"—over and over throughout the title song from his 2009 album, 'Knock Yourself Out'.[4][5]. Morris’ son’s name is Derran Day and as you can see, they do look a lot alike. Was it shame related? Prince didn't let any of you guys see Purple Rain until the night of the premiere. In addition to his roles in Purple Rain (1984) and Graffiti Bridge (1990), Day also appeared in small parts in films such as Richard Pryor's Moving (1988) and the Andrew Dice Clay film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990). But it was pretty much a closed party. I can't go there with you.". (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images), Chicago, Illinois, December 9, 1982. Hey, it is what it is. A song called "Morris Day" appears on the album Felt, Vol. Although a gifted drummer, he is best known as the charismatic lead singer of The Time, a band that also launched the careers of famous producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. You won't be this. He also appeared on 227 in the 80s. When you heard the news, was the pain intensified because you lost a decade of time you could’ve had with him in your life? But in retrospect, when we did do something musically, it was significant. He said, "I will give you money, or I will give you a record deal." Things always hit me in boomerang fashion. Was that a big turning point in his life and your relationship? His energy for music, his passion for being successful and expressing himself, it was present even when we were kids. Throughout the book, there are many of these hypothetical back-and-forths you’re having with Prince. I just wish, because he was such a clean-living individual, I feel like, "Dude, I kind of wish you went through it with me so you could've had that s*** in your rear-view mirror!" To put it in terms that maybe everybody can get is, he had a Napoleon complex. I've worked as a producer at E! You recall a gig during the 1981-82 Controversy Tour where his band threw trash at you guys on stage. Do you still receive royalties from the film? I’ve been there. I'm like, "Dude, you're the reason they're half-naked in the first place!" Discover the real story, facts, and details of Morris Day. When Day — who was indisposed or sleeping — failed to answer, the guitarist walked along the side of the house and beat on the windows. I said, "I don't want to be a part of that." I'm sitting there, and I'm listening to this conversation. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images), New York. There were a lot of people who didn't really know him as well as I did who were jumping on the bandwagon. That's just real talk. It was just weird. Or was this also about control? In 1984, he played Prince's antagonist in the feature film Purple Rain. NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 22: Prince performs onstage at Nassau Coliseum on March 22, 1985 in Uniondale, ... [+] New York. I'm looking at him like, "I know you, man." What was that period like? I can't record with you unless you're on the same page as I am, so we're not going to do music unless you're willing to come to my God, the way I see God.” That's force-feeding. He's cussing and yelling at me. It's okay for people to have their “come-to-God” moments. It seems odd that someone you had such a profound relationship with would be so frugal with you when he was making millions. I just had to process that on my own. When I came back, he immediately was happy to see me. At their worst, the duo were inches away from fistfights. We get off, and he's thinking this s*** is real funny, and he said, "Don't try and do that to me.". I've worked as a producer at E! It was monumental and in a sense hypocritical. True to form, my phone would ring at 3:00 a.m.: "Morris, it's Prince! Day's presence on the screen decreased until, in 2001, he returned to film in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, performing "Jungle Love" with The Time and dancing with the movie's stars in the film's coda, and being introduced emphatically by Jason Mewes' character as "Morris Day and The moth… (Photo ... [+] by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images). Prince created his own competition when he created your band The Time, but from how you describe it, he would get in the way of your success when he felt “threatened.” Was that hard to navigate? (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images), Hollywood, California. I lost my family. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images). Australian musician Dave Graney repeats a Morris Day quote—"As a concept—incredible! I had heard after the dailies, "Man, you guys are doing awesome." I ended up footing the cost of the damages of that whole fight because he was in control. His control issues went way beyond the surface. I think it was just out of his sheer wanting to be in control. In fact, the first word in Day’s new autobiography is “Prince.” That’s because, as he so aptly puts it, to tell the story of Morris Day is also to tell the story of Prince. In your book, you tell a story where you essentially drove through a blizzard to Prince’s house and made up some fake excuse to borrow money to buy cocaine. I'm cussing and yelling back, "Dude, you started this!". But I’m a reality! At one point, The Time played a bar mitzvah. You really hit a slump at one point in your life. In 2018, Will Smith revealed that he auditioned on the spot for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with a script for a "failed Morris Day pilot" that Jones handed to him.[3]. Prince was such an important portion of my life, not just musically but as a friend. (Photo by Steve Parke/Paisley Park Studios via Getty Images), Benton, Chicago, April 11, 1983. I went there at a time when my body was still able to rebound. 2: A Tribute to Lisa Bonet by the hip-hop group Felt. I'm not saying that I was some groupie that really needed attention from him. All of a sudden I'm hearing him say, "No, we don't need to talk like that." Then, once you were adults, you couldn't even drop by his dressing room to say hello. Again, it was about control. It seems there was a lot going on in his head toward the end of his life that he didn't share with the world.