“Prince was a hyper-religious person and a non-conventional religious person.” 

Back in May I had the pleasure of interviewing actress and singer Carole R. Davis, who met Prince in the mid-1980s and became his friend. She also co-wrote “Slow Love,” which is on Prince’s Sign O’ the Times album.

The funny thing is that I’d already had quotes from Davis in my book. They were from an old Rolling Stone article. She actually asked the publication to quote her anonymously, but through talking to her, I made the connection. I love the mystery-solving aspect of being a biographer.

I spent about $100 calling Davis long-distance–she was in France at the time–but our chat was worth the expense. Through my interviews, I’ve learned that Prince showed different sides of his personality to different people, which I guess we all do to some extent. As a result, some of his friends and associates describe him as religious, and others do not. Luckily, Davis saw the spiritual side of the artist during his early career; as an atheist, she disagreed with his strict beliefs and they often argued.

Davis shared some pretty funny stories about Prince. She was also forthcoming about his personality flaws, which I appreciated. I think some people are hesitant to present the full picture of the musician now that he is gone. And that’s not to suggest that I’m trying to paint him as a villain. It’s just that the more honest people are, the more likely I will be able to convey his spiritual journey, which included some internal struggles and setbacks.

As always, you’ll be able to read more from this interview in the book.

Difficult question: If you could only listen to one song from the Sign O’ the Times album, what would it be? (I’d go with “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” because of the instrumental section at the end).