Morris Day wouldn’t make a very good subject for VH1’s Behind the Music. Though his band, The Time, are on-again, off-again, and his short-lived solo career stumbled as soon as it left the gate, Day didn’t snort a gazillion dollars up his nose, nor was he almost killed in a car accident after a night of partying. Instead, he has quietly been retired to stud in the American pop-culture stable. Constantly on tour, Day hasn’t put out an album in over a decade. The million-dollar swagger, the flashy suits, the blue-blood attitude are all still there. So is his very own stage-side butler, Jerome “bring-me-the-mirror” Benton. When we caught up with Day in Atlanta, where he now lives, he was just about to hop on a plane to his former haunt, Minneapolis, to play an afternoon set for the meat-loving crowd at this year’s Rib Fest. Who says slowly fading away isn’t cool?

The Wave: What time is it?
Morris Day: It’s time to be cool.

TW: Are you checking yourself out in a mirror right now?
MD: [Laughs] Actually that’s what I was doing when I put you on hold a few seconds ago.

TW: Is Jerome standing there holding it up for you?
MD: Actually, right now, I don’t look exactly as you’d picture. I just got in from a nice morning jog and I’m just chillin’.

TW: What’s it like going back to Minneapolis?
MD: It’s always really cool. People come out in nice numbers to see us. It’s a special occasion to play there. We’re homegrown talent, so people there really enjoy us, not to mention the fact that we rip it up on stage.

TW: In addition to constantly touring, what else is going on with The Time?
MD: We’re just about to ink a deal with Hollywood Records, so look for a new album in the first part of 2004. It’s gonna be off the chain. We’ve been beating the pavement, but we’ve always wanted to do another album – we just weren’t sure if we were going to go the independent route or hook up with a major label.

TW: Is there anything you regret about the ‘80s?
MD: Not really. The music scene was totally different. I was living what I had learned up until that point. So I understood what was going on with the music. But right now, I’m standing on the outside looking in when it comes to what the kids are doing on the radio these days. While we’ll probably come into contact with some of the younger artists out there, we’re putting stuff down that they don’t know how to do anymore: real drums, real bass, and so on.

TW: What was the worst thing about the ‘80s?
MD: It’s hard for me to say there was anything bad about that decade. My band was on fire and I was loving the club and music scene.

TW: Some historians credit American pop culture in the ‘80s for playing a crucial part in the erosion of the Soviet Union. How much did Morris Day and the Time help in bringing down the Iron Curtain?
MD: [Laughs] I’ve never really looked at it on that level. I tend not to be so in depth to world issues. But if our music did help, I’m glad.

TW: Of the very, very few good things critics said about Prince’s last movie, Graffiti Bridge, the most common was that you and Jerome stole the movie. Why haven’t you acted more?
MD: There was a time when I thought that might be attractive, and I was hanging out in Hollywood and doing that whole thing. I quickly found out that sort of thing doesn’t work well with my aura. Some people liked what I did in Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge, and those are the people who call with acting offers, but to actively be on the block in Hollywood and go to readings is not my thing. I’m a musician and I can earn my keep very well. That’s not to say that if someone comes along and offers me $20 million to do a movie…

TW: Do you still talk to Prince?
MD: Not as much as I used to. We pretty much grew up together from the time we were 13. We were always hanging out. But times have changed, and I’m here in Atlanta and he’s in Minneapolis. We talk every once in a while.

TW: Didn’t you ever want to punch him in the face? Wait! – didn’t you guys get into a fistfight on the set ofPurple Rain?
MD: No. That was misreported.

TW: Do you think you could take him?
MD: Yeah! [Laughs]

TW: But really, didn’t you ever want to bitch-slap him?
MD: He likes to be in control sometimes – to the point where it got to be… Well, there were times when… I’ll just leave it at that. You’ve got to take the good with the bad, you know?

TW: What’s the meanest thing Prince ever did to you?
MD: One time when we were touring with him, he and his band threw eggs at us while we were on stage. Then when he went on, we threw eggs back. But I thought that was kind of low. I know it was meant in fun, but when you’re trying to do your show in front of a bunch of people, throwing eggs is not too cool.

TW: Did you have any animosity because The Time was Prince’s band? He even had the power to fire people, like when Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were late for a gig because their plane was delayed and Prince sacked them.
MD: Yeah, that was fucked up. For me, it was like being the president, but having to answer to the CEO. I had a fair amount of control and power within the organization, but the bottom line was always his. There were moments, like when he fired Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, that were tough. One thing I always hated about my favorite bands was when they changed members a lot, so the reality of that happening to my band was hard to take. That’s when I started thinking about a solo career.

TW: What kind of car do you drive? Let me guess: a Bentley? A Rolls Royce?
MD: [Pause] Um…yeah, I’ve got all that. I don’t discriminate with my cars.

TW: What’s the key to being sexy?
MD: I ain’t no Prince, you know what I’m sayin’? I think he might not say it, but he has some really cut and dry ways of considering that question. But I just think that being cool makes me a sexy man.

TW: What can you not live without?
MD: Money.

TW: If you were to take out a personal ad in a paper, what would yours say?
MD: [Long pause] Cute, pretty fine, handsome whatever with money looking for like-minded and like-assetted female.

TW: Was this the best interview ever, or what?
MD: [Loud laugh] It was absolutely the best interview ever, my man!