bellanoche said:

I would say being forced to lay off the best band he ever had because he couldn't afford to pay them suggests "near bankruptcy" along with the multitudes of lawsuits for not paying his bills.

lovemachine said:

Never heard that either. As I said, I guess I am just not all in his business like that. I was just intrigued by the author's statements, because I had never heard or read anything about Prince being in financial trouble. Whatever the case, he appears to be doing fine now. As always I just wish him the best. He's given us so much of the years that he deserves that much and more.
[Edited 2/25/07 18:29pm]

Too many words





But imma buy it

can't we just get a D.M.S.R. vol. 2?

Alasseon said:

I'm not sure we really need another Prince bio, but as The Kid remains a fascinating and enigmatic character -or just weird and fucked up, depending who you ask -there'll always be a market for works like this, among fans and non-fans alike.

I might borrow it from the library or a friend, but I'm not sure I'd go out and buy it. I tend to be wary of biographies of any person, because there's so much variation in quality and iffy fact-checking. Sometimes I've stumbled across some downright weird ones too. I've got this Bowie bio I picked up at a book sale wherein the self-identified hetero male author describes, in loving, extensive detail, exactly what Bowie's dick looked like the apparently numerous times he saw the Dame in the buff. Also made it a point to state that he'd never thought of Bowie as anything but straight. Several times.

I think the only way I'd pick up a life story type book asbout Our Violet is if it were auto- rather than simply biographical. And even then only if I thought there'd be some level of honesty in it, which I'm not holding my breath for. Prince is not famous for being forthright and humble.

Sounds like a bunch of factual inaccuracies and half-baked theories on Prince's life and career...I'll pass.

EROTICCITYNPG said:

Buuuuullshit. Obviously written by someone who doesn't know jack.

EROTICCITYNPG said:

Oh sweet jebus, for crying out loud, why do people make up bullcrap when they don't know what they're talking about?

Yeah, Warner-Chappell *ADMINISTERED* Pricne's publishing till 2000 or so, and then Prince went looking for another firm to handle that job.

http://groups.google.com/...2e317b0cba


[Edited 2/26/07 6:00am]

lovemachine said:

What are you talking about? The LoveSexy band? Plenty of those guys were also on the Nude Tour, in case you hadn't noticed. The split with the mid-1990s NPG seems to me to be a case of Prince leaving behind a band that wasn't gonna fit in his plans.

Prince had been in money troubles long before 1996: http://princetext.tripod.....html#sppp
[Edited 2/26/07 6:04am]

i might buy the book... a year from now after ppl have talked abt it for a while.

BartVanHemelen said:

BartVanHemelen said:

BartVanHemelen said:

BartVanHemelen said:

Bart dear boy, do get a life. It's just a book.

BartVanHemelen said:

Thanks for the post. It adds some clarity to what seems to be a lot of misinformation.

This is an interesting read, but from a journalistic standpoint it is somewhat weak in proving its thesis. It seems to detail slow payment and a lack of organization/proper management at PP more than anything. The sources who are actually identified seem to have been paid - albeit late or after having to file suit, settle or barter for payment. However, in the entertainment industry that is nothing new. Actually the entertainment industry is not alone in that. This happens a lot in industries where there is no real set of checks and balances, where people/companies seek custom, at times lavish services and people/companies provide them at often exorbitant fees. It is very easy for it to get out of control when you have ongoing projects/accounts where fees are not agreed upon and a payment schedule are not made upfront.

I am not saying that this speculation about financial trouble is completely unfounded. However, I don't see the 9-alarm fire that some are trying to portray.

Look, here's a cool investment
They're tellin' him he just can't lose
So he goes off and tries to find a partner
But all he finds are users
All he finds are snakes in ever color
Every nationality and size
Seems like the only thing he can do
Is just roll his eyes, and say that...

$ don't matter 2 night
It sure didn't matter yesterday
Just when u think u've got more than enough
That's when it all up and flies away
That's when u find out that u're better off
Makin' sure your soul's alright
Cuz $ didn't matter yesterday, (don't matter)
And it sure don't matter 2 night

Spoken like a man who may have lost a dollar or 2.

As to his financial status one way or the other is simply a footnote
in a extraordinary career that evokes commentary at every level.

As to this writers book (what was posted) proves to be an audible mumble to an interpretive painting everyone wants to understand, including the artist himself.

Each of us looks and see something different something which may or may not be there. We point and pick at - study and analyze - we want clarity and truth substance and understanding. Yet that is exactly what the artist does not want us to C.

Needless to say we attempt to articulate our feelings on a masterpiece that is yet to be completed. The paint is still wet, the canvas unfinished.
The artist continues to add depth, texture and color.
With every added stroke new light is added shadows deepen. New images emerge others simply fade into obscurity. Every day is closer and yet further from his work being completed.

It is a rare thing to have an artist create a body of work that you know in advance will be a masterpiece, one that will be simply priceless.
A work that is still in progress…

What's up with the title of the book?? Prince is a thief? And in what temple?

Infinity said:

Beautiful.

I am not saying that author is right, but I distinctly remember either reading or hearing through the purple grapevine in the mid-90s that Prince was having money issues.

scriptgirl said:

Follow the link in Bart's post (here's a quote)...

"Despite earnings that easily top $150 million since then, the 36-year-old Minneapolis native has twice found himself in severe financial disarray -- first in 1989, and again today [1995]."

I purchased the book last week.

I haven't finished reading it yet.

These are my early thoughts including those about other Prince books.

To date, I would say that it has some, but few, factual errors, but some information is presented with sufficient ambiguity to mean it could be accurate given the benefit of the doubt. However, it is not, nor does it lay claim to be, a comprehensive synopsis of Prince's every move (Uptown's 'The Vault', Per Nilsen's 'DanceMusicSexRomance' for the first decade, and other Uptown publications). That said, neither will people necessarily agree with every idea that the author offers about Prince.

In terms of its presentation, it delivers some interesting thoughts on Prince's career, but does not (as yet) offer the ideas to argue a thesis (Alex Hahn's 'Possessed: Rise And Fall Of Prince') as a fundamental premise of the work. (Or at least, I haven't grasped the fundamental theme - beyond simply Prince himself - if there is one!) It does explore some areas, but it isn't a psychological disection of the man.

Its style tends more towards the seriously analytical, biographical and prosaic (e.g. Dave Hill's 'A Pop Life') and reads less as a tabloid / gossip-driven work (Liz Jones' 'Purple Reign' / 'Slave To The Rhythm: The Artist Formerly Known As Prince').

If you want something encyclopaedic, this isn't the right book to buy from the outset.

If you are looking to learn new facts about Prince, there are much better and more obvious starting points.

If you are looking for another's thoughts on the work of the man (whilst being given enough room to think whether you agree or disagree), this might be worth putting on a wants list.
.
[Edited 2/27/07 16:05pm]

I stopped reading after the 3rd mention of Black Album

langebleu said:

Thank you for the thoughtful insights. I appreciate it, although I must admit, I would have bought it anyway...
As I mentioned earlier, Hill's book has always remained my favorite so your comparsion to that has only increased my interest in this book. (Liz Jones' book is probably the only Prince related book I do not own.)

So far- I only see it available in the UK- does anyone know if it can now be purchased in the US or not till March?

BananaCologne said:

It's interesting to see how Prince's money situation informs his art.

His most focused, driven period, '80-'84, produced lyrics professing poverty, that he "ain't got no money," from I Wanna Be Your Lover right up until Baby I'm a Star. When fame and fortune hit, he went on a creative binge, making indulgent records and movies, building his own studio playhouse, staging elaborate tours, all symptomatic of conspicuous consumption. When he flatlined financially, he'd whore himself to the Batman project, momentarily win back his commercial clout, only to squander it on Graffitti Bridge, a movie that vilifies money-minded executive types. He then bounces back with Diamonds and Pearls, earns a $100 million bonanza deal with Warners, which he pisses away in spectacular fashion, to the point where he loses his name.

One starts to see a pattern of bingeing and purging, extravagance and poverty, a cycle of accumulation, ostentation, and ruin. Prince is like a financial bulimic. That kind of turbulence can't be conducive to creativity. One needs relative stability to make art; a life in constant disarray--even at the level of millionaires--will yield art in disarray.

It's unclear whether Prince has learned moderation in regards to money, and he certainly has never made a meaningful statement about it.

I got this through from Amazon a couple of weeks ago and am basically in agreement with langebleu. There are a few, what look to be, factual inaccuracies and some of the early stages of the book seem over reliant on a limited number of resources, but it is still a worthwhile read. The book glosses through the 1990s fairly quickly and places a lot more emphasise on critiquing albums rather than reading as a genuine biography.

There were a few oddities in there which I wasn't sure about. If Prince had sold as many albums as this chap claims in the appendix he would have avoided many of those financial woes some people here find it so difficult to accept Prince may have had. A better proof read could have been helpful. Having incorrectly labelled photos is a bit of an obvious oversight.

All in all, worth a read. You can get through it in a few hours and it offers something different to the other biographies of recent years.

padawan said:

Very well put. I agree wholeheartedly.

BananaCologne said:

Would you have said that if the author had accused Prince of rape?

If this guy can't be arsed to RESEARCH his subject, I feel it only fair to warn people that they'd better spend their money on worthwhile biogs. Unless an author has managed to get exclusive one-on-ones with people from Prince's past, it's basically worthless and a waste of money.

BartVanHemelen said:

I'm beginning to get that impression myself.

BartVanHemelen said:

Wow, that's reaching even for you.

BananaCologne said:

how do you figure this? Prince's life in the 80's was great, except for the Revolution leaving him in 86'. He was picked over MJ to do the Batman movie (Jack Nicholson picked him) right after Lovesexy, Graffitti Bridge jumped in there in 90'and all was peaches still with WB. Seems life got tough after 91' (new WB contract) when all hell broke loose ...

Flowerz said:

Read my previous posts and the Org FAQ and you too may become enlightened.

And the problem with hard nasty sex is...

bellanoche said:

there was a rather famous article floating around the internet many years ago (mid 90's) from one of the Minneapolis papers that detailed it.