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Published on June 9th, 2016 | by Landon Buford

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Diamonds & Pianos an Interview with Mystro about Prince!

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The Hype Magazine recently caught up with Hollywood’s Black Liberace “Mystro” to discuss his upcoming tribute to the late Prince in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, June 18th at 333 Live formerly known as “Glam Slam.” Checkout the interview below!

Mystro I’m grateful that we are doing this interview today about my upcoming Prince performance on Saturday, June 18th, 2016 at “333 Live” formerly known as “Glam Slam” in which Prince opened back in 1993.  First off, I want to say “two thousand zero, zero”party over, oops out of time.” 

This is one of Prince’s lines from his number one hit song “1999” and I’m excited about this upcoming performance!

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There have been so many great tributes to Prince.  Can you tell us a little about this upcoming Prince Tribute concert?  It’s nice to see the legendary club is reopening in his honor.
“Glam Slam” was the place to go to in the 90s after Prince opened the club in downtown L.A…  For me to perform a Prince tribute is a huge honor considering how much I loved his artistry, but there’s another connection. Michael Jackson to me was Superman when it came to music and his passing was overly dramatic for me, but I was able to do a piano tribute honoring him that went viral.  In addition, the piano tribute to Michael Jackson that I did caught the attention of his estate. Now you have Prince passing away and he was like Batman to me and I couldn’t do a Michael Jackson tribute without doing one for Prince.  And to make things even more special, the company that is hosting this event at “Glam Slam” formerly owned by Prince connected with my manager and asked if I wanted to be a part of this event as the headliner. So to perform in the same room that Prince was actually in at one time is truly an honor for me!

 

 

 

What inspired you to want to participate in Prince’s tribute at Glam Slam?

It’s an opportunity to admire someone I looked up to in a way that also brings his music back to his other fans that loved him. I was initially in shock after hearing about his death and I wasn’t going to touch his music, just like I took years before I could honor Michael Jackson. But after the “Glam Slam” staff saw my Michael Jackson piano tribute from 2009, they contacted my manager to see if I would be available to perform at their event honoring Prince at his former club!  And I didn’t hesitate, I told my manager, that I am absolutely on board.


 Since you have already done a Michael Jackson piano tribute, and you are about to do a piano tribute to honoring Prince, what is the difference between Prince’s style of music compared to Michael Jackson?

Michael Jackson was a more of performer and not so much of a musician, but he was able to capture the audience with his dancing, singing, and music alone. He was more of a storyteller with his songs, but Prince was a rock star.  He came across to fans as a mixture of rock and R&B. See you have to remember Prince was very diverse in a lot musical instrumentals. Prince gave phenomenal concerts, but he really didn’t have the level of showmanship that Michael Jackson had, but he was able to tell his story from his artistry through his musical talents with instruments, which Michael didn’t have. So, let me break it down like this, Michael Jackson was like Disneyland and Prince would be Six Flags. Meaning they were both entertaining, but they did so in different forms. Prince’s music alone is going to take people years to figure out. If there’s an Eighth Wonder of the world, Prince would be the Ninth Wonder in terms of figuring out all of his core changes and just his artistry really!

What impact will your performance at this tribute event have on Prince’s legacy and will you prepare like you did for the Michael Jackson Tribute?

The Prince Tribute show “Glam Slam” being  that it will be held at the exact location,  Prince created in the early 90s makes this a historical event.  It will bring that positive energy back during this time.  You have to remember in 1993, when Prince opened the “Glam Slam,” it was one year after the ‘92 riots with the beating of Rodney King and half of downtown Los Angeles being set on fire. So, this tribute will definitely be historical for the city of Los Angeles.

 I read somewhere that some of Prince’s band members will be there, can you elaborate on this?

At this particular time I’m not at liberty to answer this question, because it will spoil the surprise for the fans. But, I’m really excited about June 18th and can verify that some of his band members will be in attendance, so make sure you grab your tickets now because they’re almost sold out! Some fans have requested that I perform Purple Rain songs and songs from the movie Under the Cherry Moon, like “Pop life,” but the rest is a surprise. I will be performing the entire night and over two hours of music.

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How many hours a day do you practice in preparation for your upcoming performance?

Prince was a perfectionist, the consummate musician, so I have to deliver at a level his fans expect. So I’m practicing six to eight hours a day!  My manager purchased many of Prince’s song books, so I go through the library of music content and I learn a new Prince Song a day.

In this current generation of entertainers, who do you see as someone that can be mentioned with the likes of Michael and Prince?

Michael and Prince are icons.  We knew Michael from when he was a child and Prince from when he was a young man. Those are big shoes to fill.  But, I think Bruno Mars is in that particular category and the group Alabama Shakes, are on their way to becoming iconic. It depends on their commitment to being the greatest.  Just like Michael and Prince were great in their earlier years, they kept getting better and that’s what would need to happen.

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What are the changes that will make to the current club 333 live to honor of Prince’s Original “Glam Slam Club?

The façade and interior are being re-decorated to honor Prince from his original club “GLAM SLAM” from 1993, when it first opened.

Where can we purchase tickets to your Prince’s tribute concert?

Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.

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Mystro: I want to thank Daniel Sullivan for allowing me to be a part of this historical event and I also want to thank the fine individuals over at The Hype Magazine for this interview!

You can reach Mystro on Twitter and Instagram.


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About the Author

Washington State Graduate Past Interviews include Grammy Award Winner Kenny G, David Banner, WNBA President Lisa Borders, What's Trending's CEO Shira Lazar, Ice Cube, NBC's Chicago PD LaRoyce Hawkins, Family Matters Darius McCrary, En Vogues Maxine Jones, Team USA Track & Field Member Norris Frederick, James Kyson, WNBA Great Lauren Jackson, and more.


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