Publication: Addicted To Noise [Internet]
Date: July 10, 1996
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Title: "News About That Guy We Used to Call Prince"
Written By: Gil Kaufman

The Artist Formerly Known as An Employee of Time/Warner made a pair of intriguing TV appearances from New York during the past few days. On Monday night, the diminutive one, still sporting the word "Slave" on his right cheek and glitter in his hair, slid behind a baby grand on "Late Night with David Letterman" and played the piano and flute-driven "Dinner with Delores," which is the first single from his final effort for the media conglomerate.

The new Prince album, released yesterday, is called Chaos and Disorder. The song, "Dinner with Delores," a lilting bit of sly mood music is classic Prince, and in another classic and enigmatic move, the singer muttered "Free TLC" before he bolted off the stage in a blur of black thanks to his long, cape-like overcoat.

We can only assume that he was referring to the fact that TLC, the multi-platinum R&B group, who, despite selling 9 million copies of their last album CrazySexyCool filed for bankruptcy protection in July of 1995, are currently awaiting word on whether an upcoming bankruptcy hearing will result in their release from a six-record deal with LaFace Records.

According to an article in this month's VIBE, the decision might be a landmark one in the sense that it could pave the way for artists who are unhappy with their current contracts (read: The Artist Formerly Known As Prince) to use bankruptcy as a means of breaking those contracts in order to sign more lucrative ones. Prince himself has spent the last several years fighting with Time/Warner and had suggested in an earlier VIBE cover story that part of the reason for changing his name to the unpronounceable symbol he now prefers was an attempt to make a break with his past and allow himself to record under a different identity.

But back to those TV appearance. Prince, who seemingly hadn't brought a change of clothes, then set up on the street outside the Today show studios Tuesday morning for another run through "Dinner," and a second song off the new album, "Zannalee," which found him in an unusually straight-up Chicago blues mood. Although it's hard to tell, we can only assume he tossed his black glyph guitar over his head onto the ground behind him and walked quickly off after seeing Dr. Ruth dancing cheek-to-cheek with weatherman Al Roker.