"I don’t know how you can be around Prince and doubt the existence of God....You realize, 'Something else is going on here.'" - Craig Rice
After a month of anxiety, family emergencies and day-job assignments, I am back (for now). I can finally talk about my interview with Craig Rice. He was an assistant director on the Purple Rain film, road manager on the Purple Rain tour, and director for Prince's Paisley Park Enterprises. He also worked on Prince's Graffiti Bridge film.
It was a terrific interview. Rice provided a lot of insight into my topic. While some have questioned whether or not Prince had an actual struggle with the sacred and profane, Rice believed that the battle was real for Prince.
Rice also talked about Prince's relationship with his parents and his relationship with his "spiritual adviser," Larry Graham. He also shared an interesting fact about Prince and his now ex-wife Mayte's engagement.
Additionally, Rice revealed why he thought Graffiti Bridge could have been a "better film."
Unlike some of the other people I've interviewed, Rice said that he actually had conversations about spirituality and God with Prince. He also had an interesting point of view about the large number of spiritual people in Prince's camp.
Finally, Rice doesn't believe that Prince felt pressured to keep up his sexual image for his fans. I was really surprised by that.
This interview was definitely one of my best yet! Rice was kind enough to put me in touch with some other people who worked with Prince. I hope to share more interviews with you in the near future!
