By Magda de Oliveira, Journalist/Actress, February 14, 2017
Magda de Oliveira lives in Porto Alegre, Brazil and founded a Prince Fan Club in the nineties.
Magda de Oliveira, Journalist/Actress
January 2017 symbolized the 26th Anniversary of Prince’s only two performances in Brazil: The second edition of “Rock in Rio” Festival. Unfortunately, I didn’t attend at the time because I was an over-protected girl who had never travelled alone or had any friends or relatives in Rio. Besides, I was in college and I couldn’t miss the classes to go to a Prince concert. That was my family’s opinion and decision; not mine!
Prince and his tambourines in Rio (Courtesy Record Meca)
Luckily, some members of my now defunct Prince Fan Club went to the festival and I listened to their stories when we first met in 1992. On that occasion I had the chance to hold one of the tambourines that Prince had tossed into the audience during his first show in my hands. What a moment! I couldn’t stop thinking that I was touching something that had been in Prince’s hands before! I also knew how difficult it had been for the guy who caught it: He had to spend the last 30 minutes of the show hiding in the Maracanã Soccer Stadium‘s bathroom in order to keep the precious Prince souvenir safe from the hands of other avid fans.
Carlos, Marcos, Magda and Anderson (Magda’s Archives)
I also heard about the banner they made with yards of white fabric and wrote in purple spray paint “Prince: where are Wendy and Lisa?” and how it was completely torn as soon as the show began. They had taken photos with the Game Boyz after hours of waiting at the hotel’s door and were laughed at when they requested that the Game Boyz swap T-shirts bearing the Paisley Park logo with them. “No, we can’t,” said the Game Boyz. “The boss would kill us!” The Game Boyz’ laughter became even more boisterous when my friends requested that they take photos of Prince who was asleep in his suite. Try to imagine that!
There are so many memories and stories!
The complete story about Prince’s performances in Rock in Rio and some details about the week he spent in Rio de Janeiro are in the Brazilian journalist Luiz Felipe Carneiro’s book “Rock in Rio – A História do Maior Festival de Música do Mundo.” (Rock in Rio, The History of the Biggest Music Festival of the World.) Carneiro’s book is the best source for those who want to know a little more about the festival and the goings on backstage. The author went beyond the official records and tried to know the stories of those behind the scenes of the event, separating facts from mere speculation. My story is based on his book and my own research and memories. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
At First, Let’s Talk a Little Bit about the Rock in Rio Festival
“… and if we just didn’t stop singing and dancing?” – From the Rock in Rio’s theme.
The mastermind behind the Rock in Rio is Roberto Medina, a producer who first made his name in advertising. In 1985, directly connected to the Brazil’s socio-political situation, which at the time was emerging from nearly 20 years of military dictatorship, the festival’s first edition supported a new generation of artists reviving national music. Roberto Medina designed and built the City of Rock, an innovative and gigantic 61-acre complex. It resulted in an audience of more than 1.3 million people. The festival’s international appeal attracted Queen, Iron Maiden, George Benson and Ozzy Osbourne as they helped Brazil to enter the arena for great global concerts. To date, the festival has had 14 editions, not only in Rio, but in other cities like Lisbon, Madrid and Las Vegas. 1,274 artists have stepped on its stages and approx. seven million people have attended. It creates jobs and opportunities for professionals from countless areas and maintains all the Rock in Rio Enterprise’s philanthropic activities.
However, in 1985, issues between Medina and Rio de Janeiro’s mayor sealed the fate of the City of Rock: Right after the festival’s end it was completely demolished. In 1991, when the producer decided to give a second chance to his venture, Rock in Rio took place in the Maracanã, the largest soccer stadium in the world at the time. Faith No More, Joe Cocker, Santana and A-ha were some of the international names of festival’s second edition. The headliners were Gun’s and Roses, the most popular; George Michael, the most desired; and the most prestigious, Prince
… And Finally He was in Rio!
“There were no beautiful women!” – Prince joking about Rio’s nightlife
On January 17, 1991 at 10:00 a.m., Prince appeared in Rio wearing an impeccable black suit, white shirt and black high heels. From the very beginning his personal staff made quite clear his unwillingness to meet and talk to strangers, and that included Roberto Medina. In fact, Prince’s impositions were so many that Medina almost gave up bringing him to Brazil. A whole strategy had to be elaborated specially to meet his demands. Therefore, as soon as the plane landed, a mini bus took him, his manager and four body guards – the strongest one’s nickname was T-Bone – from the runway to a parking area. Once there, they took another car, provided by the festival’s organization, and went directly to the hotel. In the car, according to his Brazilian driver, Prince seemed a little more open and made comments to an assistant called Gilbert about the architectural style of some buildings and the traffic jam and also asked the driver about Rio’s famous Carnaval.
Prince leaving “Hippo” Club (courtesyFernando Rabelo)
During the week in Rio, he would circulate around the city in a three-car convoy accompanied by six security guards and Gilbert. Gilbert was also the connection between him and the interpreter offered by the festival. Every time Prince wanted to ask something, he turned to Gilbert who would repeat the question to a girl, even though she was at his side. In spite of that she enjoyed his company. “Prince’s so cute, quiet and shy! You desire to care for him. I spent the whole week wishing to cover him with kisses,” she would say later.
At Rio Palace Hotel, located in the famous Copacabana beach, his 440m2 (473612 ft2) duplex suite was ready. It was decorated by a member of his personal staff days before he arrived and when he crossed its doors the bed was made, and his luggage (which included sheets, towels, soaps, perfumes, incenses and portraits of his family), was unpacked and a basket of tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple and the Brazilian cashews awaited him. The one thing that Prince didn’t approve of, a simple vertical consolette piano, was replaced by a baby grand piano in few minutes.
Despite all the efforts, Prince didn’t spend much time in his hotel room. A bus tour was scheduled by the Festival’s organization in order to show him some of the Rio de Janeiro’s landscapes, but they had to change the plans when Prince asked to visit places such as churches, orphanages and the Little School of Samba “Flor do Amanhã.” The Little Schools of Samba are created for children and usually linked to a traditional School of Samba.
At night, he went to Maracanã, for the very first time for the sound check that required the complete evacuation of the stadium and all lights off. Despite this, the festival’s technicians, journalists and even some gatecrashers kept circulating and, for them, it was a half hour show that began at 10:22 p.m. with Prince singing “Purple Rain” and “Kiss” and sharing the vocals with the rapper Tony M. After the sound check he had his dinner at the seafood restaurant, Satyrico, ordering spaghetti with seafood and a bottle of Brazilian wine. His presence and perfect behavior impressed the other clients, one of whom, who sat close to his table stating to the Brazilian paper O Globo: “He kept quiet, looking down to the floor and to the wall. He looked like a statue.”
After dinner he decided to check out Rio’s nightlife, his first stop being the Hippopotamus Nightclub, one of the most famous places in Rio in the early nineties. Its owner, the entrepreneur Ricardo Amaral was known as “The king of Rio’s night” and besides “Hippo” – nickname that the regulars gave to the place – he had many other clubs, including the Club A in New York and Le 78 in Paris. Amaral’s notoriety didn’t impress Prince at all. Witnesses told about an argument they had because of the US $230 bill Prince refused to pay for being too expensive. He also angered a famous Brazilian actress’ husband by inviting his wife to the dance floor insistently.
Leaving the Hippopotamus, he took his staff by surprise, when he literally ran away from them to take a walk on the Ipanema beach streets completely alone. Then, after spent some time at Caligula. Another popular night club, he went to Babilônia in Leblon. Forty minutes later, he headed to Trap 571 and People, both in the same neighborhood, but they were crowded for him to enter.
At 6:00 a.m. Prince was back to the hotel. During the afternoon, it some of the hotel’s corridors were lined with sheets to prevent Prince from being seen by other guests on the way to the sauna and the gym. When he arrived at Maracanã for his first concert, people were required to turn their backs to him along the way to his dressing room. Those who were able to see him by chance told about his bouncy walk and the hair rollers on his head. One of Maracanã’s employee’s said, “He looked like a gazelle.”
Alcoholic beverages were forbidden in his dressing room. Cheese, cold cuts, vegetables, fruits, sauces, french fries, pastries, bread, cookies, candies, snacks, mineral water, orange, lemon and apple juice, soda, tea, coffee, milk, sugar, lemon and honey were free. The space was all decorated in purple with incense and the candles. There were four floral arrangements, a full-length mirror and a small gym. Prince covered the sofas with purple, red and yellow lace fabric, and his most unusual request was an oxygen inhalation mask. The 200 white towels that had been requested at last minute became one of the greatest examples of his eccentricity for the Brazilian Press in attendance.
At 1:40 a.m. his first performance in Brazil and in the Rock in Rio opening night has finally begun. There as a 1 ½ hour delay due to an another strange request: He wanted the backstage area to be completely empty and 70 security guards to accompanying him out of the dressing room. Forty of them had to be hastily recruited. Once on the stage, Prince waved to the audience and their anger after the long and tiring wait was forgotten. Prince kept smiling and blowing kisses to the crowd and before the legendary “Purple Rain” guitar solo, expressed concerns about the ongoing war in Iraq by saying, “Rio, there’s a war going on. I don’t know what’s up, but I think we’d all be better off, living for love.” For 89 magical minutes Prince sang, danced, played guitar, keyboards and his blue acoustic piano. He enjoyed seducing the audience, especially the girls who were closer to the stage, and tossing some of the infamous white towels for them.
Stadium filled to capacity in Rio
Shortly after the show ended he left Maracanã to go to the nightclub Trap 571 again. This time his entrance was preceded by a meticulous inspection of the place made by his bodyguards. They kept by his side, guns hidden under napkins on their laps. Wearing jeans, a white turtleneck shirt and tailcoat, Prince spent most of the time at the table, sipping his club soda through a straw because, in his opinion, “there were no beautiful women.”
Next Stop: Mi Buenos Aires querido
On Monday January 21, he travelled to Argentina to perform at the River Plate Soccer Stadium in Buenos Ayres. The flight was delayed 15 minutes because his goose down pillow was lost at the departure area. The incident was only the beginning of trouble. In Buenos Ayres, his 77-minute show disappointed some of the audience comprising 25,000 Argentines. Eagerly awaiting his performance, some people in the crowd didn’t forgive the nine- song-version of his Rock in Rio’s concert and left the River Plate Stadium improvising offensive rhymes about him. Prince, apparently, didn’t enjoy the experience as a whole. The audience’s misbehavior annoyed him and, later, when the nightclub El Casaron, located in the metropolitan area of Buenos Ayres, was opened specifically for him and his staff, the only girl that he was interested in rejected him completely. However, to the Argentinian singer, musician and producer Charly Garcia, however, Prince’s unique performance in Buenos Ayres was seen as “a miracle.”
Back in Rio Prince was still irritated. He wanted to advance all the Rock in Rio’s shows on Thursday, January 24th by 15 minutes because he didn’t want to step on the stage after midnight. Earlier, he had taken his dressing room’s key from a festival employee’s hands in order to get total privacy. The festival’s Chief, who prepared him a whiting fillet and broccoli, was the only one person he came in contact with. The reason for his bad mood was that he was would be a special guest at the O Resumo da Ópera, another of Ricardo Amaral’s nightclub, and he did not want to be late.
The January 24th show was practically identical to his performance at the festival’s opening night. The only one difference was the inclusion of the song “The Question of U” on the set list. Despite the setbacks before the show, Prince was very relaxed on the stage. At a certain point, before start avery sensual/erotic choreography, he said, “This is for you, Saddam!” referring to the Iraqi dictator, while pushing down his hips to the floor and holding the microphone between his legs. In the critic’s opinion, it was the best of his three shows in Latin America.
At 3:15 a.m. he finally arrived at O Resumo da Ópera – The Summary of the Opera, literally. In this case it’s an idiom that means bottom line – the party was already at its peak. Twenty-five female models were hired to provide some “beauty” to the night and among them was Marianne Cotrin.
The 16-year-old Marianne Cotrin was at her mother’s side when one of the Prince’s assistant invited her to his table. Although she wasn’t his first choice of the night – in fact, he had been seen flirting with a very well known Brazilian fashion model earlier at the party – Marianne became his “favorite one” as soon as he laid eyes on her. They danced and kept together for the rest of the night and the next morning, before left Rio, Prince went to Marianne’s family’s apartment. They spent the last day of Prince’s visit in Rio, having tea, along with Marianne’s mother either at but Prince’s hotel suite or the Cotrin family’s apartment. Marianne was by his side at the airport, at the time of his boarding and witnessed him tenderly caressing the head of a little homeless boy to whom he gave hundred dollar bill on the Nossa Senhora de Copacabana Avenue a few hours before his departure.
The Most Beautiful Girl of Brazil
Marianne Cotrin had just arrived in Rio from Resende, a country town located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, to become a fashion model when she met Prince at the night club O Resumo da Ópera. The quiet adolescent, who was a Catholic high school’s student, became the favorite subject of Brazilian press, as soon as Prince returned home. “He is a regular guy. People think he is strange because he is very private,” Marianne used to say briefly about the superstar. According to her mother, Prince was “very gentle and polite.”
Marianne Cotrin
The pair kept in contact in 1991 and around Christmas time she received a plane ticket and an invitation to Paisley Park. In January 1992 she stayed at the studio’s complex and said that she listened to a lot of music, saw many beautiful places around Minneapolis and joined Prince and the NPG in various photo shoots. She confirms their six-month romance but emphasized that it was almost a flirtation, because Prince was very respectful and concerned about her age.
Shortly after her stay in Minneapolis, she signed a contract with Ford Models, gave interviews to papers and TV and was elected as “The model of The Year” by a Brazilian fashion magazine. She later moved to Europe but, despite the connection with Prince’s name, she had a very discreet trajectory in the fashion world.
In 1994, however, she was once again propelled into the spotlight when Prince gave her a role in “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” video. As a result of that the Brazilian press referred to her as Prince’s muse and musical inspiration.
During the weekend of Prince’s passing, the Brazilian press mentioned the story of her involvement in the video again and she broke of silence on a national TV show. She said that when she arrived in Los Angeles for the video shoot some reporters were waiting for her at the airport and asked her whether she knew she was the most beautiful girl in the world. She admitted that it confused her a lot, and that she didn’t mention it to anyone, not even Prince. Prince never mentioned it to her either.
Marianne now lives with her husband in Italy and has a five-year-old son. She left fashion world in 2012 to become a Skydiver recordist and has been in contact with Prince for many years. “He was a very nice person. Quiet and calm, he was always overflowing with music. It was a terrible loss to world and to me. I lost a friend.”
The Iconic Prince 