The Freakapotamus Podcast

The Netflix Prince Documentary Postponement Fiasco Discussion

• Tha Real Russell

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SPEAKER_04

Prince's Estate stalls Netflix documentary over length dispute. Prince's Estate has halted the release of a long-anticipated Netflix documentary about the legendary singer, citing concerns over its nine-hour length, according to a new report. The original deal, signed in 2018, called for a six-hour series. However, director Ezra Edelman's final cut extends to nine hours, which the estate believes breaches their initial agreement, Puck reported on Monday. Netflix remains hopeful that a compromise can be reached, but the project is currently at an impasse. Made an America fame taking over the project for years ago. He has since completed the documentary and hosted private screenings for friends and family last year. However, the estate's executors have raised concerns not just about the length, but also about perceived inaccuracies regarding Prince, who was famously private. The dispute has been further complicated by the division of Prince's estate into two parts in 2022, necessitating approval from both the family and the managers of the artist's rights. A music insider told page six that the estate is incredibly nitpicky, emphasizing their responsibility to protect Prince's legacy meticulously. They said, Prince, known for iconic hits like Purple Rain, Kiss, and When Doves Cry, tragically passed away from an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2016 at the age of 57. Repped for the estate Netflix, and Edelman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

SPEAKER_08

Thank you for welcome to the Freak Apartment Podcast. You ready for some RB funk? Sole and print. Let's go. And now your host, the real Russell.

SPEAKER_03

What's up, everybody, and welcome back once again to the Freak Eponymus Podcast. How's everyone today? This glorious Thursday, Friday Eve, Friday Junior. Hope everybody's doing well. Oh, good show tonight. As you know, we're gonna talk about the uh the Prince documentary, uh Netflix holdup uh limbo, so to speak, uh fiasco. And I will have uh special guests. You know him, you love him, Mr. Richard Cole from Amari Music. We'll be here just a few seconds, and before that, I just want to get to some purple news real quick. Um got an event to show you, tell you about. And this event is the Purple Experience Saturday, August 17th, 2024, Paisley Park, 6 p.m. until whenever. Late. Everybody knows where Paisley Park is located, 7801 Audubon Road, Chan Hassan, Minnesota. Uh on the bill, more staying in time. Didn't see that one coming. Also, new power generation on the bill, special guest appearances and surprises hosted by Nick Nurse, head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Music by DJ Ghost, the official DJ of the Philadelphia 76ers. So, those of you in Minneapolis, those of you who are not, hope you can make that one. That's got to be a fantastic show. Um, got another event. Uh this guy, uh Sean Bivens, putting together uh this one on the West Coast, the Purple Ones, and this event. Uh, let's see, Purple Ones Insatiable Tribute to Prince, Saturday, September 7th. You got a little over a month for that one. Um it's gonna be at the Cornerstone, 2367 uh Shattock Avenue, Berkeley, California. Uh, you can go to www.purplewands.com for more information. It's Saturday, September 7th, the Blackstone Front Revival. Doors open at 8 p.m. Uh opener at 8.30 p.m. and the purple ones take stage at 9.50 p.m. And uh shout out to to Michael Bibbins. He's got some funky stuff going on over there. Hopefully, I can get him on the show. Uh uh within about a month. We uh talked about doing some some interviews uh to promote his band and what he's got going on. I think you really appreciate and dig um those guys. If you want to hear more of the Minneapolis sound, they're definitely keeping it alive. And uh so we shall keep you notified about that. Alright, so without further ado, I want to bring my boy Richard to the stage. Get this off the screen here. And there he is. What's up?

SPEAKER_10

What's up, Russell?

SPEAKER_03

How's it going, Rich?

SPEAKER_10

Uh, pretty good, pretty good.

SPEAKER_03

Good to hear, man.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, thanks for having me back.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, sir. It's been a while, been a minute.

SPEAKER_10

Oh yeah. Oh yeah, always. Yes, sir. Yeah, I hate I missed it, uh missed the celebration uh episode.

SPEAKER_03

Oh yeah, that was a lot of fun. That went on for like almost almost sorry about that. Almost two hours. Oh man. Um yeah, I was hoping that uh more people could have showed up for that one. Uh but uh Tanya Harris was there and she was on the show to talk about most of the the events that went on there, and I had footage that she was familiar with because she was actually there. So it went well, and she kind of uh informed us exactly you know what it was like to be there. And it was it was great. I hate that I couldn't make celebration this year, though.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, me too. And I mean that's still um, you know, still a conversation that's kind of going around the whole Prince Musical Singularity about um you know how to make it more inclusive. Um you know, the type of events. I know a lot of people had fun, but you know, there was some I would say constructive criticism. I don't think it was anything negative, but yeah, you know, like you know, I for one feel like and this is an idea I got from Michael Dean, uh listening to one of his episodes years ago, where it should be more like Comic Con.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_10

You know, just make it a big event, um, you know, announce you know, this is an idea that I had, you know, announce the projects at celebration. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, announce projects and you know, have something exclusive for the people. And yeah, I don't yeah, and even if you well, I mean no, I'll we'll talk about it later. We'll say save something for the ring.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, we'll we'll we'll talk about it on the tail end of this because I don't know how short or how long this this discussion is gonna be about the Netflix. It is what it is, but you know, we can talk about how we how we feel about it and and things we'd like to see done about it. Yeah, and we shall see. Shout out to Stephanie Mills, not not Stephanie Mills, not to be confused with Stephanie Mills, but yep, good evening.

SPEAKER_10

And uh, yes, ma'am, shout out and also to you know, I did think that like early on, the like first year. I was like, what yeah, she's definitely a definitely a champion of you know, not only my show, your show.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, a lot of those. Yeah, she's all over the place. I've seen her all over the place. That's a good thing. We're all family, right?

SPEAKER_10

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Six six finger media, I have not seen before, but welcome and thanks for joining. Oh man. So yeah. All right, so this Netflix fiasco, ma'am. Well, a lot of people say it's a fiasco. I guess that's a good word for it. You know, we can never get that Netflix thing worked out successfully. I don't know. I don't know what happened with the first uh director, Ezra. Uh no, no, no. That's the new one. Ava DeVerne. Yeah. I don't know why she backed out, but this thing could have been wrapped up and done, you know, was it? What was that? Like two, three years ago, maybe.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah. You're at most documentaries, I'd say would be on that average, about maybe two, two and a half years to produce. Um, you know, some can take up to like five years, but I think given the circumstances behind this one, you know, it it could have been released uh a year or two ago.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, yeah, for sure. For sure. Um I'll just go ahead and read for those of you who don't know what's going on with the Prince documentary on Netflix. This is from variety.com. Sorry, it may be a little long, but uh the Prince documentary is dead in the water after four years of production due to dramatic factual inaccuracies. Uh six-part documentary for Netflix directed by Ezra Edelman is Dead in the Water after representatives for the late artist's estate claimed a first cut of the film was filled with dramatic factual inaccuracies and sensationalized renderings of certain events from his life. Sources uh close to this situation tell variety. Edelman, best known for the OJ made in America documentary, has been quietly working on the film for four years and is said to be devastated by the impasse. Uh the news was first reported reported by Puck. While the deal for the documentary cost for a six-hour series, Edelman instead delivered nine hours, a violation of the agreement that presumably uh enabled the estate to withhold music rights. Although Netflix and Edelman maintained final cut of the film, a Prince documentary without his music would face daunting, if not uh insurmountable creative and commercial obstacles. The original date, a deal for the documentary, which was never officially announced but reported exclusively by Variety in 2018, was made between Netflix and representatives of uh Comerica Bank, uh the interim ex executor for Prince's Estate. Edelman, who was enlisted to replace original director Ava DeVerne, was given extensive access to Prince's archives and produced a cut of the film that was screened recently for insiders. Details on the alleged inaccuracies were not clear, but an unnamed source insisted to Puck that it's not uh revelations of drug use or sexual stuff. Stuff. Instead, uh sources tell Variety that the estate felt strongly that certain events had been sensationalized, quote unquote, and not properly fact-checked. And uh those claims were met with opposition by Edelman. On the other hand, different sources to Puck and Variety uh that the issues were more about control, and the estate felt the documentary was not sufficiently positive. Uh the Prince Estate has been plagued by instability since the singer died in 2016, uh, without leaving behind a will. However, its business efforts have gained traction since the estate moved out of probate in 2022 and was divided into two camps, with three of Prince's six court uh determined heirs, previously represented by attorney and former Prince Manager Londell McMillan on one side under Prince Legacy and Primary Wave Music, with acquired uh the stakes of the other three heirs on the other, while there uh has been leadership uncertainty. Infighting and complicated legal battles uh every step of the way, including a lawsuit filed this year by McMillan and colleague Charles Spicer, claiming that four of Prince's relatives are wrongfully trying to seize control of the estate. Partnership has produced several recent projects, including Deluxe Box set of Prince's last blockbuster album, 1991's Diamonds and Pearls, containing dozens of previously unreleased tracks and several efforts related to the 40th anniversary of the Purple Rain album and film. Considering their past differences, it is notable that both camps in the estate had similar reaction to the documentary's initial cut, although a willingness by all parties to compromise has been suggested. Reps for Netflix, McMillan, Primary Wave, and CAA, which represents Edelman, declined or did not respond to Variety's request for comment. Alright, there you have it. I'm out of breath.

SPEAKER_10

I don't know what's happened, but we've had you know lawsuits, um pissed off uh associated artists, uh Netflix, Division. And you know, it's um it's you know, it's kind of it's sad to hear as a as a Prince fan. You know, because you want to enjoy the music, you want to enjoy the memories that music is given over the years. And you know, for me, this was like probably one of my most anticipated uh Prince projects.

SPEAKER_03

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah. Because I mean I do I like the stuff that Netflix has financed, like the two killings of Sam Cook, um, you know, Black Godfather about uh Clarence Avon. You know, they finance some pretty outstanding documentaries. Ezra Elderman, you know, um I've seen OJ Made in America, um, I've seen the one on the rivalry of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and I've seen a few other 30 for 30 episodes. Oh, and finally, you know, what's out now? Um, he executive produced the Stax Soul uh Soulsville USA documentary. And that's one I recommend everybody should check out. If you're a fan of music, check that out. You know, they were you know probably what Motown's biggest uh rivals in the 60s and early 70s.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

And you know, I can say we're the OJ documentary, yeah, that can be controversial, you know, for a lot of reasons, but that has to do more with the subject matter itself than you know anybody trying to sensationalize anything.

SPEAKER_03

Right.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, but his other documentaries, um, especially the Stax one, um, I don't think anything was glorified or sensationalized. Um, you had basically most of the people that were there very well represented. So when it comes to the Prince documentary, you know, I'm kind of confused at where the disconnect is. You know, what is the narrative?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, me too. Yeah, I was gonna say for those particular documentaries, I'm wondering if they ran into some of the same issues that that the Prince documentary is running into. You know.

SPEAKER_10

Well, I mean, you know, any film, whether it's a documentary or you know, a Hollywood blockbuster, you know, you do have like a rough cut of the film, you know, and that gets, you know, whether it's tested by the producers or if they go out and you know, test it in front of a test audience.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Um, you know, it could be a lot of factors. Yeah, sometimes the movie is too long and they have to cut it. Yeah, sometimes sometimes cutting it does help. Sometimes having the directors cut is better. So you do kind of have those things, or certain scenes may resonate with the viewers, certain scenes may not, and then they'll go back and either reshoot it or recut it. So you have that. But here and from what you were reading from the article, that they it's not a thing about drugs. Of course, that was one of the issues that Kat had when they were filming her interviews, and the thing that caused her to walk off the interview for, you know, I think they they managed to get, you know, convince her to come back and you know, adhere to some of her demands, but right yeah, you know, I think she was the only one that had that particular issue, you know. But we're hearing from uh say Jill Jones, who uh didn't have a negative experience, right? You know, Alan Leeds didn't have a negative experience, but you know, I don't know have they interviewed Andre Simone or have they interviewed Morris Day for this? I think yeah, those are the key people you would you would have to have. Or Sonny T, definitely somebody you would have to have.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Yeah, speaking of these interviews, let's take a look at another documentary, not this particular documentary. Um, a couple of documentaries were done in the past, and I'm just wondering, you know, if is is it gonna be the same style or different? So let's just take a look. Let's see.

SPEAKER_11

This one, I think this one features and I saw this ad in the local music paper that said Warner Brothers recording artist seeks guitarist and keyboard player. And uh I knew that there was only one person within 500 miles that had a Warner Brothers record deal.

SPEAKER_06

As the auditions progressed, it was clear this wouldn't be a referee RB or funk band.

SPEAKER_05

It was not only multi-racial, but also you know, women was kind of like fleet with me, flag and the family stumbling.

SPEAKER_06

One of the first men to have a racially integrated multi-gender lineup.

SPEAKER_07

I think he was asked for putting together a group that could make the crossover in America between black and white music. Um I did ask him at one point, why did you hire me? And he said, You're white, you're blonde, you have blue eyes, and you can play funky keyboards.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I like that one. Have you seen that one? I have not seen that one. Okay, I'll send it to you. Anyway, yeah, I like the way they did that.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

They didn't

SPEAKER_10

uh bring up any inaccuracies or they didn't bring up any they didn't show prints in a bad light at all they just basically talked about the music and its upbringing and you know well you know uh one thing that just came to mind was um when it came out I even did a review of it I don't know if anybody watched it or not but uh TMZ did a piece on print so I I know they have this the thing with Tubi and Fox and all this stuff and they do like documentaries um but those are kind of like tabloid yeah style you know where it's kind of like we're gonna investigate this and we're gonna get to the problem with this uh the the one they did on prints while there was a lot of that in the documentary I mean they tried to be as respectful as they could but I think the main gist of it was they were trying to like you know connect the dots as far as drug use yeah yeah and I think too that maybe maybe we should kind of clear this up in defense of Prince you know this wasn't like oh he had a heroin habit or he had a cocaine habit or you know or he was an alcoholic you know with you know serious serious drug problems but what is just as serious you know and especially nowadays you know you're talking prescription drugs you know either you know becoming dependent on those but it is because you have a some kind of pre-existing condition yeah you know and I think the one thing that that TMZ piece did point out was and I know it's hard for us to think about or want to accept but he gave so much you know as far as being that image of Prince that you know regardless of error what we all gravitate towards he gave so much to of that that yeah that probably you know whenever he had whatever whether it was a a hip problem or whether it started with uh you know an ankle or leg problem you know he gave so much or you know decades of wearing heels you know as conf as confident and strong as he was you know that was you know no pun to dead that was his Achilles heel was the fact that that image was dependent on him at least being at some height to where he felt the need to be in those heels you know even women women don't wear heels to that magnitude yeah as much as he did and yeah that takes a toll on your body as you get older and yeah then the more pain he's gonna be in then the more he's gonna need something to relieve that pain and especially if he needs to not feel pain walking on that stage. Yeah so I think you know first and foremost it's trying to separate you know the the typical sex drugs and rock and roll dependency versus yeah the type of addictions that stem from having a pre-existing condition.

SPEAKER_03

And again you know the abuse of prescription medications and not to get political but you know big pharma being involved and and complicit because it's you know not only prince but there's you know lots of individuals of all economic you know backgrounds yeah that you know fall prey to this yeah so let's you know highlight that you know highlight the reasons behind his dependency on on opioids rather than you know labeling him a drug addict let's look at you know the the medical conditions behind it yeah but yeah my thing is I don't mind uh uh showing uh the negative side of Prince that we don't know as long as it's all factual you know I mean there's some things about him that people know that were close to him in his circle that probably have things to share that uh some might consider showing Prince in a bad light but as long as it's factual you know maybe it needs to be told you know because nobody's uh butterflies and pancakes 247 so we all have you know uh bad sides if you know if you want to say that yeah and blemishes yeah yeah and you know that's that's what I want out of this documentary is the balance you know because I think a lot of people they they kind of have that image but again it's wrapped up in whatever that music gave to you and yes you validated in having your reasons for that music to make you feel or that image to make you feel a certain way but you know let's not forget that he was a human being you know he made mistakes you know yeah he might have had some bad days he you know how many of us have not pissed off somebody close to us yeah at one point or another you know um the people that have come and gone in your life for whatever reason you know who's still around who's not around you know that's a universal story and I think you know like I said having that balanced perspective again you know if if somebody wants to draw inspiration from his life you know maybe there's somebody out there that's like oh well he's a human being just like me you know I had those issues growing up as well or going through relationships having that issue or obstacles in your career you know the all of it the fight for independence and sometimes too understanding or maybe getting that clear picture of again what he sacrificed to bring you joy by getting on that stage and jumping off pianos and doing you know triple splits and in you know what how however many inch heels that he's doing and you know to still do that despite you know hip surgeries and yeah you know all the other alleged surgeries he may or may not have had yeah you know to say wow you know that's one human being that had this tremendous talent that did all that for us when you know who knows you know I always you know like you look at somebody like D'Angelo you know he can come out in a pair of jeans or just a pair of leather pants and a pair of boots you know ordinary comp you know Timbalins or something and you know tank top and put on an amazing show it's like could we have accepted Prince as is you know hey wear some cool clothes but it's like dude we don't care how tall you are dude you bringing us some funk you bringing us some good music exactly yeah I know you want to I was saying I know every woman's about to cancel me right now but but put the put the lace on keep yeah he could have kept the but like I said if if anything that would have kept him on this planet another 20 years another 30 years yeah yeah exactly exactly I mean he went above and beyond to be the best and to stand out from the rest and if that meant you know uh jumping off of pianos doing triple splits uh night after night after night after night you know that's what he did yeah for us and to you know and to to you know play write and I mean 24-7 yeah religiously I mean sometimes that can you know it's like I'll write something for 20 minutes and I'm like you know what yeah I'm gonna take a nap right now yeah that didn't happen within yeah right everybody else was asleep he was in the studio because he wanted to be the best yeah yeah let's see what's uh I got some messages here from Stephanie Meals uh she says earlier uh specs she says uh wish uh they could have uh I wish they could have gotten Ava back or another woman director I was really looking forward to Ava directing it she and Prince met each other and it was said he wanted to work on a project with her okay yep and she also says Mr. Nelson on the north side was a very good documentary and uh it was not backed by the estate yeah I did see I think I did see that one is it on that one I missed that one yeah it's I I think it's still on YouTube or is there I think there's a website or something where you can see it but there was an there's another there's a YouTube channel that does um like it's like they do a documentary feels like every week but they focus on certain periods or certain eras and they'll do anything from like a half hour to maybe like an hour two hours and the way they edit the you know they'll edit clips in a certain way and you know maybe do some special effects with some of them.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah the way they edit various interviews not only with prints but you know say like Morris Day or Jill Jones or somebody and edit that to where like it's it tells a story it tells a narrative.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. I've seen that I was trying to find that to show tonight but I could not think of uh yeah who put it out yeah I've seen that that that's very well done I like the way they did it because they kind of gathered clips from different uh videos and interviews and put them all together as one and just kind of yeah uh blend it all together.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah right have you have you seen the one that was done by the Reels Network um I I got a clip from that one it's actually documentary style but like they hired a guy to play Prince oh yeah I you know I can't stand I mean because you know whatever the budget is for those things it is what it is um and also too probably because of the budget they those things even without reenactments where they just show clips and they'll they'll interview probably the people not even close to Prince but they'll interview critics and writers or some media personality to talk about them and they never have the rights to the music of it when it comes to when it comes to music documentaries I want the music you know I want you know the if you know if you don't have the subject you know the center of the subject you know if you have like the band members and the people that were there yeah you know a lot of times in cases of people that have passed on where you just have people that were in the band or like I said you know wives ex-girlfriends or you know the producer the record company owner or something and they're helping to tell that narrative I think those are my favorite documentaries. It's like you know I used to watch those like I guess when they first started doing them in the what late 90s early 2000s and it would just piss me off because it would just be this cookie cutter story.

SPEAKER_01

Well in 1952 he did this and then half of it ends up being wrong and then they don't have the music then they're not interviewing the people that you need to have on it right so it's like yeah but I did see that one I didn't see the whole thing but I've seen clips of it yeah it is a little clip yeah yeah yeah okay as we'll cut to now outrageous iconoclastic oozing charisma a five foot three rock god and a man who very few people truly knew or understood I felt that he was super gorgeous like he fantastic I thought that's what I was called because I didn't think he wanted to have people around someone who's I need I needed everyone around him iconic point resonating around the world with 22 million times is the equivalent of a musical lifestyle combined with a little bit of money three Prince's genius was never in question yet the heat of his self-destruction was come long before he became a star I don't think he ever felt too loved I don't think he ever felt too extended Prince got to global fame propelled by the need to free himself from his heart he never escaped the guilt and shame of his early years it was beyond an extension was a compulsion Prince expressed his deepest feelings in his music please Lord spare me and he wove his childhood trauma into iconic songs and timeless hits like Wendy Doves Cry.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah I think there was a guy named Mark Anthony playing Prince but a lot of that uh looked like uh opinions instead of facts that's what it looked like yeah well you know well again you know that was put together with lunch money right you know I I don't know if that's like part of a series where they just focus on a different one or they just decided to like well we'll independently do a documentary on Prince I mean the the guy playing it's like you know that's that's straight up cosplay to me that's like you know like if celebrations like really to be like Comic-Con, you know have a you know part of it where you have people cosplay you know whether it's prince or an associate and you have a contest or something and I mean I mean I don't you know dude I'm sure he's like a I don't know if he's like a prince imitator or something or if he's a working actor.

SPEAKER_03

If he's a working actor you know I'm not gonna knock his actually I think his name is Mark Anthony I think he is an impersonator and he was hired for the document yeah okay so you know I'm not gonna like I said if working actor you know hey you're making your money I'm not gonna knock you hustle but you know obviously you know if they were to spend big money do like a legitimate biopick or something I mean you know the the casting I mean especially these days these days now where you've had like an Austin Butler with Elvis now you got Timothy Chalamet about to play Bob Dylan saw that trailer yesterday like yeah just hand him the Oscar right now um trying to think somebody else they did like uh Elton John Freddie Mercury you know about to do the Beatles later um Michael Jackson yeah you know Prince they're gonna have to find a nephew that you know that's like Jafar Jackson level yeah yeah in order for it to work you know or you're gonna have to find a a Chadwick Bozeman like actor you know unknown yeah that's gonna pull off Prince you know oh yeah yeah because yeah if you find somebody that's known it's gonna be hard to accept them as prince because we've seen them in other stuff but right yeah I agree man it it those are some large shoes to fill and it's gonna take a special kind of person to do it to pull it off right and I don't think it's gonna be somebody that we know yeah yeah it can't be yeah no no not at all um what was I gonna say um yeah I I so when they say there's inaccuracies uh I'm assuming that they mean inaccuracies with the estate they're unhappy with what they've seen so far meaning that could be the heirs that could be let's see who the who who's the estate is the heirs there are three three siblings now because there were six right right and I think the other three sold their portion to to uh primary wave right right either either uh they've completely sold their shares or like in the case of uh tika nelson she retains like a one percent so you know whatever like if something makes a million you know she gets one percent of that still um inaccura I I don't know I take it like I'm trying to think what's the most commonly believed inaccuracy about Prince whether it is among some in the fan base or the general public at large like whoever was doing the research for it and decided like okay well we're gonna film a segment about that particular situation so wherever they did the research then did they uh attempt to go hard or they do did research and oh I'll tell you the biggest the biggest historical inaccuracy and really this is Prince's own doing but I think because he was young and new to the business and wasn't prepared to handle what was coming at him because you know even with the first two albums he was so different from everybody else but um I think where he would say he would tell the press well you know my mother's Italian and my father's this and my father's that so that type of historical inaccuracy about you know about the lineage of his parents you know that's one big misconception so did somebody doing the research pick up on that interview and just run with it yeah um trying to think of trying to think of something else too I know there was like that interview that big chick gave to the National Enquirer you know that had a lot of stuff wrong about prints you know I remember that so you know some of that could pop up in the yeah so I don't know I think that's that's what I'm thinking about as far as inaccuracies yeah I just uh hope they can get it worked out I'm I'm wondering what they can do to to work it out now as far as like the Length because uh the original agreement was six hours and they've gone well the new director's gone nine hours, so that's three extra hours. So you know what what do they those extra hours consist of? And is it something that can be broken down into six hours?

SPEAKER_10

You know, oh yeah, definitely, definitely. Actually, let me see. Uh where is it? Yep, there it is. I did this on posted this on social media quite a few times since that news broke, but that started off being a two-hour theatrical movie. Um, this was supposed to be released, I think 2020, I think originally. Um, but the pandemic happened, and uh this was um put together by uh Peter Jackson. I know everybody probably knows that, but for those that don't, yeah, Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame got all this footage from the Let It Be movie, and it's like 50 some odd hours of footage that they were using to put together the 1970 film Let It Be. Well, during the pandemic and Peter Jackson being a huge Beatles fan, he put together like a I think it was like a nine, 10-hour cut of it. And it's like, well, we can't show it in theaters, but right, you know, first and foremost, Peter Jackson had to get permission from you know the two surviving Beatles, yeah, and then the estates of George Harrison and John Lennon. So they unanimously approved of this eight-hour cut and got it onto Disney Plus. So there, you know, so what started off as two hours is now this eight-hour thing you can see, and led to the restoration of the original Let It Be film, which you can see on Disney Plus.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_10

So, you know, there's that. Um most of these things, thanks to Netflix, thanks to Hulu, you know, documentaries, they proven that they don't well, PBS really was the original, where you'd have like a week and a half, you know, on baseball, jazz music, all those Ken Burns documentaries, you know, a week and a half of the Civil War of Vietnam. You know, so why can't Prince have a nine-hour cut?

SPEAKER_03

Exactly, exactly. I'm trying to figure out why is are those three hours such a big deal. I mean, renegotiate, you know.

SPEAKER_10

Well, that's you know, that's the key. It's not about what you deserve, it's about what you can negotiate.

SPEAKER_03

And I'm sure I'm sure Netflix is not complaining about it. You know, that's good for them.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and well, it for them, yeah, subscribers.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Exactly.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, and I'm I'm sure that they will gain subscribers for this documentary itself. So, you know, they're not they're not the problem. They're not the hold up, they're waiting for the documentary.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, yeah, you know, I don't know. Oh, okay, there you go. Yeah, it's sad that the Prince Estate is where it is now in such division, and the timing of having a powerful thing like a Netflix documentary kind of caught up in that mix because it was whoever was running the estate prior were the ones that approved the making of this documentary. So now that it's pretty much finished, and you got this nine-hour rough cut, and you're showing it to the people that's running it now, then what's different from the people doing it, you know, that approved it before versus the people that are in charge of it now? And I know and basically I think all the reports have said it's it's not primary wave that has the issue. You know, it's you know, it's Londell, it's Charles, it's it's all it always seems to be that side of it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

And you know, and I think it's I think it's sad because again, it's and I can see both sides of it. You know, if there is something that can potentially put an asterisk on Prince's Legacy, then no, then it's something I don't want to see because we've had enough of that already. You know, with I mean, there's all kind of legends right and left now that you know it's hard to separate the scandal from your, you know, whether you know your childhood memories or high school memories, college memories, you know, it's it's getting harder to separate it because then it's like you're gonna watch that person's movie or you're gonna play that person's record, and it's like, yeah, that's the jam, or yeah, that was my movie, but then you're looking at the actor, you're looking at the entertainer, like, oh dang, you look, I'm a parent, I got kids. I can't you know, it's like you want to reach in and you know, so that, you know, so it's it's too many of that, you know, too much of that stuff that's now.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

And it's like, you know, again, we don't want to see that with prints, you know, we don't want to see him fall into that that rabbit hole.

SPEAKER_03

Right, exactly. I was trying to figure out if you know another way to include that three hours. Um, so if uh you know they they don't come to an agreement and they stick with the six hours, perhaps they can release it another way, like you know, release it yeah, as a DVD or something, right?

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, extra, yeah, bonus features, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, down the line and include a box set.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, you know, I I think you know, with and not to say that this estate is always up to something sinister all the time, but I think part of it too, they're falling into that same trap that the Michael Jackson estate is falling into that they want to be so different than you know, everybody that's got a vault. Yeah, you know, they want to be so different than what the Beatles are doing, so different than really a lot of these, you know, rock artists do, you know. Yeah, you have some division within those fan bases, but not to the magnitude that the Prince uh you know fan base is in division, they're straight up social media wars that go on all the time. And I don't, you know, I don't see that. I mean, yeah, you got some mean-spirited people in general, but for the most part, if somebody disagrees with that project, you know, they say, Oh, I didn't need a three-hour documentary of them in the studio, I want the rubber soul box set. Yeah, you get a few people that might say that, but at the end of the day, they'll still watch this eight-hour documentary and they'll still enjoy it. It's just that they want the rubber soul box set more, yeah. Yeah, but like I said, just this division, and then it doesn't help if at the center of that, and I think that's a common denominator. When you have an estate that is on the same page, then they understand not everybody you know is gonna love this, but enough people are gonna love it, they're still gonna go out and buy it, it's still gonna make money, right? It's still gonna be successful. And to you know, the other estates, they've had decades of you know trial and error, or they've gotten their big major lawsuits out of the way, yeah, already. So here, you know, it's 30, 40 years later, and fans are still getting great stuff from that. You know, here, yeah, granted, we're seven seven years in the game, and it's like, man, you know, we just got a little momentum, then here comes this regime change, and then now things are getting vetoed. Or that again, they're trying so hard to be different, yeah. You know, they're trying so hard to be clever, like, yeah, we just won't say anything, we'll just put this out here. Yeah, here you go, Prince Fans. Right, and it's like, well, wait a minute. What's this? We didn't ask for this. Where's the box at? You know, where's this album?

SPEAKER_03

Exactly. You know, like we're doing now. We're we're complaining that we're not getting it fast enough.

SPEAKER_10

You know, and I know we're we're making, you know, we're making excuses. Like I made one the other week on an episode, like, okay, well, maybe they're just trying to wait till near Christmas to put the purple rain box set out. Yeah, maybe they'll announce it in August or September. That way we'll get it in October, November.

SPEAKER_02

Right.

SPEAKER_10

I know, I know, folks. I'm lying to myself.

SPEAKER_03

Hey, wishful thinking, man. We're on wishful thinking. I just threw up the call-in number, 803-638-8311. If you want to call in and voice your opinion on the the Netflix situation, or you just want to talk about prints or anything that's on your mind, it's fine. Um, we'll just keep it going. Yeah, I hope they really come to an agreement, man, and it um doesn't fall by the wayside like the last one.

SPEAKER_10

I know. It's like, look, look, controversy was a song. Yeah. Exactly. I don't think I don't think that's part of the the part of the legend that we need controversy with.

SPEAKER_03

Exactly. Exactly right, man. Yeah, I would love to see it, uh, see the light of day. Because uh, yeah, that's something to look forward to. And you know, I would love to see something coincide with it like a box set. Um and I would love to see how they're gonna structure it, whether it's gonna be documentary style, you know, full of interviews with other people, or will it be uh acted out by actors?

SPEAKER_10

I hope not.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I hope not.

SPEAKER_10

No, I just like a regular documentary, you know. Give me the you know, the restored clips, give me the remastered songs, you know, interview all the people from you know uh you know his sister to Andre Simone Moore's day, yeah, all the way up to you know Andy Allo or somebody.

SPEAKER_03

And maybe we'll see some unseen footage and hear some unheard music, yeah. You know, because according to what I've read, uh the original director, Ava DeVerney, had access to his archives.

SPEAKER_10

Yes.

SPEAKER_03

So what does that consist of? And and does the new director have access to the same same archive?

SPEAKER_10

Oh yeah, he was yeah, he was given the same same access.

SPEAKER_03

So basically took it over.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, and I think um, yeah, what they're what they're using, and I guess it depends on who you talk to, um, but especially like the video. So if there's a I don't know, say like a particular love sexy show, then you know, because this is now exclusive to the Netflix documentary, because they want you to subscribe so you can see there's something special, yeah, then you know the estate therefore can't release a Blu-ray of that particular love sexy show, right? Yeah, so as one example, but I think the last thing I heard was that the unreleased vault tracks, then yeah, the state can do what they want, but what they should do is, you know, once they get this negotiated, hey, if the estate wants to, you know, if it's an issue of money, then okay, you know, the estate should put out a comprehensive soundtrack, you know, two three discs of the stuff that's used in the documentary, you know, and try to negotiate, you know. Well, I'm giving away free advice, folks, but but yeah, you know, do you know, have exclusive rights or some kind of rights on the Blu-ray or DVD. I mean, you know, Netflix has to show up for however you know long of a period of time, but yeah, they should do that. Everybody wins, but that's if the estate called us or Netflix called us and said, you know, Russell, Richard, how should we sit, how should we settle this?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice if they could uh refer to the the fans. Yeah, you know, yeah. I think I think a lot could get accomplished if if they allowed the fans to have some input. Um, you know, because you've got you know these executives making these decisions and don't really know the history.

SPEAKER_10

Right, you know, and I'll say, you know, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, you know, probably, yeah, definitely Netflix doesn't know that, you know, they know about Prince, but I don't think they know them as deeply as, say, you know, the fan base, you know, or anybody that's worked with him.

SPEAKER_03

Um that would be my second recommendation, people that actually work with them, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Right. And then you have the director, you know, which when you're doing a documentary, obviously you have to be passionate about the subject, yeah, or else it doesn't work. So, but I believe in, like I said, his previous bodies of work. But then again, too, you know, you can have a bad day at the office, and I'm hoping that bad day at the office isn't this Prince documentary, exactly.

SPEAKER_03

Exactly. It's got to see the light of day, you know. They're they're calling it in limbo, whatever that means. It sounds like a holdup or postponement. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_10

So I guess if we were supposed to get a Christmas, we probably won't see it till next year.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Yeah, Christmas would be nice. I mean, I would love to be surprised to see this around Christmas time, you know, along with some other surprises that we aren't aware of. Yeah. All right, no call-ins yet. Anyone wants to call in, feel free. Uh 803-638-8311. Just talking about the Netflix fiasco. I think we've covered it all, pretty much. Trying to think if there's anything else.

SPEAKER_10

I think that's it. Like I said, I'm I'm curious as to you know who's in it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_10

And then, you know, you also have, I guess, a couple of people in the fan base that are at odds with the estate. I noticed you were announcing um uh the concert with the MPG and the time, and then that's gonna be at Paisley Park.

SPEAKER_08

Correct.

SPEAKER_10

So I'm you know, did they find a way to settle with Morris Day so he can use the name, or is because it's like, well, you're at Paisley Park, you can use the time name, but yeah, you that next concert you do tomorrow, you can't use that name anymore.

SPEAKER_03

Exactly. Exactly. I was curious about that too when I saw that flyer come out. I was like, what?

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Because at celebration, it wasn't Morris Staying the Time, it was Morris Dem.

SPEAKER_10

Right.

SPEAKER_03

Um, and other people, um MPG members, MPG members and the revamp time together on stage, yeah. Yeah. That'd be nice. Oh, by the way, did you did you I want to give a shout out to Funkatopia? Did you see Funkatopia last night?

SPEAKER_10

Uh yeah, I watched um I watched half of it. I gotta finish watching the second half, man. Jesse.

SPEAKER_03

All over the place, right?

SPEAKER_10

That's I love every time he does an interview, I have to check it out because it's it's you get you get some knowledge, yeah. Um, like I said, I love the stories, yeah, too. Yeah, I love the stories, and then you know, it's just I don't know. Sometimes I feel inspired, yeah. Sometimes I feel like, damn, I just don't want to make music anymore.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, he uh he brought up some scary stuff, but yeah, he really shed some light on things that I didn't know that went on. Yeah, they actually go on still. Um yeah, he was uh I think that thing went like two hours, two hours straight. He was he was he loves to talk.

SPEAKER_10

Oh yeah, yeah, I remember the uh the Quest Love interview from a few years ago. It was about damn ten years ago now.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I remember that one. Yeah, it was a it was a good interview. Um yeah, he was all over the place, and you know, he's he's got a lot of um he's got a lot of hostility, but good hostility. I can understand it, you know.

SPEAKER_10

Oh yeah, yeah. I think you know, I think, yeah, he's justified in how he feels. And I mean, I've got you know nothing negative to say, and I know a lot, you know, sometimes we kind of put Prince on that pedestal, but it's like again, he's he's human, you know, like the rest of us, you know, and for sure, like I said, who who doesn't have somebody that's you know at odds, you know, and being famous and rich doesn't have anything to do with it, it's just what it is, you know, friends, family, you know, who doesn't, you know, butt heads after a while.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03

All right, man. Well, you know, I think we've covered it all. Uh good conversation, good discussion on it. And hope hopefully, uh, you know, we'll we'll see the light of day. That's what I'm banking on anyway, crossing my fingers, saying my prayers, and we'll see something good come out of this.

SPEAKER_08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And we shall see.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, hope so. Like I said, it I don't know, you know, even with the controversy, I think it's still I think well, probably because of the controversy is still my most anticipated project.

SPEAKER_03

And yeah, and probably be probably more successful because of the controversy about it. Yeah. More people will tune in that weren't originally gonna tune in. Yeah, and hopefully, hopefully, uh the younger generation that that don't really know much about Prince will take note of it and get to see it.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, and I think it it takes something like that for, you know, because I think I think you know how you find music, it's organic anyway. But I you know, I'm hoping that, like I said, it's a good and balanced documentary, but the thing that's most important and should be front and center is the artistry, and maybe have those human elements, you know, kind of shed some understanding on what it took, you know, for us to get whatever, whether it's our favorite album, favorite song, favorite music video, you know, all of that is what it took to get to those various points in. Life and oh yeah, you know, and I hope that comes through for younger, you know, for younger generations.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I mean I would love to know more about you know how he worked in the studio from people that were there, from the stories that we haven't heard about how he worked in the studio, um his process, you know, things that we don't know.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, and it's a you know it's a blessing that we have, a lot of them still here. I mean, granted, there's no you know, no more vanity, yeah, no more Kim Upsher, yeah. Um, you know, big chick. I think, you know, given the years that have gone by, if he was still around, you know, the kind of stories, uh Wally, Stafford, you know people from the beginning, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

So that's why we we rely on people like Jesse, he was kind of there in the beginning. Um Morris, Andre. Yeah, so hopefully, definitely they will be included on this project. Yes, you can't do it without them, I don't think.

SPEAKER_10

No, no, I mean, because yeah, um grand century, yeah. I like to hear about those.

SPEAKER_03

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, hear about those days.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, bringing everybody from you know 78 to 2016. Yeah, let's hear it all.

SPEAKER_10

Third eye girl, you know, yep, yep, bringing them back too, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, Shelby. Yep, uh, you know, Morris Hayes, all those guys.

SPEAKER_10

Yeah, and you know, instead of again this division of the 80s versus you know, whatever period later, you know, the the beauty of it is that you have this wide range of experiences, and you know, he wasn't you know, an open book, you know. I mean, the fans are one thing not being an open book to us, but even the people that you know, no matter how close anyone got to him, there was still you know a piece or pieces of him that he kind of kept guarded, yeah. So nobody really truly knows him, but it's good to have this wide range of experience that helps us kind of connect the dots in a way, and again, you know, just show him as the person, not the superstar, you know, not the image, not the myth, but the person, and you know, have that music since probably anytime he was an open book, it was through whether it was just a a lyric or an entire song. Then maybe going back and listening to those things, you go, Oh wow! And those things will start having a deeper connection, right? And again, not just you know, us first and second generation fans, but the next generations coming up. So that's what I'd like to see is yeah, everybody from the beginning to the very end.

SPEAKER_03

That would make a complete documentary, yeah. All right, I think we nailed it, man. We went longer than I thought we were gonna go. I appreciate you coming on again. Lots of knowledge you always bring.

SPEAKER_10

Oh, always glad to be here. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, yes, sir, yes, sir. All right, man. I think we're gonna wrap it up and get on up out of here. But hopefully, um, you know, people that joined in, thanks for joining in. Hope you got something out of this. Thanks for your input, those that uh gave input tonight.

unknown

Yep.

SPEAKER_03

And we will wrap it up and say peace. We will see you on the next video. Live, love, dream, y'all. Later.