Prince High Heel Collection

[Mr. X]

I was visiting Minneapolis this past week.  As a fan of Prince and his music, I decided to take the Paisley park tour. For those that don't know, it is basically a tour of the compound where he lived when he was not on the road.  It also featured 2 or 3 recording studios where he recorded some of his biggest hits and albums. It also had a small intimate club where he would hold concerts and after parties.  As a fellow musician the tour was worth every penny! And I will have memories that last a lifetime!

I got to see his famous "mad cat" guitar that he used on many of his albums, and also played at the rock and roll hall of fame.  I also saw pieces of paper with handwritten lyrics and scribblings on them. Then we went into his main recording studio. Just to be standing on the same floor that many artists performed and recorded was something else!  I was not aware of how many artists had recorded material in his studio.  The fine young cannibals recorded their entire album the raw and the cooked there.  R.E.M mixed their album out of time there.  And countless others did the same. As a fellow musician that was pretty cool!  And now for the icing on the cake.

They led us into another dark room, and as soon as they turned on the lights there they were.  Over 300 pairs of prince's prized shoes in all their glory!   And in every color of the rainbow to boot!  If there was one thing Prince liked as much as his music it was fashion and shoes.  I always knew that Prince wore heels. But usually when you see him in pictures you can't see the entire shoe, or the heel for that matter.  But after seeing them, I can tell you all that his shoes genuinely qualify as actual heels.  Most of his shoes were usually custom made by one designer. They all had cone heels that looked to be in the 3" or so range. He had a shoe collection that most women would envy.  It's too bad we were not able to get pictures on that part of the tour.  But you put music and high heels together, and that's like putting porno in front of this guy lol

 But he also had a body that most women would envy as well.  I was told all his shoes were size 6. And his waist fell anywhere between 24 and 27".

 All I can say is, what a tour!  If you are in the area definitely check it out. The shoe exhibit has been running all summer so I'm not sure how much longer it will be there.  Here is a couple of samples.

[bambam]

Always been a huge Prince fan, he makes us heeled musicians feel welcome..

[Chorlini]

I do wonder how he managed to operate his pedalboard in heels.

Tapping switches is one thing, but operating a wah or expression pedal is hard when you (or at least I) have a high chance of the heel slipping off. I wonder if his footwear was why he used so many Boss pedals, their big lever switches are very pointy shoes (and thus heel) friendly.

[VirginHeels]

11 hours ago, Chorlini said:

I do wonder how he managed to operate his pedalboard in heels.

Tapping switches is one thing, but operating a wah or expression pedal is hard when you (or at least I) have a high chance of the heel slipping off. I wonder if his footwear was why he used so many Boss pedals, their big lever switches are very pointy shoes (and thus heel) friendly.

To be honest, when I’ve tried with my guitar rig, it’s easier with pointed toe heels as you can direct to what you need on a switch. Wah is a slight adjustment to get the pivot point correct. It’s about motor adjustment. Not a big thing, it’s trying to modify muscle memory to be honest.

Now we do all that via MIDI switching or using a digital amp/effects interface, so his tone and playing would have changed if he was alive today.

[pebblesf]

Will definitely consider taking this tour the next time I have a long MSP layover.  Loved the man's music, and his cool/androgynous look/outfits for sure.  

[Mr. X]

14 hours ago, Chorlini said:

I do wonder how he managed to operate his pedalboard in heels.

Tapping switches is one thing, but operating a wah or expression pedal is hard when you (or at least I) have a high chance of the heel slipping off. I wonder if his footwear was why he used so many Boss pedals, their big lever switches are very pointy shoes (and thus heel) friendly.

perhaps.  But also boss pedals are just good pedals.  That is why they are so popular, and widely used.

[Chorlini]

On 12/2/2022 at 12:16 AM, VirginHeels said:

To be honest, when I’ve tried with my guitar rig, it’s easier with pointed toe heels as you can direct to what you need on a switch. Wah is a slight adjustment to get the pivot point correct. It’s about motor adjustment. Not a big thing, it’s trying to modify muscle memory to be honest.

I just can't get the hang right, the heel always keeps on slipping off. Maybe it needs a slight upstanding edge to keep it from sliding off?

On 12/2/2022 at 12:16 AM, VirginHeels said:

Now we do all that via MIDI switching or using a digital amp/effects interface, so his tone and playing would have changed if he was alive today.

HE might be one of those guitarists who detest digital and swear with using only analog pedals and tube amps only.

 

On 12/2/2022 at 2:43 AM, Mr. X said:

perhaps.  But also boss pedals are just good pedals.  That is why they are so popular, and widely used.

They're pretty too. It's like your first love, it imprints on you. When I started playing guitar Boss pedals were top of the line and the biggest on the market. So my first instinct is always to check them out over the boutique stuff. Which is mostly tricked out clones of Boss. MXR and EHX pedals anyway. Plus Boss pedals are built like a tank. Perfect for life on the road and perfect to stomp on in heels.