artatl.com

Your thoughts?

I won't be reading it. I made the mistake of reading recent interviews with him. I don't want to get into it other than to say that I suspect that the book will just irk me in the same way as his interviews almost always do.

ChocolateBox3121 said:

ArtsATL: Your autobiography is coming out soon.

BrownMark: Yes, that correct. I’ve been working on this book for a while and now it’s finally coming out. It’s called My Life in a Purple Kingdom. It chronicles my life in music.

artatl.com

Your thoughts?

purplerabbithole said:

BM can stick it.

I gave my thoughts as the person requested. YOu have fun reading the book though... Also, I want to add that most people who write autobiographies (who aren't particularly famous) either have a life story that is so incredibly distinctive or tragic that it serves as a morality tale or as a way to help others --or they want attention and money. I am probably tougher on him than Susannah or even Mayte because they at least loved PRince intimately at one time and might have some empathy and compassion for him. . Mark seems like he would just be judgmental, self pitying, and self-aggrandizing the entire time. Maybe I will be wrong. I hope I am but I fear the worst where a book by him would be concerned. A few generic platitudes followed by a litany of complaints and shade discussed as compliments.

Zannaloaf said:

purplerabbithole said:

I won't be reading it. I made the mistake of reading recent interviews with him. I don't want to get into it other than to say that I suspect that the book will just irk me in the same way as his interviews almost always do.

Who cares if you’ll read it or not😂

[Edited 2/21/18 19:52pm]

[Edited 2/21/18 20:06pm]

I wonder how fair he is going to be with it. While they remained friends and talked, Mark is also a Jehovah's Witness. So I wonder how much slack he is going to really give Prince. Cuz you know, brotherhood, forgiveness, etc.

I'll still read it. I think almost anyone from The Revolution I'd read. Mayte's was a given because she married the dude, so of course I wanted to hear from her! Some journalists I would enjoy. I've still not read Toure or Alan Light's book. I like Light's past writings about Prince in magazines. I think it was him who wrote the "Nell's son, who is that?" article in Vibe in the 90s. Parke & the other photographer I still love to hear stories from.

I'll read it, I like Mark.

To get egg-headed about it all, I go by Levi-Strauss's dictum that the only way of truly grasping a myth is to acknowledge all variations as equally valid, and Prince's life and works are practically mythic at this point. We can use all the different sources and viewpoints to fact-check each other and get a rough idea of how he worked but we'll still never truly understand him.There's never an end of very different kinds of people coming out saying "I feel I really identify with Prince" based on what they think he's like in their head so I think the more first hand sources we get the better.

Also Bang Bang is a great track, lets not forget that

TrivialPursuit said:

I wonder how fair he is going to be with it. While they remained friends and talked, Mark is also a Jehovah's Witness. So I wonder how much slack he is going to really give Prince. Cuz you know, brotherhood, forgiveness, etc.

I'll still read it. I think almost anyone from The Revolution I'd read. Mayte's was a given because she married the dude, so of course I wanted to hear from her! Some journalists I would enjoy. I've still not read Toure or Alan Light's book. I like Light's past writings about Prince in magazines. I think it was him who wrote the "Nell's son, who is that?" article in Vibe in the 90s. Parke & the other photographer I still love to hear stories from.

For what it's worth I think Touré's book is decent in terms of making an argument, you have to be willing to overlook the lots of basic factual errors he makes though. Alan Light's is still the best introduction book i've come across, out of the ones i've read i'd recommend it as a first book to anyone new to Prince. My glaring knowledge gap is that i havent read either version of Possessed though

[Edited 2/22/18 5:06am]

I welcome it. He was a part of a great time in the purple kingdom 1981-1986

He was cool with guys in the Time, early shows and periods that were not as chronicled etc

He added choreography to songs etc I never knew that. I like BrownMark.

Nevermind

[Edited 2/22/18 8:10am]

Zannaloaf said:

PennyPurple said:

laurarichardson said:

Zannaloaf said:

Who cares if you’ll read it or not😂

—If most of us feel the same way Mark will care.

most people are not thinking that. buy it or not.
How many people said they were protesting Maytes book that actually bought or read it... a lot lol

every interview i have read of his he has a oversized ego and gives hisself so much credit for things . the only person i really wanna read a book from is kirk johnson everybody else was just a employee who had limited personal contact with prince

cbarnes3121 said:

every interview i have read of his he has a oversized ego and gives hisself so much credit for things . the only person i really wanna read a book from is kirk johnson everybody else was just a employee who had limited personal contact with prince

Hisself is not a word.

To say people like W&L or Susannah, or Sheila, etc were "employees who had limited personal contact" with Prince is just flat out false. Not a lick of truth to it. Prince slept over at W&L's house, almost married Susannah and Sheila, had bible studies & more with more recent band members (we're talking since 2001 for that). If he recorded all the time, and he used his band, then they were in direct daily and intimate contact with Prince. Prince wasn't as singular as people would like to draw him. He had friends, but it wasn't people he just met while going to the mall and struck up a conversation with while in the food court.

As far as Brownmark - I think people often give band members less credit than they deserve. While Prince could get up and play a show solo, and he has, if he only did that since day one, he wouldn't be what we know him as today. The people he kept around him (and kept friends with even after they were not in the band anymore) were part of the ride and the success. To say otherwise is an ignorant statement. Ignorance is defined as a lack of knowledge (opposed to just being stupid).

TrivialPursuit said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

Aww he can speak ... He had zero words in PR.

laurarichardson said:

Does it look like he kept Mark around?

It looks like you're reaching.

He gave Mark the stage and an unused set for videos that Mark was shooting for his first record. They stayed friends, shared a religion, played together again, and gave Mark a song. In 1986, it looked like Mark left because he was underpaid, so there's that truth.

TrivialPursuit said:

jaawwnn said:

laurarichardson said:

TrivialPursuit said:

It looks like you're reaching.

He gave Mark the stage and an unused set for videos that Mark was shooting for his first record. They stayed friends, shared a religion, played together again, and gave Mark a song. In 1986, it looked like Mark left because he was underpaid, so there's that truth.

You are referencing things from 20 to 30 years ago. He trashed him before and now he wants to write a book? Come the fuck on?

Look negative Nancy, you aren't going to win every debate just because you try to be even more negative. At some point, you have to come back to reality. Hansel & Gretel are wise to you.

TrivialPursuit said:

laurarichardson said:

TrivialPursuit said: You are referencing things from 20 to 30 years ago. He trashed him before and now he wants to write a book? Come the fuck on?

Look negative Nancy, you aren't going to win every debate just because you try to be even more negative. At some point, you have to come back to reality. Hansel & Gretel are wise to you.

laurarichardson said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

most people are not thinking that. buy it or not.
How many people said they were protesting Maytes book that actually bought or read it... a lot lol

I am pretty sure everyone who see for the foolish person that she is was able to avoid it or was able to read the bootlegg. I now see it at Barnes and Noble discount table and I am sure this book will be next to it. The avg person does not who the hell Mark is.

LotusFlower was marked down to a couple of dollars in some places not long after it was released.
And I bought the 21 Nights book for $5 back then, (w/my coupon)
It doesn't reflect the person. There are a lot of great books out there on the discount table.

OldFriends4Sale said:

TrivialPursuit said:

laurarichardson said:

TrivialPursuit said:

Look negative Nancy, you aren't going to win every debate just because you try to be even more negative. At some point, you have to come back to reality. Hansel & Gretel are wise to you.

It is called reality. Everything I stated about Mark is true dude was not in the scene for 20 years and trashed Prince every time he could as soon as he is gone he is on the gravy train. I am sorry you do not like the truth.

What do you mean he was not in the scene for 20yrs. BrownMark and Prince remained friends and was jamming with Prince and Paisley Park into 2015

Prince talked about BrownMark being his best bassist in a 1998 interview and had him Fink and Z at Paisley Park hanging out and on stage for a song or two

BrownMark has never trashed Prince...

laurarichardson said:

OldFriends4Sale said:

LotusFlower was marked down to a couple of dollars in some places not long after it was released.
And I bought the 21 Nights book for $5 back then, (w/my coupon)
It doesn't reflect the person. There are a lot of great books out there on the discount table.

Those were books Prince financed and unloaded already so no financial loss. It is not even the same situation as Matye’s book. It is on the sale table because they probably print it up to many and the publisher got stuck with overstock. That was my point I said nothing about the content of the book.

Has nothing to do with financial loss. I'm saying those things don't determine if a book is good or not.

And you are dealing with content.

OldFriends4Sale said:

laurarichardson said:

TrivialPursuit said: It is called reality. Everything I stated about Mark is true dude was not in the scene for 20 years and trashed Prince every time he could as soon as he is gone he is on the gravy train. I am sorry you do not like the truth.

What do you mean he was not in the scene for 20yrs. BrownMark and Prince remained friends and was jamming with Prince and Paisley Park into 2015

Prince talked about BrownMark being his best bassist in a 1998 interview and had him Fink and Z at Paisley Park hanging out and on stage for a song or two

BrownMark has never trashed Prince...

umm let me add there is Mazarati as well! Not to mention it was BROWN MARK that brought Morris Hayes to Prince! I can't speak for other NPG fans? But I can say that I tuned in every podcast Mark did last year when he had his own podcast and I NEVER HEARD him speak ill of Prince even once! Knowing he was the one to bring Morris Hayes before Prince? That Mazarati was his project before Prince got involved? Yeah he has my respect

[Edited 2/25/18 8:27am]

cbarnes3121 said:

every interview i have read of his he has a oversized ego and gives hisself so much credit for things . the only person i really wanna read a book from is kirk johnson everybody else was just a employee who had limited personal contact with prince

YES! I would love to read a book by Kirk and I'm looking forward when Morris Hayes finishes his book titled "The Ticket" as well! Morris has said that his book is just going to be about his own life which will include facts and stories of his time working with Prince but the focus will be on his own career before, during, and after Prince. Morris and Kirk are 2 folks that I can say that if they offered wisdom and experience courses? I would sign up for and enjoy learning from.