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Thread started 05/31/03 6:30pm

markusmom

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"Possessed" Book Review: Detroit Area

The MetroTimes (Detroit Metro Area), a weekly publication in the Motor City area recently did a review on Hahn's book: Possessed:The Rise and Fall of Prince . The writer of the review basically called Hahn a pissed off ex-fan of Prince who was just spreading negativity. He said the average Prince fan would find it to be a yawn, with a few tidbits that a real fan finds easy to ignore or no biggie. He also said that Hahn stated he had some Prince stuff to sell (no longer wanting to be a fan I guess) and offered to buy what he had. Surprised/glad to see the review made the Times, although rather late, as a true Prince fan had already 'been there, done that".

[And the Metro Times, I'll still never forgive them for trashing Pulp Fiction in not one, but THREE reviews, when it was released. Just because there was a character (QT's) wearing an Orby tshirt... but that's a whole other, long, Detroit-centric story smile -Ben]
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Reply #1 posted 06/01/03 4:00pm

milty

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that's my thought's exactly. sounds to me like hahn is just a bitter old queen looking to cash in.
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Reply #2 posted 06/01/03 7:43pm

Aerogram

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It was a major yawn for me too. Let me put it this way : when I saw Hahn was thanking his grandmas in the Acknowlegdments section, I was sure it was for ghostwriting the thing.

The book kills any interest the reader might have in Hahn's take by announcing its stance in its clichéd subtitle and, if you didn't get the idea from the dust jacket alone, the "spoiler" prelude, which acts like a movie trailer that gives away most of the plot.

The other major flaw of the book is Hahn's steely predictability in the way he treats the behavior of both Prince and his associates. On Prince, he casts an unforgiving eye and invariably sees the same pattern : manipulation, egomania, selfishness. Associates are treated with much more sympathy. They are generally presented as talent Prince suffocated, and their personal problems, while not directly attributed to Prince, are often described in conjunction with a list of aggravating things Prince did at the time.

The worst example of Hahn's sympathy toward his sources is probably when he describes Anna Garcia being taught to play the drums by Prince. After she's left alone and starts improvising, Prince appears to tell her "that's enough!". Incredibly, Hahn presents this as just another example of Prince's insanely competitive nature. How about Anna, like most people who just picked up drum sticks, was making more noise than music and getting on Prince's nerves?

Hahn reserves his most unforgiving prose for Prince's Emancipation/baby Gregory saga. His Royal Badness is shided for being "manipulative" and prone to "denial" as he decides to go ahead with the release despite the loss of his child (no explanation of the consequences of canceling Emancipation or not going on tour is offered - it's all about how Prince is this sorry individual too freaky to grieve like a normal person.)

By the end of the book, you are just hoping the next page will be the last, so predictable is the conclusion. You feel like you can guess the words on the next page.

The author displays little passion for his subject's music. Even during the fabled "Rise", Hahn waits until 1999 -- the song -- to give any impression he was once excited by a Prince song. Hahn's assessment of Prince's records is just about the most sleep-inducing and unoriginal thing in the book. Everything follows the largest "critical consensus", as if Hahn had prepared for that part of his book by simply reading Rolling Stone's review of each record. Come to think of it, Hahn relies on consensus and exceedingly conventional interpretations basically for everything, robbing the book of any personal flava. The only thing personal seems to be the chip on the author's shoulder.
[This message was edited Mon Jun 2 7:09:18 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]
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Reply #3 posted 06/01/03 9:08pm

muleFunk

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Peace to Aerogram !

Anyone wanting to read about Prince should read the Per Nielsen books or Purple Reign by Liz Jones.

Nielsen did a superb job with his writings.I wish he would follow up his DSMR with a review of the 1989-2003 Prince years.
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Reply #4 posted 06/02/03 12:51am

VINCENT

Aerogram said:

It was a major yawn for me too. Let me put it this way : when I saw Hahn was thanking his grandmas in the Acknowlegdments section, I was sure it was for ghostwriting the thing.

The book kills any interest the reader might have in Hahn's take by announcing its stance in its clichéd subtitle and, if you didn't get the idea from the dust jacket alone, the "spoiler" prelude, which acts like a movie trailer that gives away most of the plot.

The other major flaw of the book is Hahn's steely predictability in the way he treats the behavior of both Prince and his associates. On Prince, he casts a unforgiving eye and invariably sees the same pattern : manipulation, egomania, selfishness. Associates are treated with much more sympathy. They are generally presented as talent Prince suffocated, and their personal problems, while not directly attributed to Prince, are often described in conjunction with a list of aggravating things Prince did at the time.

The worst example of Hahn's sympathy toward his sources is probably when he describes Anna Garcia being taught to play the drums by Prince. After she's left alone and starts improvising, Prince appears to tell her "that's enough!". Incredibly, Hahn presents this as just another example of Prince's insanely competitive nature. How about Anna, like most people who just picked up drum sticks, was making more noise than music and getting on Prince's nerves?

Hahn reserves his most unforgiving prose for Prince's Emancipation/baby Gregory saga. His Royal Badness is shided for being "manipulative" and prone to "denial" as he decides to go ahead with the release despite the loss of his child (no explanation of the consequences of canceling Emancipation or not going on tours are offered - it's all about how Prince is this sorry individual too freaky to grieve like a normal person.)

By the end of the book, you are just hoping the next page will be the last, so predictable the conclusion is. You feel like you can guess the words on the next page before you see them. The author displays little passion for his subject's music. Even during the fabled "Rise", Hahn waits until 1999 -- the song -- to give any impression he was once excited by a Prince song. Hahn's assessment of Prince's records is just about the most sleep-inducing and unoriginal thing in the book. Everything follows the largest "critical consensus", as if Hahn had prepared for that part of his book by simply reading Rolling Stone's review of each record. Come to think of it, Hahn relies on consensus and exceedingly conventional interpretations basically for everything, robbing the book of any personal flava. The only thing personal seems to be the chip on the author's shoulder.
[This message was edited Sun Jun 1 21:47:34 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]


Exactly...but I really mean it...exactly what I thought of the book myself. smile
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Reply #5 posted 06/02/03 2:18am

DOROTHYPARK

Like i said before, i was planning to buy this book. As a Prince fan myself, i'm fully aware of whatever people write about Prince. I think i'm able to distilate the best out of someone's writings. But my question is; is the book really worth giving a try? Considdering the fact that i already did read every other book out there on Prince.
Not because of it's contents, but as a whole, to get some kind of insight in the whole 'Prince' world and way of making and creating music, working with other people, etc. And most of all how people see Prince, and think about him.
Or is it just like everyone here says about the book: it's a nagging and a major flaw, if not a predictable treat?
Help me out, i'm all confused! smile smile
héhé.
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Reply #6 posted 06/02/03 2:58am

Krid

Members of NPGMC?

Hello there,

slightly new thread, just was wondering about how many "hardcore" fans are out there being a member of the npgmc (I am not one of them)? Why am I asking - I just wondered if this venture is in any way profitable for Prince. I guess he is one of the only formerly "big" players who tries to beat the current music system by selling directly. Anyway, I guess it should not matter to Prince as he must have lots of money anyway (if he had good advisers), from royalties and concerts. But I am interested in the profitability of the club, so if anyone knows anything, please reply...
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Reply #7 posted 06/02/03 6:02am

Aerogram

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muleFunk said:

Peace to Aerogram !

Anyone wanting to read about Prince should read the Per Nielsen books or Purple Reign by Liz Jones.

Nielsen did a superb job with his writings.I wish he would follow up his DSMR with a review of the 1989-2003 Prince years.


Nielsen contributed to Hahn's book and, according to the author, backs Possessed's conclusions. It even looks like both writers share the same (terrible) proofreader. biggrin
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Reply #8 posted 06/02/03 6:22am

applekisses

The reviewer of this book is a dear friend of mine and I agree with his sentiment.
smile
Great job, Jay smile Love you! hug
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Reply #9 posted 06/02/03 9:26am

DudeDrops

Actually, the part about "Hahn is now selling his CD collection on half. com" is FALSE. This was a copy-editors mistake. The original sentence read: "Hahn appears to be a man who admits that Prince is/was a genius, but is now selling his CD collection on half.com."

When I find that copy editor, his ass is mine...
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Reply #10 posted 06/02/03 9:35am

violator

Personally, I don't understand the negative take on this book.

The criticism leveled at this book seems to assume that the author owed Prince a positive critique. The title of the book alone suggests that the author is going to explore the less positive aspects of Prince's career. How this makes him bitter I'm not sure. But it certainly makes his book different from Per Nilsen's which is in essence a documentary and includes very little commentary.

In essence many of the takes on Hahn's book from this site come off as rather bitter opinions from fans who have difficulty with any criticism of their favorite artist.
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Reply #11 posted 06/02/03 10:24am

nickfunk

I am not goint to buy it.

Thanks Aerogram.


nickfunk
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Reply #12 posted 06/02/03 2:00pm

Aerogram

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violator said:

Personally, I don't understand the negative take on this book.

The criticism leveled at this book seems to assume that the author owed Prince a positive critique. The title of the book alone suggests that the author is going to explore the less positive aspects of Prince's career. How this makes him bitter I'm not sure. But it certainly makes his book different from Per Nilsen's which is in essence a documentary and includes very little commentary.

In essence many of the takes on Hahn's book from this site come off as rather bitter opinions from fans who have difficulty with any criticism of their favorite artist.


You are right, some can't take it... but I've been critical of Prince since the late eighties. Possessed is simply not a good biography, and there's more than one reason for that. It's difficult to make this kind of "biography as near indictment" work. In the case of someone with Prince's reputation, you need either fresh insight or new info. Neither are provided. Hahn doesn't flesh out Prince much.. he tends to concentrate on what supports his conclusions, This makes for an exceedingly predictable read and a rather tedious book.

Here's what I'd recommend to fans :

If your knowledge of Prince's career is shaky, this book can be interesting as long as you're willing to put up with the predictability.

If you've read DMSR and know a lot of Prince "news" and "rumours" through your reading of such sites as "The Org", you may not find the book very useful. Get it if you're a completist.
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Reply #13 posted 06/02/03 2:47pm

cloud9mission

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nickfunk said:

I am not goint to buy it.

Thanks Aerogram.


nickfunk

I second dat
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Reply #14 posted 06/02/03 7:37pm

markusmom

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DOROTHYPARK said:

Like i said before, i was planning to buy this book. As a Prince fan myself, i'm fully aware of whatever people write about Prince. I think i'm able to distilate the best out of someone's writings. But my question is; is the book really worth giving a try? Considdering the fact that i already did read every other book out there on Prince.
Not because of it's contents, but as a whole, to get some kind of insight in the whole 'Prince' world and way of making and creating music, working with other people, etc. And most of all how people see Prince, and think about him.
Or is it just like everyone here says about the book: it's a nagging and a major flaw, if not a predictable treat?
Help me out, i'm all confused! smile smile
héhé.


I wouldn't waste your money, as it was just go to Hahn anyway, who is a 'hater'. Save it for your next Prince concert tix instead.
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Reply #15 posted 06/03/03 12:05am

ChristopherTra
cyCT

How the... can you spend so much time on writing a book like this? Get a life! By the way, I don´t think that Prince has ever "fallen".

Peace/
CT
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Reply #16 posted 06/03/03 12:13am

BartVanHemelen

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Aerogram said:

You are right, some can't take it... but I've been critical of Prince since the late eighties.


Hilarious. All I've seen you do is make up the lamest apologies for Prince's actions, full of understanding and compassion masking as "common sense" and never hindered by a complete lack of knowledge. Wasn't it funny how you were critical of former employees telling tales about Prince yet completely ignored that Prince had done far worse when it came to his relationship with WB or Arista? (Just to name one example...)

Aerogram said:

Hahn doesn't flesh out Prince much.. he tends to concentrate on what supports his conclusions, This makes for an exceedingly predictable read and a rather tedious book.


Snore... We know where he'll end up because we are there right now. It's an inevitable conclusion, but it is supported by numerous events. And there is a lot of new info, especially when it comes to the pattern that has emerged that showed that Prince's current religious zeal was there from early on.

BTW Isn't it funny how you didn't come down hard on Wellbeyond when he expressed excitement about the "upcoming" album "News" based on a ONE MINUTE LO-FI SAMPLE whereas I got a ton of critique when I exposed Rave as utter crap based on hearing half the album as pre-release MP3s (and was proven right)?
© Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights.
It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for
your use. All rights reserved.
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Reply #17 posted 06/03/03 1:27am

DavidEye

Hey Bart,are you planning to set up a website for Charlene Friend? Are you planning to hold a fundraiser for her? smile
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Reply #18 posted 06/03/03 4:47am

Aerogram

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BartVanHemelen said:

Aerogram said:

You are right, some can't take it... but I've been critical of Prince since the late eighties.


Hilarious. All I've seen you do is make up the lamest apologies for Prince's actions, full of understanding and compassion masking as "common sense" and never hindered by a complete lack of knowledge. Wasn't it funny how you were critical of former employees telling tales about Prince yet completely ignored that Prince had done far worse when it came to his relationship with WB or Arista? (Just to name one example...)

Typical. Who says I "ignored" it? I've been aware for longer than you've been a Prince fan that he bends the truth a whole lot and has all these flaws. Purple Rain, the movie that made him a superstar, shows many of these shortcomings, albeit to conclude with a "redemption", but if you stayed tuned during the rest of the eighties, there were many inescapable conclusions to be reached from projects like UTCM, Lovesexy, Batman, etc., even before reading a single biography. I've long since accepted that Prince was going to be Prince -- someone with an extravagant talent, but also a "rock star" with maddening habits and a pronounced taste for self-indulgence in both his music and his private and business lives. The book falls flat by simply reiterating many of the stories and shedding little new light on them.


Aerogram said:

Hahn doesn't flesh out Prince much.. he tends to concentrate on what supports his conclusions, This makes for an exceedingly predictable read and a rather tedious book.


Snore... We know where he'll end up because we are there right now. It's an inevitable conclusion, but it is supported by numerous events. And there is a lot of new info, especially when it comes to the pattern that has emerged that showed that Prince's current religious zeal was there from early on.

The "new info" brings nothing new and your conclusion that Prince's "religious zeal" was there early on is superficial. You could take a lot of us in our late teens and catch us in our early 40's, and discover we went from a superfioial rejection of certain values when we were defining ourselves to reclaiming of those same values once we've reached a "certain age". You could go back on some of our lives and say.. "See, even then you weren't that much of a rebel. You were bound to show your real self." As evidence of Prince's future "religious zeal", it is feeble, commonplace and boring in its own ZEAL to reach a certain conclusion. And we both know you are Zeal made Man, but a different kind of zeal, right?



BTW Isn't it funny how you didn't come down hard on Wellbeyond when he expressed excitement about the "upcoming" album "News" based on a ONE MINUTE LO-FI SAMPLE whereas I got a ton of critique when I exposed Rave as utter crap based on hearing half the album as pre-release MP3s (and was proven right)?


Man, the reason you are always the target of a lot of critique is that you are a zealot in your own right. You are categorical 99,999 % of the time. You always insist its wall-to-wall crap. Even your darling Alex finds something good to say about The Rainbow Children, coincidentally about a song you treated as "crap" -- The Work Part I ("Yes Prince, we know you can imitate James Brown!" was your initial reaction). It's your right to reject things as a block and not have any nuance, but don't complain if people see your zeal for what it is : you've done nothing to dispel this with your tired black n white bluntness.

As for WB's comments on NEWS, I didn't see them. Have you seen me actually praise ONA Piano or even Xpectation? I've defended Prince's right to do these low-key projects and indulge in "jazz", but I'm not a big fan of the records, just like I'm not an inconditional fan of any Prince records that came out after Lovesexy. The closest were TRC and The Gold Experience, and even there I hardly liked everything about the record.

This reminds me that I don't remember seeing Hahn put TRC's jazz emphasis in proper biographical context. Unless I skipped a page, there's nothing in there that even alludes to Prince parents -- who, of course, were both jazz musicians when they met -- who were ill around the time TRC was recorded and who would die within months of each other. Ever noticed that the Joni Mitchell cover Prince dedicated to his father on ONA Piano has the "drink a case of u" line all over it? Any biographer worth its salt would have noted these things. Hahn is too busy getting to his pre-reached conclusion to note them, even though the book emphasizes Prince's relationship with his father in the first few pages. He doesn't illuminate Prince's life and personality, but rather what he needs to support his conclusions. And that's one of the reasons Possessed is such a poor biography.



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Reply #19 posted 06/03/03 11:31am

violator

as posted by Aerogram:
You are right, some can't take it... but I've been critical of Prince since the late eighties. Possessed is simply not a good biography, and there's more than one reason for that. It's difficult to make this kind of "biography as near indictment" work. In the case of someone with Prince's reputation, you need either fresh insight or new info. Neither are provided. Hahn doesn't flesh out Prince much.. he tends to concentrate on what supports his conclusions, This makes for an exceedingly predictable read and a rather tedious book.

Here's what I'd recommend to fans :

If your knowledge of Prince's career is shaky, this book can be interesting as long as you're willing to put up with the predictability.

If you've read DMSR and know a lot of Prince "news" and "rumours" through your reading of such sites as "The Org", you may not find the book very useful. Get it if you're a completist.



I suppose my point was not to judge the biography on whether it was a good read or not. I haven't even finished it, I'm about half way thru. Thus far, I can say that with very few exceptions most of the information divulged so far I was already aware of. Maybe that'll change later in the book.

My point is that there seems to be quite a bit of outrage on this site about the way Prince is being portrayed in the book. I say the author owes Prince nothing in respect to how he paints his subject. His only responsibility is to be truthful in that regard. From what I can see so far, Hahn, in respect to most of the salacious aspects of the book has direct quotes to individuals who have the ability to confirm or refute their statements. Very few 'unnamed sources' in this respect.

With everything said, understand that writing a biography about Prince must be a very difficult undertaking. This is a man who is easily one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century yet there are only a handful of books available about him. This is a person who has been extremely guarded in respect to his private life. As a result die hard fans or fams have come to recycle the same information over and over. For a person with casual interest the things that you assume to be common knowledge may not necessarily be so.

Ultimately, I think the complaints of Hahn being a "hater" are just the squawkings of those unable to handle a little criticism directed at their hero.
[This message was edited Tue Jun 3 12:08:14 PDT 2003 by violator]
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Reply #20 posted 06/03/03 3:11pm

laurarichardso
n

violator said:

as posted by Aerogram:
You are right, some can't take it... but I've been critical of Prince since the late eighties. Possessed is simply not a good biography, and there's more than one reason for that. It's difficult to make this kind of "biography as near indictment" work. In the case of someone with Prince's reputation, you need either fresh insight or new info. Neither are provided. Hahn doesn't flesh out Prince much.. he tends to concentrate on what supports his conclusions, This makes for an exceedingly predictable read and a rather tedious book.

Here's what I'd recommend to fans :

If your knowledge of Prince's career is shaky, this book can be interesting as long as you're willing to put up with the predictability.

If you've read DMSR and know a lot of Prince "news" and "rumours" through your reading of such sites as "The Org", you may not find the book very useful. Get it if you're a completist.



I suppose my point was not to judge the biography on whether it was a good read or not. I haven't even finished it, I'm about half way thru. Thus far, I can say that with very few exceptions most of the information divulged so far I was already aware of. Maybe that'll change later in the book.

My point is that there seems to be quite a bit of outrage on this site about the way Prince is being portrayed in the book. I say the author owes Prince nothing in respect to how he paints his subject. His only responsibility is to be truthful in that regard. From what I can see so far, Hahn, in respect to most of the salacious aspects of the book has direct quotes to individuals who have the ability to confirm or refute their statements. Very few 'unnamed sources' in this respect.

With everything said, understand that writing a biography about Prince must be a very difficult undertaking. This is a man who is easily one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century yet there are only a handful of books available about him. This is a person who has been extremely guarded in respect to his private life. As a result die hard fans or fams have come to recycle the same information over and over. For a person with casual interest the things that you assume to be common knowledge may not necessarily be so.

Ultimately, I think the complaints of Hahn being a "hater" are just the squawkings of those unable to handle a little criticism directed at their hero.
[This message was edited Tue Jun 3 12:08:14 PDT 2003 by violator]

---
No, there has been a lot of critism due to the poor writing and the slant of the book. We are all adults we know Prince is not saint but, nobody is the devil 365 days a year.

These people speak about Prince has if had some power over them.It is as if they did not have the power to leave his employment.

The whole thing is a little hard to buy. If people were abused or mis-treated that put up with it and should be adults and deal it with instead of crying.
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Reply #21 posted 06/03/03 3:15pm

Aerogram

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violator said:

as posted by Aerogram:
You are right, some can't take it... but I've been critical of Prince since the late eighties. Possessed is simply not a good biography, and there's more than one reason for that. It's difficult to make this kind of "biography as near indictment" work. In the case of someone with Prince's reputation, you need either fresh insight or new info. Neither are provided. Hahn doesn't flesh out Prince much.. he tends to concentrate on what supports his conclusions, This makes for an exceedingly predictable read and a rather tedious book.

Here's what I'd recommend to fans :

If your knowledge of Prince's career is shaky, this book can be interesting as long as you're willing to put up with the predictability.

If you've read DMSR and know a lot of Prince "news" and "rumours" through your reading of such sites as "The Org", you may not find the book very useful. Get it if you're a completist.



I suppose my point was not to judge the biography on whether it was a good read or not. I haven't even finished it, I'm about half way thru. Thus far, I can say that with very few exceptions most of the information divulged so far I was already aware of. Maybe that'll change later in the book.

My point is that there seems to be quite a bit of outrage on this site about the way Prince is being portrayed in the book. I say the author owes Prince nothing in respect to how he paints his subject. His only responsibility is to be truthful in that regard. From what I can see so far, Hahn, in respect to most of the salacious aspects of the book has direct quotes to individuals who have the ability to confirm or refute their statements. Very few 'unnamed sources' in this respect.

With everything said, understand that writing a biography about Prince must be a very difficult undertaking. This is a man who is easily one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century yet there are only a handful of books available about him. This is a person who has been extremely guarded in respect to his private life. As a result die hard fans or fams have come to recycle the same information over and over. For a person with casual interest the things that you assume to be common knowledge may not necessarily be so.

Ultimately, I think the complaints of Hahn being a "hater" are just the squawkings of those unable to handle a little criticism directed at their hero.
[This message was edited Tue Jun 3 12:08:14 PDT 2003 by violator]


I agree about the attitude of some fans - "hater" isn't part of my vocabulary. Obviously, you will find a whole range of opinions toward such a book, from the "Prince can do no wrong" school to the other extreme.

I also don't see the book as a mark of disrespect for Prince. Obviously, being slavishly "respectful" of Prince would have made Possessed even less interesting. It's not about respect, but interest -- interest in Prince as a person and an artist. You've read half the book and don't think you've learned much. I read it all and feel the same. We're probably both overinformed about Prince, but still... half a book and you've learned nothing... What does that say?

If I had written that book, I'd be disappointed that I didn't shed some light on various well-known facts, by going deeper into the personality of the subject. That doesn't happen much in Possessed... There are some pages where Hahn comes close, but most of the time he falls back on the essential facts and draws mostly conventional conclusions, as if the readers were some kind of jury that he needed to convince by presenting what most people would conclude is clear evidence of this and that. And that would be fine if Hahn's goal was simply to prove that Prince is "fallen" according to Billboard's or Rolling Stone's standards of commercial and artistic success, except for the fact it's very old news and not much to write home about least of all a whole bio.

If the personal insight is weak, the parts that deal with music are even weaker. You can tell Hahn doesn't expect the reader to have great musical knowledge when he writes lines like "...James Brown, who was known as The Hardest Working Man in Show Business". This sounds more like it's out of a high school textbook than a sophisticated biography on one of the most important musical figures of the late 20th century. There's some worthwhile passages on his music, but they are far in between. And if you're looking for evocative prose on what Prince's music sounds like or how it was experienced, you will also have to look elsewhere.

In the end, Possessed only succeeds at one thing and its something that didn't need to be proven.

Good luck with the rest of the book. smile
[This message was edited Tue Jun 3 15:15:35 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]
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Reply #22 posted 06/03/03 3:41pm

kevinmkeating

I have been coming to this website for years...
The monitors at Prince.org or extremly biased...

They post many prince related artists activties but they never post the Terence Trent Darby News I post..

TTD is billion times more interesting and talented than Lenny Kravitz. or India Irie

I think its because TTD/Sananda's New album "Wild Card" is better than anything anyone has done in Years..

www.sanandamaitreya.com

Check out the Truth on TTD/Sananda June 4 On Jay Leno!!
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Reply #23 posted 06/03/03 8:53pm

JumpUpOnThe1

avatar

kevinmkeating said:

I have been coming to this website for years...
The monitors at Prince.org or extremly biased...

They post many prince related artists activties but they never post the Terence Trent Darby News I post..

TTD is billion times more interesting and talented than Lenny Kravitz. or India Irie

I think its because TTD/Sananda's New album "Wild Card" is better than anything anyone has done in Years..

www.sanandamaitreya.com

Check out the Truth on TTD/Sananda June 4 On Jay Leno!!


Why would they be biased against TTD? He's a great fan of Prince. I always wonder what Prince's favorite TTd songs might be, lol..

India Arie is a different kind of artist altogether, I wouldn't compare the two. I love her stuff. TTD's stuff would beat Lenny's on lyrics alone, nevermind the more interesting music. I like Lenny, but TTD is on another level. Or at least usually is, lol. I haven't gotten into Wild Card yet, it didn't strike me the way all his other albums have. The live versions of those Wild Card songs are all sweet though..
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Reply #24 posted 06/03/03 11:42pm

BartVanHemelen

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Aerogram said:

Nielsen contributed to Hahn's book and, according to the author, backs Possessed's conclusions. It even looks like both writers share the same (terrible) proofreader. biggrin


Hilarious: complaining about someone's proofreader and then getting the name of the author wrong.
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This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights.
It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for
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Reply #25 posted 06/03/03 11:58pm

BartVanHemelen

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Aerogram said:



BVH said:



Snore... We know where he'll end up because we are there right now. It's an inevitable conclusion, but it is supported by numerous events. And there is a lot of new info, especially when it comes to the pattern that has emerged that showed that Prince's current religious zeal was there from early on.



The "new info" brings nothing new and your conclusion that Prince's "religious zeal" was there early on is superficial. You could take a lot of us in our late teens and catch us in our early 40's, and discover we went from a superfioial rejection of certain values when we were defining ourselves to reclaiming of those same values once we've reached a "certain age".



You've obviously not read the book.

Aerogram said:



Man, the reason you are always the target of a lot of critique is that you are a zealot in your own right. You are categorical 99,999 % of the time.



That's about the same % as me being right. The difference is that it doesn't take me YEARS to admit to something being shit or overrated.

Aerogram said:



You always insist its wall-to-wall crap. Even your darling Alex finds something good to say about The Rainbow Children, coincidentally about a song you treated as "crap" -- The Work Part I ("Yes Prince, we know you can imitate James Brown!" was your initial reaction).



Hilarious! So I'm wrong if I don't like anything at all. I'm sick of the pathetic clutching at straws that so many Prince fans mistake for "support" of their artist -- "yeah, it's shit, but at least it's not as shit as earlier works".

Aerogram said:



As for WB's comments on NEWS, I didn't see them. Have you seen me actually praise ONA Piano or even Xpectation? I've defended Prince's right to do these low-key projects and indulge in "jazz", but I'm not a big fan of the records, just like I'm not an inconditional fan of any Prince records that came out after Lovesexy.



As per usual: completely missing the point.

Aerogram said:



This reminds me that I don't remember seeing Hahn put TRC's jazz emphasis in proper biographical context. Unless I skipped a page, there's nothing in there that even alludes to Prince parents -- who, of course, were both jazz musicians when they met -- who were ill around the time TRC was recorded and who would die within months of each other. Ever noticed that the Joni Mitchell cover Prince dedicated to his father on ONA Piano has the "drink a case of u" line all over it?



That would have been relevant if it weren't the case that Prince has performed that song countless times during his career regardless of the health of his parents. The inclusion of the song has probably far more to do with offering fans a "treat" -- "finally an officially released cover of this song!" -- much like the inclusion of some fan favorites during the Celebration and ONA tour. It's "look at me I'm such a real artist I'm covering Joni Mitchell!" muso stuff.
© Bart Van Hemelen
This posting is provided AS IS with no warranties, and confers no rights.
It is not authorized by Prince or the NPG Music Club. You assume all risk for
your use. All rights reserved.
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Reply #26 posted 06/04/03 3:18am

Aerogram

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BartVanHemelen said:

Aerogram said:

Nielsen contributed to Hahn's book and, according to the author, backs Possessed's conclusions. It even looks like both writers share the same (terrible) proofreader. biggrin


Hilarious: complaining about someone's proofreader and then getting the name of the author wrong.


Could be I don't have a "eagle eyed" proofreader like the one Hahn thanks in his Acknowledgments. wink
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Reply #27 posted 06/04/03 4:16am

Aerogram

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BartVanHemelen said:

Aerogram said:



BVH said:



Snore... We know where he'll end up because we are there right now. It's an inevitable conclusion, but it is supported by numerous events. And there is a lot of new info, especially when it comes to the pattern that has emerged that showed that Prince's current religious zeal was there from early on.



The "new info" brings nothing new and your conclusion that Prince's "religious zeal" was there early on is superficial. You could take a lot of us in our late teens and catch us in our early 40's, and discover we went from a superfioial rejection of certain values when we were defining ourselves to reclaiming of those same values once we've reached a "certain age".



You've obviously not read the book.

Maybe I read the "bootleg" version?

Aerogram said:



Man, the reason you are always the target of a lot of critique is that you are a zealot in your own right. You are categorical 99,999 % of the time.



That's about the same % as me being right. The difference is that it doesn't take me YEARS to admit to something being shit or overrated.

I'm well aware you think you're right all the time. You share that trait with rather unsavory historical figures, but let's not name them.


Aerogram said:



You always insist its wall-to-wall crap. Even your darling Alex finds something good to say about The Rainbow Children, coincidentally about a song you treated as "crap" -- The Work Part I ("Yes Prince, we know you can imitate James Brown!" was your initial reaction).



Hilarious! So I'm wrong if I don't like anything at all. I'm sick of the pathetic clutching at straws that so many Prince fans mistake for "support" of their artist -- "yeah, it's shit, but at least it's not as shit as earlier works".

You've been saying that you're sick of it for over half a decade, but you still visit Prince sites, still get the boots, still buy the records, still take on fans who disagree with your flat assessments. Maybe you should ask yourself why you are so fascinated by what makes you sick -- there's probably a medical term for it.






Aerogram said:



As for WB's comments on NEWS, I didn't see them. Have you seen me actually praise ONA Piano or even Xpectation? I've defended Prince's right to do these low-key projects and indulge in "jazz", but I'm not a big fan of the records, just like I'm not an inconditional fan of any Prince records that came out after Lovesexy.



As per usual: completely missing the point.

Probably like you think I didn't read the book just because I don't interpret it *exactly* like you.

Don't you see a pattern here? You think you're right all the time and give terse little "missing the point" answers when someone doesn't adhere to your dogma. You are not too different from the average Bible Belt Televangelist. Prince is your Satan, which is quite fitting considering you've thoroughly demonized him almost to a pathological degree.



Aerogram said:



This reminds me that I don't remember seeing Hahn put TRC's jazz emphasis in proper biographical context. Unless I skipped a page, there's nothing in there that even alludes to Prince parents -- who, of course, were both jazz musicians when they met -- who were ill around the time TRC was recorded and who would die within months of each other. Ever noticed that the Joni Mitchell cover Prince dedicated to his father on ONA Piano has the "drink a case of u" line all over it?



That would have been relevant if it weren't the case that Prince has performed that song countless times during his career regardless of the health of his parents. The inclusion of the song has probably far more to do with offering fans a "treat" -- "finally an officially released cover of this song!" -- much like the inclusion of some fan favorites during the Celebration and ONA tour. It's "look at me I'm such a real artist I'm covering Joni Mitchell!" muso stuff.


How nice of you to expose your enormous bias once again in such a clear fashion.

Firstly, songs and even individual performances can be dedicated. However, you've demonized Prince to the extent you are unable to see any sincerity in what he does even when it comes to his own recently deceased father.

Secondly, Prince has covered everyone from the Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin in a career empassing a quarter of a century. It's highly unlikely that he has that "look at me" stance at this point simply for covering a song, and you would realize this if you had not demonized him.





[This message was edited Wed Jun 4 5:31:08 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]
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Reply #28 posted 06/04/03 5:51am

MKevon

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kevinmkeating said:

I have been coming to this website for years...
The monitors at Prince.org or extremly biased...

They post many prince related artists activties but they never post the Terence Trent Darby News I post..

TTD is billion times more interesting and talented than Lenny Kravitz. or India Irie

I think its because TTD/Sananda's New album "Wild Card" is better than anything anyone has done in Years..

www.sanandamaitreya.com

Check out the Truth on TTD/Sananda June 4 On Jay Leno!!


Maybe because you are at PRINCE.org and not TTD.org???

Ya think???
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Reply #29 posted 06/04/03 9:10am

wellbeyond

Aerogram said:

BartVanHemelen said:

BTW Isn't it funny how you didn't come down hard on Wellbeyond when he expressed excitement about the "upcoming" album "News" based on a ONE MINUTE LO-FI SAMPLE whereas I got a ton of critique when I exposed Rave as utter crap based on hearing half the album as pre-release MP3s (and was proven right)?


As for WB's comments on NEWS, I didn't see them.


Here ya go...

"Papaj said:
---
You cannot judge a 14-minute-track on the basis of a one minute snippet. But you can have an opinion obviously. My opinion is: I love it!!!
---

(My Response)
That's for damn sure...

When I first heard the short sample of "Rainbow Children", I thought "what the !@#$!"...made fun of it, said it sounded like something I'd hear by those cheery 1970's family group singers in the mall, the ones who all wore matching outfits with huge collars and never stopped smiling as they sung...Then I actually heard the entire 10 minute song, and loved it...heard all the fantastic guitar, heard Prince's great vocals, heard that warped Radiohead-ish instrumental at the very end...that little sampling didn't do it justice.

Same with "Xenophobia"...heard the short looped sample on the old npgmc site, thought it sounded kinda weak...nothing there to grab me...what a letdown it was hearing it each time I logged on...Then I heard it played fully--and live...holy fuckin' hamhocks...I love that song...funky as shit, great playing by all around...once again Prince's guitar skills during his solos had me strummin' my air guitar right along with the man...just a great, great song...that short looped sample didn't do it justice.

So I can only imagine all the cool, funky twists and turns that will most definitely occur during the 14 minutes of "East"...the 45 second sample can't even possibly give me a decent clue as to how much I'll like the song or how good it truly may be...but I'm lovin' the groove and vibe of it, and can at least imagine a nice, long, 14 minute funk workout with some pretty powerful guitar playing..."


If there's anything in there worth "coming down hard" on, have at it...
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