I'm waiting for this book in the mail so I haven't read it yet. But I want to get people's feedback if they read the book.


My apologies if these topic has been exhausted.


I am interested in Prince but please know if the book butchers his character it's irrevelant to me.


His music is all that matters but I am fascinated by him.

I'm just concerned that this Hahn guy is a hater based on Amazon reviews?


Thanks,
Five

I, personally, enjoyed the book and thought it was written very objectively, for the most part. I finished the book before I started frequenting the org and the facts I learned prevented me from being a total newbie. (For instance, I honestly had no idea that it was Prince and not The Time who played the instruments on the Time and V6 albums until Possessed.)

I haven't read the other books on Prince, so I don't know how they compare, but Possessed is a good, juicy read if you're like me and were always curious about why the Revolution broke up, what was up with pulling the Black Album, insight into P's films and the recording of some albums, why the Time imploded around Purple Rain, etc., etc.

There's a lot of discussion about Prince's alleged selfish and unfriendly treatment and past womanizing from reliable sources. (Some of the most revealing and interesting stuff comes from people like vocalist Rosie Gaines, musician Eric Leeds, tour manager Alan Leeds, engineer Susan Rogers, stage designer Roy Bennett, and musicians Bobby Z. and Matt Fink.) Say what you may, any fan or fam is going to be interested in behind-the-scenes gossip. But when reading this stuff, just remember that Prince seems to be an ever-evolving personality, so take it all with a grain of salt. For instance, I was distressed to read Bobby Z.'s account of a "homophobic rant" between Prince and Larry Graham, where Prince allegedly goes so far as to say Wendy and Lisa could never perform with him in a Revolution reunion unless they hold a press conference to denounce their homosexuality. However, who was singing and joking with Prince onstage at the New Orleans show in July -- Wendy! I guess (hope) Prince has changed his mind.

Maybe since Prince's "fall" is over and the rise is back on, he'll have to release an updated edition.

Anyway, it's an enjoyable, entertaining and informative read.

I read it and it was interesting. A lot of it is purely facts and statistics about his records and tours which is very good knowledge to gain as an orger. As for the information on his personal life, who knows if it is true or not.

Let's just say as an orger and as a fan before the book I still remain a fan and even more respectful of the man and his music!

soulsis said:

I read that and was like woah!

I found the book extremely interesting and helpful as well. It's pretty factual and gives good insight into a lot of what went on "behind the scenes", so to speak, during tours, albums, movies etc. It also gave me a better perspective how stuff progressed and came to be as they are now. (since I wasn't around to expierence all that 1st hand)

I was also kinda surprised when I read stuff about P being unwilling to give credit on songs to people like Wendy, Lisa, Rosie, Bobby Z., etc. (seemed to happen throughout the years - not just one specific time) who helped create them. Oh well - he's a control freak.

I actually enjoyed the book. Like everyone else, it was great getting a "behind the scenes" look into that camp. For whatever reason, people with him always seemed to have been able to keep their mouths shut.

Also, it helped me "calm down" about Prince not showing up for the Sheila E.'s Family Jam last year. From reading that book, Prince wasn't always the most fair or faithful to those close to him, and I assumed even after all of those years, it would still be a little uncomfortable.

I have never been the type that thought Prince was perfect and could do no wrong, so this book wasn't terribly shocking to me.

VelvetJ said:

cosign this.
I am not the type of fam that will drink the purple koolaid, or whatever else he might have in mind...
I am quite comfortable with the fact that Prince is human with faults and admire when he kind of admits to becoming "more responsible" almost like a I was wrong and I am sorry.

I read the book last Thanksgiving and this is the part that just pissed me off. Everything else in the book, I was not surprised or shocked by but this is the part that cut me like a knife. One of the reasons I got into Prince in the first place and continued to stick with him after he changed his style with "Around The World In A Day" is because of the mystery behind his sexuality.

I always viewed Prince as someone who didn't give a damn about what you thought about his sexuality. I never really knew what his sexuality was for sure and didn't care. The thing I loved about him is he never made public statements to let the public know "Yes...I am straight". "I am not gay." He seemed to always let people say what they wanted to about him and never respond to the rumors or try to correct them. I got the impression that if he was straight, he was not offended if you thought he was gay. I think this is the way all people should be. Anyone else would immediately be making press statements...."Hell no, I'm not gay" or "How dare you think I'm gay". You don't hear gay people saying "How dare you think I'm straight". A straight man that has no problem with gay people and does not consider it an insult if people mistake him for gay is number one in my book. Everyone should be that way.

Like I said, this is the part that really pissed me off and I never looked at Prince the same as I did before I read this. When I saw Prince and Wendy together on Tavis Smiley and heard that she performed with him at the Essence Festival, it made me feel a lot better.
[Edited 9/1/04 2:19am]