Being a UK Prince fan, I'm sure I am not alone in thinking this way, so I thought I'd get one thing off my chest and see how I can bounce this off a few long term fans...

How utterly fickle and infuriating has the recent roundabout media circus been.... Regarding the Brits awards fandango - I can accept and somewhat understand the nature of the 'Red Tops' slagging his 'secretive' and somewhat 'aloof' ways at avoiding exposure resulting in an outpouring of criticism - only to hype him up to the max come a post-show epiphany of genius.

What I simply cannot abide is the LP reviews... The Observer, The Guardian, The Indie and other 'respected' press have hyped him to the 9s - however, its all been littered with inaccuracies, cliches, similar presumptuous accusations all the while lauding 3121 as HIS GREATEST ALBUM SINCE (fill in the blank)...

Having read Pitchfork - this most esteemed of online journalism it was the nail in the casket...

*Interval time*

I run a local music collective and without naming a name - a young girl round our way (very middle-class, agent-endorsed while still a teenager, adored by her peers all while who staring as a minor role in a big budget film that did well over here and Stateside) has subsequently been re-invented as an Island records Goth-cum-Avril-Lavigne - who to quote her website 'loves self-harm, 1900s prostitutes and blood...' is now the face of a new ambitious major label campaign... In short a fake - but with backing... And a face and a PUSH..

*****

The parallel is slim and somewhat tenuous - but surely these ill-informed tastemakers are merely backers of PR and marketing hype merchants...

While we his long term fans - and indeed the newies among us - can make general, somewhat, informed representative comment and judgement on his latest output we are left with a reflection of a media - which in my opinion - IS COMPLETELY - swamped with bias, ill-advised bullshit.

I'd back this up but its there for any decent fan to see... the usual cliches abound. Sure his output over the last decade has been patchy however the renaissance this is NOT.

Watchign last week's Culture review on Newsnight was cringeworthy in the extreme - you had two overzealous thesps raving while the literary dude reserved a certain balance - both of which reflected nothing.. the chief from Casualty kept uttering the phrase - 'but his so gaddam PHONKY'... Oh dear - it was as if they'd been paid huge wodges of Universal-owned dollars... Utter fake.

3121 is a completely satisfactory - nay, very good - continuation of an artist that has never faded in artistic value - one that merely shat on the media and all its constraints and now that he is merely embracing its medium - via A MAJOR LABEL, they (in all its forms) HAVE to 'allow' him back into the elite. Not because they wish to - but because they know.

Fx

ps: I hope people don't interpret this as an anti media rant. I accept and appreciate and indeed work in the field, I just think its utterly applicable to a great, but abused and misunderstood - and now misrepresented artist of our time.

Good, valid points all - contribute them to the relevant sticky here though: http://www.prince.org/msg/7/182000