This week I got to meet two of my biggest musical idols. I value each of them for different reasons, but both have been incredibly instrumental in shaping how I listen to music.
I was at a club on Saturday night celebrating a birthday party. As I was sitting talking to a friend, I saw a group of five walk up to us. I've been around enough to recognise a security team when I see one, but this time they were a little more difficult to spot. Especially here in the States, bodyguards tend to be these giant hulking mountains of men with no necks who you can spot a mile away. The visual-intimidation factor of bodyguards is the first line of defense, after all. But this time, these two guys dressed all in black were a little different. They were ... short. No taller than 5-foot-4. Don't get me wrong, they were both as wide as a bus — but boy, were they short! Finally, I saw their boss.
Standing at 5-foot-3 (in high heels, no less) was one of the biggest names in music: Prince.
I was amazed at how young the 51-year-old Prince looked. Whatever his secret — whether it's his diet, sex life, no smoking, bathing in milk, whatever — Prince is doing something right. No word of a lie: Prince looks the same as he does in Purple Rain. I was stunned and left with many questions. I wonder if he clones himself to stay forever young? I wonder if he purposely hires bodyguards who make him look tall? Am I heightist? Is that even a word? I'll ask him next time.
A few days later I was invited to a lunch with His Royal Highness Prince Edward of England, who gave a speech to various business types, philanthropists, investors and me. But HRH wasn't the only royal in the room, as one of the guests was king of producers Quincy Jones.
There isn't enough room on this blog to talk about all the great work the man has done in sculpting the world of music, but one thing is for sure: The guy is one very cool cat. Jones worked the room like it was his first, giving everybody a hello handshake, never tiring of meeting new people. When he came to me, he asked, "So ... who are you?" Taking it as an invitation, I told him ... everything! And you know what? He listened to every word and gave me advice that I will never forget. Want to know what it was?
You'll have to ask Quincy next time you see him.
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