Former Time guitarist says Prince 'hurt me to my soul' at Paisley Park event
Jesse Johnson, a guitarist who, as a member of the Time, worked with Prince during the height of his fame, chose an interesting place and time to air some of his long-running beefs against the Purple One.
During an interview Thursday night at Celebration 2019, a four-day Prince tribute at Paisley Park featuring live music, Johnson let loose about the star's refusal to give him proper recognition during their time together.
According to the Pioneer Press, the guitarist told the interviewer — with a crowd looking on — that a "lot of things (Prince) did … hurt me to my soul,” hinting that Prince "never paid him what he deserved" and wouldn't let him play guitar "when they jammed together."
The paper says the comments "quickly turned into a long, rambling monologue," with Johnson remarking, "Would I have come here if (Prince) was alive? Probably not.”
This is not the first time the musician's grievances against Prince have gone public, and his addition to the Celebration 2019 lineup apparently caused some controversy.
In fact, City Pages recently received a compromising audio recording of Johnson trash-talking Prince, with a note that the paper should "hold Paisley Park accountable" for its decision to include the guitarist in the festivities.
As the magazine notes, Johnson — apparently unaware he was being recorded — can be heard in the tape saying that Prince "f----- me over, took money out of my pocket, robbed my kids."
Additionally, he also says he doesn't "have that same kind of love and s--- that y’all do” for the late star.
Despite Johnson's unusual interview at Paisley Park, he's getting a lot of praise for not only his candidness, but also the live performance he gave afterwards:
Celebration 2019, which kicked off Thursday, runs through Sunday, April 28.
