Prince's favorite color was really orange?
- Rob Joyce

- May 29, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 21, 2023
Within a few years after graduating college, I reconnected with some musician friends from back in high school.
We were all in jazz band together and had gone off in different directions since graduation. But we all had the singular goal of writing and recording our own music. One of those friends was a saxophonist named Tim. I learned that Tim was now living in Minneapolis still playing saxophone, doing some writing, and had rented a suite at Prince’s studio, Paisley Park, in Chanhassen, MN.
Of course I was excited to hear this bit of information and wanted to know everything I could about Prince, his studio, and all of what Tim was doing there. Although I don't recall exactly what he said to me, I think his answer was pretty nondescript. Something like, “I just hang out, write music in my office, and meet some of the people who come to record there.” But whatever he said, I'm sure I thought it was pretty cool.

I actually had the opportunity to do some recording with Tim at his home studio in the Twin Cities a few years later. During the session, we were able to stop by his office at the famed studio in the Minneapolis suburb. This would be shortly after Prince had worked on the sound track for the 1989 movie Batman starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger. At that time, Paisley Park had become a very hot property for musicians, producers, artists and movie stars alike.
Tim would eventually become the manager of Paisley Park. Unfortunately, we lost track of over the years. But he was a good guy, a talented performer, and he was closer to following his dreams than most of us.
There may have been a sighting or two of some famous people wandering through the building during my visits to Paisley Park (including the man who wrote “Purple Rain” himself), but I'll have to share those stories with you another time. In the meantime, check out this video (which is somewhat controversial) that has to deal with a very specific topic as it relates to Prince. Did you know that orange was his favorite color?
Let me know your thoughts on the video and feel free to leave your comments below.
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Rob




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