What's It Like To Step In Prince's Shoes?

First, you have to like high heels. I'm kidding, but to step in his shoes you have to have a commitment to his music, Prince didn't write easy music to play, just ask his band.

That's what Toddzilla did. he played in a Prince Tribute band and had to learn all of Prince's parts and guitar solos. Then later he put together a Prince Revue, having to manage the whole band and learn Prince's music, sing, and play his solos. He did it, and I had him on the show to talk about what that is like.

Toddzilla told me he started practicing with the Tribute band in 2015, they had their first gig, and 3 weeks after that gig, Prince is found dead. Toddzilla told me he had immersed himself so much into the music and playing Prince exactly the way you hear it on the records, that he felt he had become part of him and knew his heart. When he got the news Prince had died he said it was devastating.

The band didn't know what to do immediately. They did pull it together and go one. People wanted that and they were a busy band because now there was no Prince only people that could play Prince well like the band.

Toddzilla left the band and soon put on his own Revue and discovered for himself how much people wanted to hear that and how hard it was to do the whole Prince experience. Toddzilla put on his own thing coving the vocals as well.

Toddzilla grew up idolizing Eddie Van Halen and then discovered Prince. Both men were excellent guitar players and established themselves as icons. When I asked Toddzilla what the difference is he surprised me with his answer. He said both guys were very off the cuff. Eddie flew more by the seat of his pants, whereas Prince did too, but once he got it, it was committed.

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Eddie liked the flow and being creative, and Prince did too according to Toddzilla, Prince demanded his bands knew the stuff well so he could pull anything out and made sure they were on point, but Toddzilla said, he was also creative. Only Prince stayed committed to the mistake or to the off-the-cuff, and so he might have sounded perfect, Toddzilla says he was far from it.

Toddzilla says he is grateful for the music of both men and has continued to play both and weave both styles into his music, but Toddzilla says he has learned more from Prince and has continued to write with more of a Funk perspective.

To contact Toddzilla, you can use these websites.