REVOLUTIONS PER MOVIE 'PURPLE RAIN' w/ Katherine Yeske Taylor
This week, we talk to journalist and author KATHERINE YESKE TAYLOR (She’s A Badass: Women In Rock Shaping Feminism) about the much-requested film PURPLE RAIN!!! We get to discuss Katherine’s start at interviewing bands at age 16 and fighting against her highschool newspaper to do so, how she put her book together (interviewing Suzie Quatro to Lydia Lunch to Death Valley Girls), seeing Purple Rain in a movie theater vs. seeing it at home on VHS, how the First Avenue (the lengendary music club in Minneapolis) is such a strong character in the film, the cultural saturation of Prince at this time, the genesis of the film getting made, Prince’s complete artistic control & how he did not talk to the press for over 2 years after the film came out, Prince’s un-finished first film The Second Coming with director Chuck Statler (director of Devo, Elvis Costello and The Time videos), jamming a movie into a 3 1/3 minute music video during the early 80s, Morris Day’s film stealing performance and his post-Purple Rain career, the acting stylings of Prince and his band, the confusing plot point of the bands playing only one song at a time at the club in this movie, the competitive nature of bands, the managment of the club telling Prince not bring his personal shit up onto the stage (when that’s all he does!), seeing performers have a meltdown on stage, how much of the movie’s storyline doesn’t work for modern audiences, the difference between the sexuality of this film vs. his albums, how Prince was also a champion for women in music when men weren’t, Wendy & Lisa, When Doves Cry, the final freeze frame of the film & the guitar climax that leading up to it, Whitesnake, how Prince followed up Purple Rain with some of his most esoteric work to date & how at the age of twenty-six Prince already knew that he did not want to do Purple Rain 2!
So let’s whip our heads quickly towards the camera, and then let’s go crazy on this week’s episode of Revolutions Per Movie!!
KATHERINE YESKE TAYLOR:
@kyt_in_nyc
REVOLUTIONS PER MOVIE:
Host Chris Slusarenko (Eyelids, Guided By Voices, owner of Clinton Street Video rental store) is joined by actors, musicians, comedians, writers & directors who each week pick out their favorite music documentary, musical, music-themed fiction film or music videos to discuss. Fun, weird, and insightful, Revolutions Per Movie is your deep dive into our life-long obsessions where music and film collide.
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