When I was a 12 year old boy I was blown away when I first heard When Doves Cry on the radio in 1984. It was the first time ever that I got so impressed by a new song.

I remember going to the record shop with my five year older nephew to buy the single, and he told me that the lyrics were raunchy and that perhaps my parents wouldn't like me buying that record. My parents were very Christian at that time, so I thought he was probably right about that, but that just added to the excitement for me.

Anyway, short after that I saw the video to When Doves Cry and I thought Prince was one hell of a cool guy. He was wearing these funky clothes, looking and behaving a bit feminin, but still very manly and sexy at the same time. Then I persuaded my lil' brother to ask the Purple Rain album for his birthday and -listening to that album over and over after he got it- a lifetime Prince fan was born.

I read some articles about Prince and I found out about Vanity 6 and Appollonia 6, a bunch of hot women walking around in lingerie singing Prince-written songs. I heard rumours about Prince writing and producing albums for The Time and other artists like Sheila E, who also was an incredibly hot woman. I also saw the video's of 1999 and Little Red Corvette, and there he looked great too and he had these terrific looking sexy women in his band (remember Lisa and Jill behind that keyboard? ). Also he was a great dancer, me and my friends always loved to imitate Prince and MJ dance moves.

Now my admiration for Prince just rocketed sky high: this mysterious, intriguing and goodlooking rude boy was producing absolutely fabulous exciting music, not only for himself but also for other artists, had surrounded himself with very sexy gorgeous women, and was ruling the year 1984 with number one singles and a number one album and was enjoying lots of succes with his Purple Rain movie.

Being a struggling 12 year old, running with hormones, what better idol could I choose? My parents hated him and thought he was a bad influence on me (a few years later my father even broken the PR album in two after hearing about backward messages), his music was great, and he surrounded himself with the sexiest women I had ever seen at that age!

I could really identify myself with him: he was short and he had a soft feminin side, just like me. I had just starting playing drums and singing, so in that way he was an example too. Hell, I wanted to be Prince at that age, I wanted to dress like him, play music like him and have the same type of beautiful women that he had, hehehe!

Anyway, Prince has turned out to be one of the biggest rolemodels in my life, and I still admire him greatly. I wonder if any of you people here have the same kind of experience, if you do please elaborate!

That's beautiful.

Fleshofmyflesh said:

Thanks!

I just wanted to say I love posts like this. How a fan has been positively influenced by Prince and Prince's music...I love when fans share how much he has added to their lives...because I can relate...I really love Prince and appreciate his music, movies, side prodjects...he creates beauty to me.

How he has influenced me...well he made me realise that spituality and a love of God doesn't have to be a cheesy, cornballish thing. He made me realise how a love of god doesn't have to be in the confides of a church or religion (well I'm talking about before the JW thing)

Secondly he helped me fall in love with music. His Mpls. eighties sound made me wanna get up and dance and express myself and feel good!!

Thirdly, I loved that he surounded himself with sexy women. Particularly dark haired, dark eyed, dark complected women. I know Prince has dated many types of women...but the prototype Prince girl looked like me! Growing up I always wanted to be a white,blond blue eyed girl like my friends and really wanted to downplay my latina heritage...so I guess me seeing Prince with all these dark, exotic women and the realsation that he really does find them beautiful and sexy helped me really appreciate my exotic looks! I even go tanning now to look more latina! That was something I never would have considered before when I thought guys only liked blonds. So in an indavernte way Prince helped me realise that I am beautiful...I mean hello Mayte is wayyyy hotter than any run of the mill blond in Playboy....well at least imo!

Well, I became a fan towards the end of the D&P era, and I was about 12, so just entering teenage - Prince was my main musical taste at the time - he influenced the music I listened to as I wanted to find more music like his, so I got into listening to his influences, protege acts, and competitors - So basically whilst all my friends at school were into 2Unlimited I was checking out Parliament, Rick James, Joni Mitchell and Miles Davis, etc - I really had no idea what was happening in the current popular music scene until the late 90s when I turned off Prince a little and got into Dance music.

Beyond music, although I didn't agree with Christianity, I took on board a lot of the spiritual stuff in Prince's music, and found a lot of ideas that I liked in stuff like Lovesexy, Controversy and Graffiti Bridge (the albums that is).

I look back now and see that I was pretty naive, but there are much worse things for a 14/15 year old boy to be interested in instead of spirituality and old records from the 60s/70s.

a lifetimes worth...

The influence Prince has had on me.....be open minded with music and learn different instruments. Also don't be one-dimensional,,what ever you create is what you use. Absorb everything and be different.

He influenced me to live my life however I please and flaunt it. He also influenced me to speak my mind, no matter who likes it or not, and abolutely not give a damn.

His music influenced me. Can't imagine my life without all that notes...
Just a huge impact.

Yes I forgot that he also influenced me musically. Just like MetroArea I started listening to acts that are said to have influenced Prince, like James Brown, Sly, Parliament/ Funkadelic, Hendrix etc. My love for Prince has opened up a complete universe of music to me, some of these artists are amongst my favorites of all time.

i pout alot does that count??



hehe

I still wear way too small, girly denim jackets.

- I wanted to learn to play the guitar like him ever since I first heard Computer Blue
- I started wearing more high - heels (I'm a girl, luckily )
- I got a Prince - related tattoo yesterday
- I met my boyfriend on this board
- I spent lots of money - but then again it was soso worth it


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[Edited 6/2/05 9:01am]

well i just became a FAN around a year an a half ago. when i say fan, i mean obsessed with the man and his music. i always liked 1999, it used to be my favorite song. Anyways, because of the many different styles of music that Prince sings and writes, he helped me along as an inspiration for writing my own songs, which i had been getting better at. Now he's a full blown muse for my lyrics.


But Prince has inspired me on a more personal level. I used to have hardly any self esteem cuz i'm a people pleaser, and i never really put myself first in anything, i was taught at my wack old school that putting yourself before others would send u to hell. Anyways, when Prince came into my life, and i heard him singing about all these positive things about being happy, and getting wild and being YOURSELF, i thought, what the hell. it was time for me to break outta my shell and show my friends a side of me that they'd never seen before: me being really really happy. I listend to prince like a crack addict on the drug who doesn't need or want the rehab. Prince has made me feel comfortable with myself (and honestly, who wouldn't when u hear a voice telling u everyday that ur beautiful). and all my friends think he's wack, but they would never understand.

THANK U PRINCE, FOR GIVING ME A LIFE BACK!

I'm the same as funkaholic - I heard Prince and it drove me to become a multi-instrumentalist-producer-arranger-writer type person.

For the funk no less.
[Edited 6/2/05 20:39pm]

There was an unfortunate puffy shirt

I learned to make music and record songs because of inspiration from Prince's work (and bootlegs). Now I actually make part of a comfortable living doing this, although I have to say I'm also heavily influenced by the Beatles' innovation and by movie soundtracks from the 70's in my commercial music production.

Prince's love for music inspired me to versitile, by being able to develop my vocal range well (tralto to soprano),play different instruments (piano,drums guitar), write my own songs .

(The return of the muleFunk)

I fondly remember sitting in the movie theater in 1984 and seeing Purple Rain and being astounded at the influence that Prince had on the audience that night.
I was a fan starting with 1999 but Purple Rain was one of those "WOW" experences. I did not become a superfan until seeing the SOTT film in the fall of 1987 and seeing the movie back to back 4 times.

Prince has influenced my life by making music that means something.The quality kicks ass always but the message is as equally powerful.

Well i think i just got into him at the perfect time in my life, cause he taught me to not give a fuck about anything. Which includes any jealous bitches at my college craving for the attention which they are deprived off, i find it hilarious when i just sit there ignoring them and they get their panties in a twist
Also he woke me a up a bit more to the funk and to a dream to become a multi- talenteled producer/musician/performer.
Hell it'll keep me occupied

I remember seeing the Little Red Corvette video, that was when I first
noticed him. Little did I know how big a part of my life he would become.
I was 13 years old, my parents were splitting up and I took it real hard. I had nobody to really turn to and my parents did not talk to me much about thier divorce. I was the oldest of three and I had to help my mom take care of my brothers. Purple Rain came out and I taped the Lp from my Uncle and played the hell out of it. One day my mom told me write down some tapes you want from the "wrecka stow", apparently her name was drawn to recieve 10 free tapes or albums. I wrote down, For You/Prince/Controversey/Dirty Mind/1999/Purple Rain. And that summer I did nothing but listen to all his albums. Imagine hearing all this music at one time? I was hooked, I was obsessed, i found the person I wanted to be like. He helped me thru his music to be more creative myself, to take chances, to be different than the rest, to be an individual and not follow the crowd. And as I went thru periods of depression, loneliness, and just dealing w/being a teenager, I did not have a lot of friends but Prince was always there,,,his music was always there. Since 1985 I have bought every album the first day it hit the wrecka stows...People at school started calling me Prince as they learned of my obsession w/him. He has influenced everything in my life....and now, Iam 34 years old and people still associate me w/Prince. My family,friends etc... I could go on and on..but I dont have the time...Anyhoo,,U can be the prezident, Id rather be the POPE!

he and his music helped contribute in some way to me accepting my eccentricity

everyone around me was so plain..so one sided..one minded... one everything

i had found the 1st other male i could relate to
not to that extreme ofcourse because im not a performer
i havent as good of a way to expose my true self

it led to me not being confused as to why
but accepting
and being proud

so yeah confused and hiding..to total bliss

love it

through this
ive also learnt that when your happy and open with who you are
others will also view you in the same positive light

hehe just realised something..

please note..my reply has nothing to do with sexuality

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look forward to reading more posts from others
[Edited 6/5/05 10:50am]

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[Edited 6/5/05 14:52pm]

funkii said:

"Gay!"

OK. In the small town where I grew up, if you liked Prince you were a freak. I you was a freak and the all boys were too scared to ask me out. Avoiding teenage pregnancy, I was able to finish high school and go to university. Thanks Prince!

hahaha
<-----STRAIGHT!!!

The only reason I wanted to make music was after watching purple rain!
I play in a band called Heavy Mojo. I would not like a band setting if not for Purple rain