Playboy article on the return of the Prince name



05.17.00

The Prince of Titles



The Artist Formerly Known As...oh, screw it. The pop deity, whose diminutive stature is inversely proportional to his ego, will be known as Prince -- again -- much to the relief of friends and colleagues who haven't known how to address him. Mr. Artist? The?



His Purple Majesty's self-ascribed slave contract has expired with Warner/Chappell Music publishing, therefore He is free to return to His given name, Prince Rogers Nelson. The riveting news will no doubt put Prince back in the spotlight for doing something other than defacing his own face or releasing another dull-ass album.



Record stores needn't worry about repositioning the Prince section back to the Ps, because they neglected to indulge him when his nom de plume changed to the unpronounceable, androgynous symbol in 1993. Additionally, it's been learned that most of the world stopped caring about Prince and stopped buying his albums right about the time He changed his name for the first time. Initial speculation is the world will continue to not care about Him until we're ready to party like it's 2099.



--Blair R. Fischer



http://www5.playboy.com/a...ment/news/