DENISE'S INTERVIEWS (DUTCH TO ENGLISH TRANSLATION) OBSESSION AND POSSESSION OF PRINCE
December 24, 1984
Vanity will never forget Prince
SOLO CAREER DOESN'T ENDANGER CLOSE FRIENDSHIP
"The fact that I left Vanity 6 has nothing to do with ingratitude," says Vanity. "I know damn well that I owe everything to Prince. Without him, I'd probably still be an unknown model. But he taught me to rely solely on myself, and I will continue to do so."
Unhappy childhood
Vanity was born in the shadow of the gigantic Niagara Falls in Canada. "I've just had a very lucky kid," she recalls. "I was still a baby when my parents divorced. My father, a construction worker, raised me together with my stepmother. We were quite well off. To make matters worse, my father died at a very young age, so I moved in with my mother. I hardly knew her at all."
Vanity was born in the shadow of the gigantic Niagara Falls in Canada. "I didn't have a very happy childhood," she remembers. "I was still a baby when my parents divorced. My father, who was a construction worker, was responsible for my upbringing together with my stepmother. We were quite well off. To make matters worse, my father died at a very young age, so I moved in with my mother. I knew her personality, so Vanity couldn't have fared any better. At school, I was immediately impressed by the bright lights, the singer smiles. It wasn't long before my mother forced me to work. I went to a high school, but even there, I didn't do well. However, that was only a disadvantage; the teacher and my fellow students laughed at me so often that I swore I would never make it. At sixteen, Vanity ran away from home. I worked as a waitress in a bar in Toronto, she says. In the evenings I tried to earn some extra money by posing for commercials. That was really getting on my nerves at the time. So I decided to try being a singer.
I have learned to rely only on myself.
Self-confidence works wonders
Also, that Jeff was going to be a huge flop. "I took my chance in a stadium," she says. After I'd sung a few lines, the friend I'd brought along to encourage me burst out laughing. "You can't sing at all," he said. "I felt my blood boil and sunk in." Vanity took her own fate in stride. I plucked up courage, laughed, and bought two tickets for the American Music Awards screening and went there with my friend. After the ceremony, I sneaked back out of the car and knocked on the door of Prince's dressing room. He was so surprised by my boldness that he immediately asked me to sing "No" with a band. He didn't even have to hear my voice hiss. Since then, I know that certain words can do something. That was also the reason why Vanity suddenly left last year. "I wanted to be called Prince's protégée my whole life," she says. The lead role in Purple Rain would have been fun, of course, but I really wanted to book a solo artist in the first place. So when I received an attractive recording contract, I didn't hesitate for a moment. Susan and Brenda, the two other Vanity girls, were the first to encourage me. Prince also calls me every now and then to ask how I'm doing. He's a fantastic guy, and I'll never forget him.
TRANSLATION REDO
Self-confidence works wonders. That, too, initially seemed like a huge flop. "I took my chances in a studio," she says. But when I sang a few notes, the friend I'd brought along to encourage me burst out laughing. "You can't sing at all," he said. I felt my blood boil and plotted revenge. Vanity took charge of her own destiny. "I plucked up courage," she laughs. "I bought two tickets for the American Music Awards and went with my friend. After the ceremony, I snuck behind the coolisses and knocked on the door of Prince's dressing room. He was so surprised by my audacity that he immediately asked me to sing with his band. He didn't even need to hear my voice. Since then, I've known that self-confidence can work wonders. That was also the reason Vanity suddenly left Vanity 6 last year. "I didn't want to be called Prince's protégé all my life," she says. The lead role in "Purple Rain" would have been great, of course, but I wanted to break through as a solo artist first and foremost. So when I was offered one, I didn't hesitate for a moment. Susan and Brenda, the two other Vanity 6 members, were the first to encourage me. Prince also calls me every now and then to ask how I was doing. He is and always will be a fantastic guy, and I'll never forget him.
We all have a Prince to thank, says beautiful Vanity.
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Yay/January 20, 1985
DUTCH TRANSLATION:
AT HOME WITH Vanity
"I feel incredibly lonely in Los Angeles," Vanity confesses. It was much more pleasant in my Canadian hometown of Niagara Falls. "I do everything I can to make my house a real home," Prince's former protégée shows us her cozy oasis of tranquility.
Just yesterday today
[white text]
You don't mind that my house looks messy, says Vanity. "I dream every day of the Canadian women," says the famous singer.
[black text]
In her cozy bedroom, Vanity tries to forget the loneliness.
Vanity's greatest comfort: a beautiful red sports car.
Vanity with her favorite piece of clothing, her bed robe
Every day I fight loneliness
"No palace. LA is an inhuman city," Vanity says. "Especially for an outdoorsy girl like me. Although I've lived here for years, I've never been able to get used to the busy streets and the caper-like lifestyle. Sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating. Then I hide in my bedroom and dream of the vast Canadian plains." The house that beautiful Vanity lives in just outside Los Angeles has little in common with the palaces that can be found in large sale in the same neighborhood. "I have no need for unnecessary luxury at all," the singer explains. "When Prince hired me as the central figure of my girl group Vanity 6, he immediately offered me a huge villa. I politely declined his gift. Such a behemoth is impressive at first glance, but it's not exactly cozy."
Old-fashioned girl.
I totally agree with that. If you provide the necessary variety, it's not too bad. Even the tiniest things can be put to good use. Because my house is littered with paintings, pillows, and stuffed animals, it looks different every day. I don't mind it being a bit cluttered every now and then. It reminds me of the time when I, along with my brothers and sisters, were making a mess of our childhood home. Despite her super-sexy image, Vanity is a very quiet girl. A bit old-fashioned, actually, she admits. I usually walk around the house in my bathrobe, and every night I faithfully drink my cup of hot milk before bed. When homesickness overwhelms me, I head into town and buy myself a present. The number of pairs of shoes I've amassed this way is impressive, for example. "This is my greatest pride," laughs the beautiful singer as she opens the garage door and shows us her beautiful red sports car. My father gave it to me when I topped the American charts with my Vanity 6. I love fast cars. When I'm tearing down the highway in this car, I forget everything. Even that nagging feeling of loneliness.
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Yay/October 5, 1986
Finally I'm free from Prince
Solo success gives Vanity confidence
"For a long time I thought life without Prince was meaningless," Vanity sighs with a weak smile. "I'd also lost all faith in my own abilities. Thankfully, that's all in the past now. I'm finally free of the Prince ghost."
In her crazy apartment: When Prince left me, my world fell apart. Today, thankfully, I'm standing on my own two feet…".
I don't hate Prince, but I'm glad Vanity is no longer one of his puppets.
Life for and by Prince. Just like her successor, Apollonia, Vanity was also part of Prince's court for a long time. Moreover, she became the Purple Emperor's sweetheart, and he launched her as the figurehead of "Vanity 6." The daring show by this smoldering girl trio was a bombshell. Their name was on everyone's lips; Vanity became instantly famous. Unfortunately, our contribution to "Vanity 6" was rather limited, Vanity says now. The success was entirely Prince's. He launched us as his opening act; we sang his songs and dressed as he wanted. Prince protected us completely; without him, "Vanity 6" simply wouldn't exist. Initially, none of that mattered. I was happy with him and enjoyed every moment. I learned everything I can from Prince. He was my lover and my mentor. Gradually, he took possession of my personality and molded me to his own taste. I loved that, it made me feel safe and protected.
When Prince abruptly ended that romantic relationship, he left Vanity completely distraught. "It was like the ground had slipped away from under my feet," Vanity recalls. "What was I going to do now? Could I even live without Prince? Besides, he "almost immediately traded me for Apollonia. It was as if I'd never existed." A tough battle began for Vanity, one she looks back on with great pride today. "After a few months of depression, I decided to fight back," she says fiercely. "I was getting offers for photo shoots and making a decent living as a model. Gradually, I began to develop my own personality. It was a hard lesson, but it paid off. Luckily, because otherwise, I'd still be a Prince puppet."
Good luck on the film set. Besides a career as a model, Vanity also continued to nurture her love of music. This resulted in the wonderfully sultry Wild Animals LP, an album Vanity is very proud of. "During the recording, the Prince ghost gradually began to disappear from my life," she smiles. "A whole new world opened up for me. I finally felt like I had accomplished something myself. You can imagine how happy I was with the initial positive reactions to Wild Animals. Vanity also decided to try her luck in the film business. With her graceful appearance, she brightens up both The Last Dragon and the bizarre gangster flick Lanom, and the offers poured in. "I never thought working on a film set could be so much fun," Vanity laughs. "I especially enjoyed the recording of Lances. Kiss bassist Gene Simmons plays the role of a bizarre character who would do anything to cut me off." Luckily, I get help from the handsome secret agent Lance. We join forces and do that old Gene thing, gritting our teeth in anger. Vanity is clearly on the right track. Does she still miss the crazy days with Prince? No, not anymore, she says confidently. "Prince showed me heaven and hell, but now I'm completely on my own two feet. Vanity is going her own way."
Vanity looks to the future with confidence: "I've finally found myself…".
In an online Q&A in 2009, Lisa Coleman stated that she co-wrote the track with her sister Cole Ynda Coleman and Wendy Melvoin during the same few-day session as Power Fantastic (recorded 19 March 1986), but given that the track had been written and recorded by Prince three years earlier, it’s unclear what she meant by that. It’s possible the track was re-recorded with newly-written music, and is noted as such below, but this is unconfirmed.
Unreleased 1986 version
Lisa Coleman - unknown contributions
Wendy Melvoin - unknown contributions
Cole Ynda Coleman - lyrics, vocals
Timestamps:
2:04-2:16 (Rockstar vs Moviestar)
2:19-3:16 (Sexual songs. Never a virgin. Another lie!)
4:51-5:08 (Pros and Cons of being Vanity)
7:48-9:57 (Prince)
10:40-11:26 (Purple Rain and if she didn't go solo)
12:43-13:05 (Apollonia)
18:38-19:11 (Reincarnation)
19:40-20:37 (Called Berry Gordon "another" Prince)
"People have their own synopsis of me and what the truth is," she says. The truth is in the box." I look forward to hopefully seeing him in the future. I'm waiting for God to supernaturally hook us up. I would love to see his face. I've been praying for Prince a very long time and I believe he's praying for me. God does supernatural things because He's able." - Denise Matthews (JET Magazine/November 26, 2007)
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Prince: You ever heard of checking your list to see who’s naughty and who’s nice? I just let people talk. I was talking to somebody about “The Beautiful Ones.” They were speculating as to who I was singing about. But they were completely wrong. If they look at it, it’s very obvious. “Do you want him or do you want me,” that was written for that scene in Purple Rain specifically. Where Morris [Day] would be sitting with [Apollonia], and there’d be this back and forth. And also, “The beautiful ones you always seem to lose,” Vanity had just quit the movie. To then speculate, “Well, he wrote that song about me”? Afterwards you go, “Who are you? Why do you think that you’re part of the script that way? And why would you go around saying stuff like that?” So we just let people talk and say whatever they want to say. Nine times out of 10, trust me, what’s out there now, I wouldn’t give nary one of these folks the time of day. That’s why I don’t say anything back, because there’s so much that’s wrong. - Prince (Ebony/December 23, 2015)
Not once did Prince ever tell in any interview that he "named" Denise "Vanity". TIme and time again, Denise revealed her unhealthy obsession and possession over Prince. The more I read her interviews specifically in the 90s to 2010s, it sounded like she did all of that just because she left Prince and used Prince and could never control him. How desperate a woman could be and overdose over a man?? The same woman who said Prince was "controlling" her when it's actual Denise controlling Prince.
PRINCE: Real basic stuff as far as women are concerned. Like, "Don't get married until you get married." I've taken heed to that advice so far. - Prince (EBONY Magazine/July 1986 page 30)
Now Denise Matthews has some poignant advice for Mayte: don't do it or you could end up as I nearly did---dead. - Denise Matthews (Daily Mirror/March 10, 1995 FRIDAY page 19)
Prince.org:
my friend talks about her interaction with Vanity/deniese matthews
It's been time to get rid of Denise Matthews aka Vanity's book. I bought it from her when she was alive in 2012 of December. And I've been with holding the words she said to me good and really bad.
But now in July 13, 2018 I will tell you what Denise Matthews said to me and why I must get rid of her book. With a heavy heart I feel like I must unload. Please try not to be mad at her nor me. Are you ready? Here we go
I questioned the now the late and beautiful Denise Mathews why she had a more current picture of Prince with an evil huge looking jellyfish surrounding him. She said he is evil. He is not a good person. He is without Jesus and we must pray for him.
Denise Matthews continued to sound manic and sounded like she was living in the past. I said,"Prince has changed." She then called my phone and said"Did you date him or something?" I said,"No. I said mind you I was younger and shouldn't have said what I said (2)"Denise you dated him over 30 years ago. Who you knew him to be is not who he all is now. She yelled,"We were soulmates! This is why I don't talk to Prince fans but I thought you were different!"(3) said, "Denise calm down. You're yelling at me. I am not trying to hurt you. He is a Jehovah's Witness. Just as I am. He is different." She said,"Well that religion doesn't believe in Jesus and all will burn in hell! So will Prince!" (4) said,"We do believe in Jesus. We pray through Jesus God's son to pray to Jesus. We try to follow Jesus example. I said," Prince is my spiritual Brother because he is a Jehovah's witness too. You are speaking ill of him and he tries to change." (5)I said Prince isn't playing all the music he use to play. When I saw him 2004 he wasn't playing certain songs. She screamed,"He does! He plays my music & other stuff too!" She was hearing me at all. Condemning Prince as if he should be perfect and he is not and is an evil man.(6)Denise and I got on the subject that isn't sleeping around. If he was what you do in the dark will come out in the light. She was screaming like a mad woman at this point,"He has many woman. I know he does!" (7 said,"It's been 30 yrs. You haven't been around him since the early 80s. You're speaking ill of my spiritual Brother. Denise said,"Well I didn't understand that until you explained it to me. But little girl you're you should show me respect like you show the Elders...She continued,"Little girl you should show me the same respect you show the Elders (Brothers who help with scriptural guidance the running of our congregation). She contiued I am an Elder in my church."I tried to tell her that the Elders are not on a pedestal. You speak to them like you speak to other Brothers and sisters. But anyway she continued to bash the JW religion and we never spoke again. So the book has to go..
This friend wasn't lying. Denise was crazy and delusional!
How are you gonna say you hope God will bring you and Prince together and later suggest hell for Prince?
Cat's side and TOLD THE TRUTH!