[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEoBaZGX2Wg[/youtube]
Knowing they were as good as they were, the Time began to rebel against Prince’s attempts to control their albums, and even where they could play live—especially since the feeling was that he kept them out of certain cities so as not to risk being outshone.
“After a while, it was like, ‘You guys can’t do New York, you can’t do L.A.,” Day says. “There were a lot of issues starting to brew behind the scenes.”
In other words, the rivalry dramatized in Purple Rain was real, even if the movie presented a very subjective view of it. But whatever issues existed, he is still proud of the music they’ve made. “Even though some of it was fun stuff, it was definitely cutting edge,” he says. “We worked so hard as musicians, and strayed way out, cause pop music was so simple.”
And though they’ve had their ups and downs, Day and Prince still have a relationship. “We’re not, like, buddies, but it’s not like ‘How’s the family?’” says Day, referring to the famous stone-cold put-down scene in Purple Rain. “When we see each other, we’re always cool.”
Unlike many of his fellow funksters, Day isn’t surprised at all to be invited to what is at its core still a jazz festival. “”Back in the day, when we were putting this together as kids, we studied a lot of jazz,” he says. “A lot of grooves we strike, there’s some similarities.”
Morris Day & The Time perform Friday, Aug. 10 at 8:30pm at San Jose Jazz’s Summer Fest at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose. For ticket info, go here.
.Summer Fest Preview: Morris Day & The Time
