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The artist formerly known as Terence Trent D’Arby remembers the artist forever known as Prince http://www.newstatesman.c...s-forehead
Terence Trent D’Arby on Prince: “I planted a nice, wet kiss right on his forehead” His death was mind-blowing. Then again, he was always mind-blowing and he always had a grand sense of drama. He left us too soon. Though he was always too soon, as masters of great timing are. As a young blade aeons ago, I once had the stoned hubris to ask the esteemed journalist Steve Sutherland – who had, in a review, proclaimed Prince God: “What does that leave for me?” It was a sin for which he never quite forgave me. I was still rather young, dumb and full of Cumberland. The first time I met Prince I planted a nice wet kiss right on his forehead. There was no mouth kissing! I am a conventional, boring heterosexual. What else was I to do? I was a star, and protocol required that I did not gush or drool. But he was a great master and a mentor who I always made a point of deferring to – until maturity bid me to go my own way. His job was to awaken the troops, those of us knighted by destiny to serve in the culture wars that forever engage us. And everywhere he went, he turned it into a piece of his world. A space worthy enough to contain him, as befits a grand strategist. He demanded a lot but gave more. It is inconceivable to imagine President Obama in a world that Prince – along with Michael Jackson, also born in the magical year of 1958 – did not help create the possibility for. He was using emojis and text lingo years before it even became an official lingua franca. This dude got away with being just a symbol for almost a decade, during which time the irony dripped like candle wax. We were played like a fiddle! He was, when he wanted to be, insanely funny in the way that Zen masters can be when they let their garters down. He could both read minds and place thoughts, like the ancient eastern yogis. And if you were full of shit, you would be very uncomfortable around him. In fact, he once berated me for not responding to a telepathic message he sent: I did receive it but I told him that I was busy sending a message to Michael Jackson. He had little tolerance for posers, though nobody threw as hard a shape as he. He was a true diva, one who had earned the right. He was a Buddha of culture and a font of wisdom, though he endured at times harsher judgements than was healthy for his soul to bear. His great weakness was in not accepting his weakness, and he would punish himself for this. We did a record together in the early Nineties but fell out because of a dispute over my use of an eleventh chord. The last time he reached out to me, well after I had relocated to Milano, I brushed him off. I was annoyed about some lame shit at the time and didn’t want him getting into my head with any of his hypnotic logic. After the birth of my second son, I had transformed enough to want to introduce him to his young “nephews”, knowing that, in spirit, he would see my sons as also his own. I also knew that he would have been proud of me for having gotten my family act together, as much as for anything musically that I might have done to warrant his attention. And I knew that he and my missus, Francesca, would get along like a house on fire. Do I feel guilty for having missed out on our last communication? No. Steve Sutherland was right. Prince is God. Or at least he is the man sitting next to him. And whether he is living or dead, or hovering in the various states in between, I am always in communication with him. He did not go anywhere: he just wised up finally, sensibly, and left us trifling bitches behind. His body belongs to the earth, but his mind belongs to us all. The awesome force of his will created new worlds. It feels very much as if one of my own lifetimes has moved on and it is profoundly and unexpectedly moving. A mirror to my soul is gone. I loved him. All of his bitches loved him! May he rest in the peace he has earned. Over 25 years ago, he complained to me that as far as the industry was concerned, we only existed as models to milk the young white kids, and that was pretty much the extent of our worth. I agree – but I also feel that was our duty and the reason we are chosen for service. As soon as he died, the very next article I read about him asked if now Justin Bieber was the world’s greatest performer. With no disrespect at all to young Master Justin, it was an irony I found too rich for my blood. [Edited 4/28/16 15:27pm] | |
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Am I the only one who had difficulties reading this gibberish? Is he serious?
" I´d rather be a stank ass hoe because I´m not stupid. Oh my goodness! I got more drugs! I´m always funny dude...I´m hilarious! Are we gonna smoke?" | |
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I think its brilliantly written! | |
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Great stuff Tel. | |
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Typical TTD but glad they actually had a relationship. I always held out for a TTD/Lenny/Prince supergroup but alas....
I hope the song they worked on is in the vault. Maybe TTD will finish it off WITHOUT the 11th chord!
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that is pure TTD, I finally laughed a little bit this week. | |
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I´ve read it again and like it much better now. I guess it was just a few lines that rubbed me the wrong way the first time I read it. It´s quite funny and respectful. I like the part about Prince and Michael Jackson paving the way for Obama to become president, a part that is particularly interesting when you compare it to what Andre Cymone wrote about Prince and Obama.
" I´d rather be a stank ass hoe because I´m not stupid. Oh my goodness! I got more drugs! I´m always funny dude...I´m hilarious! Are we gonna smoke?" | |
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Oh Sananda, you're so misunderstood. Ever since 'Neither Fish nor Flesh' It's always been the case. Heartfelt, thoughtful and beautiful words. Your stock in trade. Much appreciated thoughts! Thanks. |
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We did a record together in the early Nineties but fell out because of a dispute over my use of an eleventh chord. The last time he reached out to me, well after I had relocated to Milano, I brushed him off. I was annoyed about some lame shit at the time and didn’t want him getting into my head with any of his hypnotic logic.
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I love this. It is exactly what you would expect from TAFKATTD, one of the best wordsmiths out there.
"It feels very much as if one of my own lifetimes has moved on and it is profoundly and unexpectedly moving." I couldn't have said it better myself. [Edited 4/28/16 17:02pm] | |
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"He did not go anywhere: he just wised up finally, sensibly, and left us trifling bitches behind."
That's absolutely god damn right. | |
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>We did a record together in the early Nineties but fell out because of a dispute over my use of an eleventh chord. slakk | |
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Can you say "outside the box"? Nice read..very respectful. | |
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what u can expect from TTD...very articulate | |
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he's pretty cool, he wrote to me once and told me not to admire him so much i don't develop my own style, then he mentioned heroes of his which he just had to say f-u to, figured he possibly meant prince because Prince was difficult. coulda been springsteen but i know that bruce doesn't really have a mean bone in his body. | |
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The Colors R brighter, the Bond is much tighter
No Child's a failure Until the Blue Sailboat sails him away from his dreams Don't Ever Lose, Don't Ever Lose Don't Ever Lose Your Dreams | |
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ya but he's alive. megastardom may not be all that it's cracked up to be. I wrote on his facebook that only he and bruce are left from my teen year's music heroes. Personally, I love Neither Fish Nor Flesh too. Symphony or Damn though was in my mind, the last great concept album. | |
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i still wonder how true the "michael jackson sabotaged TTD" stories are. terence scared many people with his talent, george michael admits it, i couldn't see Prince or Bruce being worried in the least though. | |
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Nice...had to read some lines twice, but nice... Make it so, Number One... | |
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This is by far my favorite celebrity tribute to Prince so far! lol Hilarious and totally out there, but touching. Have U had your + today? | |
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ya, the michael thing was funny. apparently prince really was into telepathy, i remember my brother really getting a kick out of the enquierer article in the 80's with prince ready to fire his limo driver because he didn't get his esp message "pay attention next time".. | |
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funy thing about ttd these days, in interviews he's about the humblest, accessible guy in the world in stark contrast to the youthful upstart. Humility ain't all bad. | |
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lavie said: This is by far my favorite celebrity tribute to Prince so far! lol Hilarious and totally out there, but touching. I agree...Sananda seems to be a smart guy. I love his perspective. "No one plays the clarinet the way U play my heart" | |
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Classic Sananda. Poetic, poignant, beautiful. | |
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Absolutely. Listened to F&J just last night. What a voice. |
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When people on here were talking about D'Angelo fronting The Revolution the other day, I thought it was an awful idea that anybody should do it. Besides, I also thought, if it absolutely has to be done then it needs to be Terence Trent D'Arby. He slotted right in to INXS after Michael Hutchence wanked himself to death. "Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge"" ~ Isaac Asimov | |
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talk about an eccentric person
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heartwarming if quirky tribute though
And I thought I was the only one who had to read it twice in order to appreciate it. It just sounded a bit weird at first......for instance that part about the elenth chord. I really disliked it when I first read it but then I read it again and now I love it.
" I´d rather be a stank ass hoe because I´m not stupid. Oh my goodness! I got more drugs! I´m always funny dude...I´m hilarious! Are we gonna smoke?" | |
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I wouldn´t mind D´Angelo frontig the Revolution but I also would like to see Bilal and Maxwell. But, now that I think about it , I think TTD is also a great choice. Also because he´s not the most obvious choice and I think the fact that he was so popular during the 80s would make him a good candidate, too. The Revolution could probably related to him a bit better than to the others, because those others I mentioned above, as much as I´d like to see them play that part, are fans themselves, whereas TTD is more of a contemporary rival , or at least he was. " I´d rather be a stank ass hoe because I´m not stupid. Oh my goodness! I got more drugs! I´m always funny dude...I´m hilarious! Are we gonna smoke?" | |
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This is as obtuse and faux-deep as his music has been for most of his career. | |
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