look, this silly joke didnt offend me in ANY way, eye didnt even give it a second look, eye just saw the response on here, and thought it would be a great opportunity to give a reply to NPGMC unclassy ways..



"And u can pass this on 2 whoever wrote it or it concerns.. But the comment on ure website about the Athiest was very lame. Take this as constructive criticism, and eye dont expect a smart elic/ or wise comment back, that wouldnt be very wise considering you are a buissness and that the customer should always be right, or should eye say, free to express views without a childish pun in return, dont make that mistake please, this isnt a negative letter, its simply telling you how some fans might feel about something to that nature.

Has it ever crossed Prince/ NPG that you/he might have Athiest fans? regardless of how you feel about it, you should have enough manners and class to respect others opinions. Coming from a fans point of view, the fan shouldnt be made fun of, since the fans are putting food on ure plate. (and that goes for anyone who is reading or anything affiliated with NPG)
And it did offend some fans, Eye know its beneath someone like "Prince" to apologize, and no'one is looking for that, we *as fans* are simply out for music, and maybe some for constructive guidance, or a few positive words. This site should be something for fans to enjoy, and not expect something rediculous as a joke that might sting.offend their beliefs or religion.

Eye just wanted to express this, eye know eye will get a unclassy reply, but oh well..

Ps. last time eye checked, the fans really just wanted to hear Prince's music.. not childish views

TheXodus"

its not a great letter, but eye wanted to just send something:)

I'm proud of you! I wonder how many others sent replies, and how many of them were as mature as yours.

Being an athiest myself, I've always overlooked Prince's religious beliefs, because I believe that his musical ability overshadows his views.

I am a little bothered, however, by some of the comments he makes towards non-believers.

If I ever met Prince, and had the chance to tell him what his music means to me, as well as filling him in on the amount of money I've given him (as if I could come up with a figure), I wonder how he would respond once I said that I was an athiest.

well thanks

and eye bet he would clam up when u asked him anything about an athiest.. eye'm sure of it:)

LMAO

the comment on ure website about the Athiest was very lame.

we *as fans* are simply out for music, and maybe some for constructive guidance...

Guidance, huh? So as an atheist, you'd like him to tell you things that directly conflict with HIS beliefs??? OY!

WHY are you looking for guidance from Prince anyway? Idolize him as a musician all day, but remember he's just a man...

Perhaps it was better when he said nothing at all - y'all trip HARD!

CalhounSq said:

The only person tripping hard is u my friend.. who said eye was an Athiest... and who said eye was looking for guidance? eye said "Some for constructive Guidance" never said me my friend, meaning some people actually do look for that from him.. eye see it hear every day. eye am only out for his music, not his views.

wow, some just look too hard

Sdldawn said:

Well, gee, if anyone is looking for constructive guidance from Prince they can't be so choosey as to pick what they want to hear from him and what they don't want to hear. Can they? If that's truly what they want they have to take the pros and cons - or like adults don't look for constructive guidance from a mere musician at all.

and eye totally agree with u.. like eye said before..this did not offend me.. not much that prince says does, cause its easy 2 say, he seems "new" to this whole journey with religion, ect.. and eye take it as light as a feather, cause most of the time, he has no earthly idea what he's talking about.

but do u call a joke about Athiest, "constructive Guidance". no its a joke, and jokes can sometimes offend certian fans. why cant he throw a bible verse or something up there, everyone can respect that, or something that doesnt target what a fan might believe, in a negative sense.. eye mean, he acts like a child about his beliefs in my opinion. like a child who just found a secret out, and then everyone else who doesnt know... or might think differently, he spouts off a silly joke that will offend. that might be a bad example, but u get my drift.

the point being, the joke wasnt constructive, h*ll, it doesnt have 2 be, it just simply should not offend a person who just spend 100 dollars on him, or one thats fixing to spend it..

eye certianly hope that if that joke offended anyone that was thinking about joining, didnt join...

You should have written a joke in return!:

Eulogy at a Roman Catholic's funeral: "Here lies a Roman Catholic...all dressed up but too guilty and repressed to go anywhere. Except probably hell. Yeah that would figure. Probably serve me right."

Eulogy at a Jewish person's funeral: "Here lies a Jewish person...all dressed up and still kvetching."

Eulogy at a Jehova's Witness's funeral: "Here lies a Jehova's Witness...all dressed up and still taking shit at the Org!"

Eulogy at a Scientologists's funeral: "Here lies a Scientologist...all dressed up and... wtf is a Scientologist??!!"

Well, you get the idea...

LOL

Prince going out on a limb and expressing what HE wants to rather it b controversal or not is what people praised him for in the past.

Prince still continues to do so, but he is on a different avenue now ...and and he is still criticized for it.

You go Prince

Its his site, he can post what he wants...would u rather him smile in ur face just to take ur money and have u buy his records???
let the man speak his mind...u dont have to agree with him...U got ur own mind.

I think its great that he's not afraid or intimidated to speak what he feels.

The man doesnt kiss the publics butt just to sell records...hes doing what he believes and what he feels

God speed to ya Prince

Sdldawn said:

"Nowhere to go"......atheists don't believe in an afterlife, so they already believe there is nowhere for them to go after death.

Ya know, many of Prince's fans don't respect his views, and vehemently criticize it regularly right here on this site and on other sites. You think just because they aren't selling anything that they're beyond reproach when they post their (sometimes nasty) views here? I'm not in agreement with the JW faith either, but I'm not going to single the JW's out by constantly talking down about them or their religion. I may disagree with it, but I don't feel the need to speak ill of the people who believe in it.

His religious/spiritual views aren't a new thing. He's always expressed them publicly.

And as much as I hate to admit it, because it's that damn 2the9s ...

2the9s said:

...that's funny stuff! Especially the Jewish joke.

but...if you're a atheist...and you're dead...where are you going? Where is it that atheists think they go? NOWHERE, right? Isn't he agreeing with you?

Supernova said:

Can I get a co-sign???



Sdldawn, yes I did assume you were an atheist in writing the letter - my bad. I still think looking @ him for guidance based on the fact that he plays a mean axe is reaching, unless you're his son or daughter. If his beliefs are so radically different from those of his fans, maybe it's time for those fans to look elsewhere for a personal hero or guide (if that's what they seek in him for whatever reason). Count on him for the music, he'll rarely fail you there.

It's hilarious that the brotha has ALWAYS had a strong belief in God no matter how gently expressed, yet people who've never walked on his side of the tracks wanna get upset about it now that he's more vocal. Did atheists protest the song God? Annastesia? The Cross? Or is this all b/c he's supposedly aligned w/ the JW's? People just want something to get upset about, this shit ain't new...

tommyalma said:

I gotta co-sign that one too...

CalhounSq said:

well, eye have 2 co-co-sign this 2! Cuz the "joke" was right, atheists don´t believe in anything after

Eye just love it when Prince wants 2 start a discussion within the org.

huh-huh-Controversy!

CalhounSq said:

you're god damn right it was.

You have waaay tooo much time on your hands - Get a life ! IT WAS A JOKE

I'm not here to agree or disagree with what Prince says...I'm always interested in what he's trying to convey... be it thru music, movies or verses.

AaronForever said:

Somebody gag him already!!


Prince

I also wrote to NPGMC regarding this comment,they didnt have the decency to reply tho,no surprises there then...

Personally I feel that Prince doesnt seem to care if he alienates his fans anymore.

Much love Pochacco

How about...?

"Dear Prince

Thank U 4 letting us all know u dont think atheists are going 2 hell."

My feeling is,why get all pissed at anything Prince says? You don't have to agree with his religion or worldview.He's certainly entitled to his opinion and you don't have to agree with it or support it.He's a musician and he creates music that you buy.That's where the line should be drawn.Don't look to Prince or any other musician for any kind of "guidance".I certainly don't.

ROTFLMAO!!!
DERRR!!!

It still baffles me that people use the same arguments over and over again. Those in support of Prince and his club continuously state that he can do or say whatever he wants on HIS website. And this is very true. But what seems to constantly be forgotten is that the website in question is not just a vehicle for him to express his views, it is also his business.

Irrelevant of what, when, how or why a statement is made, making such a statement that might offend is truly silly and detrimental to his business.

Safeway or K-Mart have every right to sell shit in a can if they wanted, but that would not be good for business and would certainly not do them any favours in terms of expanding their customer base. Even if the avid Safeway/K-Mart customers chose to defend it. So instead they do not try to promote such irrational products.

Prince has every right to his views, as do we. But by expressing those views whole heartedly through his business vehicle is just plain irrational.

What Prince should really do in order for him to be as expressive as he wishes is use another site. NPGopinion.com or something similar. Leave the club site to promote his business with impartiality so that it can be informative about relevant topics such as concert news, promotions, retail and ‘business’ news. Let his views, no matter which side of the fence he is sitting, be expressed elsewhere where we can comment, debate and not give the guy shit for offending through his official media.

All those that defend his views, fair enough. But please do not defend his mode of communicating those views. The club website is his official means of selling product and building a customer base through which he collects money. This should remain impartial to all views, creeds and colours – his own included.

Ever wondered how many people have decided NOT to join the club after visiting his website and seen some of its content? He puts out a CD on general release and advertises that club within the sleeve notes. That CD can end up in anyones hands, from any walk of life, with any and every view imaginable in any possible country in the world. For that person to then log on to the internet and find the site and see such specific views which could possibly alienate them is truly irrational and defeats the object of the venture entirely…… They will not join out of principal.

Prince, get an opinion forum and give me the choice as to whether I want to be part of your thinking or not. But let me join your club anyway, give you my money and listen to your music. I will then be the one to decide if I want to give you my business on the basis of what you are selling, not what you think. Fill your music with your opinions if you wish. If I don’t like it I will stop giving you my money. But filling your site with opinions means I may not even get as far as hearing the music and giving you any money in the first place….

Sometimes even the very basics of business principles are lost on our favourite song-meister. I really wish he would employ someone to help him out and advise him constructively.

interesting debate going on here...


first, thanks sdle for sharing your views and sending a messgae over to the npgmc...


i also agree with jon on this one (to a degree)...i do happen to think prince has the right to communicate and share what he wants..but i dont think the way he goes about it is the most respectful...

someone (maybe supernova) pointed out the hypocracy in complaining about prince's new found interest in discussing religion...well, i disagree...Prince can make a meaningful statement on his site if he wants...but, using the business email database to send me spam religious questions or posting jokes about religion on your site just doesnt pass muster with me...its unproffesional, its rude and its tacky...

theres a reason why a lot of people stay away from religious discussions..(whats the saying? never debate religon, politics and sexual oriention??)..you have to be very careful and respectful to opposing views...and *thats* my problem with prince...he is disrespectul during his concerts (asking people to raise their hands if they believe in God...and then saying, "THE REAL GOD"...??? idiot), he is disrespectful on his site...


damn, im at the breaking point here...dont know how much more i can put up with...

SkletonKee said:

"Reverend!"

Prince would never release an album into stores and have his views stickered over the case. Why? Because he knows it will hurt sales. Especially for your average, run of the mill music browser who happened upon the letter 'P' section. They would just move on down and start looking under 'Q'. Maybe buy a Queen instead of a Prince.

So why plaster his views over the front end of his business vehicle, namely the club site? Any casual browser who happened upon the site or found it advertised in a CD may decide there and then NOT to part with their money in the end and move on to another site.

Its really quite basic.

IceNine said:

i totally agree with u, kee. p should know that religion has always been a touchy subject 4 some folks as it is...

Jon said:

Well TRC was pretty damn close! It was promoted as a "controversial" album by a sticker on the album!!! I don't know how practical having his views "stickered over the case" as you say, could be. You mean like quotes or something...or a small print essay???

The album Controversy was almost kinda like that but nobody cared then cuz he talked about fuckin all the time!!!

If Prince is gonna put out music like TRC with messages in the music, I don't know why y'all would fret about a message on the website. The two are interrelated. I doubt somebody who would be offended by his jokes on NPGMC is going to ignore the lyrical content on TRC. If your that touchy, your probably not a consumer of Prince's music anyways.

It's amazing we discuss this vs. artists who are selling millions talking about being a gangster, degrading women, and promoting materialistic shit.

A somewhat muted point. I understand what you are saying, but at the end of the day this is all down to the music. It is the music that he is selling. Therefore, whatever the content, whatever the message, it doesn’t matter. If the music offends or is just plain shyte then his business will fail anyway.

Im not complaining about the product on sale, I am implying however that the way the product is being sold is just plain dumb. By posting specific views that are BOUND to alienate a certain section of society he is allowing potential business to walk away without so much as even seeing the product he is selling….

Putting ‘contoversial’ on the cover of TRC was specifically designed to sell more copies. That is a sensationalist remark. However, if he put ‘The new Jehovas Witness album from Prince’ on the cover, well, you can imagine the outcome. Likewise if he quoted things like the ‘athiest’ joke or the xmas email some of us received. Even Prince wouldn’t be dumb enough to put that on a cover of a new album in the stores. He would want anyone and everyone to listen to what the album itself says and make their judgements on that.

So putting comments, opinions etc on the front end of his website (ie the cover of his business) is going to alienate those same people who would have passed the album over in the stores if it was plastered with such views and opinions.

Im just trying to illustrate that Prince wouldn’t opinionate the cover of an album but rather let the album itself carry his opinion. It is just as wise to apply the same philosophy to his website. Does he want people to hear his voice through his music or hear his voice before even picking up the music?

He has chosen to take money through the internet as a means of selling his music. Keep the front end professional and business like and let the music speak. If he wants to air his views outside of the music then fine, that is his want, just do it in a forum that is applicable and wont scare off potential customers or lose existing customers who want nothing but the music.