NPR on Purple Rain 'I think Prince is a God in another realm'.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105669291


All Things Considered, June 22, 2009 - Today, we're launching a brand-new music series to kick off summer, called You Must Hear This. We've invited musicians from all genres — rock, country, jazz, hip-hop, classical, bluegrass — to share a piece of music that they love, that inspires them, that they listen to again and again. And we've asked them to tell us why.

Jesse Carmichael and Adam Levine are founding members of the group Maroon 5. One thing they share is their love of Prince's Purple Rain.

Carmichael: It's interesting when you discover somebody that was around before your time. I really got into the album Purple Rain after I saw the movie, and it was one of those times when I thought, "How could nobody have told me about this earlier?"

The album starts with "Let's Go Crazy," and when you hear the sound of the organ and his gospel sermon begins, you really get sucked into a whole new world. I think he sums up everything I think about life at the end of that monologue when he says, "In this life you're [on your] own, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy."

Levine: The album Purple Rain is as enigmatic as Prince himself. It's so difficult to break down or articulate why it's so special. It's Hendrix, it's James Brown, it's outer space, it's church, it's sex, it's heavy metal. But at the end of the day, it's just Prince at his absolute best — in my not-so-humble opinion.

Carmichael: The reason Prince is an inspiration to me is that he's obviously writing from the heart, and somehow he's able to take these personal feelings, turn them into poetry and present them in a way that's accessible and weird at the same time.

Levine: What makes it so special is that no one had ever really heard anything quite like it. It's such a fearless record. The music is just completely limitless and unselfconscious about what it is. And that's why I truly, genuinely love it.

Carmichael: Basically, I think of Prince like a god in another realm. It's easier for me to think of him as a character in a movie than a real person. I mean, of all the people who might be aliens or angels or something like that — if we found out that he was not of this Earth, I wouldn't be that surprised.

Levine: And what really puts it over the top is how the music is performed in the film Purple Rain. It's as exciting and eclectic as the music itself. People never would have fully understood what it was unless you could see it unfold in front of you visually. It's truly brilliant, and you must hear it.


You Must Hear This is edited and produced by Ellen Silva and Frannie Kelley. Brendan Banaszak produced the mix for All Things Considered.

Nice

Real nice article showing some appreciation for Prince putting together so much phenomenal music!


His lyrics used along with the music he makes, always remind me that Prince is someone truly gifted.
The way he turns feelings into words and sounds, makes him a Natural Wonder of the World in my world.

You're a little late on the gun.

http://prince.org/msg/7/311885

I have never heard this phrase, did I have an appointment with the gun? Perhaps you are thinking of someone else.

ernestsewell said:

rozilla said:

rozilla said:

if we found out that he was not of this Earth, I wouldn't be that surprised.



sure true....

Cool.

While I think Prince as god, alien or angel is a bit much, I can appreciate how they feel here. And I'm particularly not surprised by Adam Levine's take -- I've always thought that boy has "Prince" written all over him.

This is news?! C'mon.

Maroon 5 makes me want to drive a shrimp fork into my eye.

I don't believe in him being a God...but ... I did like their song This Love....everything else is pretty much on point
[Edited 6/23/09 17:32pm]

squirrelgrease said:

klick2me said:

That is such a nice post..."Maroon 5," is a good band too, I really like what I know of them.

Prince is an Angel.

I thought everybody already knew that.

ernestsewell said:

xenon said:

How sad!

Not sure really, but probs just cos' I think u're a cock.

Mods feel free to snip, but give ernest a chance to spell check me first.

squirrelgrease said:

Cool!

squirrelgrease said:

squirrelgrease said:

japanrocks said:

squirrelgrease said:

Maroon 5 makes me want to drive a shrimp fork into my eye.

for real

I have heard him talk about Prince before. You know it is a sad day in Prince World when this story makes the main page.

Nice comments I like Maroon 5 or to be honest I like Songs about Jane never really kept up with them after that.
Prince world is scraping the news barrel methinks.

Fuck the funk - it's time to ditch the worn-out Vegas horns fills, pick up the geee-tar and finally ROCK THE MUTHA-FUCKER!! He hinted at this on Chaos, now it's time to step up and fully DELIVER!!

KrystleEyes 22/03/05

I had the pleasure to meet the guys from M5 the night before their first album(songs about Jane)was released. They were doing radio station visits and the program director from a local station brought them into my club. I was very impressed with their sound because it was very fresh at the time and I asked Adam about Prince because I could definitely feel a "vibe" through a lot of their songs. Adam told me that he was a huge P fan and we started comparing notes on the many boot*&^S that we had. I can tell you that the guy had a pretty extensive collection back then and I can only guess it has gotten bigger as he has gotten bigger. The band also does a kick ass cover of Darling Nikki in their live set.

JesseCarmichael said:

While it's nice to see some positive feedback on lil boy, I underline Squirrelgrease' post about Maroon 5, the fork and the eye.

On top of that, they are so full of shit and nonsense statements, it hurts.

I think he sums up everything I think about life at the end of that monologue when he says, "In this life you're [on your] own, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy."

Really?! Is that the profound quote you want on your tombstone? Lol. Are you emotionally that deep?

The album Purple Rain is as enigmatic as Prince himself (...)how the music is performed in the film Purple Rain. It's as exciting and eclectic as the music itself. (...) It's truly brilliant, and you must hear it.

What?! Ok. The music is as enigmatic as Prince. How it is performed is as eclectic as the music. You have to see the performance to fully appreciate it. Then he concludes with you really must HEAR it. So Prince = the music = the performance. You must hear the performance. This guy is talking out of his arse!

Shit, this annoys me more it should!

squirrelgrease said:

Sander said:

While it's nice to see some positive feedback on lil boy, I underline Squirrelgrease' post about Maroon 5, the fork and the eye.

On top of that, they are so full of shit and nonsense statements, it hurts.

I think he sums up everything I think about life at the end of that monologue when he says, "In this life you're [on your] own, and if the elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy."

Really?! Is that the profound quote you want on your tombstone? Lol. Are you emotionally that deep?

The album Purple Rain is as enigmatic as Prince himself (...)how the music is performed in the film Purple Rain. It's as exciting and eclectic as the music itself. (...) It's truly brilliant, and you must hear it.

What?! Ok. The music is as enigmatic as Prince. How it is performed is as eclectic as the music. You have to see the performance to fully appreciate it. Then he concludes with you really must HEAR it. So Prince = the music = the performance. You must hear the performance. This guy is talking out of his arse!

Shit, this annoys me more it should!

Shorty said:

geesh...they're expressing how this music makes them feel...big deal...doesn't mean they base their life actions on it entirely.
Music never does anything to you? And let's remember this is for an NPR radio show...they are not just gonna say "yeah, it's great, I love it" they gotta talk it up, try to make the listener not only hear but "SEE" what they are saying.
damn...people find ANYTHING to bitch about.

squirrelgrease said:

I like reading how other people perceive Prince, its fascinating for me. Good and bad, folks get revved up.


OT:
Also, its rare that my beloved NPR does stories on artists I follow. Though that fresh air interview with Leonard Cohen was great.

CHRISLUV92 said:

if we found out that he was not of this Earth, I wouldn't be that surprised.



sure true....

good, bad, or whatever else... it comes down to: spirit

rozilla said:

I was wondering when he would talk about Prince indepth... 'coz I always thought maroon 5 sounded a lot like the revolution... lol!