PRINCE ROGERS NELSON
JUNE 7, 1958-APRIL 21, 2016
Sometimes it snows in April...sometimes I feel so sad...sometimes I wish that life was never ending...But all good things, they say, never last...
April 22, 2016. Earth Day. The morning after. I remain in shock for I cannot fathom that he is gone. Truly, irreversibly gone.
Dear readers and listeners, in a year that has been brutally unrepentant upon the music world, I find myself writing a tribute to an artist that I honestly felt that I would never have to write for many,
many years to come, perhaps even another decade or even more. But here I am. In shock, disbelief and utter confusion that what has transpired is indeed real and not some internet hoax, or false report or even a bad dream. I have often expressed that within my life, I hold a personal "Holy Trinity" of cherished musicians. One third of that Trinity carries
The Beatles, another third carries
Todd Rundgren and the crucial final third of that Trinity, of course, His Royal Badness himself, the artist we will forever know as
Prince. And now, he is gone.
Like all of you, I am blindsided and teary eyed, for his importance to me throughout my life is immeasurable, bottomless and endless. In fact, even as I begin to write, I am having serious difficulty finding words for I am so overwhelmed. But, for this figure, who was so deeply instrumental in helping me to shape my worldview, my growing sense of self and in addition to delivering me into a musical universe so complete, individualistic and unlike any other, I will try my very best to pay proper tribute and honor. And how could I not, for how much this man gave to me.
By now, we are all replaying how we first heard the news. For me, I was in the Teacher's Lounge of my preschool enjoying my lunch break when one of my colleagues, with smartphone in hand, plainly asked of me, "Is it true that Prince died?"
What?
It was here that I began running through my brain all of the recent information that I knew, recounting everything to my co-worker just as much as it was being performed for myself as I could not even begin to process if this question could have possessed any sense of truth.
I knew that Prince had cancelled a couple of recent dates on his extremely well received solo
"Piano And A Microphone" tour due to an illness, most likely the flu. I knew that his private plane made an emergency stop to a hospital in Moline, IL just six days prior to his passing, reportedly for dehydration, yet he was released and back in his home of Minnesota the same day. I knew that the following day, Prince had been spotted riding his bike around his
Paisley Park compound and studio, he shopped at a local record store for
Record Store Day and even held a party that night at Paisley Park where he even appeared, addressed the crowd and showed off his new purple piano and purple guitar, which he explained that he hadn't even played yet as he was solely focusing upon the piano for the tour. And as is (or now "was") his wont, yet obviously regarding the troubling news reports, he cryptically stated,
"Wait a few days before you waste any prayers."
To me, it felt to be an ominous sounding statement to make and I couldn't help but wonder if there was a different, larger intent to his words. But seeing him in front of an audience and seemingly excited about the future, I waved any dark thoughts aside and breathed a sigh of relief that he was still with us.
And now, here I was receiving the news from a co-worker to the contrary and even then, I refused to believe it until I could see something for myself. I raced to one of the school's laptops and logged on-line and within moments, I read the news and saw that several friends on Facebook had already sent messages of solace and mourning to me, expressing their own sadness while also checking up on me as I read over and again variations of, "You were the first person I thought of."
I was just unable to process the news and since I had to return to the classroom, I knew that I had to keep it together. Yet, much later in the afternoon, as I took a few moments to myself up in the empty lounge and later still as I picked up my wife from her work and shared the news, my voice cracked and the tears began to flow. Prince was dead. Three words I never felt that I would have to say for quite a long time as he was the type of artist that I could have seen creating new music into his 80's. For me, Prince always represented someone or some entity that was just a little further ahead than the present. Someone or some entity that I always felt that I had to reach a little further to grasp and understand. And furthermore, Prince was always an individual that was constantly on the move, completely unable to pin down and so beautifully inventive, restless and forever searching, seeking and creating, seemingly never ending in tapping into the wellspring of inspiration.
And still, Prince was dead.
That night, I watched interviews and commentaries upon CNN, watching
George Clinton and former associates and friends speak of Prince and to also witness their own confusion and shock over the devastating news. I later turned to MTV, which surprisingly (and rightfully!) returned to music, of all things, as they broadcasted archived concert footage and music videos that I had never seen before. With my cat Jada beside me upon the love seat, I soon fell asleep. When I awoke nearly two hours later, I heard the music before fully reconciling myself back to full consciousness. In those few moments, I had forgotten but when I saw the television, still showing Prince videos, I sadly realized that I hadn't dreamt it all.
Prince was dead. I didn't want to believe it but what I wanted didn't matter. He was gone. Truly, irreversibly gone.
The passing of
David Bowie in January of this year upended me, and only very recently have I begun to feel some sense of acceptance with his death, as well as the ones that followed of my musical heroes from
Kevin Junior to
Glenn Frey and
Sir George Martin among others. In comparison, Prince's death feels like the worst bodyslam imaginable and yet, still so unreal. Yes, there is a feeling of a dark echo when thinking of both Bowie and Prince's passings in regards to the shock and surprise of the news. Yet, the difference to me lies in the fact that David Bowie knew the status of his impending mortality while the public did not and therefore, he weaved it into his art, purposefully creating a final statement even if we did not realize it upon first listen. With Prince, the shock is even more profoundly shattering as he was a figure that felt to be miraculously untainted by time. This is not to suggest that I felt him to be immortal. I just felt him to be
unfinished.
In the last 18 months alone, Prince released 4 new albums and was currently in the midst of his aforementioned tour. He even recently announced that he was writing his
memoirs to be published in 2017. More music was undoubtedly on the way as well. With Prince, there was always the wonder and the possibilities of whatever could possibly arrive next for himself as well as for us, since we were joined together upon his ongoing artistic odyssey. Essentially, Prince just
was not finished and it is unfathomable to me that he is gone...so truly, irreversibly gone.
It just makes no sense to me whatsoever just why it had to be Prince this time. Why him and why now? Perhaps it is something so simultaneously simple yet so sadly incomprehensible. That this is just a fact of that electric word "life," which is indeed a mighty long time but not long enough and as Prince often proclaimed, time is an illusion.
Believe it or not, there was once a time when I hated Prince.
It is so very true. There was a time when I could not stand the sound of his voice or his music and most definitely, not the sight of him. In retrospect, I now know that I and all of my beliefs and perceptions were being repeatedly challenged, experiences that I would have with Prince to varying degrees for the remainder of his life. But back then, when I was 11, 12, 13, 14 years old, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.
I remember thinking of him as the weird guy who sang dirty songs, who sounded like a woman and wore high heels and bikini briefs. And yet, he sang of God and divinity as much as he sang of sex and hedonism. A challenge if there ever was one as I could not reconcile those two aspects of his subject matter whatsoever. But again, I was too young to even begin to realize what precisely was happening.
I remember often seeing his music videos for both
"1999" and
"Little Red Corvette" and writing both of them off as nonsensical fluff regardless of what the fans, music critics and
my beloved cousin Adam had to say about them. I was so stupidly self-righteous in my opinions that were honestly not based in very much of anything as again, I was too young. But then, I also remember seeing the full and nearly 9 minute music video for the dark, pulsating
"Automatic" and feeling chillingly uncomfortable and confused by the themes of sadomasochism on display and yet I also remember being unable to turn away from what I was seeing and hearing. I was indeed captivated but I didn't understand how or why and the confusion just made me mad, frustrated and even more determined to dig in my heels regarding my resistance.
By the time
"When Doves Cry" was released, I was ready to write Prince off for good but through its ubiquity, I
very slowly found myself grudgingly enjoying bits of the song here and there until the fateful day arrived: the opening weekend of Prince's first motion picture, the now iconic "
Purple Rain" (1984).
Upon my blogsite
Savage Cinema, I have previously and extensively detailed my experiences (
which you can find in the April 2014 section) with seeing the movie on opening weekend out of sheer skepticism and urged on by the unbreakable trust I had in both Chicago film critics the
late Gene Siskel and the late Roger Ebert, who each greeted the film with rave four star reviews and would later each proclaim the movie to being one of the Top Ten films of 1984. But in short, seeing the time that very first time was the point where lightning struck. Where I entered as the rigid skeptic and exited a passionate convert who had just seen the light.
After the movie, I walked from the movie theater and ventured straight into the
Evergreen Plaza shopping mall and directly to the
JR's Music Shop record store and bought the album, thus beginning my journey with Prince. While he never said so, I have a feeling that Adam felt rightfully vindicated as he was a most helpful guide since he was already a huge fan, quite possibly from the very start. I listened to the album
"Purple Rain" (released June 25, 1984) constantly. I purchased the 12' single version of
"Let's Go Crazy" (single released July 18, 1984) which featured not only the seven minute version of the song as featured in the film but also the non-album track
"Erotic City," itself a jaw dropper of a song, one that forced me to hide it from my parents as well as one that slowly made me pay attention to the releases of his provocative b-side selections. Shortly afterwards, I borrowed and taped Adam's copy of the
"1999" album
(released October 27, 1982), and I have to say that I listened to that album even more, most often at night while doing homework or even later as I laid in bed for the night and to this day, it is one of the Prince albums I reach for the quickest.
Over the following years, throughout high school and college, I immersed myself within Prince's ever expanding and constantly evolving musical universe, which includes in addition to his own albums, his films, side projects, b-side singles, pseudonyms, and even bootlegs, all building blocks of his overall iconography and the purity of his iconoclastic artistic vision.
In the earliest stages, I only have Adam to thank as he was the one always in the know as to what was in the purple pipeline and he ensured that I was up to date. It was Adam who informed me about
The Family, the band who rose from the ashes of
The Time yet only delivered one album before disbanding themselves. Yet, that one album, save for a track written by
The Revolution's drummer Bobby Z., was entirely composed, produced, arranged and almost solely performed by Prince himself, including the first appearance of the now classic
"Nothing Compares 2 U." It was Adam who informed me about
Madhouse, Prince's secretive foray into instrumental jazz, on which the debut album featured no album credits whatsoever but was later revealed to be entirely composed, produced, arranged and almost entirely performed by Prince. It was Adam who informed me about
"The Dream Factory," a long abandoned double album designed to follow
"Parade" (released March 31, 1986), but eventually transformed itself into a triple album entitled
"Crystal Ball" before becoming the masterpiece that is the double album
"Sign O' The Times" (released March 30, 1987). And after a time, I kind of knew where to keep looking in order to keep up with this artist who moved so secretly and seemingly faster than the speed of light and sound, and I rapturously attempted to keep pace.
Just very recently on my weekly
Savage Radio show after I had played the track
"Strange Relationship" from "Sign O' The Times," I mentioned on-air that for those of us who were with Prince from the beginning or for those who joined right at "Purple Rain," if you were a teenager in the 1980's or of that specific generation, Prince was undeniably nothing less than OUR
Beatles. His path from his first album
"For You" (released April 7, 1978) all the way though to the victory lap of
"Graffiti Bridge" (released August 20, 1990) is one of the most astonishing runs that any musical artist ever could have conceptualized and yet, Prince was the one artist to actually achieve that spectacular goal.
If you listen to the albums back to back, you can immediately hear the rapid progression from the very beginning to the operatic breakthrough of "Purple Rain." It is as if each album is standing upon the shoulders of the preceding one, reaching higher and higher. From that iconic breakthrough, Prince then essentially re-invented the musical wheel over and over and over again through a level of creativity that was as fearless as it was ferocious. As I look back and listen, I am stunned that he did it just as I wonder
how did he do it. But, also, I am feeling so fortunate and even blessed that I was at the right age to experience these works just as they were being released to the world and that I dove into them just as my generation did.
So much of that time, which contained some of the most magical music listening experiences of my life, formed the stronger than granite foundation as to why Prince has mattered so tremendously to me. Being an introverted teenager who didn't live near his friends from school, I was often alone and was therefore encouraged to entertain myself and sustain myself all by myself. Certainly, this led to many and lengthy periods of adolescent moodiness tinged with a deep sense of loneliness. This was the stage during which I began writing.
Seeing how Prince largely crafted his albums entirely by himself was more than fascinating to me as well as awe inspiring. Being a drummer as well as one who likes to mess around on keyboards and is an extremely frustrated guitarist, I am further awed by Prince's instrumental virtuosity, to essentially have the best musicians on call 24/7 and they all live within yourself. I happen to have a fascination with those whom are able to perform on a variety of musical instruments with proficiency. Again, Prince seemed to function in a class all by himself in this regard as his dexterity and agility from piano and keyboards to bass guitars to drums and percussion to, of course, his guitar fireworks catapulted him to existing as the ultimate one-man-band. To have the capacity, skill and talent to create this kind of art, alone and at will, amazed me to no end, and being able to compose, arrange and produce himself with a sonic inventiveness and clarity that honestly could rival the late Sir George Martin only made Prince even more formidable.
His prolific nature, one that fully mirrored the prolific nature of
filmmaker John Hughes during those same years also grabbed my attention and awe. It cannot be over-stated just how ahead of the curve Prince was during the 1980's and early 1990's. Remember, save for 1983, Prince released an album
every single year of the decade plus those aforementioned side projects, b-sides and then, there's all of that unreleased material now housed in The Vault. Just think and wrap your head around this: once one album was finished and traveled through the corporate pipeline to the record shops and then, onto our record players, Prince was most likely completed with the next
three albums--therefore, he was ALWAYS ahead of us. Just as I would purchase an album and spend copious amounts of time and energy trying to figure out the musical world he had given me a gaze into, the next one had arrived and all pre-conceived notions were tossed out of the proverbial window as I then had to try and understand his world all over again. Those years often found me scratching my head and I remained consistently enthralled.
To think, this figure went from the basement funk of both
"Dirty Mind" (released October 8, 1980) and
"Controversy" (released October 14, 1981) to the dark, electronic eroticism of "1999" to the rock opera heights and glory of "Purple Rain" to the psychedelic wonderland of
"Around The World In A Day" (released April 22, 1985) to the skeletal and orchestral funk of "Parade" to the double album magnum opus of "Sign O' The Times" to the densely structured, labyrinthine tale of spiritual transformation in
"Lovesexy" (released May 10, 1988) to the comic book psychosis of
"Batman" (released June 20, 1989) to the Paisley Park church family picnic of "Graffiti Bridge"--and all with albums from
Vanity 6, The Time, Madhouse, The Family and Shelia E. and four feature films, all serving as combined side projects and sign posts as to the full realization of Prince's vision.
Yes, Prince was indeed OUR Beatles. But he was also OUR David Bowie, OUR
Led Zeppelin, OUR
Jimi Hendrix, OUR
Miles Davis, OUR
Joni Mitchell, OUR
James Brown, OUR
Frank Zappa, OUR
Duke Ellington and OUR
Mozart all in one. You could find all of the familiar elements easily enough to be certain, but with each new release, Prince increasingly created a musical universe that encompassed all that came before him and emerged into a style that defied classification other than existing as "Prince music." It was, and remains, as expansive as it is extraordinary. Certainly, Prince's music was designed to be as inclusive and populist as it was wholly uncompromising and yes, his music transcended race, gender, class as well as age and generation. It is a body of work that will welcome any and all who choose to take a listen. That being said, I strongly feel that for myself and my generation, Prince was OURS!
And, he was a Black man.
For a young African American male like myself who loved rock and roll as I did, at no point was Prince's ethnicity ever lost upon me. While Prince promoted a utopian ideal engineered to lift up all of humanity, he was realistic enough to understand precisely how the real world worked regarding racial politics. Earlier I spoke of how he challenged me and whatever beliefs I told myself to hold closely. This is a feat he performed for all of us as he forced everyone to take a hard look at their own individual prejudices and our whole selves. During my youth, music was undeniably segregated racially via musical genres: soul/funk/R&B=Black while rock and roll=White. Not only did Prince illustrate to us that essentially all of popular music possessed deep roots in the history of Black music, he simultaneously challenged all of us to move beyond our personal comfort zones through the amalgamation of a variety of musical genres. Screaming guitars over a pulsating dance floor groove. Punk rock sensibilities with infectious rhythms and soulful vocals. Prince's blurring of the lines that divided "Black" and "White" music therefore eliminated all boundaries leaving only GREAT music.
Additionally, Prince was savvy enough to understand that image is EVERYTHING. Prince formulated integrated bands for the entirety of his career, vehemently announcing that when it comes to finding great musicians to play with, race and gender are meaningless. And even so, as a young African American male, it meant the world to me to see this Black man playing rock guitar, for in seeing this image, Prince made me feel less alone in the world and he even instilled a fair amount of pride in myself for loving and playing the music that I did.
This outlook worked its magic just as effectively and as equally regarding the role of women in Prince's universe. Yes, we did have our scantily clad temptresses like t
he late Vanity and
Apollonia. But, most importantly, some of Prince's most trusted, frequent and invaluable musical collaborators have been women. The Revolution's
guitarist Wendy Melvoin and
keyboardist Lisa Coleman,
percussionist/drummer Shelia E., The New Power Generation's keyboardist/vocalist Rosie Gaines and
bassist Rhonda Smith, dancer Cat Glover, and
3RDEYEGIRL's guitarist Donna Grantis, bassist Ida Nielsen and drummer/vocalist Hannah Ford Welton are just some of the prominent women Prince associated himself with as musical peers and colleagues, all of whom proved themselves to be of superior quality. And believe me, dear readers and listeners if you are ever able to locate a copy of Prince's now difficult to find "Sign O' The Times" concert film from 1987, which he also directed, you will not only witness one of the best concert films ever made, you will see performances from Cat Glover and Shelia E. that are so blistering that they nearly steal the whole from from the man himself!
Prince demonstrated and exuded his pure, unadulterated admiration, affection and appreciation of women through the songs and especially with his bandmates, always presenting them on equal footing with himself and giving them the freedom to fully display their fearsome musical chops. While this was an area in which I did not feel challenged, so to speak, again Prince understood that the image was EVERYTHING. Seeing women performing rock and roll was indeed a rarity and to witness these virtuoso musicians was powerful, to say the least.
Also, regarding women and gender as a whole, here is where Prince quite possibly challenged me the very most. As I previously stated, when I was younger and misguidedly offended by the existence of Prince, never did I ever realize that through his priceless falsetto and the fashion, he was challenging me (and all of us) to confront our notions of what constituted masculinity and femininity. Wondering whether Prince was either
"straight or gay," as he sang in
"Controversy" was definitely a crucial element of the building of his mystique. Adopting his persona of
"Camille," the androgynous character with the sped up/higher pitched voice in the later '80s only continued the gender bending.
Yet, as we all know, Prince was quite the Lothario utilizing a more "feminine" appearance through which a "masculine" sexual appetite traveled, and to considerable success, he challenged us with matters within the sexual arena regarding desires, attitudes, preferences, fetishes, dreams, fantasies and stark emotional realities. One thing to realize about Prince's massive output of material regarding sex and sexuality, is how he always injects an emotional universe within the songs so that the music exists as being much ore than risque material and occasional dirty words. Some songs may be more playfully lascivious than others (
"Let's Pretend We're Married") or more openly graphic (
"I Love U In Me") but most of the songs utilize sex to explore themes of isolation, hurt, pain, longing, connection/disconnection, jealousy (
"If I Was Your Girlfriend" may be one of the finest songs he ever wrote regarding some of this subject matter) as well as pure romance, love and unabashed vulnerability. He challenged us to really think about what
is sexy as well as what
is sexuality and in doing so, Prince was really my first teacher in matters of adult relationships and the emotional landscape that is inherent within those relationships and connections.
By often merging themes of the body and the spirit, where foreplay could be viewed as prayers and intercourse could pave the way towards salvation, Prince's evolving exploration of spiritual matters gave us a window into how he viewed existence and therefore, challenged us again to confront how we all saw existence and our place within it as individuals and as members of the global and even cosmic community. Even when inserting The Lord's Prayer into "Controversy," opening "Let's Go Crazy" with his now iconic
"Dearly beloved...," or the entirely of the "Lovesexy" album and even detailing his conversion into becoming a Jehovah's Witness with the somewhat polarizing album
"The Rainbow Children" (released November 20, 2001), Prince never really told us what or how to think about God, the universe and everything. He was never dogmatic. He just recounted life the way he viewed it, completely without compromise or apology.
Prince's uncompromising behavior regarding the creation of his art, the cultivation of his persona and artistic legacy is legendary. Often possessing a rebellious streak, Prince would always travel against the grain, marching to the beat of his (and ONLY his) spirit's drummer. To me, Prince achieved precisely what an artist is supposed to do. He did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted however he wanted and if he alienated even his biggest fans, then so be it. This was
his art and no one else's. He often confounded me. Often. He frustrated me at times as well. But I realized that this was part of the deal if you wanted to follow Prince upon his artistic journey. Everything may not make sense to me or to us but for Prince, it was exactly what was needed to happen at the time...just as it is for all of us as we live our lives.
This aspect of Prince's personality was never more evident than during his epic battle with his record label
Warner Brothers during a large portion of the 1990's over his Master recordings, the frequency at which his music could be recorded and released and the overall rights of the artist in an industry that does indeed seem to exist to exploit artists. Not only did he write the word "Slave" upon his face, this was also the period during which he ceased utilizing his given name favoring an unpronounceable symbol made of the conjoined signs for "male" and "female."
Much has been written about how figures like David Bowie and even
Madonna have transformed and re-invented themselves over and again. Yet neither of them evolved to the point where they did not posses a name or eulogized themselves within their own albums. Yes, it was preposterous. It was confusing, maddening and even prone to ridicule. But Prince remained steadfast in his crusade, never admitting defeat but keeping up the good fight long enough where he was indeed the ultimate victor where he reclaimed his name and received ownership of all of his master recordings and the publishing rights as well.
For me, his uncompromising nature taught me so very much about integrity, success, failure, perseverance and how to keep pushing forwards even when it seems that nobody understands or believes in you. Prince taught me that in times during which I may feel it best to just give up and roll away because I am unable to face yet another obstacle or tribulation, I hear the following lyrics in my head from the song
"Daddy Pop":
"Whenever U say that U can't/That's when U need 2 be trying."
Now, we arrive at the culmination of all of his challenges and life lessons: the nature of genius. Prince has been called a "genius" for as long as I am able to remember and to that sentiment and opinion, I agree completely. Even so, I don't think that I ever really pondered what being a "genius" actually meant. Now that Prince is gone, I have been thinking quite a bit about Prince's specialized brand of genius, and I think that I now realize, even more than ever--that genius is not just given. That genius does not simply exist for a chosen few. We are all capable of genius. The potential for genius exists in every single one of us. Prince demonstrated with every single song, album and performance that genius is something that is EARNED. And I do not believe that any of you would argue with me when I express that few individuals earned that title as much as Prince did.
Prince taught me that genius arrives through diligence, determination and a demonstrative dedication to one's craft and work. He was known to be a Herculean bandleader and taskmaster but I cannot even begin to tell you how many times musicians over the years expressed the sentiment that while Prince could be unstoppably demanding, he never demanded anything of anyone else that he wouldn't demand of himself. He saw your talents and made you reach heights that you felt were unattainable. He illustrated the true nature of genius by being devoted to the work itself, always knowing that genius doesn't just arrive and that once achieved, that genius must be shared to continue the elevation of us all.
For quite some time, I feared that the general public had somehow taken Prince for granted. That we had this beautiful genius existing in the world at the same time as the rest of us and he was still pushing boundaries forwards, releasing timeless music and serving as an advocate for performers and society and quite possibly, no one seemed to really care terribly much. Was greatness among us all of this time and we were just too busy or distracted to fully appreciate it? Those fears so completely wrong after news of his passing was heard around the world.
In Prince's home state of Minnesota, most certainly, Paisley Park and the
First Avenue and 7th St. Entry nightclub have been the home of two massive memorial sites. Cities around the world have adorned their buildings and lakes with the color purple in tribute. Musicians from
Bruce Springsteen to
Pearl Jam to even
David Gilmour have all paid tribute to our fallen, beloved artist in live settings. And in my city of Madison, WI., tribute events at local nightclubs are being scheduled and the marquee upon the city's legendary
Orpheum Theater carried this message:
Yes, thank you for the music.
To see the outpouring of sorrow from heartbroken friends and fans has been deeply sobering, as we are all full witness as to how the life of one man can truly change the world for the better. Even if that person is "just" a rock and roll star. News of his boundless compassion and private philanthropy has been hitting the media and being shared throughout social media to our own enlightenment. He may have presented himself as an inscrutable otherworldly figure when in reality, he was acutely in tune with the ways of the world. Yes, he wrote songs of social consciousness, racial politics and spiritual deliverance but to now see how deeply he placed his own words into action has only illuminated our continuing understanding of this man who is now gone...so truly, irreversibly gone.
And that is why we now have the music to console us, to bring us together in the communion of mourning, tribute, celebration and dance and for an artist who created a veritable mountain of material (and with mountains more tucked away in The Vault). I feel that it is our duty to keep his legacy and his spirit alive by exploring and sharing all of it. I believe that it does Prince's legacy a disservice to uphold "Purple Rain" and not much else, despite its brilliance. It always frustrates me when the masses and the industry performs this very musical crime. For Prince, throughout his career, "Purple Rain" has been regarded as his peak, which is completely unfair to all that surrounded it. In many ways, "Purple Rain" served as Prince's albatross--the song, album and film that audiences and even critics would not allow him to move beyond. Granted, it was indeed a tricky position for an artist of Prince's caliber and creativity to be confronted with, For if he did just make "Purple Rain 2" I guarantee that we would not be speaking of him the way we are right now. So, in respect to his memory and the full breadth of his legacy, I emphatically urge those of you unfamiliar with his body of work to dive right in and try absolutely
all of it.
Prince's entire life was contained within the music, therefore making the entire discography
essential because when you listen to every note, you are indeed gathering his entire life story. From the kid in a candy store innocence and unending creativity of the 1980's to his full resurgence in his final years and all of the peaks and valleys in between, Prince was giving us every piece of himself. We can hear his joy quite certainly. But when you listen to albums and material released in the 1990's, during his battles with Warner Brothers, we can hear his confusion, his doubt, his anger and pain and even his insecurity--so powerful for an artist who exuded the highest confidence and belief in himself. We can hear when he is fully engaged and we can hear when he is seeking and sifting, we can hear how each song moves from one to the next, making his entire legacy function essentially as ONE song.
For me, I have been listening to album after album all over again, watching video footage and all the while being amazed and heartbroken, dazzled and saddened that this seemingly unstoppable force of nature has been ceased by time itself. Yet, as he once wrote,
"Life is just a party and parties weren't meant to last."
There is no conceivable way for me to know, but I would gather that he would not want fr us to mourn terribly long. That he would want for us to join together, regardless of race, gender, age, class and generation and simply dance, sing and rejoice in the music at the party he has hosted for us since his debut album in 1978. To laugh and learn together. To play instruments and create together. As with David Bowie and
Michael Jackson, I firmly believe that Prince was yet one more figure who inspired more people that we could ever fully realize from singers, songwriters, musicians, producers, arrangers, filmmakers, writers, poets, philosophers, choreographers, dancers, painters, clothing and costume designers and countless others. I think that he would wish for us, no matter what our station in life, to give to the fullest of our abilities, to become the very best of ourselves and share those gifts with the world, hopefully uniting all of humankind in the process of our ascension. All we can do is to try and we have the finest soundtrack to guide us along the way.
Even so, I have been crying quite a bit because as with all of my heroes, Prince was a friend to me. I know that he lives in me for the remainder of my life but even so, it hurts to say goodbye.
REST IN POWER
