{{{Baby I'm a Star (Again)
http://www.villagevoice.c...6/sotc.php

Prince operates on so many levels it's hard to keep up with him. "Last time I checked this is not 1984," he rapped shortly after taking the stage at Avery Fisher Hall on April 9. "If you came to get your Purple Rain on you might as well hit the door." The current New Power Generation, a three-piece (plus brass) with a wicked snap-crackle-pop, was tearing through the classically funky fusion of his most recent record, The Rainbow Children. As he finished his warning, the video screens filled with images of the airport surveillance process. "You have been randomly selected to be searched," added our host. "Maceo—blow your horn."}}}

See, 1984 wasn't just a good time for Big Brother; it was also the year of The Kid's universal masterpiece and the year after Herbie Hancock's "Rockit," a record that tied together the history and future of black music in America. Like Hancock, who built a crossover hit out of Miles's electro jazz, The Artist wants the best of those two worlds. It's JVC NPG, but in a good way, and not just on the new material; his rhythm section (Rhonda Smith, bass; and John Blackwell, drums) led vibrant takes on "Strange Relationship," "Raspberry Beret," and "Love Rollercoaster" that had the security guards rocking up the aisles, abandoning any pretense of calming the party. "They said this is a respectable place," he said sternly. "Y'all trying to get funky up in here? DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? If y'all trying to take me you know I will go there." This being a Prince show, that was after a ferocious groove praising a "theocratic order."

Even his bullshit has gotten a little more sensible; when he talks about slavery now, he doesn't mean his contract with Warners, although he's picked up a nasty hint of Jew-baiting (Rainbow's "Family Name," addressed to "devils" named "Rosenbloom," "Pearlman," and "Goldstruck"; and "Muse 2 the Pharaoh," comparing holocausts). For all his renunciations of his profane past, he's still a sexy MF, wiggling like a pomaded salamander and working the crowd like Maceo's old man.

After one taste of the lick on Sly's "Sing a Simple Song," he stopped: "Y'all ain't ready for that." (This trick worked so well he repeated it later.) Of course he relented, and a minute later Larry Graham, part of a long line of befuddled cameos, emerged in an ice-cream suit to sing his "walkin' walkin' walkin' " line and do the scissor dance. When Graham made a move toward the back, Prince yelled, "Rhonda, don't give him the bass or we'll never get out of here!" Instead, Graham vaulted into the front row and high-fived his way up to the lobby. For an encore, we got an impassioned solo keyboard workout through hits of escalating belovedness, culminating in his second and third dips into the purportedly verboten soundtrack, including the title number. Then he played another set of favorites with the band, although by that point the source of the room's crackling electricity had moved from the stage to the seats. Unlike Miles, Prince can't not face the audience, but if you could get that much love from that many people, you'd milk it too.

He's always been confident about the faith of his fans, but now he's made it his business plan, working without a label and charging $100 a year for exclusive CDs of new material and first crack at the good seats, along with admission to the freewheeling sound checks and all-night after-show gigs. It seems to be working for him. Having settled into his emancipation, he's making the least pop music of his career, but he rocks it like it's 1984. —Josh Goldfein

Here we go again! What's P got against ME??!!

My surname:
Pearlman

Go on Wellbeyond, convince me again that it's nothing personal. Please!

I am curious to find out why he uses all these Jewish names and the holocaust to make a point. Anyone?

My understanding is that he uses the names more poetically and lyrically, and in the past has talked about the beauty those names invoke:

Rosenbloom = Rose in bloom
Pearlman = Pearl man
Goldstruck = Gold struck

This is in contrast to the names given to slaves which more often than not only signified who their owners were or what household/plantation they belonged to.

And as far as "comparing holocausts," in "Muse 2 the Pharoah" he sings, "Would you rather be dead or be sold?" It seems to be a rhetorical question that more than anything else highlights the absurdity of both holocausts and the futility of comparing them... would anyone really want to choose either death or slavery?
[This message was edited Thu Apr 18 7:09:25 PDT 2002 by NuPwrSoul]

wasitgood4u said:

Read what NuPwrSoul wrote...cuz that's always basically been my take as well--that Prince compares Jewish surnames to those "given" to blacks only to underline and illustrate what is truly lost when you don't have your "family name"...not to mention that "Family Name" does not "address 'devils' named Rosenbloom, Pearlman, and Goldstruck"...this writer did what more than a few on this site did in the beginning, and equate Prince's singing the "Devil, Devil" verse as meaning "Jews are the Devil"...

At the same time, tho, I also said back then that there's just enough in there to give someone reason to question Prince's motives at using Jewish surnames in that song(which I already know nobody will bother to acknowledge that I said this...lol...much easier to paint me with the broad stroke of "Prince apologist" and ignore the details that give a more realistic portrait)...I just know that there are a lot of blacks who take the stance of "Look how America sympathizes and empathizes with the plight of the Jews...why don't they do that with Blacks??...", and use that as a jumping off point for their views, as well as using "comparisons" with Jews to make points...does that mean they think "Jews are evil and to blame for everything blacks go thru"??...HELL no...lol...

It's JVC NPG, but in a good way,

I give up - what's JVC stand for???

"He's always been confident about the faith of his fans, but now he's made it his business plan, working without a label and charging $100 a year for exclusive CDs of new material and first crack at the good seats, along with admission to the freewheeling sound checks and all-night after-show gigs. It seems to be working for him. Having settled into his emancipation, he's making the least pop music of his career, but he rocks it like it's 1984". —Josh Goldfein_____- _____
Prince indeed knows his fans are hooked on his music. like in "my name is prince" he sings: when u hear my music, u WILL be MINE. how true. the real fans (not famatics), will stick by him through thick & thin as they already have!!!he keeps in contact with us with his putting out ALL the music he does. "the more the better" as far as i am concerned. listening to him is like listening to various artists and styles. he has many genres. never gets boring. right now, however he's into my fave style of funk/jazz/blues/soul/gospel. i'm into him MORE now than before. the cussing is not missed at ALL, and i feel he still sings about the love and sex, only not as crass and raw. prince, u got my support and always will. i'm addicted!!!

wellbeyond said: [quote} (which I already know nobody will bother to acknowledge that I said this...lol...much easier to paint me with the broad stroke of "Prince apologist" and ignore the details that give a more realistic portrait)[/quote]

I wasn't trying 2 paint u as anything - just referring 2 an earlier discussion we had.
Thanx 4 your comments, and NuPwrSoul. As I have no credit card, and don't live in the US, I still have no TRC, thus I haven't heard the song. I keep responding to the interpretations listed here, which are probably more offensive than the song and concert themselves. Still, why leave room 4 doubt.
NPS - U don't xplain why he specifically chooses Jeewish-sounding names.
Did U all know that most European Jews didn't chooses their own family names either. Jews were generally known in their communities by patronyms: son of "father's name". In the 18th century (I think, mayb b4), census-takers forced surnames on them, mainly 2 aid in forced conscription in2 the Russian army - which often executed pogroms on those same Jewish communities.

So U C, not only blacks' family names r signs of suffering. Many of the Jews were given names which mocked their appearance: my Mum's maiden name is Schwarzbart, which means "black beard".

grandebelle said:

Well said! I feel much the same

Hot damn Wellbeyond!
thanks for your mad postin'

wellbeyond said:

Ah, I get it. Prince doesn't like random searches, so he has everyone searched.

wellbeyond said:

Heres my take on the use of Jewish names in Family Name, and it isn't pretty. I think the names are used as cyphers for the predominance of Jews within the management and 'ownership' of the entertainment industry. The repeated "Pleased to meet you Mr ..." seems to me as if Prince is really saying "Here we go again...another Jew manager". The 'is that you?' from the Devil, Devil sounds a little bit too close to "Pleased to meet you". I wouldn't blame anyone for linking the two together...I certainly raised my eyebrows the first time I heard it, like, wtf???
What seals Princes anti-semitic viewpoint within this song for me is the use of the last name "Goldstruck". Firstly, I haven't ever heard of anyone with the name 'Goldstruck'. To me, the word is used to refer to a variety of Jewish names (Goldberg, Goldman, Goldstein, etc) and tar them with the same brush as people who are blinded by money. I can't see how I can be that far off in this interpretation.

Wellbeyond, I think your last paragraph contextualises my reading of Princes use of Jewish names that are closer to the intention of the song. I don't think Prince succeeds however.

NB: I bought the Bamboozled soundtrack not so long ago and noticed the surnames Rosenbloom and Pearlman as management or something (I don't have the sdtrk with me to refer to) but I certainly thought it was an interesting coincidence/connection.