Publication: Seventeen [US]
Date: August 1985
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Title: "When The Kid's Bad, He's Royally Bad. Will He Ever Be Able To Learn A Little Princely Graciousness?"
Written By: Laura Fissinger

You could almost hear the gasps from coast to coast as Johnny Carson launched into his Tonight Show monologue one night last April. "Prince is retiring from show business," Carson trumpeted.

As we all know by now - now that Around The World in a Day is topping the charts, now that Prince is about to start filming his second movie-Carson has exaggerated. But there had been an official announcement that week by the Kid's managers that proclaimed that Prince would halt live performances for an "indeterminate number of years." Asked what his plans were, Prince said. "I'm going to look for the ladder." Maybe that was a reference to his new song The Ladder- Prince didn't say. When asked what he meant, the superstar just murmured, "Sometimes it snows in April." Now, spring snows are not unusual in Prince's home state of Minnesota - but that's hardly a clue to the young artist's future.

Strange? You bet. Some deliberate confusion ? Probably. But Prince's fans have come to expect him to do almost everything with melodrama and minimal explanation.

In truth, it wouldn't hurt Prince-or his career-if he started acting a little less enigmatically. True, Around the World in a Day may be one of the fasted-selling albums ever: It sold almost three million copies its first two months out-in spite of no advertising, no promotion, and, until radio stations insisted, no single. But let's be honest: Prince's image is tarnished, and it's his own fault.

Paradoxically, and perhaps self-destructively, Prince began to do himself in during the glorious aftermath of Purple Rain. His three Grammys, one Academy Award, and 1984 earnings estimated at $ 17 million seemed to turn him into an egomaniac.First, there was his no-show at the We Are The World recording session. (He was supposedly busy bailing his infamous bodyguards out of jail. Thy'd been arrested for roughing up some photographers.) Then he snubbed new-fan Elizabeth Taylor. Invited to her home, he refused to speak with her, pose for photos, or leave his bodyguards outdoors. The crystal doves he sent in apology were sent back. And then there was the night of Prince's farewell concert in Miami: During the postshow party, his bodyguard muscled through the crowds, demanding that people not look at the star and kicking out many supposedly ininvited guests. Neddless to say, the party didn't last long.

These incidents are only part of a distressingly long list. Fans of the rockers needn't despair, however. Prince Rogers Nelson is still young(he claims he's twenty-four). He has plenty of time to learn. In the meantime, he has started his own record company (Paisley Park), he continues to develop the careers of such stars as Sheila E. (watch for a new band called The Family), and he's mulling over a slew of offers to act in more movies, write more movies, write more movie music ... So it is to be hoped his "retirement"is a short one-but one that lasts long enough for him to do some serious self-examination. If nothing else, Prince should realize how much genuine affection his fans feel for him. No royal tantrums are needed to attract out attention. Can His Royal Badness start behaving with royal graciousness? The saga will continue ...

[Captions: "Prince and the Revolution: Was Purple Rain just the first step on the ladder to movie stardom-and more Oscars?" / "Strange? You bet! Quitting the business? Hardly! The Purple Reigh prevails."]