This blog has been in my drafts ever since the 23rd of April, and every time I wrote, I stopped. Three weeks ago on April 21st, my grandparents and I flew into St. Paul, Minneapolis to spend a few days in a small suburb, going to a place where that day, ‘fams’ were gathered to celebrate, and mourn the loss of a musician who called Minnesota home until April 21st, 2016. A place that holds so much familiarity for those who visited before that day, and for those who have went back after time and time again. A place that would pull on my heart strings as soon as I left, causing me to already plan a return. What am I talking about, you ask? How does it pertain to accessibility? Let me take you on a journey…
Five Years…
Chanhassen Minnesota is a small little suburb located about 30 minutes outside the city of Minneapolis, and at first glance, it’s one big stretch of land, road, and not much else. My grandmother’s first reaction was “This is it? There’s nothing here!” I had the same reaction. However, located on Audubon Drive just 5 minutes from our hotel, was Paisley Park where Prince lived and recorded. The gate was lined with memorials, ‘fams’ as Prince called us, were decked out in all kinds of amazing attire dedicated to him, and the sidewalk outside his gates were filled with messages, song lyrics, and drawings. I had been to Graceland, but something about this felt different, and I loved it.
On the outside, Paisley Park looks like an industrial building. It’s white, and barely has any windows. But inside is something else. Something beautiful. My grandmother and I waited outside for our time slot to the Remembrance event, and spoke to many individuals who came from all over just like we did, because of their love for him. April 21st marked 5 years since Prince left the earth, and an amazing legacy behind, and I felt grateful to be one of the lucky ones to spend time inside the sanctuary he kept so private.
When 7:00 hit, I handed them my phone, and answered COVID-19 related questions, and waited. The people we waited with were awesome, and it made the time go by quickly since we got deep into conversations about his music, and what certain songs meant to each person on a personal level. Before I knew it, the doors opened, and I heard the infamous words, “Welcome to Paisley Park” Before going inside, I looked up and saw the light shining in from above, and smiled. It was a reminder. One that hurt my heart in more ways than one. A reminder that five years ago, someone I knew was going through the same battle as Prince, at the exact same time, and it hurt my heart to realize that where I was heading, was the same place his journey on earth ended and where his new journey began.
Once inside, we were led to the atrium — an area adorned with gold records, pictures from different eras of his career were displayed around the room; most on doors, others on walls. Then, I looked down, and then up, reminding myself to take it all in. On the floor was his symbol. Up above, natural light was shining in as I stared at the walls that resembled the sky — blue and white. Sometimes it Snows in April was playing softly in the background as I finally looked at what was in front of me. Greenery and flowers, and in the middle, was his urn. A miniature replica of Paisley Park. The unpronounceable symbol in the front glistened when the light hit it. The small group of us did a moment of silence, just as a Dove coo’ed from above.
The atrium is all tile flooring, and is huge. My manual wheelchair had no issue at all navigating around the areas that weren’t off limits because of the event. I had never felt more..okay. Because usually, I’m in a small space and so I feel like my chair takes up a ton of room. Not here. The emotions I felt from that alone are indescribable. I was in a room with others, but the space was big enough to accommodate my mobility aid ten times over. I breathed a sigh of relief. Relax. I told myself. I felt lucky, and blessed to have experienced such an event.
Our guide, whose name I forget, then led us down a hallway towards the exit. On the right, was a gigantic mural of Prince, who he inspired, and who he was inspired by, and to the left were more records, and rooms that were locked until the next day when tours resumed. The hallway itself was a little smaller, but it was definitely big enough for my chair and then some. We were thanked for coming, our phones were unlocked, and my grandmother and I both left messages on the tables in the back that were covered in purple sharpie with messages from all walks of life. As I wrote out my own message, my heart felt full. It was a day I’ll never forget.
The Beginning…
Our tour of Paisley Park wasn’t until the afternoon of April 22nd, and so we went exploring a little, met some more like-minded individuals who loved Prince just as much as us, and my grandmother and I took a bunch of photos of the gigantic mural behind our hotel. Mostly on my Polaroid because I take it everywhere in order to have physical memories instead of all digital photos.
The VIP…
Soon, we were standing inside waiting our turn for the 2:45pm VIP Tour to start. Our lovely group included 2 members from “The Purple Ladies” who gave all of us bracelets that I still wear. If you’re reading this, thank you. You made my day even better. Our guide welcomed us back, and once again, I reminded myself to take everything in. I was so afraid that with my memory issues, I’d forget. As I type this, I remember every room vividly. I remember our group looking around in awe whether it was their first time, or if they’d been to Paisley Park multiple times before. The look of awe was on everyone’s face. Mine included. All the areas that were off limits, or empty, due to The Remembrance Event the day prior, weren’t empty any longer. The doors were opened, the pictures on the walls now had handwritten lyrics, guitars, and more in front of them, and a purple couch and chair lined the space on each side of the symbol on the floor, that people tried their hardest not to step on, and I tried my hardest not to roll over it. Why? We all came to the conclusion that we had no idea why, but wouldn’t step or roll over it.
Before the official tour began, we were led into a room where we watched a short video about Prince’s career (and sang along to the live performances being played) then after was when I looked around in admiration at the guitars in the room. All the guitars served a purpose in his career. Through each era. We were given some fun backstories before exiting and were given the leisure to explore the different rooms in our own time. These rooms included: The Lovesexy Room, his office, the editing room, the ‘Little Kitchen’, and two more rooms that I cannot for the life of me remember the names of. Each room was quite big. Big enough for my wheelchair and five other people to fit comfortably.
The Editing Room..
The editing room was big enough to hold our entire group, and probably more. There is a step that people can step down, but I didn’t. There were chairs, and a purple couch in the back. Here, we watching footage of rehearsals in pure silence. Watching the genius at work.
His Office..
His office was filled with candles (fake of course), and we all stood there for a minute, looking around the dimly lit room. His presence was felt everywhere, and our group spoke of that often.
The room was bigger than the other rooms we had went in. Big enough for a manual chair, power chair, or both! It was a breath of fresh air being able to fit in a space without feeling as if my chair was too big to be there. Even though I’ve been a wheelchair user for all my life, it never gets easier going into public places that aren’t accessible for all. Due to the no phones policy, I had no idea what to expect. I was told that all tours were accessible, but just how accessible I didn’t know. In short, I was overjoyed and so grateful.
The Little Kitchen..
After exploring the rooms, his office and editing room, we were led to the kitchen area. It was like a mini restaurant! It was huge. There were about eight booths, a TV and a red couch. This room could most likely fit not only multiple wheelchairs, but other kinds of mobility aids perfectly fine.
Galaxy Room..
One of my favorite rooms was a room called The Galaxy Room. This room was lit up blue. Fake candles were burning in the corner, and a clip from Prince’s Oprah interview was playing. It was a little smaller than the others we had visited, but like the others, was big enough for my wheelchair to navigate. I loved the fact that, no matter where we went, I could navigate the space easily. I don’t get that opportunity very often.
Studio A..
“This one is the biggest out of all the studios” Our tour guide said as we all looked around the gigantic room that had equipment throughout every inch, and recording booths on both sides. The walls had tapestry, and smooth flooring.
After being told that artists still record there, we were asked if we wanted to hear a track that he had been working on. Music all of a sudden filled the room, and we all stood around and listened as a picture of Prince stayed in the studio stayed on the screen. I’m not going to say that the room was huge, big, or anything of the sort because it was more than that. The best way I can describe it is, the room is bigger than my living room, bathroom, and bedroom combined. An individual using a mobility aid like myself would have no issue whatsoever navigating around this space.
Studio B..
This studio broke my heart. Not because of the huge mural of Prince and his band 3rdEyeGirl, but because our tour guide told us that he never got the chance to play the purple piano displayed on the left, and the one displayed on the right had a white hat sitting on top of it.
“It’s right where he left it” Our tour guide said.
It was smaller than Studio A, but more..intimate. Recording equipment and a recording booth lined the back wall. Photos of his family were visible behind the glass. We were played music, then we were asked if we would like our photo taken. The only place photos were allowed until the end of the tour. Looking up at the mural, I felt chills come over my body. That stare of his, made me feel as if he’d walk through the door at any moment. I sound like a broken record, but my wheelchair had plenty of room without feeling as if I was going to bump into something or someone. We didn’t have cellphones as distractions, just each other and the space around us. My grandmother became shy and didn’t want to take a picture by herself. One of the ladies came and got me and told her, “You need to do it! You’ll regret it if you don’t!”. We were cheering each other on and joking around as everyone took their pictures, and talked about having the same reaction I did. We had a blast in that studio.
One of my favorites…
Purple Rain..
Man oh man, this room.
It was dimly lit. When Doves Cry and Computer Blue played on the back wall, the infamous purple motorcycle is displayed in the middle of the room along with outfits from the movie itself, and a piano with very visible scuff marks. Hand written lyrics from the man himself were displayed along the right wall, and a mural from the era was there also. As we sang the songs, stopped and stared during ‘Purple Rain’ and talked about his Oscar that’s also proudly displayed, it was surreal for me. We also saw various outfits from his tour during that time, as well as his candy machine he would take on tour. I laughed and shook my head when I saw it, “That is definitely something he’d bring with him!”. This space in particular was very big, but it had an intimate feel. It was definitely big enough to accommodate not only my chair, but power chairs as well. Something that I really loved even though I’m not a power chair user.
Emancipation..
Before the soundstage, we were led to another room that was Emancipation themed. For those who don’t know, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in 1993 during his feud with his record label Warner Bros for artistic freedom. He also wrote the word ‘slave’ on his cheek. When he was finally freed from his contract, he changed his name back to Prince in 2000. This room was not as big as the others. However, there was a couch, handwritten lyrics, and memorabilia from that very important era on the walls. A small screen also played multiple clips in reference to the symbol, what it meant, as well as a clip of the statement Prince gave when he changed his name back. When the clips ended, we were told to look outside where one of his tour buses were parked. Where I was registered again, and my heart ached a little. This space, although smaller, was big enough for me not to bump into anything or anyone. Individuals who use mobility aids, should have no issue here either!
The Soundstage..
I won’t spoil the second to last space where we were allowed to take photos and where Prince would host parties. Let’s just say, it was big enough to hold hundreds of people and many, many mobility aids!
The NPG Music Club..
This space held a stage with equipment, and when I went, it was themed to ‘Sign O’ The Times’. Although, our tour guide informed us that the theming would soon change to reflect Welcome 2 America. The NPG Music Club is also where Prince would pop in and perform according to our lovely guide. It can hold up to 50 people or more, she said. It too, was an intimate space, and plenty big enough for any type of mobility aid. It led to the area where people could purchase merchandise. I bought 2 hoodies that I wear pretty much on a daily basis!
Conclusion..
This is the longest blog post I’ve ever written. But, once I started writing, I couldn’t stop.
Visiting such a place is an experience I will cherish forever. Not only was it beautiful, but it unlike any other tour I’d been on. It was personal. Our guide was amazing, and honestly, she didn’t even feel like a guide. Each time she told us something, she was excited like the rest of us. Not only was it accessible for wheelchairs, it was accessible for everyone with a disability and that it filled my heart with so much gratitude.
Paisley Park, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
Until next time!
