Prince and Me: His #1 Fan, My Minneapolis Memories

By Andrea Foy

An eye-witness account into the outer circle of His Royal Badness, a fun, flirty, emotional odyssey roller coaster ride. From Paisley Parties to concerts all over the world, Andrea chronicles yet another personal side of an enigmatic legend of funk and rock and roll. It is original, unique and heartfelt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andrea Foy
• Release date: Feb 28, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370210190

Andrea Foy

A Certified John Maxwell Speaker, Coach, and Teacher, Andrea has personally been trained by her mentor, Dr. John C. Maxwell and an elite team of world-renowned coaches, including motivational speaker Les Brown. An Advanced Leader and Speaker with Toastmaster’s International, (ACS/ALS) she contributed to its first book and was honored to showcase her contribution on stage at their 2013 International Convention. Andrea is a prolific non-fiction author, with three books of her own and 11 coauthored works. She offers workshops and seminars on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership, Personal Safety for Women, and The Personal Success Strategic Plan. If you are looking for a dynamic speaker, host, emcee or facilitator for your next event, seminar, retreat or conference contact Andrea’s office today for booking information by emailing [e-mail].

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PRINCE AND ME: HIS #1 FAN

MY MINNEAPOLIS MEMORIES

By ANDREA FOY

NOTICE: You Do NOT Have the Right to Reprint or Resell this Book!

You Also MAY NOT Give Away, Sell or Share the Content Herein

Copyright © 2015 by Andrea Foy

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2015

ISBN:

Cover by Fiverr/zebastiann

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my two author friends; (They know who they are) who gave me the courage to publish this book. I had written two books and almost a dozen collaborations but nothing on my love of Prince. In 2014, at a book signing, I told them a random story about Prince while we were setting our books up.

While living in Minneapolis in the 90’s, I kept a journal of every encounter I had as a fan of Prince. After every show or party, I would come home and write down every detail, time, what he did, what he wore, who he talked to. I purchased my first computer to record it and keep it safe and secure. The journal was password protected! Each time I talked about Paisley Parties, ACT I Tour, life as a Prince fan, and my extensive collection of memorabilia; anyone listening would encourage me to put it in a book.

One friend said,

Why is this not in a book?

I revealed a book did indeed exist, but I was afraid to publish it. I didn’t want him coming after me. My other friend said,

Why wouldn’t you want him coming after you, you have no money or anything, and… he’d find you!

We laughed so hard and for so long, I am sure the people walking by wondered what was wrong with us.

I emailed an entertainment lawyer my publisher knew who told me as long as I told the story as I remembered it and injured no one’s reputation (paraphrased, it was more legal than that) I could write it. I thought about the books published about him, he didn’t sue those authors and decided my story was too good not to share. I injure no one, and it is not conjectured or embellished. It is all here, 100% of the things happened with witnesses to verify what happened. And besides, I‘m poor! So here, my gift to you. I am Prince’s biggest fan, and I am here to prove my argument! I hope you like it!

Disclaimer

I write most of this book as if I was alone when events happened. I wasn’t, there were many witnesses to every story I tell. I also refer to people as my ‘friend.’ This is my interpretation of Do not injure. I haven’t been in contact with many of the people I knew since 2002. I don’t know if they want their involvement recorded. They know they were there and experienced it all as I did. Besides, it’s my story, and I am sticking to it! They have stories too and can write them if they want.

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

PART I – THE 90s

PART II – FLASHBACKS

PART III – THE_PARTIES

PART IV – TWEET MEMORIES

PART V – EPILOUGE

THE COLLECTION 1978-2016

PROLOGUE

The day the music died, and my heart stopped…

I have never contemplated a day that Prince would not be in my life. Even from the years 2002-2015 when I wasn’t in Minneapolis, not thinking about him all the time, I still never thought there would be a day that he died. I knew it would happen eventually, my friends and I would always joke about Prince being the old guy in the club. We would see him in his 60s and 70s still trying to get at all of the young girls coming in the club, telling them.

Do you who I am? My name is Prince, and I am funky!

We used to laugh at that image of him all the time.

On April 21, 2016, my whole life was turned upside down. I was in training for work that morning. Sometimes God does know what’s the best for you because I wasn’t able to get my phone until about 1:30. When I turned on the phone, it almost jumped out of my hand with notes and messages from people calling me.

Are you okay?

Did you hear?

I’m so sorry.

I was kind of worried, the first thing I thought about was my mother, my brother or another family member was in trouble, and then I saw the tweet from my best friend from Minneapolis that said.

I just can’t…

That was really weird, I called her immediately, and she was crying. She is a person I’ve known for over 20 years and never heard or seen her cry before.

What’s going on?

I don’t know, I don’t know.

My mother buzzed in, she told me the bad news;

Are you sure?

Yes, they just confirmed it on TV.

I broke down in the car and don’t remember getting to my Mom’s house. Most of the rest of that day was a blur. I remember talking one of his former dancers on the phone and staying at my mom’s house that night just lying on the couch watching the wall-to-wall coverage again and again.

Around the first of April, Prince posted on Twitter that he had the flu. That same week he was supposed to go Atlanta but on the day of the concert he canceled. We found out later that he actually went to a doctor. The next week he went to do the concert, and the reviews indicated it was perfect. He did two shows, he sounded great, he looked great. There was bootleg footage online. On the plane home, he complained of stomach pains and then passed out. There was an emergency landing. Rumors of ODing on Percocet and going to the hospital. He didn’t want to stay at hospital supposedly because he couldn’t get a private room and went back to Minneapolis. That next day he was tweeting, and he had a party that night with only 200 people showing up to show them a beautiful grand piano and a new guitar. He said that he couldn’t sing because the doctor wouldn’t let him, but he was okay. He was seen bike riding; he went to record store in Minneapolis. He went to the Dakota to see a jazz band and on Wednesday night he was seen outside a Walgreens. He was supposedly dropped off at 8 o’clock by someone and then somehow over in the night… he went into the elevator…

So now facing life without Prince… not very many people understand what it’s like. They think He’s just a singer why are you so depressed? It’s not like he’s a family member. To me and many other people he actually was.

My father died 2010 and my grandmother in 2011. It is one thing to be with family and grieve privately, but it’s another to have someone present in my life since I was 13 years old, that I knew, and I talked to and danced with and was tweeting with. To hear the attack that they put on him right after his death with all the drugs and everything is very hard to take. How he probably laid in the elevator for six hours that before no one discovered him. I admit things like that very hard to read and this is stuff like that is not easy is a different type of grief when you know a person so different, so kind. It is disrespectful to see people who don’t know him at all just pretending they know based on something somebody told them was really difficult.

So now I have to merge this new reality with the book that I had already written in 2015 but was afraid to publish because I didn’t want to hurt him and get him upset with me. Now I have to get it out because I believe people do need to know this side of him, especially in light of the portrait they are trying to paint of him in his death, and he can’t defend himself. The rest of this book now appears the original way I wrote it I did not edit too much of it, but now you know the rest of the story.

PART I

INTRODUCTION

''All of this and more is for you,

With love,

Sincerity

And deepest care,

My life with you

I share... ''

For You-Prince Rogers Nelson. 1978

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MY FIRST TRIP TO MINNEAPOLIS

I became a flight attendant and moved to Atlanta in January 1991. I was assigned my first layover in Minneapolis the day after my 28th birthday in February 1992. I didn’t request it. It just happened. What a present! What a premonition! I never thought to visit Minneapolis on my off days, so I guess God sent me there on ‘business trip.’

The temperature was in the 20’s when I arrived in downtown Minneapolis for the first time. So cold in fact, I planned to stay in the hotel, happy I was in his city. Like many people I didn’t believe he lived there. I figured he had a home and some family ties but lived in LA, so I decided against looking for him. It was just too darn cold, and I was leaving early the next morning. I looked in the white pages under Nelson. It was one of the most common surnames in the phone book, so my brilliant idea of guessing relatives did not work. I knew his mother had something to do with the school system, and he had step/half-siblings somewhere. The more I thought about him, the more restless I became. I decided to go for a short brisk walk around the hotel and look for something to eat and revel in his hometown. I thought about doing the Mary Tyler Moore show hat toss but realized it would be lame. I did not know I was around the corner from where she actually tossed it for the TV show.

I stopped at the front desk to inquire about food and was distracted by a hiring event held by American Express in the ballroom of the hotel. As I looked into the Ballroom, a woman who turned out to be my ‘first guardian angel’ waved me over, it was weird. She talked me into interviewing on the spot; in a Prince sweatshirt, jeans and tennis shoes, no less. I didn’t even have a resume. I have not had this experience before or since. They must have needed a lot of people or ‘Someone’ wanted me up there. (God is good). I left the event about an hour later and returned to the lobby to get dinner and find my Prince.

There was an African-American hotel worker the corner smiling at me, who not doubt saw my Purple Pain Tour sweatshirt. As soon as I turned to leave, the employee offered me my ultimate fantasy.

Are you looking for Prince’s place?

Now, that got my attention. Prince’s place was GLAM SLAM, one of the several nightclubs, he opened from Miami to LA to Tokyo in the early 1990s. Gilbert Davison his, bodyguard-turned-manager-turned-CEO-of-Paisley-Park, secretly owned the club, and Prince had reportedly spent close to 2 million on it, plus it was dedicated to him.

Why, yes! I answered. I forgot about dinner.

I’ll take you.

We set out for GLAM SLAM. I settled back in the seat of the hotel van, expecting a long drive. The driver made three or four turns downtown. It was just a few blocks from the hotel. Not even enough time to get a good conversation going, though he gave me some good advice.

Just go in and tell them you are a flight attendant, here for the night and just wanted to visit the store.

‘The store! I didn’t even know there was a store!’

When you’re finished, call for me, or a taxi to come and get you. He continued. I thanked him and jumped out of the van.

GLAM SLAM!

I stood there to take in the view. It was about 8 o’clock on a weeknight when I got there so it was empty. Admission was $10. I went up to the doorman and repeated what my second ‘guardian angel’ said. It worked! He let me in for free, even pointing out the store right across the room from the front door. I could not believe my luck.

GLAM SLAM MPLS was two stories tall at least, capacity was 1200 or 1500. Just to the left of the door as you entered was the coat check. Next to it was an area dubbed ‘The Adams Family Room.’ It had couches and tables in rich dark jewel tones and with ramps leading up to it on the either side. On the other side of the Adam’s Family area was the store. Inside there were items you could buy like; jewelry, Tic Tacs with the GLAM SLAM logo on them, T-shirts, etc. Prince’s outfits and other stuff were hanging on the walls.

A door right outside the store led upstairs to a ‘Members Only’ floor. Across from