Susan Rogers Interview On Prince, Early Beginnings, Life After Prince, and Teaching

In this special sit-down at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Kevin Curtin interviews Dr. Susan Rogers. In this discussion, Susan tells her fascinating story working as a Maintenance Technician to eventually acquiring her dream job working alongside the legendary artist Prince, as his Engineer and Audio Technician. During her time with Prince, she worked on the classic albums "Purple Rain," "Around The World In A Day," "Parade," "Sign Of The Times," and "The Black Album." Susan discusses her contributions to each one of these albums, and shares what it was like to work alongside Prince. Susan also shares stories of working with David Byrne of The Talking Heads, and talks about Producing The Barenaked Ladies. Finally, Susan sheds light on her teaching career, and gives great advice to today's generation of Engineers and Producers. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
Thank you again to Susan Rogers! It was an honor and privilege to have this conversation with you.
Curtin Call- Episode 6 (Shot January 27th, 2017 at Berklee College of Music in Boston)
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[@jsamc]

She got her Doctorate in Princeology.

[@tubagee]

I LOVE THE WAY SHE TALKS . SO FULL OF PASSION AND ZEAL .

[@christinaadams1235]

So educated!

[@Nostaljack]

So much "yeah". Gotta curb that. LOL!! Seriously, fun interview. I could listen to Susan talk forever. Very interesting.

[@sonsoffunk4437]

THIS WOMAN IS DELIGHTFULLY CEREBRAL

[@practicallyintuitive6661]

I love her open adoration for Prince and her insight into who he was at his core. I've listened to her on several appearances she's done recently and she's fascinating. Thanks so much for giving her space to talk about all her stuff.

[@CurtinCall]

Practically Intuitive thank you for watching!

[@tubucoco]

I wonder why he didn't marry a woman like this?? She clearly loved him and adored him as you said. And I heard they were briefly engaged, but he seemed to like those wild types like Vanity, Mayte and such.

[@tubagee]

K Law ge was engaged to Susanah Melvioin Wendy's twin sister : not Susan here. SHE STILL WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD FOR HIM .

[@MaryLou913]

Those "wild types" look like him

[@shmuelhirsch2069]

This is so darn incredible, I don't believe there is anything like this anywhere. I truly hope she writes a book on Prince.

[@mrfrogbutt1]

I always wondered about Susan Rogers after reading and seeing her name credited on MY Prince albums in the 1980's. I would listen to those albums and just listen for endless hours as I sit there soaking in every sound, note and structure. Listening to his music really is one of the greatest memories of my childhood,my young life and his passing leaves a great hole in my life. Thanks for posting this video because you gave us an insight into such a private experience. Susan, thank you 4 working on some of the MOST extraordinary albums (works of art) in the world! Prince's most incredible legacy IS his music.

[@CurtinCall]

mrfrogbutt1 you are welcome! Thank you for watching. This was done for all the Prince and Susan admirers. Peace and love ✌🏽💜

[@shmuelhirsch2069]

I breathed quite a sigh of relief when she said Condition of the Heart is to her the most brilliant mind-blowing track on that album. I've always been in awe of that track, possibly more than any other track he ever released. It's godly.

[@dmh3542]

Such a cool lady, I loved this.

[@aaronj.brooks1977]

Great Interview with Dr. Susan Rodgers and her knowledge of working with the artists Prince really appreciate it 👍

[@kiuakakirstine8257]

What a nice interview. Susan telling about struggling with bad relationship and beeing so short of money, that she couldn't get a "proper" education. Hard work and interest will get you the best jobs and coolest experiences. "Adore" and "if I was your girlfriend" is my favorite Prince songs of all time. 💜💜💜💜💜💜❤️

[@stnlygivan829]

Prince Musicology Fantastic Interview

[@musicismychurch]

As a huge Prince fan, listening to Dr. Rogers' account of recording Purple Rain tracks is so enjoyable. Her unique perspective is priceless. Thanks for this!!!

[@CurtinCall]

You are most welcome. Susan deserves the biggest thanks for this! It was an honor to be apart of such a great conversation. Thank you for watching.

[@musicismychurch]

You are correct. Thank you Susan. It's been over a year since we lost Prince and I still can't seem to learn enough about this incredible man. I'm so grateful to those who knew him sharing their stories.

[@lovesexy71]

I just want to say that Susan wasn't the main engineer for the Purple Rain album and that she only took part of 3 of the 9 songs!

[@dominicmejia849]

It's real amazing to see her reaction when she explains hearing princes music

[@honigtamara]

Susan Rogers never lies

[@jewellfoster2974]

What a very professional and caring woman. I knew she was a grand lady when she spoke of "Moonbean Levels" soon after he passed away.

[@GallowsGhost]

This is fantastic . Thank you curtain call . Susan has memories that are golden ...

[@CurtinCall]

Gallows Ghost glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching.

[@Lindae696969]

Great interview! Susan Rogers is very passionate, genuine, talented, intelligent, honest and wonderful person! She is thoughtful and really takes an artist's work seriously!! Prince was very fortunate to work with Susan and they developed a terrific relationship in the studio as Prince was creating his music!! She is a part of history and she will always be well respected in the music industry by her peers, producers, musicians, professors and artists. It is nice that she is teaching at Berklee College of Music. Learning sound design, not by choice but as a needed skill as a film editor, I would definitely appreciate taking her courses! Thank you very much for posting this interview!!💜💜💜

[@CurtinCall]

Can't agree with you more! Thank YOU for watching. And you are welcome! Kevin

[@lovesexy71]

Wait a minute, Susan was very fortunate to work with Prince and not the other way around!

[@ABN6565]

Susan you were part of something huge. Much respect ❣️

[@scotterickson9898]

I love her interviews she has been giving. Prince & The Revolution were my Beatles. Around The World In A Day is the album that is my all time favorite. So it was great to her insight on this album. I live it Boston. So I would love to run into Susan and shake hands with her and say thank you!

[@CurtinCall]

Scott Erickson glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

[@mmb9391]

Scott Erickson Hi Scott!! So great to know someone else who loves Around The World In A Day! Around The World In A Day is my all time favorite Prince album!

[@xeltan]

Exquisite testimony, I hope of an auteur of Prince Superstardom. Fascinating interview and a very kind Lady.

[@jeanfid]

Thank you! She has an amazing story. Susan is articulate and stays appropriately on topic. I love hearing her speak. Thank you so much for this. She's an outstanding role model for women in the industry.

[@twill83020]

Just a fantastic interview with Dr. Rogers. Thank you so much.

[@hopeclayburnsax9369]

Thank you so much for this great interview! You can tell just how truly intelligent she is and this gives insight into why Prince had her around...his love to have intelligent and powerful women around him has always made me proud to be a fan and a female musician...btw, I also studied neuroscience and cognitive psych and I'm a trauma nurse and Susan gives me faith in humanity!

[@CurtinCall]

Thank you for watching! Appreciate your comment!

[@sunnypie2]

Too cool! Very intelligent and humble. I just wish there was more behind the scene personal stuff on Prince. And the last time they spoke, how she felt about his death. Etc :)

[@sunnypie2]

jdfodio 🤔🎶🎼🎵🌑🌎

[@henrinevermind1781]

Very POWERFUL interview from the deeply intellectual Dr Susan Rogers (☆☆♡☆☆) very informative as well as entertaining I personally luv her description of "Condition of the ♡"

[@purplehouse26]

Warners I would love to see a Music Biopic about Prince Through the eyes of Susan Rogers. Her experience is incredible. Warners get on it!!!!!!

[@tritoncin]

Always a pleasure to listen to what she shares with us. Thanx Curtin Call for this interview!!

[@CurtinCall]

tritoncin so happy you enjoyed it! 💜✌🏽

[@danielleazur1]

Thank you! Merci!

[@erictenbensel6590]

I can't stop listening to Susan Rogers' interviews. She's one of the most intelligent, articulate and yet humble people I have ever seen and her being linked to albums that shaped my musical life is mind blowing.

[@jaydy71]

This is just all so fascinating to hear her memories. Perhaps my favourite Prince song is the balled of Dorothy Parker. And Condition of the Heart is up there too.

[@richiec9589]

Great insight into the creative process of Prince. I could listen to her talk about him all day. She was so lucky to do what she loved and with someone she admired so much.

[@starsourcer]

Really enjoyed this interview! Thanks so much for sharing this!

[@Rebecca236]

Never realised she was such a Prince fan. Amazing woman.

[@onelove1968]

She's a legendary pro, super smart, highly intuitive and simply lovely.

[@llcoolo1]

Good job Kevin. Great interview and fantastic suit!

[@CurtinCall]

heyhey thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@1DeLeon]

Insightful interview. Appreciative to hear Dr. Rogers speak so eloquently of her experiences in her career with Prince. No other can fill us in so passionately and humbled to have been in that space and time. Rogers her last name as it also was his middle name was just pure in all its essences in his music creations. Music telepathy seemed to be a lot of how Prince communicated with his musicians. Thank you the interview share. 💜✌🏼

[@CurtinCall]

Thanks for watching glad you enjoyed it!

[@starrcompany3275]

I love you Susan!You've helped bring great music to us from the man we all loved! I so appreciate all your hard work and studying because for sure you were a piece of the puzzle of music that was needed.Thank you also for the great work you did for my daddy!😉👍ps.(brillant woman)!

[@Activation1111]

That was great

[@dbrown9971]

What a music history treasure! Thank you for this interview, yes Sly and the Family Stone was my 1st concert. Around The World In A Day was my first Prince album. :-) Will you or Dr. Rogers be visiting PPM this year?

[@benlogan100]

Read your TapeOp interview and loved it. Thanks for the video interview here. Great storytelling. Amazing career.

[@gfanarakos]

Susan should write a book for reference on Prince works cause she is damn reliable and this will be the output of Prince..... Remember we never had any written articles or books from Socrates anything came for him was from Platon.... Same case ...

[@youngkeys]

I love her stories my favorite is when they recorded Dorothy Parker and the console didn't work properly

[@tesswonderful4194]

I love this interview. I learned a lot from her. Thank you.

[@CurtinCall]

Thank you for watching KC

[@djdannyg]

Susan is awesome. Great interview with some new info from her.

[@CurtinCall]

DJDannyG thank you for watching and yes, Susan is brilliant. She has many wonderful stories. I was privileged to have this conversation with her. Thanks again.

[@messiahblack4816]

Something Ive wanted to know since I was a child and I wish I had the chance to ask the man directly and no one EVER asks is: what did the bassline to When Doves Cry sound like?

[@Vikki-Waiting-victoriagrace]

Thanks for this listened to this lady before - what an amazing experience she had. I am not sure i agree with her opinion that he wasn't a great lyric writer but he was a good 'pop' lyric writer. He was more than that to me, but its an opinion and mines diferent. Thanks for the post Curtin Call . Fabulous

[@shmuelhirsch2069]

Vikki Waiting , same thought. I think he was a genius lyric writer. The master of imagery, of metaphor, and so much more.

[@Skiptondesigns]

Thanks Kevin, great interview. And thanks to Susan also. Love the insight about Prince.

[@CurtinCall]

S S thank you for watching! And you’re welcome!

[@ellascott4497]

Thank for this educational interview. Dr. Rogers was so intelligent engaging and a down to earth nice lady. Love Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson and his exquisite music, talent, humility and generosity for giving us his amazing gifts, will continue forever. Thank you for upload and this memorable interview. Stay healthy 👏😎🍎☕👍🎸🎵🎤

[@CurtinCall]

You too thanks so much for watching!!!

[@oubrioko]

43:57 Wow! Never knew, "Old Man Johnson's farm," was a *Jesse* Johnson reference. Just one of many great anecdotes in this interview. Nice work.

[@CurtinCall]

oubrioko thanks for watching! I found that part of our conversation to be very interesting too. Thanks again.

[@lavenderbee3611]

Thanks for a great interview. Susan Rogers is such an authentic graceful woman, love her stories.

[@CurtinCall]

Debra Myers thanks for watching and thanks for the nice comment!

[@acidtripmusic]

Moonbeams Levels would have been perfect Around The World In A Day after Pop Life. Oh well damn... I will just do it for my collections... Susan is AWESOME!!!!!!!

[@hemigod2]

I resonate with every exact thing she says about how she got started and her inspirations accept only I became a musician .

[@williambrandongiles3692]

Thanks Susan! 👌.... A day with you, Is like what (?)....🌞 🌃 🎶....

[@dashboardf9661]

A lot of insight, beautiful .

[@thepanicroommastering2062]

I like the Attitude of the Interviewer.... and Susan is amazing ❤️

[@CurtinCall]

Thank you so much for watching!!

[@hdtv00]

Awesome. I wish someone would ask Susan about her thoughts on the loudness war and how crap albums actually sound for years now and what she thinks is Prince best sound quality album wise.

[@PhuckHue2]

Parade

[@hiterss]

she said it was parade, also it's been proven time to time that's his best sound quality album.

[@TheTwistedMystic]

Love Symbol sounds great

[@wackenthaljef]

@soulmojo7 yeah ..."the rainbow children",for me!

[@gorillapancake]

Anyone else agree that they're Prince's best 4 albums?

[@Buildsolarhomes]

gorillapancake 1. Dirty Mind 2. Controversy 3. 1999 4. For You

[@shmuelhirsch2069]

Around the World in a Day, N.E.W.S., The Rainbow Children, Rave un2 The Joy Fantastic. In terms of whole albums those are my current 4 faves

[@MarkKhalilVOArtist]

Great interview.

[@CurtinCall]

Mark Khalil - VO thanks Mark! Appreciate the feedback. ✌🏽

[@yolandalumpkin1605]

I like her and her stories she's telling.

[@williesanders184]

Thanks 4 the Info! 💝

[@davidrogers4922]

This is great 👌. I'm a new subscriber.

[@CurtinCall]

Thank you David appreciate your support glad you enjoyed watching!

[@allenf.5907]

"This is it. This is what's going out in the world". The first listen.

[@allenf.5907]

And it DID advance his art.

[@beehug7]

Susan: I wish I could take your classes. Do you have online lectures?

[@williesanders184]

There's a lot of Princes out there with the right connection's n support, The world would Go crazy if they got the same opportunity?

[@CraigMansfield]

Her contribution to Prince's most classic music, is criminally underrated. If you want to hear how good she is, listen to Prince after she left.

[@nolls14]

Wrong. I love Susan but people go a little bit overboard on her contribution to his music. She was a sound engineer. Prince was the artist.

[@musicbybackinnyc1]

23.26 everyday was a humdinger lol

[@CurtinCall]

musicbybackinnyc1 classic moment!

[@NOWtheband]

Righteousnest! 🙂

[@guywebster8018]

Prince had a beethovian, mozartian mind for music as art of the highest order.. He was that good folks..

[@CurtinCall]

💯 % facts 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@Scili33]

Susan

[@johnmoore4714]

Susan Rodgers is 60. She looks great.

[@joncumber2020]

She defers to Prince’s editing skills often but clearly she must have had a significant influence there. Her departure after ‘SIgn’ sees a big change in his work with overlong songs and excessive tracks per album imho.

[@gfanarakos]

condition of the hurt is a works of a genius ...like a modern Mozart...classical music orchestra

[@SeaBirdCostaRica]

I want to "like" this video, but it's at 319 "likes" now, and well, U know...

[@SeaBirdCostaRica]

Thank you so much, that was a great interview.

[@jgutie1552]

wish he would have asked about recording When Doves Cry.

[@CurtinCall]

Jgutie 15 peggy mac recorded "when doves cry" at sunset sound.. and would have loved to talk about that song, but there is just too much to cover.. thank you for watching!

[@shmuelhirsch2069]

Same. My favorite track on Purple Rain.

[@oholm09]

Curtin Call he used Linn drums

[@raycampbell162]

She's kinda cute!!!

[@paulinecrystalline6125]

On display behind Susan Rogers the 4 albums she worked on. Not on view the probably 1K songs Prince recorded in 3 years 😉

[@CurtinCall]

Big facts 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@dazeja]

There were few female engineers or techs in the industry at that time and Prince worked with two of them. Susan and Peggy Mac.

[@CurtinCall]

And both were/are brilliant engineers! Thanks for watching Ja’Maul!

[@tinaneaderhiser9127]

💜😍👍🤗👏💜

[@tubagee]

HE WAS ENGAGED TO SUSANAH NOT SUSAN HERE .

[@dipdogbrown1344]

Good good but why did she leave the music biz after working with a genius, and totally switch career's?

[@gfanarakos]

That is also the draw most musicians do when they peak fame...think that they can stay to that point 4 ever ...bad mistake...Prince knew it, Yanni lost it after live Acropolis.....MJ the same even he was good in "bad" but could not make it as Thriller ...its aint worth it. Its a life lesson

[@tesswonderful4194]

His artistry would more than compensate for poor signal quality.

[@hoodmonk]

After seeing this I just don’t get how women complain about the gender pay gap. This woman was (and is) qualified and she got the dream job.

[@pamela0673]

HOODMONK she has said in other interviews, she couldn't have had this career if she had children. You have to be like a man be selfish and have someone taking care of the children. She has acknowledged that she was unique and very rare as a woman in the industry during the early years. She was an exception to the rule.