What would you say is the ratio of Prince Fans vs. Prince Appreciators you meet?

Being that most of us here are die hards (if not close)...how many people on average do you meet that truly feel captivated by the output of this one artistic spirit?

Most people I meet who tell me they are a "Prince fan" are greeted with a followed by a your not... not really...

....after a few sentences they're usually found to be women who "just think he's too pretty to dislike" or men who think "he gets too much to not repsect" (though the men I've met with that opinion are slim to none)

In other words...their attitude is like "who doesn't love when doves cry and kiss?....you mean he made more songs?!?!"


[I've met hella people who actually thought purple rain was prince's last album]

i know....


Anyway, to answer my own question...97% of people I meet on an every day basis are "admirers" I can only think of 4 people I know that are actual Fans. The most Fans I've met, have been on this site....everyone else thinks I have a problem of sorts...
[Edited 7/9/07 14:05pm]

apart from orgers i've only ever met 1 hardcore fan who, at the time,
had more stuff than i did. we became quite good friends just because
of prince's music.

years later i also met a girl who knew everything by prince up to the
gold experience and i made her copies of the stuff she'd missed up to
that time.

it was so cool to see her completely cum during lunchbreak at school
and i handed her a copy of the officially released "black album" lol
she was totally famming out

I am the only fan I know of, away from this site.

Most of the time I meet people who think they are fans until they start talking to me. Then they realized they just "like" Prince. Some might argue that they "love" him.
I run into a lot of people who might have some of the commercially released material but say they have everything, or have seen him live once, or owns a copy of the "Purple Rain" movie on VHS, or some combination of these things and look dumbfounded when I name other music, a recent show, or something like that.

I got "schooled" the other day by my Mom's coworker- an older gentleman. She introduced my sister and me, and he said, "which one is the Prince fan?" When I answered, he started quizzing me about PE release dates- European & US, the "Daily Mail" controversy with BMG, and the perfume release. When I answered, he said, "Oh, okay." like he was checking my fandom!

I don't think u have to be a Prince know it all to be a true fan. You don't have to know/cop everything he has ever done or see every performance. Usually when I meet people who say "I love me some Prince". I just ask them what songs or what era, album, movie, career move etc.. they find most intriguing but not to "test" them. Then once they've answered if I see they are a little bit behind on news or music or whatever else I just use it as an opportunity to introduce them to some of the other stuff he's done. I had a young lady over my house not too long ago and she said she loved Prince but I noticed she didn't recognize a lot of the stuff I played for her. I told her its no biggie just listen and enjoy that's what it's all about...

adorable2 said:

I wasn't saying that people who don't have as much stuff, or who haven't seen him as many times aren't true fans. I was just making a comparison between the "fan" and "appreciator" like the question asked. I guess it's all about degree.
I love to meet people who are open to new experiences and hearing/learning more; I'm not trying to shun them.

chocolate1 said:

i wasn't addressing ur comment in my post.

.
[Edited 12/19/12 18:42pm]

fonkee said:

pretty much

I finally met another Prince fan about a month ago...actually,I had met him a few months earlier...he is a car salesman and my daughter bought a car from him...the about a month ago my husband needed a car so I went to him...we got to talking about music and I said I love Prince...wow...talk about opening up the floodgates...he had been to Vegas...several ++++ concerts...and more...that was a first...usually I get the "yeah, he's weird, but you're an artist so we expect you to like weird people" type response...I'm use to it...back in high school..yikes,in the 70's...when my classmates would catch me listening to Dylan it was the same thing..."too weird...can't sing...blah, blah, blah"...so anyways...it was a joy meeting another Prince fan here in Phoenix...

.
[Edited 12/19/12 18:43pm]

I recently became a real fan after seeing him live in one of the vegas shows. In his prime I was only seven years old. I knew all of his stuff from purple rain and some of the newer stuff because I had heard it on the radio like 3121. I have never really been a concert goer so I've only seen him that one time in vegas. I would love to go to many more of his concerts. When I did become old enough to start purchasing my own cd's without any parental involvement which was around 1994,I was into songs that they were playing in clubs and on the radio. I can only remember them playing his older songs on the radio, so for me it was like he just dropped off the radar. During the time that he was releasing stuff on the internet, I didn't even own a computer do to the fact that I was moving around alot and a computer would have been a big investment to not have a safe place to put it, so with that being said, since I have been a true fan when I speak to people about him and his music they are like what? he is still producing music? or they just look at you like your crazy.The biggest response of all is "OHHHHH Prince" as if they are totally clueless to who he is. I can truley understand why alot of people don't know any of his new music unless they are hearing announcements on radio that he's having a concert or an appearence so they can actually hear his new stuff. To me, it seens like hee is very low key at times. For people that work alot and are not concerned about every aspect of an artists life radio is the only way they keep up with whats going on in the music world.

I've never understood how people say they are fans and have never bought 1 Prince album or gone to any of his shows, but since being online I've heard a of of this, some young ones weren't even born until his good eras we're over.
[Edited 7/10/07 5:20am]

wlcm2thdwn said:

That would be me.

Well...I've never been to any shows...the time, money, location planets just never lined up the way I wanted them too...no more kids in the house so I'm more flexible with my time and money...I have alot of his stuff but not all...we have videos and the movies...and all three of the kids still listen to Prince...same with Bob Dylan...my son just called because he had remembered a song from Dylan's Empire Burlesque CD that he wanted to learn to play on guitar...next thing you know he called me back to send him some more stuff...so he wasn't just listening and "getting used to it" anymore, like kids do when their parents are able to commandeer the house/ auto audio equipment...now he was listening with a purpose...what constitutes a "fan"? I don't know, but Prince is the only artist on my iPod with his own playlist...

I think that most of the people I come across think I'm nuts when I mention that I'm a Prince fan. The only people I know that were into Prince have kind of fallen off the radar since he went underground/off charts and online (lets face it he didn't really get much airtime for a LONG time)

My brother introduced me to prince's music when I was about 7 and I have loved him ever since and I'll be 30 next year He is, I would say 'an appreciater'. I consider myself a big fan but I don't think I keep up with all Prince news and goings on - and I'm sure that there's loads of obscure tracks/albums that have passed me by completely as a result.

In answer to your question - 1 x appreciater. I've not met anyone else who's into him (PHILISTINES!!!)

I think I'm considered a groupie at work because of my 'enthusiasm' for all things Prince, but one of my coworkers is a true fan and often emails me about our boy...Today she sent an email to seven of us with the cover of Planet Earth and most of the responses only commented on the 'corset' claiming they weren't hating but...I told her they just don't understand that Prince doesn't care what they think....I know I'm in a different category than most with Prince and really I don't care either...it's their lost.

The only Prince fan that I know in real life is my younger sister and she is only a fan because she couldn't escape from me and my Prince insanity. Everyone else is either an appreciator or a Prince hater