Just had to get this rant/manifesto/love letter offa my chest...

Here's what I'm learning from my 2003 NPGMC membership thus far:

I love Prince's music, and I love the iconography he has developed, created and shed over the years, and I love what he represented at one time, and there's no reason to discontinue my appreciation for those things for any reason.

I have no particular interest in the politics, compromises or suggested culture of being a so-called "Fam".

I can give Prince money to support his alternative means of marketing his work if such an option appeals to me. If I don't want to go this route, I am free to forego his "club", or any aspect or offering from it, and still appreciate his music every bit as much as I ever have.

If I want to buy something by Prince, I can. If I don't want to, I won't.

If a fan gathering sounds fun, I'm excited to go. If not, I'll stay home.

If Prince wants us to support him in any given way, I can decide if his request is appropriate to me or not, and I can act accordingly. Such is my choice and my decision, and there is no penalty for what I decide.

If I buy a Prince product on the NPG label, then great. I'm glad to give him my money for something I can enjoy. If it says Warner Bros., WEA, or has any other label affiliation, then them's the breaks. If others want to capitalize from a past that he doesn't want to affiliate himself with at this time, and his past material is more attractive to me than his present material, then maybe I'm a fan of Warner Bros.-era and bootleg-era Prince music, and not a fan of the man himself. I'm willing to live with that label until a better alternative is presented. I have my own ethics and morals on this subject, and I am still learning.

If I want to take the energy it seems to take to be a faithful Prince "fam" and instead use some of it to support other artists who I consider to be amazing talents, that is my choice and I am free to enjoy that option. Others may get more gratification from being more unconditional in their support. It's their trip to take.

I am not a "naysayer". I am not an "asskisser". I am not a "Fam" nor am I a "fanatic". There's certain music that moves me and inspires me and makes me very happy. There is certain music that leaves me cold. And then there's the music in between. I'm not gonna fake the funk if I don't find it funky. If someone else likes it, then good on 'em.

I've met a very cool community of people through this unauthorized site, and sometimes enjoying their presence in this space has little to nothing to do with Prince. It has to do with all the other things that make up our lives. I like that. I like you. I don't have to take a position on one artist's music other than that which I am comfortable with taking, in order to appreciate you folks as individuals. Be loyal. Be angry. Make your statements. It's all good.

Sometimes I think we forget what it's all supposed to be about, and I think sometimes it's very easy to forget. It's supposed to be about fun, right? It's supposed to be about music, which is supposed to uplift us and make us feel good, right? It's not about trading in our families, our friends, our goals, our aspirations, our peace of mind, our...whatEVER. Music is at best the soundtrack for all those things. It is not necessarily meant to intrude.

I would rather be considered an NPGMC "customer" than an NPGMC "member". It's just...more HONEST that way. At the end of the day, all he wants is my money and all I want is his music, and that is a cool enough relationship to me. From what I've seen, I can't say I believe in his views on building an online "fam" community, though I believe in his choice to build it as he sees fit. I do believe in the people who engage in it. They're just trying to show their love and support.

I very much believe in the mission of the people who designed this site.

You may agree or disagree with part or all of this. And that's good. I bet if we met face to face, we'd have a good time talking. The Internet makes civility less of a priority. Have you noticed that? When you have to look in someone's eyes, you have to acknowledge their humanity. That's not such a factor when the other person is just words on a screen. You have to be mindful of civility. And it's easy to forget sometimes.

I want to reclaim the humanity in interacting with folks in this way. I want to be able to commune with the fammiest of fams and have respect for the stormiest of criticisms, whether I agree with what anyone is saying or not.

I'm a person. A human being. With my own thoughts and opinions and likes and dislikes.

And so are you.*

Hooray!!!



(* with the exception of Pook, who of course is a monkey.)

Anxiety - sounds just a common sense approach you're taking.
Good for you.

It is through people like you, Chris, that I have gained a greater appreciation of those around me. It's posts like this one that keep me comin' back for more on the days like today when I didn't want to post here anymore. I am glad that we met and that you are someone I consider to be a friend.

It's as if you read my mind and were able to articulate my feelings.

Couldn't have said it better myself Anx! I like your posts, been readin' em for a while, this is my first comment.

:
[This message was edited Wed Aug 13 20:37:27 PDT 2003 by beautifulone7]

Anxiety... i wanna shake your hand!

well written !

Bravo!!! Bravo!!!

Well said! Damn I wish I could b u!

Anxiety, r u Prince him-self? C'mon u can tell.. r u Prince?

dude!

You are awesome Anxiety!
I totally agree with you on this.

Great post.

from the amazing town of Tarifa ("surf capital of the world" ) in the south of Spain, connected through a 9.6k connection: much respect for your postings anx, and this one is good enough to be framed ... thanks for sharing.

Very well written and well said. I'm proud of you.

chris..chris chris...go on with yo bad self.
(seriously) i couldn't have said it better myself.

you should copyright that manifesto and post it anytime somebody loses sight of what this whole thang is about!

youngca
(and yep...stymie's right. you're a good bloke to know)

Yeah!!!

All That!!

... And That Too!!!

Excellent!!

Petje af!