Recently I finally decided to by Alex Hahn's book Possessed: The Rise And Fall Of Prince. Unfortunately, althought I do question some of the books information, it was just the most depressing thing I have read about Prince. Ever! I'm getting rid of it!

And the ending to this book was even more depressing! It's as if the author is implying that Prince will just dissappear into thin air and have nothing but his die-hard fans to support him.

Unfortunatley, at the same time, I do believe a lot of what was said about Prince. Prince is a great musician but leaves a lot to be desired as a person.

Also, the author describes Prince as never stoppig to smell the roses along the way to his fame and glory. His whole life consist of being stuck in the studio for days at a time, concert tours, and club hopping, small gigs--and that's it! And the author has explained this as being a regular ruotine for Prince. Now what kind of life is that?

What good does it do to have all that money and then not take a break and smell the roses in life? After all you only live once.

And another thing, I never knew Prince had gone through so many women! I found it absolutly amazing that one man could handle all that action, And to be truthful this sort of character trait just doesn't dissappear. So Mani better be careful...there just may be truth to the separation rumors with a guy that loves women as much as Prince does. I mean will one woman ever really satisfy him? I think not unfortunately,

Oh yes...for those who severly dissagree with me please don't be too harsh. I bruse easily.

PanicAttack said:

I disagree with you. I found the book somewhat informative ,but not depressing.
Yes some of the information cast Prince in a negitive light, but I believe that most people who have been called "genius" have a dark side. I think that after the 'Purple Rain' phase he only wanted to hear the positive things about his personel life and his music.Unfortunately, when you surround yourself with "yes" people you begin to loose your creativity. I have been a huge fan of Prince since 1979 so I've seen him at his best and worst. I remember when Sinead O'Conner accused him of holding her hostage. Most people thought she was crazy. Later it came out that they had an altercaion. Even with people you admire you have to remember that they are not perfect. I would do just about anything to hear the original version of 'Wally'

Ya know I look at those books and go ...O.K. I skim through them and Really Don't Care but for the pictures. I honestly don't KNOW What is WRONG WITH GOING OUT,CONCERTS ETC..ETC..Plus he's been Resting and having a COOL social life. As for the woman part...Well, who Knows but Him and Mani..

I thought the book was more informative than depressing. First of all, wasn't Hahn a lawyer who brought a civil suit against Prince? There goes credibility right there. So some of the things I took with a grain of salt. All the book did for me was underscore that human beings, even musicial geniuses, are all flawed. It's terribly naive to assume that anyone that talented would be Albert Schweitzer too! Prince has his faults as do we all. So what! His music sounds just as good as before....

I don't see any reason for out-right lies in the book. The author is a lawyer, and surely knows the legal pit-falls of defamation.

Since Hahn had access to Uptown/Per Nilsen's research for their own books, I'd say he published information disclosed during research, that Uptown felt too salacious to publish in their own, more career focused, books.

Since it's publication, a certain sector of the fanbase has been continually and single-mindedly disapproving of 'Possessed' - I think it says more about them than it does the author.

Again, I didn't care 4 the negativity!

Zelaira said:

Yeah, but when it's all you do you're boxed in and it becomes unhealthy.

Zelaira said:

Yes but how do you know this really the case?

Zelaira said:

I'm sure if he's bouncing from woman to woman nowadays Prince would not make that known to her. But with a man that has had as many women as Prince has gone through I'd be on pins and needles married to him. No telling what his mind will tell to do--like I'm really bored with this girl now.

I found the book focused more on the the supastar "drama" and not enough of the drama that created the music. You could see in the early chapters the author was focused on P's behavior more so than the music. Plus it's some major gaps in the info. There,for me, wasn't anything really new that was revealed other that the relationship w/Arista. I'm waiting for P to pull a Miles Davis and do a autobiography in about 10-15yrs,someone from the camp other than Dez to do a bio, or just a more indepth reading of the music and times used to create it.

NouveauDance said:

I agree with you 100%.

NouveauDance said:

Agreed, especally since Prince was trying to sue them and Hahn I believe was their lawyer.

NouveauDance said:

To me it seemed as if the author of this book did do his homework and sometimes you can learn too much about a person like I have Prince. And let me tell you I was floor with dissapointment to the point where I just want to through this book away.

JQuad said:

Nice theory but I don't think Prince will ever do anything such as writting an autobiography. Then again I could be wrong but I doubt it.

You love the music, not the person, get over it.

brothaluv said:

The book was drepressing to me because in many instances Prince behavior was just appaling to me.

brothaluv said:

I believe so.

brothaluv said:

Yes, but look how many people Prince has destroyed! That's not something to take lightly. Look how he treated Mayte and a host of others who where around him! I mean the list goes on way past what was presented in the book.

BEAUGARDE said:

I don't either but it does happen. What can I say...that's life.

He'll do one. The great one's at some point do. People didn't think Miles would do one. When he does decide to do one the ? is will he truly open up and share himself. He'll eventually want to do it once his output of music slows down.

My problem with Possessed is the lack of new info. It's seems Hahn re-hashed material that has already been exposed.He spent more time focusing on P's -supastar behavior instead of what fueled his "drive".

I for one would like to see Nelson George or Quincy Troupe try at writing for him....

NouveauDance said:

It's kind of hard to like one without the other.

PanicAttack said:

what i wanna know is why do so many people wanna find fault with Prince, his life is his own and if he wants to spend it night clubbing and recording in studio for days on end then good luck to him, who has the right to judge him because he does what he wants or enjoys doing, its his life, he doesnt have to answer to other peoples expectations, fans should appreciate what he chooses to share with us and if your judging him or expecting certain things from him then you have missed the point entirely, as an artist i have many times spent days on end working on a project, totally isolated, but the satisfaction when complete is worth more than anothers comments or judgements, alot of people out there who are part of the "system" such as lawyers media personalities etc want to discredit Prince because he makes a stand against the control and corruption of the system, Prince wants people to see the truth about the evil system that tries to control our lives for the sake of the wealthy and powerful and so the system as in the media etc tries to discredit him such as these books !! in regards to the sex thing and all the women well again its his life !! if he enjoys sex so much then good luck to him, probably most of those women throw themselves at him so is that his fault !! sex is the greatest thing in life so why cant he enjoy it if he can get it, its such a shame that so many people (even those who claim to be a fan) do not understand the message about how people allow expectaion to control thier life and sex is the most beautiful thing one can experience in life.. but the "system" which is controlled by greed and evil in most cases uses expectation to control people and deny them the chance to experience sex as a gift of life from god and tries to make people see it as dirty or obscene hence discrediting the greatest gift God has given us, your life is yours to do what you want with it so long as it doesnt hurt another and isnt about living in accordance with others expectations

gasp! i read that in one breath!

So STUPID!!! LOL....HE's MARRIED!!!! Get IT!!!??? And Prince looks VERY HEALTHY RIGHT NOW.... Like I said it is Fun to buy these books but I Myself Don't Take it as Gospel. It's NOT Coming FROM PRINCE's MOUTH and also We DON'T KNOW HIM PERSONALLY... Here's another thing...WHY NOT INTERPRET PRINCE and HIS FEELINGS FROM The SHEER ENJOYMENT of HIS GLORIOUS MUSIC.... IF you LOVE PRINCE His MUSIC will TOUCH YOU DEEPLY...It is VERY EMOTIONAL...You Can FEEL HIS INTENSITY. As Far as WORKING I AM SURE Prince is VERY MUCH a PERFECTIONIST and VERY INTENSE WITH WHAT HE WANTS OUT OF THE OTHERS IN HIS BAND.... He IS VERY DEEP.... You Can UNDERSTAND ALL THAT CAN'T YOU?

Zelaira said:

whats bein married got to do with anything..?? love is about freedom and understanding, its not about owning somebody and expecting them to behave the way you want... but yes i agree Prince talks to us through his music.. i just cant understand why so many who call themselves fans just completely miss the message he is tryin to convey..

Everybody has their issues and Prince isn't any different from the rest of us. If you can't except the flaws then oh well but if you can then keep on truckin. He's in need of prayer like the rest of us.

meltwithyou said:

Staying in a studio day after day night after night has contributed to his creative burnout. And this is an OBSERVATION NOT A JUGMENT OF THE MAN.


meltwithyou said:[quote]fans should appreciate what he chooses to share with us and if your judging him or expecting certain things from him then you have missed the point entirely,[/qoute]


Don't forget that when anyone buys Prince's music it is a buainess tranaction. And when that music is sub par he'll loss fans. THIS IS ANOTHER OBSERVATION NOT A JUDGEMENT OF THE MAN.

meltwithyou said:

One thing you have to realize about Prince is that he had the cream of the crop when he was at Warner Brothers and I don't fault them entirely for how things turned out. Half the time excutives couldn't even communicate with Prince because he would storm out of a meeting like a three year old if he couldn't have his way. Now all of a sudden these people who did everything for him are now evil. Prince has himself to blame for how things turned out: his pride, his arrogance, his narcissism.



meltwithyou said:[quote]in regards to the sex thing and all the women well again its his life !! if he enjoys sex so much then good luck to him, probably most of those women throw themselves at him so is that his fault !! sex is the greatest thing in life so why cant he enjoy it if he can get it, its such a shame that so many people (even those who claim to be a fan) do not understand the message about how people allow expectaion to control thier life and sex is the most beautiful thing one can experience in life.. but the "system" which is controlled by greed and evil in most cases uses expectation to control people and deny them the chance to experience sex as a gift of life from god and tries to make people see it as dirty or obscene hence discrediting the greatest gift God has given us,[/qoute]

But when your married that's not cool. He cheated on Mayte the whole time they were married--and yes that does hurt people! And no, every women that Prince has had has not thrown herself upon him.

meltwithyou said:

That's what made this book so gross to me because Prince has hurt a lot of people leaving them with scares that will take years to heal.

But ya Ever Notice ONE THING? SEEMs LIKE THE WOMEN FORGIVE HIM.... I Would Say Only VANITY and CARMEN Don't CARE MUCH But the OTHERS STILL Kinda Hang AROUNd..AND THAT SAYS WHAT???? SAYS HE's GREAT IN BED.....LOL.... It seems like all the bITCHING is COMING FROM GUYS who have WORKEd with PRINCE... Oh Excuse me Maybe MARGIE COX isn't Happy or NONA Either But Generally,I think The WOMEN STILL CRAVe...ELECTRIC MAN....

PanicAttack said:[quote]

meltwithyou said:

Staying in a studio day after day night after night has contributed to his creative burnout. And this is an OBSERVATION NOT A JUGMENT OF THE MAN.





One thing you have to realize about Prince is that he had the cream of the crop when he was at Warner Brothers and I don't fault them entirely for how things turned out. Half the time excutives couldn't even communicate with Prince because he would storm out of a meeting like a three year old if he couldn't have his way. Now all of a sudden these people who did everything for him are now evil. Prince has himself to blame for how things turned out: his pride, his arrogance, his narcissism.

meltwithyou said:

sounds like you just wanna believe any garbage fed to you through the media, you obviousley havent paid attention to the song dolphin, and since when is Prince suffering from creative burnout..?? like what a load of garbage !! he has been writting some of the best stuff he has ever done in his career recently not to mention the enormous success of the musicology tour !! what right do you have to judge him in such a way, his personal life is none of your business !!, anyone who wants to mary Prince and expect him not to have other women is kidding themselves... your just one of these people who wish to control others through your own expectations !!, if someone wanted to marry Prince then they need to understand that loving him is not about controlling him !! how can you even consider yourself a fan, why are you even on this site, you just wanna find fault with him and support the system that discredits him !! Prince never asked YOU or anyone to go out and buy his music !!, we all must survive in this system, that doesnt mean we have to support it, if someone chooses to buy his music then thats thier choice, Prince didnt force them, what do you think the whole NPG club is about !!

Zelaira said:[quote]So STUPID!!![/qoute]

No name calling please!


Zelaira said:[quote]WHY NOT INTERPRET PRINCE and HIS FEELINGS FROM The SHEER ENJOYMENT of HIS GLORIOUS MUSIC....[/qoute]

His Glorious music? That's purely subjective because beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. and as of late Prince's music is sub par.


Zelaira said:[quote]IF you LOVE PRINCE His MUSIC will TOUCH YOU DEEPLY...It is VERY EMOTIONAL...You Can FEEL HIS INTENSITY.

Again that is sujective. And for his music to reach me like it once did he's gotta come up with something better than what he's been doing. HE'S SURAROUND TOO MANY YES-MEN WHO TELL HIM WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR and his creative well has run dry.

Zelaira said:

Most serious artists are. But those who are aware of their need for inspiration know to get the heck out of the studio and search for new ideas.

It's Pretty DISGUSTING The way PAPPARAZZI CHASE These STARS.. Reeses WHITHERSPOON was Just Talking Bout it and Ya Know Following Celebs and Causing ACCIDENTS and DEATH IS SICk...REALLY SICK and CRITICS It's like WHY DO THEY PAN CELEBS and MUSICIANS? I Mean Can They CREATE MUSIC? Then an ORDINARY GUY who is 5'3 doesn't get as MUCH FLACK about Penis Size and Stuff. It's DUMB that Because he is PRINCE like People think him SUBHUMAN or SOMETHING like NOT NORMAL... This is a MUSICIAN'S LIFE.... Any Woman who is INVOLVED with HIm HAS GOT TO BE ABLE TO BE WITHOUT HIM Because She Is Probably Not Going To Always Be EVERYWHERE WITH HIM And TEMPTATION of COURSE is GREAT and JEALOUSY WEll.... It's Part of the TERRITORY all That. He May Even be TOO EXHAUSTEd For SEX at TIMES... Who Knows after a Show how he Feels...I am Sure it's Very DRAINING and All. Of Course the Man has to Take Care of Himself. He Spoke about Relaxation Remember? Maybe in the past he was Working Overdrive,but I think now he may be Taking It Easy... Nobody wants him BURNED OUT or DRAINED Like a DRIED OUT DOUCHEBAG... He is NOT KEITH RICHARDS...And the way people write all this SNIPPY STUFF about him DO THEY THINK HIS FANs EVEN CARE? NOPE! We just buy the Books for the PICTURES Basically.... TRUE!!!

PanicAttack said:[quote]Zelaira said:[quote]So STUPID!!![/qoute]

No name calling please!


Zelaira said:[quote]WHY NOT INTERPRET PRINCE and HIS FEELINGS FROM The SHEER ENJOYMENT of HIS GLORIOUS MUSIC....[/qoute]

His Glorious music? That's purely subjective because beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. and as of late Prince's music is sub par.

Zelaira said:

the quote that Princes recent music is sub par is totally ridiculas !! he has been writting some of the best stuff he has ever done recently, again to you its all just about expectation !! to you its all about what YOU expect from him !! Prince doesnt have to answer to you or anybody !! i simply cant believe someone so narrow minded could even consider themselves a Prince fan

Really, He has been writing Great Stuff... Rainbow and Musicology are Great . MuUSICOLOGY has ALOT of POTENTIAL top 40 and RAINBOW was like his SIGN O The TIMES for THIS DECADE. I Love his NEW WORK and Maybe SOME FANS FEEl this way Then Maybe BYE,BYE they will Leave... Prince is SOOO MUCH MORE THAN PURPLE RAIN.... His TRUE DEVOTEES KNOW his SCOPE and LOVE IT ALL. And They Love his MOODS and COSTUMES and IDIOSYNCRICIES... They have Been Into it For YEARs AND KNOW The DEAL... That's What The FANS DIG.... Maybe it's Just I am Biased Bout Him... There Really is NOTHING That will Make me Say I'm GONE... But The MUSIC REALLY Is GREAT and the ONA cd WAs FANTASTIC.... Prince has NEVER DISAPPOINTED ME EVER....And I have been a Fan since 1982.. I realize he May NOT Be Able to DO EVERYTHING Like BEFORE BUT I DON"T CARE! I UNDERSTAND...To Love PRINCE is to LOVE HIm NOW at 47 and NOT JUDGE his PAST TRANSGRESSIONS.. Start FRESH You Know... It is a NEW LIFe 4 PRINCE! :-DAnd I SWEAR his RELATIONSHIPS ENDED CAUSE THE WOMEN COULDN"T Deal with HIm and OTHER WOMEN... So they Wanted him By Themselves and he WASN"T Having that. They Lost Him Instead of Playing his Game. So Now would they Rather be WITHOUT HIM?
[Edited 11/7/05 17:54pm]

meltwithyou said:

For your information I m a very welll versed person and I do not except every thing I read as gospel. Even when the source is credable I'm still carefull.

meltwithyou said:

What does the song Dolphin have to do with anything? I'm I'm supposed to listen to a decipher some kind of hidden message Prince is trying to convey? Sorry but I don't have time for mind games.

meltwithyou said:

Prince has been suffering from creative burnout for years now.And I'm not one of those fans who'll praise him for anything he does because if it's bad I'm not afraid to admit it.

meltwithyou said:

That purely SUJECTIVE ON YOUR PART! AND I DISSAGREE WITH YOU.

meltwithyou said:

The musicology tour was a greatest hit tour...That's why it was so successful. not because of his new material.

meltwithyou said:

No ones prying into his personal life. I have simply been making OBSERVATIONS. There's a difference. Try looking it up in a dictionary.

meltwithyou said:

This is a crazy accusation that truly doesn't deserve a response. How can my oppinion of a book possibly control Prince's life? I have no idea where you're coming from on that one.

meltwithyou said:

So what!

meltwithyou said:

If you want to go out and be a cheerleader for Prince your more than happy to. But I'm not afraid to telll it like it is because he's not my God or my idol. I'n just a fan not a worshipper.



meltwithyou said:[quote]Prince never asked YOU or anyone to go out and buy his music !!,[/qoute]

Utimately, when you advertise yourself and the products you sell you are in fact asking people to buy your stuff. That's Marketing 101.

meltwithyou said:

It's to encourage as many people as possible to buy he's music! Don't you get it! Joining the NPGMC is not free!

meltwithyou said:

Wrong! Prince has to answer to God, and I can't believe someone like yourself is so narrow minded that you can't except that others are going to have oppions and tastes that are different from yours.

So clean out you own backyard before you go knocking on your neighbors door!

PanicAttack said:[quote]

meltwithyou said:

For your information I m a very welll versed person and I do not except every thing I read as gospel. Even when the source is credable I'm still carefull.




If you want to go out and be a cheerleader for Prince your more than happy to. But I'm not afraid to telll it like it is because he's not my God or my idol. I'n just a fan not a worshipper.

meltwithyou said:

exactly YOU HAVE NO IDEA !! everything you say is based on YOUR expectations and narrow minded view !! very well versed...lol yea according to YOURSELF !! the npg club is about bypassing the control and expections forced on Prince by a multinational record company that expected him to only record and release what THEY thought was commercially viable !! then take the majority of the profit for themselves screwing the artist out of thier artistic integrity and creative control, your not a fan your just a critic too blind to see the big picture, i have never in my life experienced someone who claims to be a Prince fan who is just soooo narrow minded, you only see what the system wants you to see, (you only see what your hearts been shown)!! so you like some of his songs... that doesnt make you a fan, your attitude is a disgrace and is in total contradiction to the message Prince is tryin to convey, the fact that you do not understand the dolphin song is a classic example of everything that is wrong with your attitude, Prince communicates to his fans through his music, he explains things through his music, if you do not understand this or are too selfish and narrow minded to understand the message without labelling it as mind games then you have no right to consider yourself a fan, your just a narrow minded critic who may like a few Prince songs