Even if this question wasnt being asked on a Prince or a Dylan forum I think anyone with a knowledge of both artists would have to accept that Prince has
become identified with MPLS far more than Dylan has , not only through living there most his life but the huge association with the Purple Rain movie .
He must have brought lots of employment to the region over the years also ,
I'd have thought that would stand him in some good stead , even if he can be difficult to work with and a bit wayward in paying some bills on time ( of course when he does pay his bills on time thats not gonna make interesting news is it so we're not gonna hear about it ).

I think that Adam Sandler looks almost exactly like Dylan in that upcoming movie of his.


So,
my answer is
Prince.

I LOVE Dylan. I love his stuff so much its engrained in my soul. Huge fan of most of his stuff. Blonde on Blonde is brilliant as is Blood on the Tracks and Desire. Also LOVE Modern Times, Planet Waves, and Highway...

But with that said...Prince wins this one for me. Prince can write music that can make me think as well as get my white ass on the floor. Dude can do it all.

Wonderwall said:

This thread is truly moronic

thedribbler said:

wait.....not yet....



When you stop and consider that the term Rolling Stone
can refer to either a song,
a magazine,
or an over-aged band member,
you'll come to realize that Dylan & Prince both equally share description of "diverse".



Okay,
now,
this thread can officially be called what you like to describe as "moronic".

It doesn't take a genius to know this thread is only to be answered by people from the MPLS area or people who have been there frequently or knows someone from that area. So as tempted as I am to answer, I'm gonna leave it alone.

Prince!!!!!

Wonderwall said:

This thread is not about who's better, it's about who you think of first when you think of Minneapolis.

Are there any other artists who are so associated with a town or city that you instantly think of them when the town or city is mentioned? I can't think of any at the moment, Dylan/Prince really put Minneapolis on the map otherwise it would be quite an obscure place known only for having a huge mall.
[Edited 3/11/07 7:57am]

metalorange said:

And don't forget...having lovely, friendly people....

metalorange said:

Yes but It's on a prince fan site , which makes the question redundant

Illustrator said:

Oh wow

I've lived in the Twin Cities many years, and these folks for the longest tried to distance themselves from Prince. Even in his heyday... When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction took place, all of a sudden, he's Minnesota's favorite son again.

I think Dylan still gets more props here, even though the guy RAN from Minnesota and never looked back. The older generation of Minnesotans will always put Dylan on a higher level even though he wanted nothing to do with Minnesota after his fame.

Jimmy Jam gets a lot of love here too...That's because he was so visible at ballgames, and accessible to local media before he and Terry moved to LA.

The Cohen brothers!!!!

wasitgood4u said:

What about those Mystery Science Theatre guys?

metalorange said:

To ignoramuses, maybe. The place existed long before the mall and plenty of people knew about it.

Some more claims to fame:

Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Replacements
Husker Du
Al Franken
Robert Bly
Hubert Humphrey
Walter Mondale
Fran Tarkenton

etc etc etc

wasitgood4u said:

exactly

Could it be Paul Westerberg (alternative rocker), or Bob Mould (gay rocker)

Both are immense talents

Jessica Lange
Sam Shephard
Judy Garland
Terry Gilliam
Anne Bancroft
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Charles Lindbergh
August Wilson

heartbeatocean said:

Talking about internationally. The name of a town or city may be heard of but not really known to any extent. We're talking about a town instantly making you think of an artist. Robert Palmer was born in my hometown of Batley but that doesn't mean people think of Batley when they hear the name Robert Palmer.

metalorange said:

All I know is I was travelling in Egypt and I met a couple from Germany. They WORSHIPPED Bob Dylan. They were so excited because I was from the Land of Bob. They knew everything about him and claimed they learned English by studying his lyrics. And they were practically fluent!