Prince, 10 Years Later: Jon Bream on the Artist Behind the Legend

Minnesota Star Tribune music critic Jon Bream knew Prince before the world did — before the first album, before the fame, before he became an icon. In this episode of Essential Minnesota, Bream looks back on a decades-long relationship with Prince, including its highs and its lows – and a particular time when he was banned from Prince’s club after a bad review. Bream also reflects on Prince’s legacy and what’s become of his unreleased work 10 years after his death.

00:00 “I was the only person Prince couldn’t fire”
00:16 Ten years after Prince’s death
01:40 What a music critic’s job used to look like
03:27 The first time Jon Bream met Prince
07:02 Prince before fame: shy, guarded and under pressure
10:00 Did anyone know how big Prince would become?
14:13 Why Prince became a once-in-a-generation star
17:46 What Paisley Park was really like
20:12 Jon Bream’s strange relationship with Prince
23:44 The review that made Prince furious
28:58 The Prince Jon saw change later in life
30:36 Where Jon was when Prince died
35:27 The vault, the estate and the unreleased music
39:38 Jon Bream on remembering Prince

More from Essential Minnesota: https://www.startribune.com/essential-minnesota/601583462
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