionate, deeply spiritual—and vegetarian. He’s also newly talkative. For much of his career, the Artist (as he is referred to by friends and even Mayte, his wife) rarely granted interviews. His reluctance to discuss the name change or other, more tragic aspects of his life (he and Mayte reportedly had a physically impaired son who died soon after birth), fueled rampant tabloid rumor.

But now, at thirty-eight, the Artist seems to have found his voice. And perhaps the reason is that he has a great deal to talk about: He finally owns the master tapes to his own work and his latest triple CD, Emancipation, has gone double platinum. He is deeply in love with his wife. Twenty-three-year-old Mayte (“my-TAY”), a dancer and former member of the Artist’s band, the New Power Generation; together they have founded a charity, Love 4 One Another, that helps underprivileged kids and adults. And his vegetarianism—indeed much of his outlook on Life—has been inspired by his love for her.

If the Artist is still learning his way around a vegetarian refrigerator (Mayte describes his food preferences as “still kind of bland—he isn’t used to the ethnic food that vegetarians eat”), he’s both knowledgeable and outspoken about animal rights and human nutrition. In fact, the theme of animal rights has cropped up in the lyrics of two recent songs. One of them, “Joint 2 Joint,” on the Emancipation CD, reveals a distinct preference for soy milk over dairy (“Oh great/Now you think you’re my soul mate/You don’t even know what kind of cereal I like/Wrong/Captain Crunch/With soymilk/Cuz cows are for calves”). The other, “Animal Kingdom,” from his as yet unreleased CD Truth, takes an unnamed friend to task for singing the praises of cow’s milk. That “friend” is apparently Spike Lee, who has appeared in the dairy industry’s “milk mustache” ad campaign.

In an exclusive interview. we asked the Artist about everything from karma to Captain Crunch. Here’s what he had to say:

CATHERINE CENSOR SHEMO: How, when, and why did you and Mayte become vegetarians?

THE ARTIST: I’ve not eaten red meat for about ten years now. Mayte for a lot longer. I’ve always had a preference for all things vegetarian but not until recently did I find out how good they were for you (in a physical sense).

CENSOR: How far have you taken your vegetarianism? The lyrics on Emancipation’s “Joint 2 Joint” suggest you like soy milk on your cereal. Have you given up dairy and eggs as well as flesh foods?

THE ARTIST: We don’t eat anything with parents.

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