Happy with most of his work.

two words: we're spoiled.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

couldn't have said it better myself.

I hope you are not gauging most Prince fans on the posts of a few people on this site. I can only speak for me, but as far as official Prince releases, out of maybe 30, there is only three or four I don't like.

stymie said:

co-sign...don't use all of us who post on this thread as spokespeople for the entire site...you're gettin our mere opinions here.

stymie said:

No, I know that some fans enjoy most of his work. I asked the question because of all the bitching about the DVD. It feels like wrhatever he does it never right for others.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Yes, I know. It seems to be an ongoing issue with some fans.

slm4m said:

It is true - he can never satisfy a certain faction of his alledged fan base. You would think people would appreciate a free screening and any live DVD from Prince.

LaMont said:

Exactly, we have a winner. I still look foward to a Prince release. I wish I could be as creative and prolific as he is.

slm4m said:

I would like to see those who complain about the Vegas DVD, the music releases, the club, do a better job, could you take Prince's place and satisfy his Fanbase?

I wouldn't say "most," but on occasion I like to think: Rightly or wrongly, Prince's reputation is one of being a little "high maintenance." Birds of a feather, maybe?

Actually, I think what we see here -- without judging either -- is the expression perceptions about gaps between Expectation and Execution.

When the experience delivers less than what somebody --reasonably or otherwise -- expects, they make noise, sometimes constructively, often not, to urge a narowing of the gap. I wish the communication were a litle more constructive, but the world is more coarse generally than I'd like for it to be, so why expect better here? Mind you, I ain't advocating NPGMC icon worship. It can get a little spooky over there for my taste, just as it gets a little melodramatic over here.

And with all that's going on in the world around us, I can't help but be amused by the time and energy that WE all put into obsessing over whether some musically talented guy from Minnesota scratches his butt with his left hand -- as promised on his website, damn it! -- or whether the quality of the scratch, in our humble opinions, leaves something to be desired.

OneMoJam said:

Good point!

OneMoJam said:

i dunno about you, but i'm one of the most low-maintenance sistas 'round here when it comes to p (and life in general, for that matter )...

Please allow me to speak for the whiners.

I think Prince is someone whose mind moves so incredibly fast, that he's already tired of one thing and mentally on to the next, before he even has that first thing halfway done.

I think he'll get the idea to create this grand, exhaustive, pull-out-all-the-stops project - "the message he was born to give" - and then halfway through, he runs out of gas and decides it's time to make a swing album because, you know, swing music is sexy.

Or maybe he's decided the Olsen Twins are the future of pop music and he's going to buck the odds and make the world worship them as the next Madonna in duplicate, and once he realizes they won't sing songs comparing the book of Revelations to their vaginas, he gets bored and rushes through the end of producing their album, it winds up sucking, and he's already on to the next thing, or the thing after that.

And most of this stuff winds up getting released, and we wind up getting crap that, at the end of it all, Prince's heart wasn't completely into. Lots of sentences half written, ideas half realized, philosophies half unravelled.

And this can bleed into the technical quality of the work, too. Why give a crap if a live DVD looks crisp and clear when you're working on getting the NEWS tour together? That was then, this is now, who cares about the past when people will pay their money for the damn DVD anyway.

Which brings me, I suppose, to my OWN opinion on the DVD. I think it's fantastic. It makes up for the Rave DVD, that's for sure. It's less grand but also less contrived than the SOTT movie, and it's an easier ride on the eyes than the aggressively flashy and jerky Purple Rain Live video (though that one will always have a special place in my memories).

Still, at times the quality of the DVD looked as if it were uploaded from Kazaa, the video montages were cheesy to the point of embarrassing, and the graphic effects were schlocky in a way that's gaudy and all too gratingly familiar to those who have followed Prince's video output over the years. Still, this DVD comes the closest to giving us a big ol' plate of MEAT - more guitar, more piano, more musicianship and more of Prince as a veteran entertainer - rather than a big fluffy bowl of garnishes in the form of dancing girls and twirling Prince symbol graphics - and I'd be lying if I said I didn't appreciate that aspect of the film.

But to answer the original question, I think if Prince's talent for follow-through were as strong as his talent for conceptualization, there'd be a lot less complaining. Just sayin'.

It makes them feel important, and like they have something to say. Don't use them to gauge your perception of Prince fans, they don't qualify. They are just very negatively vocal here because they can be. In fact, I think it's encouraged. But they don't speak for me...I enjoyed the DVD and the Big Screen showing of it. Don't let them speak for you. The only thing that cancels out negativity is positivity.

I think it's possible to radiate positivity while at the same time thinking for one's self and thinking critically.

I also think it's possible to radiate negativity by way of forcing one's own personal definition of "positivity" on everyone else, and defining everyone who doesn't agree with that personal viewpoint as negative nellies.

Balance can be a beautiful thing. After all, it happens in nature whether you agree with it or not.

It's REALLY simple:

Prince has a product. We are in a small group of people who want this product.

When he packages this product, he does not target the only people who are really interested in the product.

We KNOW what is available. We KNOW what we want.

We do not get what is available. We do not get what we want.

We voice that fact.

SOME people get all freaked out about it and shit all over the place.

MOST people just chalk it up to Prince's business skills.

cheers

Anxiety said:

Balance is a beautiful thing...too bad that beauty does not show around here.

I can think for myself very well, thank you, quite critically also, and I know what I like. I haven't forced my definition of positivity on anyone, I just answered a question. But since we are on the subject, it's one thing to express displeasure with someone or something, it's something else altogether to sit around a deliberately berate someone or something because you don't have anything better to say or do.

I'm willing to bet money that if any of those here who are always dissing Prince and his efforts, were to actually meet the man in person, they wouldn't say any of the crap they say here to his face. Why? Because they are cowards. It's real easy to talk a bunch of crap, while hiding behind a computer screen. But in person, please, these same people would be sprewing so much damn "positivity" Prince would be knee deep in it.

I could look Prince in the face and hold an honest conversation, could you?

Its not about being spoiled.. well maybe for some but..

This isnt about liking everything the man does, Is that possible? If so, Its probably an obsession.. I dont think its possible to like everything about the man, there is a balancing concept that you have to accept.. some dig the instrumentals, some dont.. some dig the pop, some like his more underground sound.. some cant get out of the 80's, some can...

its what u make of it.. u either like it or u dont, just cause u cant get into the new stuff, doesnt mean ure not a fan..

so please get off this crap about if u dont like it, your not a fan..

There are some real fanatics round here! geez:)

BuryMeFaceDown said:

Don't get your moonwrap in a twist, luv - I was merely riffing on what you said, not making any accusations. If you read clearly, you'll notice I didn't reference you or accuse you of a thing. If your presumptions led you elsewhere, I'm sorry about that. I'm just tired of the Positivity Squad getting all up in my stuff when my comments don't read like a fawning purple press release. It gets to the point where even the word "POSITIVITY" takes on a whole new, annoying meaning in the context of the Prince fan community.

Just to show no hard feelings, I'll even go as far as to co-sign with you on your last comment regarding online bravery and face-to-face cowardice. Though what these mighty text warriors don't seem to comprehend is that Prince can read the Org and AMP just like anyone else, and just like the rest of us, can put the faces together with the names. Just another reason to say what you mean and mean what you say, because the Internet isn't quite as protective of identity as a lot of folks might think...

And on that note, as for the ability to hold an honest conversation with Prince, one never knows...you may already have.

BuryMeFaceDown said:

damn right i could. only problem is, would ol' boy be just as honest in return?

I wasnt aware that hed done any work recently

Seriously though..its all just opinion and,because everyone gets a different experience/tretament from NPGMC opinions change. I'll put this to everyone - how do you think YOU would feel if you had these problems (answer honestly):

1) Charged twice in year 1 but,after ALOT of argument, got a refund

2) No Rave SE sent out/received

3) Several Year 1 emails not received

4) No record of my membership when I tried to buy gig tickets...miraculously found me when all tickets had gone

5) No notification of Xpectation downloads

6) No notification of soundcheckdownloads

7) No notification of Glam Slam Passwords

There have been quite a few other let downs too but,amitidly, tehy have been because I have interpretated things like "an ever changing array of experiences" to mean more than a few background picture changes...but that was my expectation/fault i suppose.

eriously though how would you exp[ect to feel if this happened to you...granted its no ALL of the NPGMC but its certainly enough to make me question Princes/NPGMC commitment to ironing out problems.

slm4m said:

handclaps words: we're spoiled is accurate.

as far as the negative people...that's alright. not everybody is gonna be positive. this org thang has different degrees of people who see prince differently.

and express that in their own way.

i'm been a fan from the beginning and have WAY too much music on the guy...(smile) but i'm a connossieur,musician,
historian type of fan who collects artists who are important
to me and the lagacy of music.

i don't love everything prince does however the one thing that will always keep me a fan of his-is simple.

the dude is one hell of a performer-musician.
i've heard then all (james,mj,marvin,beatles,smokey,curtis,
miles ,jimi) and prince is up there with the giants.

the musicianship he has is the one thing that ain't never
changed. when i criticise him its coming from somebody who
cares about his music.

charles

oh yeah. anxiety U speak the truth my man...great words!!!

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

one word...AMEN!!!

LaMont said:

He could once. The problem is he stopped doing it.

I take offense to your phrasing "alledged fan base". Just because I am a fan of a different Prince era than you does not make any less a fan. We just like different Princes, is all.

BuryMeFaceDown said:

Your argument is not particularly intellectual. Just because someone has a different opinion from you does not make neither theirs nor yours less valid.
No one is speaking for you but yourself - nor are you speaking for anyone else but yourself.
Labelling someone who disagrees with your opinion or has an opinion that is not the same as yours as being negative is like calling someone stupid for preferring apples instead of oranges.
It's just a matter of different taste, is all.
[This message was edited Tue Aug 19 15:49:24 PDT 2003 by scififilmnerd]

Good old days syndrome? I distinctly remember at the peak of Prince's popularity the following converations "he's got a vault full of unreleased gems that he should release, his movies/videos are such crap, release dates are a joke, he releases too much, he doesn't release enough, when's he gonna tour --- again, he's not as good as he used to be, he acts like such a prick..."

Of course now we have a much bigger forum in which to have air all this. He's an artist, criticism goes with the territory.


.
[This message was edited Tue Aug 19 21:51:05 PDT 2003 by Universaluv]

Most think they know it all--if they would only take more time to comprehend instead
of offend...