A Visit to Paisley Park

Last weekend I was in Minneapolis for the ASTR (American Society for Theatre Research) Conference, and my friend Scott suggested that we should visit Paisley Park, Prince’s home and recording studio in Chanhassen. Scott is a big Prince fan. I told him I would be happy to go. I’ve always liked Prince, but would not have considered myself a fan to the extent of undertaking a pilgrimage to his home. I was not expecting this to be a spiritual experience. I did wear purple, though.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a security guard who explained the rules: no photography; cell phones would be placed in locked cases that we would keep with us until the end of the tour, etc. He ended by saying that the most important rule was to have fun, and suggested that he would be watching us on the cameras and would pull us out of the tour if we weren’t laughing, singing, and dancing.

We waited in the foyer until our full tour group (around 30 people) had gathered. Most were from the Midwest, but there was a group from Scotland. CeeCee, our tour guide, explained some of the iconography. The walls are painted sky blue with white clouds. There is a mural with Prince’s eyes on one wall, and another mural with a rainbow on the opposite wall. Gold and platinum records hang on the walls. The most touching object in the foyer area was a letter from Barack and Michelle Obama addressed “To the Friends and Family of Prince,” expressing condolences on his death.

We then moved into an atrium that CeeCee characterized as Prince’s favorite room. His symbol appears on the floor. CeeCee noted that he started using the symbol partly because of a dispute with a record label, which I had forgotten. Purple sofas were flanked by end tables with tissues and candles. A replica of Paisley Park with Prince’s symbol in Purple on the front contains his cremains. Scott had mentioned that Prince’s ashes were part of the tour, but I didn’t expect that to be so early on the tour. I also didn’t expect to be so moved by this memorial. CeeCee invited us to pay our respects, and then said that Prince would want us all to be joyful in his memory.

Around the outskirts of this atrium are the kitchen (behind glass) and several small alcoves and rooms with guitars, costumes, and posters. One even includes hand-written lyrics in a notebook from the 1970s. An office area features a stack of books. A balcony upstairs holds a pair of birdcages.

The next stop was the recording studio. CeeCee explained that Prince didn’t like how he looked when he was singing, so he would often send sound engineers away while he recorded his vocal tracks. She also played a recording of some jazz music Prince had been working on shortly before his death.

After the recording studio we went into a hallway with a mural depicting artistic genealogy. Prince appears at the center, with artists who influenced him on the right and artists he mentored on the left. CeeCee asked us to name the ones we recognized, but I couldn’t see very well.

The Purple Rain Room was next. Clips from the film are screened above a central display featuring costumes and props from the film, including the iconic motorcycle. I noticed for the first time that the decals on the motorcycle include a symbol that combines the male and female Mars/Venus symbols, which would later be echoed in the TAFKAP symbol.

Down another hallway to a room housing a hydraulic piano, and then into the concert venue. Displays in this area again focused on costumes and guitars. It was fascinating to remember Prince as a style icon, and to notice how much some of his 1980s costumes drew on baroque and rococo silhouettes. Video of Prince playing songs invites guests to sing along and dance. Our group was a little subdued (it was 10:30 AM), but there was some swaying and clapping.

Moving into the NPG Lounge, a post-concert hangout venue, CeeCee regaled us with tales of Prince serenading Madonna in this room. Purple nightclub furniture evocative of the ‘70s contrasts with orange carpet detailing.

The tour ends with video of Prince’s 2007 Super Bowl performance. After the journey through his home/recording studio/concert venue/nightclub, this feels really inspirational and cathartic. On the opposite wall from the screen are artifacts of memorial that were taken down from the Paisley Park fence. These have all been archived and will be on rotating display. We also heard an anecdote about a sound engineer telling Prince that it was raining and asking what they should do. Apparently Prince replied, “Make it rain harder.” 

There's a small gift shop after the end of the tour, where you can buy T-shirts and posters. You can also sample foods Prince liked (Ann bought some jerk-spiced popcorn that we all tried). 

You can take pictures at the end, so I have one here of a sign about the kitchen. Our Uber driver kindly brought us to see the mural nearby in Chanhassen.