It's been a long, long LONG time since I chatted up with all the crazies in here, but I thought of you all yesterday. I didn't think I'd be all that upset, (I always celebrate the amazing life when someone dies, try to focus on what they did, instead of how much I'll miss them... ESPECIALLY when it's just a musician I never really knew) but in this case, it's a whole lot more than when Michael Hutchence died, or Stevie Ray Vaughan.

I loved both of those artists for their contributions - guitar, vocals, but neither of them inspired me to start writing my own stuff, or to record it, or share it, or play so many instruments so I could bring my ideas to life all on my own, no matter how ridiculous they sounded at first.

If you're a musician and you used to be all on this thread, I hope you're nodding your head. There's very few out there that inspired me in so many ways like Prince; lyrically, drums, bass, guitar, harmonies, production, engineering, studio tricks - I can't imagine what it's going to be like now, no longer getting to listen to the next new album and reflecting on how it's nothing like his old stuff, but it's still amazing because HE did it, once again.

So - thanks everybody on here that used to be on here, I don't even know where you all drifted off to. But Artist08 - I saw the video of a teacher losing his mind in class, and immediately thought of you - didn't you used to be a teacher? Maybe still? Maybe that was you?

It's crazy - I haven't played out in 2 years, but a lot of my old crew reached out yesterday, and I was touched. They all knew how much he influenced me, hell half of my shows ended up being Prince jams at some point or another.

Okay, I'm'a stop typing now. I hope everybody's doing well, all these years later. Maybe we'll do another compilation CD. I'm going to record some Prince stuff this weekend, it's been awhile.