TrivialPursuit said:

HerecomethePurpleYoda said:

The whole my name is now a symbol charade.

There is validity to this.

While we all understood the reasoning and could make quasi-sense of it, it played against him as much as MJ's shenanigans did. Frank Dileo, MJ's manager for a long while, and MJ created this campaign of planting crazy stories in the press, then denying them when asked about them, just to generate attention. The hyperbaric chamber, elephant bones, Liz Taylor shrine, it all backfired on him. Wacko Jacko was a term much of the press adopted. He hated it, and he hated that his scheme to get attention (because, apparently, the attention from Thriller was just not enough) and he never lived it down.

I don't believe Prince felt was a spiritual move. But I do believe he tried to Muhammad Ali his way through the better part of seven years until he let it go and went back to the only real name he ever had. He never had to change his name. He just had to let his contract expire in a few years. The name change didn't get him out of it sooner, nor did it relieve him of any obligations he signed up for when he inked those deals. The entity of the person still existed, despite what anyone called it.

Ultimately, it was sort of embarrassing, I think. Of course, he'd play it off as some pseudo-religious experience. While he created a new thought process for an artist's independence, we all knew better about the name itself. He could have done that under his birth name just as effectively, evidenced by the fact that he continued to fight for artist's rights more years as Prince, than as .

You have some good points here, but it was so much fun

What was sort of embarrassing was reverting to Prince in 99. Most people didn't understand why he did it then.

databank said:

Artistically/career-wise, Carmen Electra and thinking that this album could be a hit of any kind.

.

I do not feel it's my place to comment his personnal/private life and choices.

Didn't you forget something in your answer... *hint hint*

For me, personally, it's represented in a letter I got from his lawyers after finding fault with the advertisements of the NPG Music Club.

I skipped it the first year, soured by the fiasco of the Crystal Ball pre-orders/delivery, etc. The second year, after seeing an advertisement in a concert program indicating that members would receive 4 new CDs (Madrid 2 Chicago, etc.), I decided that was worth it. As you know, instead we got the 3 CD live album & the brief, piano heavy One Night Alone CD.

I considered that false advertising & went to the BBB to attempt to get my money back. Rather than some customer service lackey, I got a letter from one of Prince's lawyers claiming that Prince was entitled to release whatever he wanted & if I persued the matter further, I'd be subject to lawsuit for defamation, etc..

Very cordial response to someone who had been a fan of his work for many years.

While I was probably not the only fan upset by that move on his part, I'd consider it a small slight on the grand scale. What was bigger?

Expecting the name change to go off without mockery & actually work as a way to get out of his contract.

The very visible public tantrums about WB, with whom he had very recently signed a potentially massive deal with. Related to this, referring to himself (a multimillionaire, corporate VP, & internationally famous celebrity) as a slave didn't help matters.

His latching on to Larry Graham as a surrogate father & mentor & the revisionist history regarding his work. "What the duck?" Artists can grow & mature, but to disavow so much of what made them famous? It's like Bruce Willis saying "Fuck Die Hard."

Sinking his creative energies into talentless hotties like Carmen Electra (& Mayte for that matter - you're already slipping her the d, you don't need to give her a record deal).

Treating other bandmates & associates poorly with pay, writing credit, etc.

Putting his life in the hands of very careless & opportunistic people.

Thinking he was immortal or being too dogmatic about his beliefs to seek necessary medical assistance required by age & serious injury.

Attempting to exert so much control over his work throughout his life & leaving no mechanism for control in death.

CatB said:

databank said:

Artistically/career-wise, Carmen Electra and thinking that this album could be a hit of any kind.

.

I do not feel it's my place to comment his personnal/private life and choices.

Didn't you forget something in your answer... *hint hint*

Carmen Electra + 7:41 + 3 = C47m3n 313ctr4?

I'm not good with numerology

databank said:

I have to agree with Callimnate. It is way too many to count. I think this way Prince was a private person. He did not want others to see his flaws.

CatB said:

databank said:

Carmen Electra + 7:41 + 3 = C47m3n 313ctr4?

I'm not good with numerology

Something about the color of his sweater

Tyka said orange was his favorite color

OldFriends4Sale said:

LittlePurpleYoda said:

For me, personally, it's represented in a letter I got from his lawyers after finding fault with the advertisements of the NPG Music Club.

I skipped it the first year, soured by the fiasco of the Crystal Ball pre-orders/delivery, etc. The second year, after seeing an advertisement in a concert program indicating that members would receive 4 new CDs (Madrid 2 Chicago, etc.), I decided that was worth it. As you know, instead we got the 3 CD live album & the brief, piano heavy One Night Alone CD.

I considered that false advertising & went to the BBB to attempt to get my money back. Rather than some customer service lackey, I got a letter from one of Prince's lawyers claiming that Prince was entitled to release whatever he wanted & if I persued the matter further, I'd be subject to lawsuit for defamation, etc..

Very cordial response to someone who had been a fan of his work for many years.

Not cool.

Besides, false advertising is false advertising: you would have won the lawsuit.

.

I didn't mention it in my reply but clearly, the way Prince sometimes treated the fandom, poor customer service, false advertising, sueing Uptown Mag, threatening the Org and other sites... that was real lack of judgement: you don't antagonize your core audience, particularly if you don't wanna depend on a major label to sell your product to the masses.

.

I myself was disappointed but didn't feel too cheated with that NPGMC2002 situation because I received two ONA Live and three ONA piano, so I had collectors' items that could be resold later, and we got Xpectation as well. On the other hand I was quite pissed at the "take the money and run" Lotusflow3r.com strategy: how hard could it have been to upload a few songs or concert videos every month? I paid 77 bucks for 3 records that were for sale for 10 bucks in stores, one exclusive song (but another one was exclusive to the CD set so I was expected to buy that one as well) and 8 exclusive live songs' videos that I couldn't even download... That was a damn scam

.

At the hand of the day I didn't care much about it all, though, but many fans took all that stuff quite personally and it contributed greatly to the anti-Prince atmosphere on the Org.

CatB said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Tyka said orange was his favorite color

Ding ding ding we have a winner

No, it's OK, I didn't mind the question.

databank said:

CatB said:

databank said:

No, it's OK, I didn't mind the question.

I thought it was you who made this their new fave answer to everything

No I only reply this when I find a question dumb or trollin', in the end it's better than calling people names.

OldFriends4Sale said:

CatB said:

databank said: Something about the color of his sweater

Tyka said orange was his favorite color

No, no. According to Tyka his favorite color was orange.

It loses all meaning if it isn't written correctly.

[Edited 11/13/18 12:32pm]

databank said:

HerecomethePurpleYoda said:

The whole my name is now a symbol charade.

One of his coolest career moves ever if you ask me.

It had never been done before, and it can never be done again.

I agree. Definitely one of the coolest things ever.

PennyPurple said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Tyka said orange was his favorite color

No, no. According to Tyka his favorite color was orange.

It loses all meaning if it isn't written correctly.

[Edited 11/13/18 12:32pm]

Thank you

PennyPurple said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Tyka said orange was his favorite color

No, no. According to Tyka his favorite color was orange.

It loses all meaning if it isn't written correctly.

[Edited 11/13/18 12:32pm]

In fact the exact sentence is: "According to Tyka it was orange"

Seeing 1999: The New Master made me remember... Another huge misstep was not releasing an album titled 1982... in 1999!

Such a lost opportunity

databank said:

You have some good points here, but it was so much fun

What was sort of embarrassing was reverting to Prince in 99. Most people didn't understand why he did it then.

That my armchair analysis. But as a fan, I totally loved it. Hell, I had cutouts of the symbol in my house in the 90s. haha This is a pic of the mantle (taken by a friend back then). Believe me, I was all over the stuff.

Prince for all his many, myriad of dazzling talents was never the most self-reflective and internally-honest person. Did he ever admit a failure publically in his life?? His tendency was to double-down and put-out-of-sight-and-out-of-mind and press on.

That being said, I think his biggest miscalculation was...after successfully releasing himself from the "clutches" of Warner Bros and being "free"...making the decision to release an enormous three CD album - an album which contained a treasure trove of wonderful and brilliant tunes...and choosing for it's lead-off single...

...a limp and flaccid cover of an obscure soul song from the 1970s???

sro100 said:

sro100 said:

His biggest misstep?

All opinion, of course.

I'd say the movie "Graffiti Bridge;" may have been.

Y'all?

too many to name, any one with that long and that big of a career is bound to make mistakes but Prince had the courage to try things most people in that position wouldn't so, too many to name. Probably the biggest was signing that dumb assed contract in the nineties but then we also have to mention UTCM the movie, graffiti bridge, writing slave on his face, marrying the wrong women, getting on stage with MJ, accepting the rolling stones gig, insulting dick clark. However, many of these actually worked for him in the long run, Mj embarrassed him, Prince came back hard and with a lot better dance moves a couple years later, the stones crown booed him, he was playing to some of the same audience within a couple years, dick clark blew him off, Prince outgrew television altogether.

benjaminira said:

Thinking he could take as many pills as he did that led to his death

or maybe, like millions of others, taking them in the first place, possibly first prescribed by doctors but rumours were that he was abusing them as early as the 90's.

PennyPurple said:

Throwing away his life after getting a 2nd chance in Moline.

don't you think he knew his days were numbered though? I do. I think in some ways he was totally resigned to it.

mtlfan said:

Not leaving the studio to get ice cream. Releasing Dirty Mind in demo format. Replacing Gayle with Lisa. Plugging the Linn into a flanger. Dropping the bass from WDC. Taking Kiss back. Leaving the vocals on Forever in My Life and IIWYG as is. Going on stage at The Trojan Horse one night in 1988. Counting on a Batman-themed song being a hit in 1989. Releasing TMBGITW as his first independent single. Orchestrating a massive career comeback in 2004 when he was already 20 years older than most pop stars and innovating record release strategies. Playing 21 nights at the 02. Banging Kim Basinger, writing Controversy...

Is there a giant Prince's great decisions thread somewhere?

don't be getting sarcastic with us.

darkroman said:

I was trying to think of a music reference but I can't. I like his creative journey as the highs and lows make the ride.

So I would have to agree with many people referencing his management of pain and taking prescription drugs. His biggest fault is not listening and believing in his own narcissism. Morris Day tried but couldn't get through to him.

in what way? by telling him about his own hip replacements?

ya that was all bad, someone here said that those decisions made his drug problem obvious to him. I just thought it was Prince being Prince but how are we to know.

databank said:

LittlePurpleYoda said:

For me, personally, it's represented in a letter I got from his lawyers after finding fault with the advertisements of the NPG Music Club.

I skipped it the first year, soured by the fiasco of the Crystal Ball pre-orders/delivery, etc. The second year, after seeing an advertisement in a concert program indicating that members would receive 4 new CDs (Madrid 2 Chicago, etc.), I decided that was worth it. As you know, instead we got the 3 CD live album & the brief, piano heavy One Night Alone CD.

I considered that false advertising & went to the BBB to attempt to get my money back. Rather than some customer service lackey, I got a letter from one of Prince's lawyers claiming that Prince was entitled to release whatever he wanted & if I persued the matter further, I'd be subject to lawsuit for defamation, etc..

Very cordial response to someone who had been a fan of his work for many years.

Not cool.

Besides, false advertising is false advertising: you would have won the lawsuit.

.

I didn't mention it in my reply but clearly, the way Prince sometimes treated the fandom, poor customer service, false advertising, sueing Uptown Mag, threatening the Org and other sites... that was real lack of judgement: you don't antagonize your core audience, particularly if you don't wanna depend on a major label to sell your product to the masses.

.

I myself was disappointed but didn't feel too cheated with that NPGMC2002 situation because I received two ONA Live and three ONA piano, so I had collectors' items that could be resold later, and we got Xpectation as well. On the other hand I was quite pissed at the "take the money and run" Lotusflow3r.com strategy: how hard could it have been to upload a few songs or concert videos every month? I paid 77 bucks for 3 records that were for sale for 10 bucks in stores, one exclusive song (but another one was exclusive to the CD set so I was expected to buy that one as well) and 8 exclusive live songs' videos that I couldn't even download... That was a damn scam

.

At the hand of the day I didn't care much about it all, though, but many fans took all that stuff quite personally and it contributed greatly to the anti-Prince atmosphere on the Org.

NorthC said:

sro100 said:

I agree. Definitely one of the coolest things ever.

I was going to respond, but decided against it because we discussed this to death. Whether you think it's cool or a charade, it's just We all make miscalculations in our life. You can reflect on your own and try to do better next time, but with a man we didn't know as a person and who has been dead for two years: what's the point??? Threads like these show that we are running out of things to talk about. Even that piano album only kept us interested for a short time.

ya, i used to hate people who criticized him for every move he did no matter what but I still think you don't have a career that long without doing something right. A lot of it was talent, a lot of it was faithful fans from the early years but a lot of it was Prince working his butt off, probably most of it was that. Where were his contemporaries all these years? MJ was fighting lawsuits most of the time, putting out a few albums, Boy George hadn't done anything in years, Rick James, before he died wasn't really doing anything, George Michael was falling out of cars and trying to off himself. I think Prince fared a lot better than the rest of the guys who he was sharing the charts with in those years.