Legendary pop star Prince played at the Roskilde festival over the weekend. If you are reading this today - aka the same day we've posted this article, 6th July 2010 - you are living in a rare moment: there are online videos of Prince playing at the festival.


Prince - 'Purple Rain' live at Roskilde 2010

We say "rare" because Prince and his management have a tendency to make sure not a skerrick of Prince's output lives online. (The man once sued a mother who had posted a video on YouTube of her child dancing in a living room - the child was dancing to Prince).

Now, according to UK's The Daily Mirror, he's gone one step further and announced that the internet is "completely over". And that his new album - which will be available exclusively with copies of the newspaper - won't be available online:

 "The internet's completely over. I don't see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won't pay me an advance for it, and then they get angry when they can't get it."

Unlike fans, Prince? You know, that aren't in the UK? The ones that will download ripped copies of your album for free just moments after the papers go out? You haven't thought this through have you?

He adds:

"The internet's like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers, and that can't be good for you."



Though rather lightweight, the interview Prince granted the Daily Mirror - and from which these quotes come - holds some fascinating insights. Journalist Peter Willis was granted access to Prince at his Paisley Park studios ("I'd envisaged a lavish purple palace at the end of a winding lane, but it turns out to be a huge white 70,000 square foot building, more like an industrial complex, on a busy main road,") where he jams with Prince, listens to his new album, and "parties" with his entourage at the purple guy's personal nightclub. Weirdness ensues:

It's lavishly kitted out with velvet circular sofas, a dancefloor and there's a stairway up to a balcony. On two huge screens, at least 20ft high, there are videos of him performing But where are the guests? And where's the bar? Of course, I remember, he's a strict teetotal vegan - when one of those backing singers wanders in, offering me a glass of still water.

She is closely followed by the other two, carrying trays of sliced melon and raw vegetables, which they place on a long table beside a large Bible. "Help yourself," says one.

Prince walks in with girlfriend Bria, in a shimmering full-length evening gown like she's at the Oscars. Twice married and divorced, he has been with the singer, who's almost half his age, for three years.

He produced her first solo album Elixer last year and she has become a Jehovah's Witness. He introduces her and she looks around and says: "Sorry, I think I'm a little overdressed!"

They pop out for a minute and return, with her proudly holding a food blender filled with a banana smoothie which they pour into glasses for themselves.

Yes. Best to clear the head of those bad "numbers", and leave the mind to melon, smoothies and...being a Jehovah's Witnesses. You know, those who believe that "those whom God chooses to save—survivors and resurrected individuals—will have the opportunity to live forever in an earthly paradise, ruled by Christ and 144,000 humans raised to heaven."

You just played to 120,000 sun-kissed Danes who love you so much that hundreds of them went home and uploaded videos of you playing guitar and singing online. Apart from the whole "living forever" thing (though you do suspiciously still look about 29), you're pretty much Christ in this scenario Prince. May as well enjoy.

Read the entire article at mirror.co.uk

Ps: Michael Jackson asked Prince to sing on his single 'Bad'. Prince declined. Amazing.