Plz share your perspective. My take: is it the religious thang?

Lawd, sorry about the language in this ?

Two main things I reckon - at first, it was because Prince started letting Larry take centre stage at his shows for whole chunks playing his own or Sly & The Family Stone songs, which is not what people had paid to see.

Secondly, Larry persuaded Prince to become a fully-fledged Jehovah's Witness. Previous to that, Prince created music that could be taken more-or-less multi-religion and multi-spirituality, meaning that it could be embraced by a wide audience. After Larry, Prince has been far more interested in promoting the one single 'true' faith which has alienated some people. As well, it has meant he has given up playing a lot of his raunchier songs.

Saying that, from what I have seen of Larry Graham, he seems a pretty decent bloke and is certainly a fantastic bass player.

I think people are jealous of their closeness, and that Larry shares something with Prince (form of spirituality) that they don't "get." Folks feel left out in the cold and they don't like that!

Heiress said:

Or, is it that Larry has influenced Prince to become less orgamistic?

Oliver said:

Orgamistic isn't a real word. Do you mean orgastic, orgiastic, onomastic or osmotic?!

metalorange said:

Thanks, I meant ORGIASTIC!

Before Larry Graham, P played Face Down and Sexy MF live. Now he doesn't. Isn't that enough reason not to like him?

Oliver said:

Orgiastic :
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of an orgy.
2. Arousing or causing unrestrained emotion; frenzied.

I don't know if Prince ever did hold orgies; so I'm assuming you're trying to say he is more restrained, sexually. Well, as he gets older, it's entirely realistic that he mellows a bit, whether that is Larry's influence or not. On occasion his lyrics are still sexual, check out the lyrics to 'Mellow' or 'On The Couch', just not in quite such a blatant way as before.

Two words:

The Christ !!!

(OK, two words and a bunch of exclamation marks)

L

The way he calls P "little brother" with that deep gay voice of his and the way P looks at him. It's as if he's thinking "maybe, just maybe if I'm real good and behave myself and do not swear maybe I can sit on Larry's lap for five minutes..."

metalorange said:

\


people really kills me!! why cant they just accept the damn fact that p has grown up and evolved as a person and artist. i mean come on you cant still accept a 47 year old man to still swear and be overly sexually explicit with his lyrics. that dont sound too cool to me anyway it just makes p looks like a dirty old man if he does that. i agree p still asserts his sexuality but in a more non explicit and tasteful manner. i mean lets be real that was then and this is now. so people love and accept the new wiser older Prince and stop obsessing over the young wild nasty Prince.
[Edited 6/13/05 8:23am]

PurpleKnight said:[quote]I absolutely hate him.

The way he conveniently told Prince about the JW religion and its promises of a paradise where you'll see your loved ones, all after Prince had lost his whole family really bothers me.

People say "Umm, Prince is his own person, he can make up his own mind."

Well yeah, that's true, but it's also true that you're vulnerable when you've just suffered through a huge amount of tragedy the way P did.

It's also true that you're vulnerable when it's one of your idols of all people who's telling you there's a way to see your lost family again if you obey certain "rules."

I also just find Larry ridiculously annoying. He's very overbearing.


see this is exactly what am talking about. why is people making Larry out to be this prick? i truly believe that Larry helped P seek some spiritual guidance when Prince needed the most if u ask me.
[Edited 6/13/05 8:21am]

Oliver said:

Yes, Prince has a lot less time to make little origami birds, flowers, all that good Japanese stuff. He's too busy with all that damn music.

And besides people do u all ready think that Prince gives two shits about you guys not liking his pal Larry Graham i think not.

It is like getting Sammy Hagar when you want David Lee Roth or David Gilmour when you want Roger Waters.....it just makes you question Larry Graham when you see him on stage. Like what did Prince mean to him before they hooked up? Or, gee, is he trying to get something from Prince? I did see Face Down performed live though but it was edited. There is just something so un-cool about Larry and his influence over Prince made Prince less cool as well. So we want to see Sly up there but all we get is Larry? No thanks!

i think Larry's cool; i just don't like that he tried to take the place of the Holy Spirit in Prince's life

Tiffypoo2004 said:

Bring back nasty Prince! All hail the F word! Nobody could drop the "F Bomb" like P! I remember the "Jam of the Year" tour, P telling everybody to get the children out of the room before the next number and going into "Sexy MF" and blowing the roof off the place. There should be no age limit on profanity. Profanity is an act of expression and if it makes your stuff better to say "fuck" instead of "fiddlesticks" than that is what you should do.

But...

If the man is happy and he is doing what he needs to do religiously to fulfill his soul than so be it. I'm a P fan for life so I will follow him down whatever paths, rolling my eyes sometimes along the way but always understanding that he has got to do what he has got to do. So P if you don't want to cuss, more power to you. And if you want Larry G. hanging all the time, that's your party.

JUST RELEASE A DAMN NEW ALBUM SOON SO WE HAVE SOMETHING NEW TO TALK ABOUT!

GottaLetitgo said:

The fact that the man who taught me to cuss won't even say MF now is enough for me!

Tiffypoo2004 said:[quote]

PurpleKnight said:

Spiritual guidance? More like manipulation.

Larry Graham = The Emperor

Larry: The dark side of spirituality is a pathway to many points of view some consider to be...unnatural.

Prince: Is it possible to learn this power?

Larry: ...Not from an atheist.
[Edited 6/13/05 9:47am]

The poisonous thinking he introduced to Prince. He got body snatched somewhere round 97...

larry is a fine bass player but from 1998-2001 in my experience every single time he had the stage he played 'thank you for lettin me be myself again' and 'everyday people'.

unfortunately i caught a bit of a dislike of him during that era, i still cringe when he takes center stage because i'm afraid he'll play "those two songs again" so for me that was why i stopped looking forward to seeing larry.

i've heard people remark on larry's wife tina's role in prince concerts and i have to say one of the weirdest things i've ever seen in an R & B/pop concert was seeing her up there swaying around and waving a towel in the air. of all the 'gimmicks' prince has had onstage with him this one has to be the most off-putting ever.

anyway, just my 2c. i'm still a fan though
[Edited 6/13/05 10:19am]

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

well i didnt know that seeking salvation was poisonous what the hell was i thinking.

Tiffypoo2004 said:

Prince became CONvinced he needed saving from himself. That didn't happen until Larry came on the scene. I'm all for spiritual enlightenment but Prince became obsessed with cleansing himself of what made him Prince, particularly freedom.

After Larry P's music started sounding more and more overproduced and
plastic

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

>> sighs>> people just dont understand.

Honestly, I loved Sly and the Family Stone and I liked Graham Central Station. And I'm glad Prince has become grounded in, instead of flirting with, some sense of the spiritual. I admit I tend toward the slightly naughtier in life, but if changing his ways will bring Prince closer to God, I think that's far more important.

That being said, I simply don't like the whole Larry Graham/Prince thing because Larry isn't... well... cool. He's got this huge Village People moustache and this disorientingly deep voice. He dresses like a ship captain and his wife is just creepy. He's a quarter century past his musical prime. And, with Larry, Prince's music has turned from his own unique voice to some (poor) homage to what soul music was in the '60s and '70s. When I want to hear that, I'll actually play Larry, Sly or JB.

I just think he drags Prince down artistically.
[Edited 6/13/05 13:06pm]

Tiffypoo2004 said:

I understand completely