Diamonds & Pearls Deluxe, reflections on Prince's live output and working with Warners on Tina Turner and David Bowie projects. Music industry brand consultant, author and journalist Jason Draper talks to Sam.

How can U just leave me standing? ...in search of Prince Rogers Nelson.Saturday, February 7, 2026

Show Notes

Jason Draper is a brand consultant and long-standing music journalist. As former Head of Curation at Universal Music Group and Reviews Editor of Record Collector magazine from 2006 to 2015, he now straddles both sides of the music industry, advising on content strategy and brand development for everyone from Warner Music Group to the audio-visual app jazzed. Author of the books Prince: Life and Times (2008; revised and updated in 2016) and A Brief History of Album Covers (2008), his work has also appeared in NME and Uncut, and as part of Royal Mail's prestigious stamp collections. He lives in London with his wife and Jack Russell terrier.

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Born in Jackson Heights, New York, Alan Leeds is an American music industry legend, as a tour manager and production manager, he is best known for his work organising performances and concert tours for artists such as James Brown, Prince, KISS, Cameo, D'Angelo and Chris Rock.

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Celebrating our 5th Anniversary Pt 1: Those who knew Prince in the late 1970s, from school days through to early band try outs in Minneapolis...we spoke to his first Manager, band members, but also writers who studied this crucial period. Essential.

Welcome to this very special 5th Anniversary episode of 'How Can U Just Leave Me Standing?' - the podcast where we go in search, of Prince. By talking to band members, artists influenced by the purple one, academics and fans, we shed further light on a unique musical legacy.

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Xclusive interview with author, actor, dancer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Mayte Garcia, Prince's first wife and band member in the New Power Generation. "My measurements were the code to the Vault," she tells Sam.

Mayte Garcia was born in Alabama to parents of Puerto Rican descent, growing up in various part of the United States, and in Germany (due to her father’s career in the military), and spent her summers in Puerto Rico with her extended family.

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