_____

All in fun of course.

Give your opinions on each of these points for the sake of a good discussion. These points don't necessarily reflect my own views. They're just things I came up with that I thought others might like to give opinions on. I promise you, some of the things here I definitely disagree on.

1. You're only a true Prince fan if you appreciate The Rainbow Children album, regardless of whether you actually enjoy the album or not.

2. So Prince has stopped cursing? Who cares, so long as the music stays funky? (Just so long as he doesn't tamper with content of past songs)

3. Emancipation was just Prince in a different place, thinking differently to his fans and perhaps not quite aware of what they really wanted (And probably didn't care. Why should he?). It's still a worthy collection of songs that a lot of other artists would die to be able to create in what is, relatively, a small space of time.

4. Musicology clearly proved that Prince going back to the type of albums he created in the 80s doesn't necessarily mean it's going to bring back the feelings created by those albums.

5. Who gives a shit what Prince comes up with next? We know that we'll ultimately love it, even though we won't admit it if at the time of it's release we originally posted a passionate statement saying why we thought it was Prince's worst effort to date.

6. No matter who else we'd like to blame, considering that he was the only person who was ultimately responsible for what went on the album, Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic was simply a case of Prince at his creative nadir . It happens to all artists and we should be grateful that it only happened to Prince on this one album.

7. We all claim that we like Prince because he seldom repeats himself and is always trying to create something new, but we complain when something doesn't live up to what we've previously expected. Why is that?

8. The same man that came up with 1999 also came up with Loose!, The Love We Make, Last December, Arboretum, Dirty Mind, West, When Doves Cry, Like It There, Don't Play Me, Reflection, Joint 2 Joint and If I Was Your Girlfriend... Can we really say that Prince ever lost it at any point during his career? I mean, forget what you think of any of these songs - think of the variety. Could any other artist in history come up with these songs by themselves?

9. When he launched the NPGMC, Prince seriously thought that his fans were so sycophantic, they had nothing better to do with their lives other than to support him no matter what he decided. And it was the reaction to the NPGMC, particularly during Year 2, that brought him back down to earth somewhat and made him realise that he really needed to listen to what his target audience wanted.

10. Prince and his wife are clearly happy and it is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most wonderful thing that could happen to the two of them. If he chose to stop making music tomorrow, we'd be proud that we had an unequalled collection of outstanding music created by a man who was now truly happy. Wouldn't we?

11. Prince really ought to release the New Masters of all the songs because they would be fascinating to listen to and we'd know that the money we spent buying them would go straight to him and his organisation. We'd buy them, even though a lot of fans would probably criticise them. However, ultimately the new versions couldn't ever take away from the originals, so it doesn't matter if they're made available and as Prince fans, surely we could only see their release as a good thing!

12. I prefer Prince's older stuff (not giving a specific point between what is considered to be Prince's older stuff and newer stuff), am I being short-sighted because I don't appreciate his newer material, or do others accept that he changes so much, musically, that it's only natural that some people will appreciate only certain eras of his career and hate other parts of it? The same goes for the other way around, for those who like his new stuff, but don't dig his older material.

You're only a true fan if you love, Lovesexy!

Just kidding... don't beat me up now!

LovesexyIsThe1 said:

You know, I think I ought to add that to the questions. I think there may be a lot of truth there.

Don't give Around the World in a Day the cold shoulder. It separates the Prince fans from the Purple Rain fans!

UndercovaBrotha said:

No-one would dare! Condition of the Heart is what made me a Prince fan, back in 1985. I hadn't even heard When Doves Cry at that point, but COTH just struck a chord with me.

UndercovaBrotha said:

Ooo... good point. I like that one.

Paisley Park is the Jam! Classic... great album all the way through!

These viewpoints are all over the place. I love "rave" I think it's one of Prince's best ever. Prove me wrong. I think "Musicology" sounds less like Prince of old than you, and it's still one of his best ever. Prove me wrong. Does this make me less of a fan? No.

I do believe that many share you view points, but to wrap them in a "you are only a true fan" packaging is waaaaay off and quite silly.
[Edited 1/5/05 16:11pm]

skywalker said:

I love "Rave" too.

Now Enigmoid, did state: "All in fun," so we'll take it all with a grain of salt.

More like:

You're only a true fan if you have skipped work in order to be first in line to buy an album the day of release, then stayed home to listen to it at least 7 times in a row.

You're only a true fan if you have stood in horrific weather for hours on end to gain access to a concert.

You're only a true fan if you have spent way more money than you could truly afford in order to obtain some Prince-related item (tickets, travel, rarities, whatever).

You're only a true fan if you have doggedly defended one of his numbskull actions to your friends and associates. (There are many of these: lawsuits, attire, strange behavior, name change ... take your pick)

You're only a true fan if you have absolutely detested an album/song/look/comment/action/philosophy of his, and wondered at your own sanity for being a fan.....
















BUT YOU'RE STILL HERE!!!!

Because in your heart of hearts, you know there has never been and will never be anyone quite like him and he's got you, like it or not, until the day you die.

wow!
definitely well said! i agree with basically everything you're saying there, awesome awesome

HalluRain said:

CO-FREAKIN'-SIGN

1-i don't like it, i don't appreciate it

2-i saw him play Darling Nikki at Brixton Academy '98. he let the audience sing the masterbation line, then said 'y'all ought to be ashamed of yourselves'. he tampered with one of his perfect songs. ruined it.

3-"Emancipation was just Prince in a different place, thinking differently to his fans." Yeah, as he was with SOTT. That album was challenging, pure, original genius. Emancipation was indulgent twaddle (Betcha By Golly Wow-FFS!!!)

4-"Musicology clearly proved that Prince going back to the type of albums he created in the 80s" You're gonna have to explain that one cause i don't see it.

5-"Who gives a shit what Prince comes up with next? We know that we'll ultimately love it, even though we won't admit it" Because i remember a time when a Prince album coming out was an exciting prospect. Now it's a worrying one. He's clearly capable of sooo much more than he chooses to release.

6-"it only happened to Prince on this one album" For me, substitute 'album' with 'decade'.

7-Again, becuse he's capable of so much more. The evidence is in the bootlegs.

8-"forget what you think of any of these songs " Ok, why don't we all forget what we think of any artist. As long as they show variation, hey!, who cares about the quality!

9-On this i think i partly agree.

10-I wish he had stopped after Batman. A long break may have done the music some good.

11-Why mess with the old stuff? It stands alone as a complete work of genius. I'd think he really had lost it if he messed around with the 'masters'.

12-As a creative genius who stood alone with NO peers, Prince was, at one time, my God.

And it's that last point that irks me about your questions.

There are Prince fans and there are "true" Prince fans. You are only a "true" Prince fan if you continue buying his albums after the last one pissed you off.

Enigmoid said:

I love ATWIAD and "Condition of the Heart" breaks my heart everytime I hear it...I'm going have to pull that out...

-wpc

HalluRain said:

luv it!, luv it!, luv it! U and your words are totally priceless

I agree with some of the above comments: You're only a true fan if you love albums like Around The World In A Day, Parade, Lovesexy, The Truth and The Rainbow Children etc. Not saying you have to love all of these exclusively, but these albums (to me) are probably his most spiritual/experimental. I think you have to recognise this fact about Prince. He's not just a pop-rock star, but something much deeper than that. Anyone who understands that can consider themselves a true fan

I got the ultimate "only a true Prince fan" thing:

You're only a true Prince fan if you go to see him in the '98 tour (with LG and CK), and you order concert tickets from Mexico, and you travel by Greyhound bus from El Centro, CA to downtown LA, taking a public bus for an hour, through Compton to Inglewood, and you stand in line until 15 minutes after the concert is supposed to start, when they come out and tell you that the concert has been cancelled (because he sprained his ankle). You go all the way back home, braving the same bus you took from downtown LA, go home and simmer down and get your money back, and after thinking that you'll never get the chance to see Prince live again, when he comes to your hometown for the 2001 Hit'n'Run tour, you're among the first in line to buy tix, and you do get to see him this time, and forgive and forget!

"There are Prince fans and there are "true" Prince fans. You are only a "true" Prince fan if you continue buying his albums after the last one pissed you off."




What if you continue buying after the last 5 or 6 pissed you off?
It's a bit like toothache-no matter how much it hurts i can't stop touching it.

All said and done i still fucking love Prince. I just wish sometimes he'd REALLY throw caution to the wind (musically) and blow our minds again. Everything he does these days seems so polished, musically 'perfect'.
I want the freaky, pervert, spiritual, bad, ocassionaly n.a.s.t.y Prince to come out and bite me on the ass again.

ur a true prince fan if you continue to:

buy his albums
go to his concerts
continue to be an npgmc member

after he tries to sue you in court for taking an unauthorized picture of him in public or in concert...

HalluRain said:

Ah memories, standing outside talking to lolinex, waiting to get into the show. Tornado siren goes off. Nobody gets out of line.

HalluRain said:

CO-SIGN

I interviewed someone the other day, I'm a Pub Def. Paralegal, and she noticed one of my Prince pix in my cubicle. She said "Oh you're a Prince fan" I said "Yes, I've been one since 1979" She said "Oh I didn't know he's been around so long." My reaction? INTERVIEW OVER.

Miguel

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

your a true fan if your devoted to Prince entirely!

MIGUELGOMEZ said: