The Scottie Baldwin Interview Part 1

[@johnpetrou6]

You are killin it when it comes to Prince. Great work!

[@YesYouCANPlayGuitar]

Thank you John! :)

[@ericvanderaa]

Great and honest insights. In 2002 I saw Scottie at work at Nighttown Rotterdam show. Was standing at the fence before the PA and had the best sound. Also saw that At the end the tape of the show was collected by the bodyguard.

[@YesYouCANPlayGuitar]

Neat! He mentions something about bodyguards/security taking the tape

[@scottclark3139]

Excellent interview guys. I’ve always felt that Prince was permanently “match fit” for touring. He was never afraid to let the audience sing a line and he instinctively knew they would sing. Contrast that from when I saw George Michael. A flawless live singer but at the time he hasn’t toured for 15 years so he didn’t completely trust when the audience would join in and would have the backing singers cover it just in case. It made Prince concerts feel like you were involved in making the night special. The One Nite Alone soundchecks were the closest we got to Scottie’s idea of a masterclass. They were really special

[@thesolitaryadventurer]

I think the desire for maintaining the mystique would have outweighed any idea of a masterclass sadly. Also, I think some songs he'd have been able to describe as a creative exercise. But some songs he would have had to just say "I heard it fully formed in my head and just laid it down" which is ultimately unfulfilling for an audience. There would have been huge interest in watching Prince lay down each track one by one as the song builds and I'm hopeful there's some evidence of this in The Vault somewhere.

[@scottclark3139]

@@thesolitaryadventurer I think you are right. The recording process was sacrosanct to him I think .The closest we got to see him away from the main show were the soundchecks on the One Nite Alone tour. Special times

[@wandamanning9198]

Turn me up Scottie💜💜. Excellent interview guys. I really enjoyed that. Can't wait for part 2. Thank you for your time Scottie 💜

[@pdubs1575]

Wanda, you beat me to it. I can’t hear his name without hearing, “turn me up Scottie!!” 😊😊👊

[@scottclark3139]

Prince’s best live sound engineer, Bar none

[@dianawilliams5503]

Best sound man on the planet...just the BEST !💝

[@Browzer01]

Phenomenal interview section guys, clapclapclapclapclap, bravo!!

[@pdubs1575]

Part 2, where are you??!! 😩😩😩😩. Love Scottie interviews!!!!

[@tommyfunk693]

MAN. Scottie was very truthful in this interview. Very laid back, and honest especially Prince's guitar playing and Piano playing.

[@YesYouCANPlayGuitar]

It sure was an amazing discussion :)

[@tonydeltablues]

Very,very cool x I'm hooked. Well done, again to all. x Tony

[@YesYouCANPlayGuitar]

Glad you enjoyed it Tony! :)

[@tommyfunk693]

One Nite Alone Tour, and the Musicology tour were my favorites.

[@artcollector9715]

That was great. Can't wait for part two!!!

[@Ed7501]

What a fascinating conversation!

[@drgeorgetayloriii4280]

Scottie is in the top three of Prince storytellers: Susan, Alan Leeds, and Scottie followed by Eric Leeds, Lisa Coleman, and Dr. Fink. This was an Excellent interview! Brian - you are so quiet, sir. Hope to hear your questions as well.

[@YesYouCANPlayGuitar]

Plenty to come I ask many lol. Did you ever check out the Home Sweet Home short I did? That was for you! lol

[@drgeorgetayloriii4280]

@@YesYouCANPlayGuitar I have to check it out! I was wondering did you complete it. Thank you for taking us down this guitar and larger music world journey. I am now reviewing the work of Polyphia, Tesla, and other newer acts. And, of course, revisiting the greats, like Mötley Crew, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, George Benson, Earl Klugh, Wes Montgomery, Eddie, BB, and more. It's really connecting me with my students. They bring me the new and I share with them my guitar heroes (most of whom they heard of, but I bring living in the period to the table).

[@YesYouCANPlayGuitar]

@@drgeorgetayloriii4280 here it is: kzbin.infoE11QE9AMus0?feature=share

[@toddg7150]

Absolutely fascinating stuff...well done guys!

[@djdoncruse1952]

I’m not a guitar player! I’m a Dj! What I noticed about Prince guitar solos he always stayed in rhythm with the music . I thought that was amazing

[@YesYouCANPlayGuitar]

Well said!

[@emilyhrabowskie5598]

Prince nearly lost his voice during the Purple Rain tour. He took voice lessons. Perhaps this is what taught him how to maintain his voice.

[@YesYouCANPlayGuitar]

Do you know who he took vocal lessons from?

[@emilyhrabowskie5598]

@@YesYouCANPlayGuitar No. just remember reading story. People around him at the time probably know.

[@mozfonky]

I heard somewhere he worked with Seth Riggs but I never saw any proof. Seth was MJs vocal coach for many years.

[@ROCKNROLLFAN]

No props to Alex Hahn for his smokescreen book because Prince proved him completely WRONG and the Musicology Tour was such a STELLAR show.

[@thesolitaryadventurer]

I'd have to go back and re-read it but did Alex Hahn's book mention an issue with pills in 1996, April 21? Eerie coincidence.

[@lavenderbee3611]

@@thesolitaryadventurer Yes, Alex did write about the April 21, 1996 incident in that book. There are so many pieces in his life pointing to April 21st. His first album is "For You" -- then there's a song called "I Would Die 4U" on Purple Rain using his shorthand this time. April is the 4th month, U is the 21st letter of the alphabet. "I Would Die 4/21". "Sometimes It Snows in April" was recorded April 21, 1985. April 21, 2016 was Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday of all days for Prince to pass.

[@thesolitaryadventurer]

@@lavenderbee3611 I don't subscribe to the numerology. That's pure coincidence at best and searching for a connection at worst. Interesting that he also recorded Life Can Be So Nice the same day as Sometimes It Snows In April. My main point was really that the original comment about Alex Hahn's "smokescreen book" isn't a fair one. He showed receipts at a time when it wasn't being reported.

[@jochemjonker3362]

I don't think,he was the soundman,Prince rejected after the Prince aftergig at the Paard van Troje, Den Haag, but i'm still curious which soundman this was. The story about Prince wanting to buy a new PA system,reminds me to stories about the Stage Accompany soundsystem Prince bought.

[@thesolitaryadventurer]

Sound man from 84 to 89 was Robert "Cubby" Colby.

[@jochemjonker3362]

@@thesolitaryadventurer thanks

[@thesolitaryadventurer]

@@jochemjonker3362 no problem. What's the Stage Accompany soundsystem story?

[@jochemjonker3362]

@@thesolitaryadventurer I presume around 1995/1996 Prince ordered a Stage Accompany PA system,but because of differences between SA and it's US distributeur,this deal became in troubled water.3 different other companies rented their SA system,to SA,to serve the deal with Prince. What i heard ,were the shipping containers with the PA system for Prince lost/gone disappeared,in the harbor of New York. I rode a story of a Dutch sound system tech,who was send to Minneapolis,to fine tune and install the whole hired SA pa's.This took some days longer,as planned. The man told Prince,what his deadline was in time(because he had a band rehearsel in the Netherlands),but Prince wanted him as member in his crew and told him,to get his band to Minneapolis, to rehears there.But the man refused the offer.What a spirit,to refuse Prince,kind of Double Dutch.

[@thesolitaryadventurer]

@@jochemjonker3362 Interesting story, thanks Jochem! Quite the strong willed man to say no to Prince that's for sure.

[@ROCKNROLLFAN]

Oh, my God. Prince NEVER signed no deal with the devil. That part of it was a load of CRAP that he said.

[@priyaravi1571]

That was a bizarre statement. Lost some respect for Scottie.

[@priyaravi1571]

Load of crap is correct. It shows who people truly are.