This is Part I in a four-part series of interviews with the Beautiful Nights Creative Team:
That's how Marcus
Scott, 35, of Chicago, refers to his position on the creative team
responsible for “A Beautiful Night,” the group's inaugural Prince
party being held from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Nov. 24 at the Harold
Washington Cultural Center, 4107 S. King Dr., in Chicago, that will
feature DJ Maurice Ice Culpepper and Dancers/Singers Maya and Nandy
McClean, better known as the Twinz, as special guests.
The foursome launched
their Facebook fan page last month –which has now has more than 700
members-- and includes Bemaji Tillman, Alexis Wofford and LaQuita
Sanders, all of Chicago.
He said he has been an
avid Prince fan since 1992, when, as a teenager, he heard the Symbol
album for the first time (although he cited Sign o' the Times as his
favorite album) and the first concert he attended was at the United
Center in Chicago and he “hasn't missed a beat since,” traveling
across the United States and abroad --including Montreal, Brussels
and London-- to see the legend in concert.
In the ensuing years,
he has become a major fixture in the Prince Community, including
being a regular attendee at the now defunct Sunday-night Prince
parties at Berlin nightclub in Chicago and briefly taking over as
the party promoter after the original promoter left) and is familiar
to Prince fans from around the world.
Scott agreed to a
telephone interview for the launch of “Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur
?s,” where he discussed his favorite associated Prince act, meeting
other Prince fans and how “A Beautiful Night” came to be:
?:
How did you become involved with “ A Beautiful Night”?
MS: When Prince came to Chicago [for a three-night
residency at the United Center that started Sept. 24] and I threw a
house party and everybody came from all over including Tuna from
Tokyo. I'm very popular and I appreciate the fact that people show me
so much love. It was flooded with people.
There is nothing like a
good Prince party, but, there's nothing like a good Prince house
party... Plastic cups and everything. I always said I would rather go
to a Prince party than throw a Prince party, because the better time
people are having, the more work on the person throwing the party...
I said if I throw a
Prince party, it has to be different than any other party. (Tillman)
said it was a nice touch to have Robin Power
[a former Prince protegee who co-starred in the 1990 film Graffitti
Bridge with Prince who attended Scott's September party].
(Tillman) approached me
about having (regular) Prince parties, he brought in (Sanders) and I
brought in (Wofford).
I wanted the first party
to be New Year's Eve with Sheila E., (Tillman) wanted it to be with
Tamar [a singer who was featured prominently on Prince's album 3121
and who also recorded an unreleased solo album produced by Prince,
both in 2006] Thanksgiving weekend.
Tamar fell through and
luckily the Twinz jumped on board real fast. I wanted somebody
currently working with Prince, that would be a good look. Things
(are) going very fast. I know it's going to be a bumpy ride, so I'm
wearing two seat belts! (Laughing)
We're not going to have
it every month, because I don't want people to get burnt out.
The [Harold Washington]
cultural center is like our Paisley Park in Chicago. It's for the
community...and it's for the arts.
We wanted to touch on people that have been apart of [Prince's] life,
it's all about Prince, but, we kind of want to branch out. Once we
have the party and people start posting pictures I think the page
will take off.
Beautiful Nights is incorporated. It will be a
business. I'm the talker, I'm the salesperson. I've been in sales for
8 years, once I talk to you, I got you. Some people want to see what
you're working with and you have to kind of show them...So, each
party... is going to pay for itself. We're not really taking a
profit. The price is going to fluctuate depending on whether the
protegee is a special guest or they're performing."
?:
What will make “A Beautiful Night” unique compared to other
Prince parties you've been to in the past?
MS: [B]ringing in the protegees and the live band at the
end [Tillman's band, House of Twang, will hold a live jam session
toward the end of the party]. This is going to be cool, because some
of the protegees are musicians, who's to say that they won't sit in
with the band? I think Mr. Man, Mr. (Prince) Nelson, is going to like
that. (Tillman) had albums out, he used to record. I actually did
background vocals on some of his albums.
?:
What area of expertise will do you bring to the Beautiful Nights
team?
MS: I'm the face of the party, I'm the people pleaser (laughing),
Mr. Excitement. I don't want to use (the word) mascot. I'm the one
that finds the protegees because I've met them over the years and
they trip out how much I look like the person they used to work for.
?:
What would you say about detractors who may accuse you of using your
resemblance to Prince to push the Beautiful Nights parties?
MS: I look the way I look and I like Prince. I'm not
using anything. I think it's a good gimmick, but, that's not the
reason why (I'm doing this). If it's something you enjoy doing and
people love it, let's go with the love. It's more (other) people that
be tripping than I do. It's them, it's not me.
?:
You can tell a lot about a Prince fan by who their favorite
protegee/associated act is, who is yours and why?
MS: "I would have to say The Time, because they are very consistent. Even
with trying to get the original band together and going to The
Original 7ven [during their
reunion album and short-lived reunion tour in 2011, because the group
was not granted permission to use the name “The Time” for the
venture]. They're still relevant... they still get down."
?: What is the most unique piece of Prince memorabilia that you own or have owned in the past?
?: What is the most unique piece of Prince memorabilia that you own or have owned in the past?
MS: The picture discs [Vinyl LPs that have pictures on
the entire disc, instead of the standard record labels]. You don't
see them around anymore, they are not an every day item that you see.
This isn't something you can say 'I'm going to the record store (to
get)'. The records stores don't really exist anymore.
?:
What do you envision for the next year for the “Beautiful Nights”
team? What do you hope to accomplish?
MS: Hopefully we have... many successful parties and a couple them of
them (will be) overseas. I'm looking at it like a brand. Or (for) “A
Beautiful Night” to become an official Prince party. I think that
would be a good look... To have Prince kind of mess with us and say
“not bad, not bad at all” and eventually do “A Beautiful Night
at Paisley Park” and be like 'Special Guest: Prince.' (Laughing)
?:
What is your personal message for fans on the Beautiful Nights fan
page?
MS: 1Love.
1Goodtime.
Tickets are still available online at ticketweb.com
Tickets are still available online at ticketweb.com
Stay beautiful, Kristi
--
Lead photo courtesy of Marcus Scott.
--
Like us on Facebook: Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur ?s and Beautiful Nights
Lead photo courtesy of Marcus Scott.
--
Like us on Facebook: Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur ?s and Beautiful Nights
Mr. Scott has an uncanny resemblance to our dear departed Prince Rogers Nelson. Wow...
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