‘Prince’ Is Morris Day Book’s Co-Narrator: Read the First Pages
The advance press release for Morris Day's upcoming memoir promised the book would contain "unexpected twists."
Now that the first pages from On Time: A Princely Life in Funk have been made public, a distinctive approach is revealed: "Prince" serves as co-narrator for large sections of the story.
It's not actually Prince, but rather Day imagining how his longtime friend and musical partner would comment as the Time frontman tells his life story. With text from "Prince" appearing in italics, the duo trades wisecracks while engaging in spirited debates about exactly who deserves what credit and blame for their various collaborations and falling-outs.
Several dozen pages from the book are now available to read on Amazon, including the excerpt below. Early in On Time, Day envisions himself and Prince laying the ground rules for Prince's participation in the process.
(Prince) Then what r u gonna do about it?
(Day) Write about you, bro.
That means u'll b putting words in my mouth.
You'll give me those words.
But that means u get 2 make up & twist my words.
Promise I'll be true to you.
Still nervous about this whole situation. I don't like how u can write this thing up any way u wanna. U got a power I no longer have.
You ain't lost none of your power. I feel you. I know you.
Wrong. No one really knows me.
Shit, I know your silly ass as well as anyone. We been knowing each other since we were kids. I feel like you're part of me.
At other times, "Prince" and Day debate about the lack of bass on "When Doves Cry," Day's Purple Rain paycheck and much more. In an excerpt from the book's ending, things get more serious as Day recalls the duo's unusually warm final meeting: "You're not that much of a hugger, but you hugged me. I'm not that much of a hugger, but I hugged you. You don't usually talk that way, but you said 'I love you.' I don't usually talk that way but I said, 'Love you too, brother.' Did you know? Did you see ahead?"
Day declares that "writing this book has been both therapeutic and more rewarding for me than I ever could have imagined" in the book's acknowledgement section. He also thanks Prince "for challenging me, and for being the master of what you do. Man, I wish I could pick up the phone and just call you and see how you're doing."
On Time: A Princely Life in Funk arrives on Oct. 8.