August 23, 2023Scott Goldfine

TIR 51: Prince Keyboardist Dr. Fink Tells How They Fueled a Revolution

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Brought to you by FUNKNSTUFF.NET and hosted by Scott Goldfine — musicologist and author of “Everything Is on THE ONE: The First Guide of Funk” ― “TRUTH IN RHYTHM” is the interview show that gets DEEP into the pocket with contemporary music’s foremost masters of the groove.

Featured in TIR Episode 51 (two segments), in a special tribute to Prince premiering on the two-year anniversary of his April 21, 2016 death: Keyboardist-composer-producer Matt Fink, who as Dr. Fink spent 12 years from 1979-1991 as a member of Prince’s band the Revolution, and contributed to numerous other projects. Aside from Morris Hayes – who spent 20 years of mostly continuous service with the New Power Generation and who has also been a guest on TRUTH IN RHYTHM – Fink worked closely with Prince longer than any other associate. He logged thousands of rehearsals, recording sessions, concerts, aftershows, film & video shoots, and TV appearances with arguably modern times’ most gifted & accomplished musician. Among the classic albums from that were Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999, Purple Rain, Around the World in a Day and Parade. Key tracks and hits from those records and B-sides include “Head,” “When You Were Mine,” “Let’s Work,” “Little Red Corvette,” “Delirious,” “DMSR,” “Lady Cab Driver,” “Erotic City,” “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Darling Nikki,” “Paisley Park,” “Raspberry Beret,” “She’s Always in My Hair,” “17 Days,” “Pop Life,” “Kiss,” “Mountains,” “Anotherloverholenyohead,” “Girls and Boys” and many more.

Fink was the only member of the Revolution to stay on after the band was dissolved, and also received credits on Prince’s Sign O the Times, Black and Lovesexy albums, among others. Over his career, he has acquired more than 30 RIAA Diamond, Platinum and Gold record awards, and MTV, Grammy and American Music Awards. Following Prince, he built his own Minneapolis-based facility called StarVu Studios and expanded into numerous projects that included Ultrasound, his 2001 solo album. Fink continues to be very active today, and beginning after Prince’s tragic 2016 death he reunited with fellow Revolution members to perform tribute concerts dedicated to their fallen former leader.

Here, Fink talks about working with one of the most creative forces music has ever known, the chemistry, personalities and talent of the Revolution, some of the amazing albums and songs of that period, unforgettable memories and highlights, dealing with the loss of Prince and carrying the legacy forward, and more.

Recorded March 2018

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Scott Goldfine

As a fervid lifelong music & film enthusiast / student, I grew up in and around the Los Angeles entertainment industry. I have worked and held many positions in various media realms, since 1998 serving as Editor-in-Chief and now Associate Publisher for Security Sales & Integration, a trade publication serving the electronic security industry. I love several genres of music & film. The former includes funk (Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince, Ohio Players, etc.); blues (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Eric Gales, etc.); rock (Jack White, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, etc.); hard rock (AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc.); jazz (Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Crusaders, etc.); R&B (Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Gil Scott-Heron, etc.); and more. I was a club disc jockey and ran a mobile DJ company (Musical Moods) for more than 15 years, which is where the name Dr. GX originates (Doctor Good Times). Fave film genres include horror (Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.); science fiction (Aliens, Terminator, 2001, etc.); action (Warriors, Road Warrior, Die Hard); westerns (Outlaw Josey Wales, Showdown at OK Corral; Wild Bunch, etc.); suspense (Jaws, Inception, Silence of the Lambs, etc.); drama (Apocalypse Now, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, etc.); and comedies (Life of Brian, Superbad, Ruthless People, etc.). I have attended many hundreds of concerts and movies (in theaters or screenings). I may as well also throw in a few favorite TV shows to give an even broader taste of my sensibilities. A handful would be Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Lost, Justified, Fargo, Seinfeld, Sopranos, South Park, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Key & Peele, Monty Python, Inside Amy Schumer, Louie, Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Last Man on Earth, Bob Newhart Show, All in the Family and The Office. Fave authors are Stephen King, Clive Barker and Michael Crichton. I am also a big sports fan and lifelong supporter of the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB). Also enjoy my family of course, electronics/computers/AV gear, and animals, nature and outdoor activities. Graduate of Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica College and California State University Northridge (Radio-TV-Film, Psychology minor). Also studied at UCLA for kinesiology/psychology and earned post-grad Certificate in Accounting from Santa Monica College. Present main occupation is as Associate Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Security Sales & Integration (SSI), which I joined in 1998. I am responsible for overseeing all editorial content in print. online, electronic, in-person and any other media or products for the electronic security industry's leading business-to-business trade publication. SSI is part of Framingham, Mass.-based Emerald Expositions.