Jon Bream (from the MPLS Star Tribune), who has covered Prince from the beginning, is continuously calling Prince "the most complete rock star ever". Do you agree with this assessment?

(Not only do I agree with it. It is precisely why Prince is my all time favorite.)

skywalker said:

There never was, nor will there EVER be another like him I totally agree.

Sure, how could he not be?

I'm not even sure what that means.

He's just unique. Very people could touch him.

What his criteria for being a "complete" rock star?

AsianBoi777 said:

oh..dear...GOD.

"I aint got no money!"

Claim to fame: Prince is a peerless talent -- and a world-class paradox
Jon Bream, Star Tribune
March 14, 2004


Prince is the most complete rock star ever.

That might sound like a preposterous overstatement that begs for some qualifier. But none is necessary. He is singular in stature.

That's why the Twin Cities' most famous musicmaker will be inducted Monday into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Who else in pop history could sing, write, arrange and produce music in a variety of styles; play a wide range of instruments with remarkable skill; shine onstage and on screen -- and create an alluring mystique while being a visionary musically, visually and commercially?

Many Minnesotans don't see Prince that way, however. To them, he's an eccentric -- the guy who changed his name to a symbol, who feuded with the record label that had just signed him to a record $100 million contract. He's the high-heeled dandy who always calls attention to himself but demands privacy with his phalanx of bodyguards.

Prince, 45, is a paradox, which is partly why he's so enticing. He has made a career out of shocking us while still keeping us riveted.

Back in 1980 when he was a rising R&B star, he wore bikini underwear and a trenchcoat while singing deliciously catchy rock songs about incest and oral sex. This year, he donned a conservative (for him) purple suit to open the Grammy Awards with a rousing medley from "Purple Rain," upstaging his 22-year-old duet partner, Beyoncé.

In that brief moment with pop's It Girl, Prince reminded us that he's the most dazzling performer of his generation, more so than Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson or Madonna.

"I'm always floored every time I've seen him live," says Hall of Famer David Bowie, also a revolutionary on stage. "There's very few people to touch him."

Ask anyone from John Mellencamp (who didn't get elected to the Hall of Fame this year) to OutKast (who will join Alicia Keys in giving induction speeches for Prince on Monday), and they will tell you that Prince is arguably the most widely respected musician of the past 25 years.

"To see without all the trappings of the imaging and see him as a pure musician, it's my greatest thrill ever," said Jimmy Jam, a Prince protégé who went on to work with such Hall of Famers as Michael Jackson, Sting and Aretha Franklin.

'Touched by a higher power'

Prince's gifts are once in a generation.

"He's a rare individual touched by a higher power," says Ron McCurdy, a trumpeter and chairman of jazz studies at the University of Southern California who spent the 1990s at the University of Minnesota. "I would put him up there with Duke Ellington and Miles Davis.

"I always measure greatness by staying power. The Stevie Wonders, the Billy Joels, who are able to write songs that stick, that people remember, that touch people's soul. And certainly Prince will be one of them."

It's not just his enduring songs but his influence as well. His imprint has been heard on recordings by others for the past three decades -- as recently as OutKast's Grammy-winning album of the year, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," which sounded like the best Prince album in nearly a decade.

Numbers bolster his credentials for the Hall of Fame. (An artist becomes eligible 25 years after the release of his or her first album.) Prince had chart-topping songs in the 1970s, '80s and '90s. He scored 14 top-10 pop singles (including four at No. 1) in the '80s and five more in the '90s (including another No. 1). His U.S. album sales have topped 36 million; "Purple Rain" alone has sold more than 13 million.

The numbers speak more loudly than Prince does. While he can be charming and even outgoing, the image that jumps more readily to mind is of his first TV appearance in 1980 on "American Bandstand." When Dick Clark asked how many instruments he played, Prince wordlessly held up four fingers.

That indelible oddness makes him the Andy Kaufman of rock, says Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas: "Sometimes he'll do things, and he'll be like, 'I don't care if you get it. I dig it.' "


Taken for granted?

The mad genius is one of us. Prince Roger Nelson was born in Minneapolis, grew up on the South Side and the North Side, and moved to Chanhassen when he became rich and famous. We see him at Timberwolves games, read about him in gossip columns and generally take him for granted.

But to non-Minnesotans, he is a franchise like the Vikings, Garrison Keillor or the Mall of America. He is our most famous export, known from Tokyo to Tivoli Gardens.

Prince has certain similarities to the state's other idiosyncratic Hall of Famer, Bob Dylan. Both have maintained a presence in Minnesota, with houses on the western fringe of the Twin Cities. Both have large egos but crave their privacy.

Both starred in self-styled autobiographical movies, but while Dylan's "Renaldo & Clara" was a self-indulgent flop, Prince's "Purple Rain" was an unexpected sensation. And he made one of the most compelling concert movies ever, 1987's "Sign o' the Times."

Where Dylan forged the role of the modern singer/song writer, Prince set standards for musicianship, stagecraft and business innovation. He created spectacular arena tours and broke all modern records for prolificacy, cranking out albums faster than Warner Bros. could (or would) release them, all the while spinning off side projects and helping neglected heroes get a new start.

As his commercial fortunes waned, Prince articulated ideas that would revolutionize the record business, including selling CDs through such alternatives as private music clubs, the Internet and one-shot deals with major labels.

He's actively shopping his next album, "Musicology," to major labels, and his drawing power in concert remains undiminished as he plans an arena tour, starting this month, to play his hits for what he says is the last time.

To be sure, his track record is checkered. The same could be said of Dylan or any other musical giant. Whatever his hits and misses in the studio -- or with his wardrobe -- Prince's next move demands that serious followers of popular music pay attention. Because he will never rest on his Hall of Fame laurels.

And to think that the above was written before Musicology was on the shelves (which spent most of the year in the Top 10), a week or so before Prince's tour (which became the #1 attended tour of the year), and just before Prince rocked everybody's socks off at his induction into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. Who (past, present, future) can do all that Prince can do? They don't come close. Prince is the most complete rock star ever.

rudeboynpg said:

skywalker said:

No.

Could you elaborate, Nova?

As for me, yes I do consider Prince to be the most complete rock star ever, even though that's my opinion. But, no matter what anyone thinks of P, no one can deny that he is one of the top musicians in American Music. If he's not #1 (NOTE: He is!) then he's at the very least up there with the likes of Bob Dylan, Madonna, Elvis, BB King, etc.

There are unfortunately, a lot of P haters at my school. In one class we watched Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet. When the choir boy starts singing "When Doves Cry." I heard someone talk about Prince and that he was weird and had no talent. I was dumbfounded. I don't care if you love im' or hate im,' but to say Prince is talentless...That's just a downright wrong.

And even if you don't like P, you can't deny the impact he's made on the music industry. He's been inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame for gods sake!

If anything else, Prince is certainly better than the crap that we have now. I mean, Ashlee Simpson got caught lip syncing not once but twice, and every other musician is giving in to the fan lore, and the propaganda. There are no true artists anymore. Only pin ups with fat wallets and big mouthes. And yet, who had the highest grossing concert of 04? Cuz I don't think it was damn Usher!
[Edited 1/13/05 5:55am]
[Edited 1/13/05 5:55am]

Novabreaker said:

Wrong.

i hate 2 dispute such a talented reporter, but i'm gonna. i am watching the episode ofABS with prince, and dick just asked how many instruments prince plays. with a sh@t eatin' grin, our man says, "Thousands", and coyly follows with " no, not thousands". after p lied about his age and said he was 19, dick asks how long ago he wanted 2 produce himself is when he threw up 4 fingers. any-who, in regards 2 the original question, i don't know what 2 say. i always saw my rock stars as "i had so much coke and jack daniels last night that i'm still up and it's 2 mins 'til curtain" types that went 2 betty ford, and it didn't take, again. i'm sure prince isn't as innocent as we like 2 think, but he wasn't "throwing t.v.'s out the hotel window" out of control, far as i know. i would say he is definately a living legend, and a star, but i don't know about a "complete" rock star. in 200 years when we get that interview, maybe it will shed some rock star attributes

loved for life,
james aaron

musicology74 said:

I’m curious 2 hear your definition of a complete rock start.

May I correct u on your comments about DC’s question 2 P? Dick asked P how old was he and he said 19, then P was asked by DC how long ago did he make his demo’s and P raised up 4 fingers, so DC said “u were 15 then” and P shook his head meaning yes.

I guarantee u, 200 years from now we won’t be around 2 hear that review you’re speaking of so enjoy the one posted above

SammiJ said:

you think the still of the video's bad? try seein it in motion. you'll laugh! you'll cry! you'll hurl! then you'll laugh again!

as for the question at hand: "complete rock star" sorta makes 'im sound like an advertisement for some sorta multi-vitamin, but yeah i see whatcha mean and to a degree, yeah he is.

good call, pennylover. i was mistaken on the 4 finger thing, although i was correct on the point that it happened right after p lied about his age. as for my definition of a "complete" rock star, go back and read from the sentence that begins with" i always saw my rock stars...", and u will find the answer u seek. it is after all, my close minded view of rock stardom, but it isn't a definition by any means. can it be defined indefinately, if it means something different 2 everyone? i love philosophy


loved 4 life,
james aaron
[Edited 1/13/05 13:28pm]

OfficerShockadelica said:

First of all, he's not really even "rock". Stricktly speaking. Prince is pop music at its quirkiest, bordering on avant-garde in many occasions.

Second, I don't think he really plays up to the myth himself. A rockstar is always more than the music - and the way Prince deals with his public persona is completely... I don't know what the hell it is, but his antics are certainly quite different from the rest of the names that we call rockstars.

The ultimate "avant-pop" -star, that I can agree with.

skywalker said:

Thank you very much for posting this because I think it's a brilliant piece and states everything about what Prince is about. It was a fantastic read and I just wish that a British journalist could write such a piece.
It somes up alot of what I think and feel about him and from now on, if anyone asks about why I admire this "freak/wiredo/gaylord" ....other peoples words of course, then I'll just've them read this article.
I feel truly blessed to be alive at the same time as Prince
[Edited 1/14/05 9:39am]

Novabreaker said:

Yeah, but "rock star" is more of a term for anyone who is famous doing Pop music. Some people say "Eminem" is a "rock star". I think the term "rock star" now has less to do with the type of music and more with the type of fame and attitude you have.

I wouldn't call him the most complete "rock star" ever but I definately would call him the most complete "star" ever. I can't think of anyone else that has ventured into as many types of music and has crossed as many racial, class, sexual, and generational lines worldwide as Prince.

skywalker said:

That really sucks.

I seldom use that expression "sucks", but here in this occasion I feel the need to.

Yeah, prince is probably the most, or at least one of the most, versatile/well-rounded rockstars of all time. To say he's the greatest rockstar or musician of all time is taking it just a bit too far. There were plenty of artists who could write or produce better than prince, who were more proficient instrumentalists than prince, or who were better stage performers than prince. Prince may cover all those bases better than most, but that doesn't mean he's greater of more talented than everybody. For example, I would rate stevie wonder above prince in every respect except as a stage performer; I would rate Jimi Hendrix above prince as a guitar player, and probably as a songwriter and producer too; I would rate the beatles much higher than prince in everything except dancing; I'd rate michael jackson higher than prince as a dancer and singer; I'd rate duke ellington above prince as a bandleader and composer; I'd rate plenty of people above prince as innovators/groundbreakers etc.. etc.. etc.. Prince is unique because he's the most well-rounded, not necessarily because he's the best.

you know what? after i saw the ONA tour in London i couldn't agree more. the little fella is such.

I shall say David Bowie is has complete as P is. But I would not compare those 2.