A “mysterious gem” has been discovered in an archived reel containing footage of a young Prince being interviewed about the Minneapolis teachers’ strike that occurred in 1970.
The reel was found in the archive room of Minneapolis television station WCCO by the station’s production manager Matt Liddy. However, he needed to do some research before he could confirm that the 11-year-old boy in the footage was indeed the late musician Prince.
Liddy uncovered the reel that’s been “untouched for 52 years” as he was going through the archives with hopes of placing the 2022 Minneapolis teachers’ strike, which occurred in the same district last month, into better context.
After stumbling across the reel, Liddy “immediately just went out to the newsroom and started showing people and saying, ‘I’m not gonna tell you who I think this is, but who do you think this is?’”
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A specialist was brought into the station to restore the audio to the footage. Then, a local historian and childhood friend of Prince confirmed that the child in the interview is indeed the “Purple Rain” singer.
“I think they should get a better education too, ’cause, um, and I think they should get some more money ’cause they work, they be working extra hours for us and all that stuff,” the young Prince said about the teachers in the clip.
The interview was shot in April 1970 while Prince was attending Lincoln Junior High School. Watch the full clip above for coverage on the full news story.
