ALAN LEEDS - THE QUESTIONS, THE ANSWERS & MORE BESIDES...
Alan Leeds IS cool.
You might expect a guy who has spent the better part of the last three decades hanging around rock royalty to be egotistical and unapproachable. But, Alan Leeds is generous, warm hearted, and real. He is so incognito, so chilled, he is more like your best friend from college. He has no need to boast or get puffed up, he's seen it all...the fans, the groupies, the superstar ego tantrums, the paparazzi, the bright lights, the cities, the drama, ad nauseum.
Simply listing just a few of the names in the social circles Leeds floated in over the years reads like a proverbial who's who of popular culture: James Brown, Jean Michel Basquiat Kid Creole, George Clinton, Parliament/Funkadelic, KISS, Prince, Bootsy Collins, Sheila E., D'Angelo, Maxwell, Renee Neufville, Raphael Saadiq and Meshell N'degeocello.
Raphael Saadiq, Jerome Benton & Alan Leeds at the Grammy Jam in L.A. 2004:
© Alan Leeds
Leeds managed Prince’s tours from 1983 through to 1990's Nude tour as well as helping co-ordinate movies, one-off shows, recording sessions, rehearsals - you name it, he was more than likely involved in some way with it. In 1990 Alan moved from being tour and production manager to studio executive and personal assistant and came off the road to run Prince's multi-million dollar studio complex Paisley Park. Leeds took a break from his almost ten year stint with Prince in 1992 and currently manages D'angelo amongst many others. Oh, and did I mention his brother Eric? He plays one mean saxaphone you know....
Dr Fink & Eric Leeds Family Jamm soundcheck 2003: 
© Heaven Productions
Today, Leed's reputation as a trustworthy manager and superstar networker in the music industry precedes him. He is helping to guide the careers of R&B artists such as Maxwell, D'Angelo, Raphael Saadiq, and The Roots who have emerged on the tour scene in the last decade. They look to Leeds for his experience, knowledge and wisdom, hoping to be led down the same path as James Brown and Prince. Leeds has become a legendary music figure in his own right and is still leading the way.
Over the past couple of weeks, Alan Leeds has sat down and poured over the 20 best questions and answered them to the very best of his ability. I know for a fact that he dedicated a substantial part of his personal time to do this for both us and the Prince community at large, and approached it (as you yourselves will see) as a fellow music fan. So I would personally like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank him for not only doing so (and doing so with such dedicated vigour!) but also for graciously supplying us with numerous photos from his own personal collection.
Alan & Lisa Coleman - 2004:
© Alan Leeds
Congratulations to Orger JimmyNothing - whos question was chosen by Alan as his personal favourite. In the spirit of Christmas Alan has very kindly delved into his personal archives and donated something really special as a prize, I'll let Alan explain further:
'It's a one-of-a-kind, professionally dry mounted color print of a 1988 photo. While it could be framed, obviously the dry mount negates the need and it can be handsomely displayed as-is. It was originally part of a promo shoot and the photographer had several original prints dry mounted for us personally. It measures 14" x 11", has sharp, vivid color and looks a lot better than in my scan. Fact is, it's genuinely one-of-a-kind.'
Many congratulations Keith! 
Merry Christmas to
reading this in our diverse Prince community, enjoy.
BananaCologne x
PS: Alan's answer to Question 18 is very, VERY cool 
First of all, I'd like to thank Prince.Org and its many members for keeping the faith. That such an active and provocative site has thrived for so long is a testimony to Prince's lasting value as an artist and the loyalty of the myriad fans he's touched through the years. The music fan in me sees it as an honor to share my thoughts. The questions I was submitted proved thoughtful and, in some cases, inspiring. The process of thinking about the answers is tantamount to sitting around a living room kicking around "old times" with dear friends...
QUESTION 1:
Firstly, it's an honour. Having been in the music biz for a few years myself and a fellow funky music fan for as long as I can remember, I can only image the historical music moments you witnessed and the fires you had to put out (I also managed musicians, so I totally empathize with you here). You've also written some of the most informative liner notes I've ever read, not only for Prince, but for countless other artists. You're truly a great musical historian.
With all of this in mind... Have you ever thought of writing a book about all of your experiences? Each chapter could be about a different artist or time in your career. Just a thought. I would certainly cherish a book like that!
Thanks!
(Orger: tbag)
Thanks for the kudos. I think my awe of those who create great music is what drove me into the music business in the first place and I've been very blessed to cross paths with many wonderful artists. In a sense, my career has been that of the ultimate fan because most of the artists I've been fortunate enough to work with are the very artists of whom I'd be fans of anyway. Yes, not only have I thought about writing a book but I'm about two-thirds finished with a memoir that basically covers my early years, particularly with James Brown. The sub-text of the memoir is the oddity of finding myself - a young white fan - ensconced in the r&b world of the "chitlin' circuit" during an era when racial politics (IE civil rights, Viet Nam etc.) seemed to inflict itself into every aspect of our society. It was an exciting, liberating period of our history and to have found myself in the middle of it, from the perch of The Godfather of Soul, was a singular experience. There have been several decent books that touch on that era, Peter Guralnick's Sam Cooke biography is an excellent example, but never a book from one who was actually on the inside. My goal is to capture the flavor and excitement of the period and hopefully give the reader at least a touch of how invigorating it was. I'm not interested in doing any "tell all" books that cheapen or exploit the unique access I've had to artists. But there are other book ideas floating around in my head and if God and personal responsibilities ever provide me enough time, maybe I'll get one of them finished.
QUESTION 2:
Without out a doubt, Prince is one of the all time greats and a unique artist without peer, yet it seems as if his back catalog, as well as existing concert footage/music videos is far from getting the royal treatment that has been given to other artists such as Bowie, Springsteen, Madonna, Michael Jackson,and The Beatles, etc. If it were up to you, what would be done to preserve Prince's legacy in terms of unreleased material, and re-mastering / re-releasing his existing albums and so forth?
(Orger: skywalker)
From a fan's viewpoint, the state of Prince's archive is a travesty. Unfortunately, Warner Brothers and Prince seem to share a lack of vision when it comes to legacy material. Of course their on-going legal differences don't help matters. From a musicologist's (note the lower case - no pun intended) point of view, all of his classic albums should be available in remastered form with relevant bonus cuts and detailed liner notes. While the "Hits" 3 CD set was a welcome release, it should have been expanded into a proper box set with alternate takes, unissued material and, perhaps, some illustrative "live" tracks. I enjoyed doing the liner notes for the "Hits" package and Prince was very helpful and supportive during the writing process. But an expanded booklet (big enough to be legible without a magnifying glass) could have also contained essays from band members, recording engineers, if not the man himself. I also believe a "Prince Live" career retrospective could make for a phenomenal box set. He had so many significant gigs professionally recorded that one could easily document every phase of his career with terrific concert material. Packaged with dignity, such a set could go a long way towards, once and for all, cementing Prince's place alongside the musical giants of our lifetime. Unfortunately, all of these 'projects' would require a great deal of cooperation between Prince and Warner Brothers - something that doesn't seem the least bit likely.
QUESTION 3:
Can you please share with us one anecdote from your time working with Prince (which you don't think you've widely shared before in print) that you think will surprise or amuse us?
(Orger: langebleu)
I'm asked this a lot. I can't remember if I've shared this story before, but I frequently reflect on a conversation Prince and I had in Studio A at Paisley Park around 1988. As a tour manager, I prided myself on having made the transition from the old school music business of a briefcase and an ounce of pot into the new school of computerized stage production, E-Mail and cell phones. The business had changed from a think-on-your-feet ‘street’ world into an increasingly sophisticated corporate entity. I had seen a lot of my old road pals from the 70's drop by the wayside, grumbling the proverbial "things ain't what they used to be". I was grateful to have been young enough to adapt. But this conversation with Prince showed me I still had a ways to go! He had just spent the entire day in the studio creating still another funky masterpiece - I can't remember the song, it might have been something for "Lovesexy". Of course we were accustomed to him doing that. It wasn't unusual for Prince to show up at Paisley around 11 in the morning, gradually work his way through his mail, business matters that demanded his attention and finally into the studio an hour or two later. Sometimes he had a song in mind - perhaps a lyric he'd written the night before. Sometimes he turned on the tape and just let things flow. But it never ceased to amaze me that on any given day, by 6 or 7 PM he'd have a new song damn near finished! On this particular day, he called my office and said, "Hey, come downstairs a minute - I've got something to play for you." Such calls weren't rare but he seldom volunteered to play something unless he was truly excited about it, so I raced to the studio. When he would play something new for you, he'd often dance around the studio, illustrating the songs nuances or emphasize certain parts by singing along in your ear so you wouldn't miss a lyric. On this day, by the third time through the high volume playback, he began shouting his concept for a video clip! I was astounded - not only had he created the song from scratch in a single day but he already had a video concept! After the playback stopped he saw the puzzled look on my face and quizzed me about it. I said, "I can't believe you already have a video in mind". In retrospect, it was hardly the most profound statement in the world, but it was an awakening for me - a reminder that the more experience one has in the music business, the more one's liable to get stuck in their ways of thinking. It was an eye-opener for me that served me well a couple years later when I gave up the tour manager role in order to take the helm of Paisley Park Records.
He responded somewhat snidely, "Alan, don't you get it? These kids today don't hear music like we do! They have to SEE music. That's what MTV has done. I have to think that way."
QUESTION 4:
What was your view of Alex Hahn's book, Possessed, which featured many quotes from you - did you find it an accurate depiction of the behind the scenes events in Prince's life?
(Orger: NightGod)
I think Alex Hahn's "Possessed" is the best Prince book of its kind to date. Alex devoted a ton of time and labor to get things as accurate as possible. I recognize that any Prince fan (including myself) can quibble with Alex's personal feelings about Prince and his music but that's what makes being a fan (and the book) so much fun! The book did get a little sketchy in the latter years, probably because Alex ran out of reliable sources. Those who have intimate knowledge of Prince's activities from the mid-1990's onward were either unavailable or unwilling to offer Hahn much insight. I do think that any discussion of Prince books should include a nod to Per Nilsen for his tireless efforts to document the raw statistics of Prince's recordings, tours and day-to-day chronology. Nilsen's books will live forever as THE references on those subjects.
QUESTION 5:
Hello Mr Leeds,
Do you despair at the state of music now? With the exception of some true talent that is making music now, there really is nothing around. Who do you think will be the next big thing - who looks promising?
Many thanks,
Nichola
(Orger: Nichola)
Music today?!?! That's a more complicated subject than it should be. There is wonderful music being made today by wonderful artists. But there are several other factors that effect our awareness of it and our access to it. Unfortunately, the "evolution" of the music BUSINESS doesn't encourage that. It's equally significant that music plays a somewhat different role in today's cultural landscape than it did 30 years ago. Compared to today, the access to music 30 years ago was limited to radio, records, concerts and the mere handful of television programs that hosted the artists we favored. In plain language, it took a lot longer to get tired of a record or a musical style because we weren't assaulted with it everywhere we went. Music also did not have the competition in the marketplace that it has today. We didn't have computer games, cell phones, DVD players to bring movies into the home, and hundreds of 24 hour cable TV outlets to (a) occupy our time, (b) attract our dollars, and (c) offer alternative access to music. Today we hear contemporary music everywhere we go - in the stores we shop, our ring tones, video game soundtracks, movie soundtracks and even the airplane headphones when we travel. In this age of rabid competition for the entertainment dollar and youngsters who have to "see" music, not just hear it (see Question 3), music has become like wallpaper. Music today is a constant and visual soundtrack to our lives....as opposed to something we have to seek out and appreciate with our ears and imaginations. To all but the diehard music fans, listening to music has become an almost subliminal exercise. The result of all of this changing culture is a music industry that has forgotten how to creatively market anything "left of center" and can no longer afford to take chances on artists and music that don't lend themselves to ring tones and the red carpet. All of this to say, the changes have been sad but inevitable. If you want to attack today's music, you have to attack today's mainstream culture and that's a hopeless (and pointless) task. Meanwhile, support your record stores! Look behind the displays in the front of the store and don't be afraid to go beyond your usual categories. It's so arrogant to call anything non-western "World Music", but go there anyway. The same technological shrinking of the globe that has hurt the American music scene, has brought new ideas and influences to other cultures. Some of the most exciting music today is in languages other than English. And God forbid we actually learn something about cultures other than ours. Isn't that what white Americans did in the 1950's and 1960's when they discovered soul music? There is some terrific music hiding in the bins deep inside your record store - you gotta spend the time to dig - but it's there.
First of all, the genres of music that my generation holds dear - r&b, funk, rock, jazz, salsa etc. - have all been DEFINED. Unlike the 1960's and 1970's when many of these music forms were being INVENTED before our eyes, today those forms and basic styles have been pretty much been explored. There are only so many notes, chords and rhythms...and only so many ways to combine them into song. It's pretty much all been done. On the other hand, the wild card is the individuality of the artist and the countless ways to mix these genres and develop music with a fresh flavor. That's where new music comes in. As long as artists keep their work honest and personal, there's going to be stimulating new music.
QUESTION 6:
When was the last time you spoke to Prince - did you part company amicably?
(Orger: metalorange)
I've spoken to Prince briefly a couple of times when he visited shows on tours I managed such as Maxwell and D'Angelo. While I've heard from mutual business associates that he wasn't pleased about any of his former employees cooperating with Alex Hahn's book project, in 1992 Prince and I certainly parted company amicably. By then, Prince's differences with Warner Brothers had infected everything we were trying to accomplish with Paisley Park Records. It became clear to me that Prince's frustration had turned into confusion about what to expect from the label. Realistically, the label's mandate was always unclear. What WAS clear was that Prince wasn't taking the responsibility to produce competitive records and turn the label around. As a result, Warner Brothers' support and confidence waned and I was caught between a rock and a hard place - understanding the very real frustrations and agendas on both sides. I could see it was never going to work. Meanwhile, Prince was developing some creative and innovative ideas for alternative marketing - in effect, wanting to release records that bypassed Warner Brothers and the standard industry pipeline. Despite what he thought, I sympathized with Prince and found some of his ideas fresh and challenging. Unfortunately, it was also my job to remind him that he was about 5 years ahead of time (personal computers and internet usage wasn't yet commonplace) and that there was a legal obligation to Warner Brothers and the funding they had provided Paisley Park Records - not to mention a contract! We agreed to disagree and parted ways. However, I was happy to get a call a couple years later to consult on a brief Japanese tour - help negotiate the promoter deal, put a crew together and baby sit logistics. And, of course, I was called on for the "Hits" project. I have nothing but fond memories of my 10 "purple" years and my life was forever changed by the experience and knowledge I was afforded by being part of his world.
QUESTION 7:
Since you managed Prince's tours from some the highest points of his career, what were some of the extremes girls went to try and get to Prince at his hotel?
(Orger: Astasheiks)
Strangely enough, girls weren't the "problem" on tour one might think. In part due to the efficient security we carried and our extremely detailed relationships with hotels, travel agents, club managers and venues. We carefully orchestrated his discreet comings and goings and made every effort to secure as much privacy as humanly possible. So despite his sexy reputation, Prince wasn't often accessible to the typical groupies who regularly hounded artists. He might extend himself to meet a seemingly interesting young lady at a club but let's not forget that he tended to tour with ‘in house’ female companions so there was nary a lonely night.
QUESTION 8:
Hiya! Thank you for doing this, it's a nice gesture on your part.
My question is about Kylie Minogue. I understand there is a song called "Babydoll" that Prince wrote either for or with Kylie, could you please tell me if he wrote it for her or with her, if this was ever actually recorded?
Thanx again!
(Orger: MonEl)
Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, I'm of no help at all on this one. I have no knowledge about the song or Prince's collaboration with Kylie.
QUESTION 9:
Dear Mr.Leeds,
Knowing that you were the road manager for Prince, James Brown and others, the list is impressive, working with those talented, diverse artists. My questions are and I'll try to be breif: you write the liner notes to all James Brown's cd's, etc., is Universal/Polydor planning new, unissued live J.B. cd's in the near future? The Godfather of Funk in concert is the real deal. I hope someday U Music will release the complete show in Zaire, Africa 1974, the Rumble in the Jungle.1974 I think is Brown's most productive period.
(Orger: DarylB)
Universal does not own the tapes of the much bootlegged 1974 James Brown concert in Zaire. Hopefully the owners will someday negotiate a proper release of this great show. However, I'll jump the gun a bit and share what we hope will soon become exciting news. 2006 may see the official DVD release of two recently discovered James Brown concert videos from 1966 and 1967. Both are complete shows and are the earliest known videos of actual Brown concerts. (Only the T.A.M.I. Show and several brief TV appearances precede them). Suffice-it-to-say the shows are historically fascinating and musically thrilling. There have also been conversations about issuing official DVD's of Brown's 1968 Boston and 1971 Paris shows - both of which have also been widely bootlegged. For several years we have kicked around the idea of a "STARTIME LIVE" box set, comprising both well known and previously unissued concert material. The powers-to-be at Universal have yet to give this ambitious project the green light so keep your fingers crossed.
QUESTION 10:
How did meet Prince? What was your first meeting like?
(Orger: slm4m)
I met Prince in early, 1983. I had been managing a KISS tour which was winding down. It turned out that production manager, Tom Marzullo, split his time between Kiss and Prince's 1999 Tour which had also been on the road for several months. Marzullo asked me if I'd be interested in the Prince gig since they'd been through several tour managers without success. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I left the Kiss tour after a show in Phoenix and joined Prince in San Diego. (Ironically, their next show was back in Phoenix and the same limo company that had carried Kiss was hired to pick up the Prince entourage two days later. The look of confusion on the driver's face when I met him in baggage claim was priceless). I didn't know a soul in the Prince camp besides Marzullo but was quickly introduced to manager Steve Fargnoli and bodyguard Big Chick (Huntsberry). I was quickly warned not to approach Prince - to wait until he spoke to me. After a quick, introductory shake of the hands, we didn't speak more than 4 or 5 words a day for at least a week. Any question I needed answered was funneled through Chick or Steven. At one point I needed to review some hotel choices for upcoming cities and wanted to get Prince's input in case he had any favorites in those areas. So I asked Chick to tell Prince I needed to see him. After I explained my reason, Chick replied, "Buddy, don't do that. If you ask him about hotels he'll only think you don't know what you're doing. That's what he hired you for." It was beginning to occur to me why Prince went through so many tour managers. A couple of weeks passed without incident. Then one night, after a show, I was in a hotel lounge with most of the Revolution when we spotted Prince and Chick walking towards our table. As luck would have it, the one empty seat was next to me and Prince dropped himself into it. I got up and motioned to Chick to take my seat but he waved me off. Suddenly all of the spontaneity at the table disappeared as even the veteran band members waited to see where Prince might take the conversation. Instead, without any greeting or political nicety, Prince simply turned to me and said, "tell me some James Brown stories". And that opened up ten years of more conversations than I dare to remember - LOL.
