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Prince's Music Legacy; Obama Visits British Royals, Prime Minister; Last-Second Shot Lifts Rockets Past Warriors; Stevie Wonder: Prince Was A Great Musician And Human Being. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired April 22, 2016 - 06:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[06:30:04] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The film "Purple Rain" and its Grammy, an Academy Award winning soundtrack taking the world by storm. Smash hits like, "When Doves Cry", "Let's Go Crazy", and the legendary "Purple Rain. Prince's crooning vocals on his 1986 sexually charged hit single, "Kiss", arguably one of the most recognizable songs in R&B and pop history.

His wildly inventive 2007 Super Bowl halftime performance of "Purple Rain" in the rain, considered by many as the greatest of all-time.

He'll always be remembered for his unrivaled showmanship and taste for the eccentric.

Selling more than 100 million records in his four-decade-long career -- winning seven Grammys, an Oscar, and five number one singles.

An ardent champion of personal and artistic freedom, Prince was a force to be reckoned with. He truly was one of a kind.

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MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Here to discuss Prince's music, his legacy, is vice president of marketing and communications for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Todd Mesek, and vice president of marketing and PR for "Running Press" and former book publicist for Prince, Kathleen Schmidt. The two of you have such great memories and we want to talk about some of your stories you also have from working with him, but I want to show you both, and all of us can enjoy this -- the inspiration has reached so many people, Broadway last night, the curtain call for "The Color Purple", watch what the cast did in honor of Prince.

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(SINGING)

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PEREIRA: And then they led the entire audience singing together "Purple Rain", and everybody knew the lyrics, everybody knows this song.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: That's Jennifer Hudson, a member of "The Color Purple", and all of Broadway, they had purple lights everywhere, there was certainly homage at every level of artistry.

PEREIRA: "Hamilton" also did their own. In fact, the lead was able to rap the start of one of those songs, which is incredible. Kathleen, I want to start with you. We all feel like we have an individual memory, but you, you worked directly with the man. How are you feeling today and what are the memories that are coming to front of mind?

KATHLEEN SCHMIDT, VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND PR, RUNNING PRESS: I don't feel like this is real. When the news alert came across my phone yesterday, I stopped what I was doing and I thought to myself, this cannot be real. And then everybody that I know in the business was texting me. I worked with him in 2008.

PEREIRA: You worked with him on a book project.

SCHMIDT: Yes. We did a coffee table book with him at Simon & Schuster when I was there, and it was way more than being a book publicist. It was doing --

PEREIRA: It consumed your life.

SCHMIDT: It consumed my life for a year. I had no idea that that was going to happen.

PEREIRA: In a good way?

SCHMIDT: Yes, in a good way. You don't know that when you're getting into it. My boss at the time said we were doing a book with Prince, so automatically I'm thinking, Prince Charles? And -- right. No, "the" Prince.

PEREIRA: Sexier.

[06:35:04] SCHMIDT: Yes. And, you know, I was just kind of like, wow. I grew up on "Purple Rain". That was the first rated R movie I ever saw.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: On the subject of "wow", Todd, one of the seminal rock 'n' roll moments, rock 'n' roll hall of fame, March 15, 2004, Prince played on a tribute to George Harrison, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", and the word "played" is grossly insufficient to describe what he did right here.

TODD MESEK, VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: Yes, that was such a powerful moment. Where George Harrison's guitar gently wept, Prince's guitar wailed and screamed and moaned, and really, with all the industry in the room that night, Prince did a beautiful job of really tipping his hat to George Harrison, but also reminding people the power of his talent and how he could control a room, control an audience, control the sound, and in so many ways, and I think a lot of what you hear with Prince is how he controlled things. He brought in new sounds, he invented new musical modes, but it's also really nice to hear all of these stories where he was just such a gentle, kind soul with people, but Prince just touches people in a way that few artists do. He -- also, the power that he had to give other people permission to express themselves, to be creative, to kind of step out of the box, is really a legacy that will go on for a long, long time.

CUOMO: He forced people to step it up just to keep up. Now hearing people, look, there's always a tendency to lionize those who passed, and it's probably a good instinct, especially when they're a creative force. But I keep hearing that, don't get lost in the music. This was a man who shaped culture. And I'll tell you, again, we're all the same age range -- '84, '85 -- '78 his first big hit, certainly overseas, but '84, '85, "Purple Rain", you're 14, 15, and this guy comes out and he is a beautiful man who is obviously playing to that, confusing you about, what is masculine, what is feminine, what is sexy, because there was never an unattractive woman within five miles of the guy --

SCHMIDT: He's all masculine.

PEREIRA: You were you in the room, you know.

CUOMO: The culture impact -- what does that mean?

SCHMIDT: I think people -- seeing people around him, and being around him myself, I remember the first time I met him was in L.A. We were having this big party at his house, and I get out of the car, walk through the house like nobody's business, and I go out onto the patio and we're face to face, and in my head, you're Prince. And we looked at each other, I said, hi, he said hi, and then we turned around at the same time and scurried away from each other. But other times I was around him, he was completely gracious, magical, a lovely man, and he spoke to people through his music. He didn't mingle at parties. He went onstage. But he liked to see other people having fun.

PEREIRA: Well, Todd, it's interesting, because if you went to one of his shows, he was known to throw these after-parties where he would play and play and play, go to smaller venues, more intimate circumstances, and play and play all night. He loved music and loved when other people loved music.

MESEK: Yes, and it wasn't for Prince, it was about the music. It wasn't about hits. He, I think, expressed some frustration wit music industry, but he continued to perform, produce, do these kind of intimate shows that you're referring to, and it was just about the music for him, and so many people that had the -- the pleasure, the unique experience of having those intimate concerts with him, really, like, left -- were left with such an important impression, but it was about the music for Prince. And when we're talking about his different styles, he never repeated himself. He didn't stay with the hits, he didn't stay with the same mode -- he always was something different. He crossed racial lines, he crossed musical lines, he crossed gender lines. He just never was the same. He never repeated himself and always gave us something new.

PEREIRA: That's absolutely true. Todd, Kathleen, I know that he said, we heard this quote -- he wanted his music to speak loudest for him and it indeed did. Thank you so much for joining us. We're going to have much more of our coverage of Prince's passing in our 8:00 hour. Prince's longtime friend, collaborator, the tremendous Sheila E. will join us live here on NEW DAY.

[06:40:01] BERMAN: All right, a change of scenery for President Obama. After a pretty chilly reception in the desert in Saudi Arabia, he is getting a warm welcome in London from the Queen. Details ahead and much more also on the life and legacy of Prince. That's next.

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CUOMO: President Obama has a big day ahead of him in England. His royal itinerary begins at Windsor Castle this morning. That's where the President is going to dine with the Queen one final time before he leaves for the White House. CNN White House correspondent, Michelle Kosinski, live in London with details. What do you have for us?

MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Chris. Yes, he just arrived here from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Now it's a royal day of a much different kind, starting, yes, with the queen. The President and first lady will have lunch with her and Prince Philip in honor of her 90th birthday. Then there's going to be a bilateral meeting with the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, followed by a press conference at which the President will likely face some tough questions about why he's even here. Some feel he'd meddling in the very British problem of the Brexit, whether the U.K. should leave the Eurozone, but then there will be a royal dinner with Princes William and Harry and Duchess Kate. All of the royals have met the President and first lady before, and the British always watch with interest to see how it goes. Remember, it made global headlines years ago when the first lady put her arm around the queen. One is not supposed to do that, but the Queen didn't mind. And then there was a dinner at the palace where the president accidentally started a toast early and was promptly stopped by the Queen. But the White House says the President has a deep affection for her majesty and even though he's here to discuss tough business, matters of national security, these royal engagements will be fun for the first family. Chris --

CUOMO: All right, Michelle, thank you very much. And, of course, when the President actually arrives at Windsor Castle, guess what? CNN will bring it to you, live, as well.

BERMAN: Also remembering the life and legacy of Prince this morning. Music was not his only love. He had a passion for sports. This guy was the biggest Timberwolves fans on earth, and his hometown team are paying their respects. We'll show you how, next.

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BERMAN: The death of Prince being felt around the world of sports. Coy Wire has more on this morning's "BLEACHER REPORT". Hey, Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Hi, John. Prince was a big time sports fan. His Minnesota hometown team, precious to him like diamonds and pearls. Vikings, T-Wolves, Twins, and Lynx. Let's see how many Prince song titles we can get into this hit. Let's go crazy!

That's in 2007, making people party like it's 1999. Super Bowl XLI in Miami, making fans delirious with guitar riffs, the pouring down rain while he sang "Purple Rain", one of the greatest guitarists of all time with arguably the greatest halftime of all-time, and sign of the times -- sports teams took to social media to pay their respects. The Minnesota Twins changing their profile pic, lighting their field in purple, saying, fitting that it's raining in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Timberwolves posted a picture of Prince and said, when doves cry, wolves cry. Prince was only 5' 2, but according to his junior high basketball coach, he could really ball. One thing's for sure, no middle schooler ever looked cooler than Prince. That afro, the side- eye stare, sir, you've got the look.

Prince was a big NBA fan. Just last month, he sat courtside at the Warriors game as a guest of the Warriors' owner, Joe Jacob. Those Warriors played the Rockets last night, game three in Houston, and both teams jammed to Prince during warm-ups. Must have inspired James Harden because he was hotter than a little red Corvette. 35 points, and knocking down the game-winner, just 2.7 seconds left. Steph Curry didn't play, out with that hurt ankle, but Rockets win 97-96. Michaela, back to you.

[06:50:10] PEREIRA: All right. You did him proud, Coy. Well done, well done, indeed. So music legend Stevie Wonder remembering his dear friend Prince. You're going to see his touching interview with Anderson Cooper, next.

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PEREIRA: Music legend, Stevie Wonder, has been hit really hard by the passing of his close friend, Prince. I want to the show you this touching interview with Anderson Cooper last night.

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STEVIE WONDER, MUSICIAN: It's a heartbreak, and -- I was shocked. I didn't believe it. As I find it so hard to believe, in this journey of music, we as artists that sort of create the reflection of society and reflect, really, just the people that really wanted to see a better world, a better people, a unity of people, all of those things, as did his music, too, and will continue to do for those of us who will continue to listen to it. It's a heartbreak to lose a member of that army of love.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: That army of love. How did Prince influence you? How does he inspire you?

[06:54:58] WONDER: Well, he was -- he was a -- he was a great musician. He loved music. He loved playing his instrument, and the times that we did jam together were amazing, with all the various people he would bring together, and most of all, he brought all the various cultures together. He could play classical music if he wanted to, he could play jazz if he wanted to, he could play country if he wanted to. He played rock. He played blues. He played pop. And he played -- everything. Just a great musician, and very cognizant of what his responsibility was as a musician and a human being.

COOPER: Today, I was watching a recording of a concert that you did in Paris back in 2010. You were performing "Superstition", Prince was accompanying you on the guitar, and what I think gets lost sometimes about Prince is, he wan just great songwriter, he was a stellar guitar player. And it wasn't just guitar. He played nearly all the instruments on his first five albums. I mean, that's incredible.

WONDER: Yes, it's amazing, and you know, it's fun to do that because basically you're going inside yourself, and you are really giving people every single part of what you feel. It's what your soul is saying. This is how I want this to be played, and fortunately I can play it and express myself. It's like an artist painting a picture. So he was a great artist of, of picture, of sound picture and music, and so -- this is an amazing day as we see so many things happening, the heartbreak is to see this man who is so talented be taken away from us, but I know that the almighty God has far greater things for him to do eternally. So -- I just hope that we celebrate his music and celebrate his purpose that he fulfilled.

COOPER: Is there any song you want to sing a little of or play a little of or -- again I don't want to put you on the spot if you're not up for it.

WONDER: Yes, I think I would probably break down if I do a song right now.

COOPER: OK.

WONDER: But he was incredible, and I'm just glad that I was able to say to him, I love you, the last time I saw him.

COOPER: And he wrote a lot of songs for other artists over the years, and he was also a philanthropist, donated instruments for young musicians, was concerned about social justice issues, about -- he did a lot of things for charity and didn't necessarily get his name associated with that. He did a lot of things anonymously.

WONDER: Well I think his spiritual commitment was much bigger than him having to say he did this and he did that. His commitment was in the action of what he did, not with the satisfaction of letting people know that he did it.

COOPER: How do you -- I don't know if I should even ask this question, because it's -- it's maybe too soon to figure this out and certainly we'll always have the music, but how do you hope people remember him?

WONDER: Just a great musician, a great producer, a great songwriter. Someone that allowed himself to be himself and encouraged others to be themselves, and he was very free. And to do what he did without fear was a wonderful thing, because it's always great, it is always great when we don't allow fear to put our dreams asleep, and he didn't.

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PEREIRA: You saw how Stevie said he was too emotional to play anything. Moments after Anderson ended the interview, look what happened. He played this version of "Purple rain".

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LARRY KING, TELEVISION HOST: How would you describe your music?

PRINCE, MUSICIAN: The only thing I could think of is inspirational.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His spirit and his music will live on forever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He loved his art. He loved what he did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was nobody who could compete with what Prince could do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are many kings but there is only one Prince.