Hey folks - here's a piece I've just written for the Liverpool daily Post:

http://www.peterguy.merse....html#more

It's in response to another feature we did on 'no great rock n roll stars' left anymore.

If you'd like to add to the discussion please respond at the end of the article as I am trying to generate some discussion and spread the site around.

Feel free to have a look at the other articles on there too.

Thanks for you interest.

PGx

ps: if you spot any innaccuracies please post a comment and I'll endeavour to correct!

loved the article. Nice to read a positive article without the usual dose cynisism

Cheers dude, and thanks for the comment on the piece.

Much appreciated.

nice piece-enjoyed it

LIKE: 'latest form of industry trend-buckling'

nice!

Nice one Funkster

Why make an issue of his height?

Genesia said:

Hardly, if anything I turned it on it's head (no pun intended!) - and used it as a positive.

Anyways, thanks for the kind words, and big special thanks to those who posted on the site.

I think he was the last before the MTV Era to be respected by the 1970's Arena Tour Musican acts & then the Pop MTV hyped acts.

He is the only that gets that respect and really the blueprint. He has been borrowed/stolen from since MTV started

Everybody loves a winner

wlcm2thdwn said:

Eh?

tricky99 said:

are you kidding? since the ona tour the media has fawned over prince every chance they've gotten. they've made the same "prince is back!" noise with the last three albums (how many comebacks are we at now total, counting the pre-rainbow children stuff? about seven?). the superbowl, the one night alone tour, the musicology tour, the london dates, the mail on sunday stunt....every one has been handled with almost religious reverence for the guy. there have been few mentions of how he hasn't released anything great for about a decade and hasn't released anything truly incredible for about two decades, and if there is it's usually with a "ah, but so what, he still rules" kind of thing put on it.
[Edited 7/20/07 5:33am]

I don't understand how you could think that Madonna has lost the plot creatively and mentally. She has managed to remain consistently resilient and accesible for the last 10 years when Prince has been largely irrelevant, outside of his hardcore fans. She can't be so easily dismissed.

The idea that he's responsible for text speak is absurd, just because he used to write '4' and 'U'
We have had to jump through hoops in order to try and get a hold of his music.
Crystal Ball was hardly a confident release, more like a fiasco that pissed alot of fans off.



This is just silly. If your talking about the Ahdio shows many of those were just rehashes of previously released material (just about every show had a track from Chaos and Disorder, a throwaway album that most fans had already shelled out for). The premise seemed to be 'how can I screw as much money as possible out of these people by giving them as little as possible'. He seemed to be more interested in selling overpriced candles, incense, hockey shirts, symbol necklaces and moonwraps than music. Yes it evolved and the presale for concerts and exclusive entrance to soundchecks and afterparties were fantastic benefits but it gave very little insight into his prolific treasure chest. Sabotage and bootlegs were a waaaaay better insight into his music
For an artist with such a prolific reputation the music club was notoriously tight fisted with its releases. This at a time when Pearl Jam were recording and releasing every single live show from their tours.

I think the point someone was making about 'Everyone loves a winner' is that you wrote an article the same week as virtually every media outlet has been crawling up his butt praising him for the covermount cd including Time magazine, it's like "Oh yeah, Prince isn't a midget pervert wierdo, he's an industry visionary genius". Whatever.

Nice article.

mynameisnotsusan said:

word the fuck up

Some good points, but as I said earlier - leave em on the site.

Ta

Hi Peter,

Some good points in that article. I'm from Liverpool and remember in the mid to late 80's the Mardi Gras, a legendary place now sadly gone, having a Prince Party, which unfortunately, I was too young to attend. I also remember it as the only place I have ever heard Paisly Park in a Liverpool Club. There was always a fanbase there, probably still is if you look for it. How could a city like Liverpool not appreciate his genius? Its amazing how many people in my circle have commented "I like Prince" over the last 15 years without even realising or buying any new albums. They have missed out on a lot, and a few dodgy moments too. But this whole return or comeback thing is ridiculous. Never left, never will, period. And its always interesting.

Great point on the text language, those in the know got onto that many years ago.

Hope you are going the gigs in London, and enjoy. Let's get the little fella to the new Arena next year!

"largely irrelevant"

How can Prince generate a 100 million from a six month tour of the states. Charge $3,000.00 dollars for tickets and be irrelevant.

How can you turn on the radio and hear at least 10 other artist rip him off and do a really good job of it and say he is irrelevant.

mynameisnotsusan said:

AlphabetS said:

Aw, wow, so good to meet a fellow fan from the Pool!

I am indeed going to The O2 gigs, are you? We're going Fri/Sat 10/11. And depending on work I may be going 31 Aug too.

Amazing re: Mardi Gras, sometimes I long for being that wee bit older to have been able to attend his gigs in the mid-80s - but then I think to what else was going down in our fine city and think maybe not! It certainly is a rareity to hear the little man played in clubs in town these days - think I've heard Gett Off in Le Bateau and that's about it!

Let me know if you're off to see him! Oh and get on the site and leave your comment - its people like you that I'd love to hear more from!

Px

I remember there was a big concert planned at Blenheim Palace in 1987 and the tickets were advertised outside HMV. remember thinking I really wanted to go, but couldn't. couldn;t make the Lovesexy tour the year after as couldn't get off work from my weeks old first job. Gutted, especially after seeing the pefromance on Wired. I had that on video and its long lost; what a concert it was.

Le Bateau is the sort of palce you could hear him these days. Although the DJ in the Cabin ALWAYS play This Charming Man by the Smiths followed by Kiss when i ask him. They go great together, especially surrounded by the eh, lovely ladies, of the Cabin.

I walked into Metro a couple of years ago and Musicology was on. So all is not lossed.

I'm going on the 3rd and again on the 24th and after shows both nights. Really, really looking forward to it.

I'll visit your site when I get chance. Maybe I could do a review for the gig next Friday?

Hello, I'm also from Liverpool. I knew there must have been more of us! Either of you ever go to the Prince tribute performance in the Royal Court about 9 or 10 years ago? Now that was funny! Will be shakin' it like a juicy juice on August 1st, 25th and Sep 21st. Enjoy the shows!

Hey fellow weirdo believer
never went those rc gigs but had a weird experience in the life cafe one night when a friend of mine proposed to his girl while purple reign were on. cue fulfillments, me blagging myself backstage and speaking to "prince" asking for a request and i remember he , this non prince character, answering me in a prince like way. you get it, the look, short answer. hey, it was some shite tribute band , not the npg! ah, the fun.

will be there for big and after show on friday. feel free to org me if there.

anyway, the campaign starts now. PRINCE OF LIVERPOOL! it ends in a big gig at the new arena next year and a secret gig that only us long time lpl and prince devotees deserve a ticket for. so thats 6 of us.

Seriously, i will run this PRINCE IN LIVERPOOL 2008 campaign given the chance.

AlphabetS said:

Dude, that would be so ace if you could review the gig. I will certainly be doing one on 10/11th - plus aftershow on the Friday - fingers crossed he shows!

So great to hear from you and Elodie - get the campaign going - how about GET ON THE BOAT - Mersey ferry style!

OK, I'd enjoy doing a review of Friday's gig. Not sure how good it will be as I anticipate being none too sober by about 8pm. Am going to the aftershow too so will do one covering both and the whole sort of experience, including the arena and stuff.

This will be the 5th time I've seen him live, but the first time for over 10 years. The crowd I am going with have never seen him before but are fans of varying levels. Am really looking forward to it. Let's hope he doesn't disappoint.

I know he was performing a cover of The Long and Winding Road in Vegas. It would be great to hear him do a couple of Beatles covers in Liverpool; can you imagine how that would go down?

As for the ferry, somehow I can't see him sampling the delights of Seacombe's finest. Being Prince, it would of course have to be the Royal Iris!

Thats the selling point; Prince come to Liverpool's new arena next year and we'll even give you your own boat. God knows where it is now though, probably been melted down and sent to China.

5 days and counting...

AlphabetS said:

Excellent stuff, I'd be major chuffed if you did a review of the whole experience. Fingers crossed he performs at the aftershow too.

Speaking of that arena, when's it finished? Isn't the capacity only around 10,000 - which if it is, I think is quite poor for the first of its kind in the City.

Can't believe this:

http://www.peterguy.merse...l#comments

Since U2 came out after Prince did, I would say that Bono is the last great Rock & Roll star.

Se7en said:

I didn't know they were gay?

Arf!

Erm, in all seriousness they formed in '76, so you could perhaps say they were 'out' prior to P.

In anycase I wouldn't consider Bono a great rock & roll star. I think in his early career he was somewhat a rebel, but his latter years he's been the ultimate conformist and indeed driven by commercial gain. Still, great live band.

That was a great piece there Funkster. Prince is truely the last Great Rock and Roll star around. I would love to see someone come and shake things up like Prince has done and keeps doing but I'm not holding my breath.