In the December issue of Rochester Magazine, I interviewed Mitch Stevenson for our monthly 10 (Or So) Questions, a one-page Q&A in which I regularly ask people things like "What's 11 squared? Quickly!"
Mitch, former general manager of Chateau and CineMagic and Paragon theaters, musician, community volunteer -- you probably recognize him from somewhere -- had more stories than I could fit in 10 (Or So) Questions.
Like ...
The time he traded clothing with Prince.
"Whenever I was in the Twin Cities, I'd run by Chanhassen because I knew that if the gates (at Paisley Park) were open Prince might be gigging. So one night I got lucky, and the gates were open. They said, 'We suggest you give five bucks as a donation.' So we went in. Sure enough, before you know it, Prince is playing. ... At one point I jump on stage with my friends and we're just jamming. He's got a paisley vest on, and I have a paisley tie on. He looks at me and he goes, 'I like your tie.' I'd forgotten I had it on. He probably thought I wore it for him. And I say, 'I like your vest.' He goes, 'Hey, you want to trade?' So I undid my tie, took it off, and gave it to him. And he took his vest off and gave it to me. That's my great Prince story. I still have that Prince vest.
Introducing himself to George Thompson.
"George Thompson (a longtime community leader and former executive director of the Diversity Council) has been such a crucial part of my life. When I first moved here (from Arkansas) I set up a meeting with him and I said, 'It's a tradition in the Black community down South that an older gentleman in the community will take a young man under his wings. I have noticed what you do in the community. I would just like to ask you that from time to time if I need to sit down and talk with somebody, could it be you?' He said, 'Of course.' And that's how our friendship got started."
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Being the "Black Amish Guy."
"I have a furniture business on the side. Work a lot with the Amish. The main Amish guy, Dennis, never had any Black friends. I never had any Amish friends. So we made a deal that we could ask each other any embarrassing question. A couple years ago I said, 'Remember our agreement?' He said, 'Yeah. What do you have?' I said, 'I'm thinking about dressing up as an Amish for Halloween. Is that, like, sacrilegious?' He busts out laughing and says 'I'd like to see a Black Amish guy.' So his mom made my hat, and his sister made my clothes. So I have an authentic Amish outfit. But that's the kind of friends I have, and that's what I love about this state."
Steve Lange is the editor of Rochester Magazine. His column appears every Tuesday.
