Hmmm.
Let me start this by saying that this will most likely be the most effort i've EVER put into ANY post that i've ever written here in the Org.

Because it speaks to the core of what i find is wrong with this place.

Like someone else previously said, it is a little difficult to identify with someone that's been a Prince fan for months, when i've been what equates to a Prince fan for my whole adult life. Let me say that part again. MY WHOLE ADULT LIFE.

I started listening to Prince in the 7th grade. I am now 40 years old. And i'm not over-stating when i say that listening to Prince changed my life and affected who i am as a person.

I can't even put into words what it was like to be a Prince fan in the 80's. The ONLY good thing to happen in the 80's, as far as i'm concerned. Being a young, black man growing up in Detroit, music was a part of our everyday lives. The radio back then was an amazing freeform hodge podge of all types and genres all getting played on what was then "urban radio". You had a black dj in Electrifying Mojo on what was an urban radio station hipping young black kids to acts such as The B-52's, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Cameo, Slave, Kraftwerk, etc. It was all over the place. And at the forefront of that music revolution, comes this little kid from Minneapolis.

I'll never forget the first time i heard Prince. It was like a light switch went off in my head. "Oh. That's what music is supposed to sound like." I was HOOKED. And stayed that way for years. My cousins lied to my folks and took me when i was 15 to my first Prince concert, the Controversy tour at the Masonic Temple. I was at the 1999 tour at Joe Louis Arena for the Triple Threat Tour (P, The Time and Vanity 6). (and i almost left after The Time's set, because they KILLED him that night.) (but that's another story) I went to the Purple Rain tour twice, because P sold out SEVEN shows in Detroit for that tour. And yes, I went to the birthday concert at Cobo Arena. I'm probably one of the few people here that know WHY that concert happened in the first place.

Actually, Mazarati had played a show the week BEFORE Prince's birthday at a small venue here called St. Andrew's Hall. Being a full on insane Prince fan at that time, i bought ANYTHING that came out on Paisley Park (because at that point he hadn't gotten completely nuts with it yet) and was a HUGE Mazarati fan. So me and my best friend at the time went to the show, and Mazarati KILLED. I mean everyone there knew the words to every song, they ended up doing 2 encores, and when they'd played every one of their songs, they just started doing Prince covers (i remember them launching into a bad ass cover of "Head"). Anyhoo. I digress. After the show, we all are shuffled outside and who sticks his head out from the upstairs window? Yep. Prince. He'd been backstage the whole night, and saw the crowd, felt the energy, and 2 days after that he announced he was playing a concert in Detroit for his birthday. The Red Wings were in the playoffs that year, and Joe Louis Arena wasn't available so it ended up at Cobo, and as they say the rest in history.

Listening to Prince changed who I am as a person. It certainly affected my sexuality. How could it not? Being a teenager and listening to Prince in the 80's, I certainly wanted to get first hand knowledge of what this guy was talking about!!! We all did. I remember bringing girls over to my house to hang out in my basement, and i'd put on "Do Me, Baby" and that was it. She'd be like "damn. alright...."

Prince made it alright to be different. To be edgy. It certainly affected my sense of style. NOT where i'd dress like he does, but it caused me to seek out and define my OWN personal style. To the point where now, people that know me see me wearing certain clothing items and say "you're the only person i know that could pull off wearing that." I got that from Prince.

I met my ex-fiancee (the one that got away) as a result of being a Prince fan. It was the thing that brought us together.

So you see, it goes much MUCH deeper than just being a fan of some guy's music.

NOW, with that said. I went through all of that to get to THIS.

I stayed on the "Prince train" for a LONG time. To be honest i don't think i ever thought i'd get off. (pardon the pun) I pretty much thought he was flawless from day one (For You) right up through the symbol record. Bought every album, single, 12", etc. (yeah, i've got the Sexy Dancer 12" AND the God Instrumental AND the Little Red Corvette 12" among others)

The Gold Experience was the first time for me where I didn't love a Prince record front to back. It sounded over-produced and the lyrics were corny. "Dolphin?" "really?" I gave him a pass, but it felt strange. I mean that had never happened before. I wasn't in love with a Prince record. But then The Hits came out, and i loved the new songs and i chalked it up to be an abberation.

I like Come for the most part. But then I hated "Space". So i'd skip that track. Again, that was different. I never skipped tracks on a Prince cd and now i had TWO. I was probably one of the few that really liked Chaos and Disorder but even with my friends that were Prince fans, we'd argue about it.

Emancipation. I liked discs 1 and 3 but hated 2. You're getting my point. After living through the BEST of times with Prince, i was starting to see the worst of times coming. I tried to fight it. New Power Soul made it hard. What GARBAGE. But then he'd release Exodus, and i'd be right back on the train.

Even live, which i'd been to every Prince concert in Detroit since what, 1982? But the Emancipation tour was shocking. I'd seen him twice in two different cities, because my ex-fiancee had moved to Chicago and we were still seeing each other, so i saw him again at the United Center. Like 6th row. And it was THE EXACT SAME SET THAT HE PLAYED IN DETROIT. Even the spots that were supposed to be "improvised", weren't. Mind blowing. I'd chalked that up to his crappy band choices at that point (Larry Graham and Kirk Johnson CANNOT anchor your rhythm section).

Again, i digress. So i think you're getting my point here. I've just about seen it all with Prince. By the time he'd released Rave, i'd jumped off the train. He was like a spoof of himself. He looked ridiculous, the album was HORRIBLE and here's my former trendsetter and groundbreaker doing duets with Sheryl Crow and Gwen Stefani? DONE.

Well, until he released The Rainbow Children. That was like a breath of fresh air for me. Yeah, lyrically it left a little to be desired but musically my man was back!!! For the first time in a LONG time, it sounded like he didn't care about making a hit, getting back on top, he just wanted to make a cool ass record. And it sounded like it. YAY!!!!!

Well that didn't last long. Musicology, I liked 3 tracks. 3121 i liked 2. Don't even get me started on Planet Earth.

So.

Why did i just lay my life out here for all to read?

Because here's my point. I guess some people never got off the train, and that's fine. Some of the proud kool-aid drinking kids want to pretend that it's still 1984 and everything that P does is still as magical as it was in those heady days. If that's what gets you out of bed in the morning, cool. Some of ya'll went and had the man's symbol tattooed on your bodies! For LIFE! wow. okay. Again, that's fine.

BUT don't, "feel superior" and look down your noses at those that don't think that everything that Prince does is great. Some of us have been at this for a LONG time, and have watched the man make some COLOSSAL mistakes.

I didn't feel sorry for the man with the Warner Brothers situation, because i'd seen how he's screwed himself in that deal. Warner rolled out the freaking red carpet to him and gave him the keys to the kingdom. Mostly because at the time he was trying to compete with Madonna and Janet Jackson BOTH of whom had just signed MASSIVE deals with their respective labels. So they made Prince a VP, gave him an office and gave him ANOTHER record label!!!! But they had to be smart and cover their asses. They put sales numbers in the contract. So instead of being a SMART label head (like Madonna who signed Alanis Morrisette and Me'Shell Ndegeocello to HER label), Prince treated his like a casting couch. DUDE, you signed CARMEN ELECTRA to a RECORDING CONTRACT. Yeah, YOU were a "slave" alright.

Graffiti Bridge. 'Nuff said.

So I don't think everything Prince does is great or even good.
I'm certainly not the "fan" i was some years ago.

I lurk (just like in here) and keep one eye and HOPE that at some point he'll sneak up and surprise me again, like with TRC. But i'm not planning on it.

For now i'll champion new artists that make me feel like i did back then, like Van Hunt and Amy Winehouse and to an extent Nikka Costa.

So there you go.

I guess i said all of that to say this.

Those of you that think Prince is still the "bees knees" shouldn't judge or look down on those of us that don't. Because some of us have paid our dues, been there since the beginning and have earned the right to speak out when we think Prince is being a dumb ass.

The whole YouTube thing? Dumb.

I never questioned it at all from 1978-1984. Back then, if was pouring down raining and Prince said it was sunny outside, I said it was sunny outside also.

On the musical side, Prince pissed me off beginning in 1985 but not enough to drop him completely. The late 80s were a series of "give him another chance" albums. He had changed his style and gotten all artsy/fartsy and I was pissed with each and every album during this period because I was waiting for him to snap out of it and go back to being his old self. If Shitney Houston had not come along and killed funk during this period, I'm sure someone else would have come along to replace him and I would have dropped him altogether.

On the personal side, I got pissed when I bought the book "Possessed" and read about his homophobic remarks about Wendy and Lisa. Then, I had to stand aside and take Prince for what he really is, which is a closet queen that hasn't fully accepted his own sexuality because of his religion. Looking at it that way, his homophobic remarks toward Wendy and Lisa sounded hilarious even coming from his lips.

ButterscotchPimp said:

This post . . . it's like you reached inside my mind and wrote exactly what I would write. Coming from a fellow Detroiter not too far apart in age, I really appreciate this post.

Se7en said:

thanks for the kind words.
someone's gotta represent for the old heads!!!

mozfonky said:

Hmmm.
Let me start this by saying that this will most likely be the most effort i've EVER put into ANY post that i've ever written here in the Org.

Because it speaks to the core of what i find is wrong with this place.

Like someone else previously said, it is a little difficult to identify with someone that's been a Prince fan for months, when i've been what equates to a Prince fan for my whole adult life. Let me say that part again. MY WHOLE ADULT LIFE.

I started listening to Prince in the 7th grade. I am now 40 years old. And i'm not over-stating when i say that listening to Prince changed my life and affected who i am as a person.

I can't even put into words what it was like to be a Prince fan in the 80's. The ONLY good thing to happen in the 80's, as far as i'm concerned. Being a young, black man growing up in Detroit, music was a part of our everyday lives. The radio back then was an amazing freeform hodge podge of all types and genres all getting played on what was then "urban radio". You had a black dj in Electrifying Mojo on what was an urban radio station hipping young black kids to acts such as The B-52's, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Cameo, Slave, Kraftwerk, etc. It was all over the place. And at the forefront of that music revolution, comes this little kid from Minneapolis.

I'll never forget the first time i heard Prince. It was like a light switch went off in my head. "Oh. That's what music is supposed to sound like." I was HOOKED. And stayed that way for years. My cousins lied to my folks and took me when i was 15 to my first Prince concert, the Controversy tour at the Masonic Temple. I was at the 1999 tour at Joe Louis Arena for the Triple Threat Tour (P, The Time and Vanity 6). (and i almost left after The Time's set, because they KILLED him that night.) (but that's another story) I went to the Purple Rain tour twice, because P sold out SEVEN shows in Detroit for that tour. And yes, I went to the birthday concert at Cobo Arena. I'm probably one of the few people here that know WHY that concert happened in the first place.

Actually, Mazarati had played a show the week BEFORE Prince's birthday at a small venue here called St. Andrew's Hall. Being a full on insane Prince fan at that time, i bought ANYTHING that came out on Paisley Park (because at that point he hadn't gotten completely nuts with it yet) and was a HUGE Mazarati fan. So me and my best friend at the time went to the show, and Mazarati KILLED. I mean everyone there knew the words to every song, they ended up doing 2 encores, and when they'd played every one of their songs, they just started doing Prince covers (i remember them launching into a bad ass cover of "Head"). Anyhoo. I digress. After the show, we all are shuffled outside and who sticks his head out from the upstairs window? Yep. Prince. He'd been backstage the whole night, and saw the crowd, felt the energy, and 2 days after that he announced he was playing a concert in Detroit for his birthday. The Red Wings were in the playoffs that year, and Joe Louis Arena wasn't available so it ended up at Cobo, and as they say the rest in history.

Listening to Prince changed who I am as a person. It certainly affected my sexuality. How could it not? Being a teenager and listening to Prince in the 80's, I certainly wanted to get first hand knowledge of what this guy was talking about!!! We all did. I remember bringing girls over to my house to hang out in my basement, and i'd put on "Do Me, Baby" and that was it. She'd be like "damn. alright...."

Prince made it alright to be different. To be edgy. It certainly affected my sense of style. NOT where i'd dress like he does, but it caused me to seek out and define my OWN personal style. To the point where now, people that know me see me wearing certain clothing items and say "you're the only person i know that could pull off wearing that." I got that from Prince.

I met my ex-fiancee (the one that got away) as a result of being a Prince fan. It was the thing that brought us together.

So you see, it goes much MUCH deeper than just being a fan of some guy's music.

NOW, with that said. I went through all of that to get to THIS.

I stayed on the "Prince train" for a LONG time. To be honest i don't think i ever thought i'd get off. (pardon the pun) I pretty much thought he was flawless from day one (For You) right up through the symbol record. Bought every album, single, 12", etc. (yeah, i've got the Sexy Dancer 12" AND the God Instrumental AND the Little Red Corvette 12" among others)

The Gold Experience was the first time for me where I didn't love a Prince record front to back. It sounded over-produced and the lyrics were corny. "Dolphin?" "really?" I gave him a pass, but it felt strange. I mean that had never happened before. I wasn't in love with a Prince record. But then The Hits came out, and i loved the new songs and i chalked it up to be an abberation.

I like Come for the most part. But then I hated "Space". So i'd skip that track. Again, that was different. I never skipped tracks on a Prince cd and now i had TWO. I was probably one of the few that really liked Chaos and Disorder but even with my friends that were Prince fans, we'd argue about it.

Emancipation. I liked discs 1 and 3 but hated 2. You're getting my point. After living through the BEST of times with Prince, i was starting to see the worst of times coming. I tried to fight it. New Power Soul made it hard. What GARBAGE. But then he'd release Exodus, and i'd be right back on the train.

Even live, which i'd been to every Prince concert in Detroit since what, 1982? But the Emancipation tour was shocking. I'd seen him twice in two different cities, because my ex-fiancee had moved to Chicago and we were still seeing each other, so i saw him again at the United Center. Like 6th row. And it was THE EXACT SAME SET THAT HE PLAYED IN DETROIT. Even the spots that were supposed to be "improvised", weren't. Mind blowing. I'd chalked that up to his crappy band choices at that point (Larry Graham and Kirk Johnson CANNOT anchor your rhythm section).

Again, i digress. So i think you're getting my point here. I've just about seen it all with Prince. By the time he'd released Rave, i'd jumped off the train. He was like a spoof of himself. He looked ridiculous, the album was HORRIBLE and here's my former trendsetter and groundbreaker doing duets with Sheryl Crow and Gwen Stefani? DONE.

Well, until he released The Rainbow Children. That was like a breath of fresh air for me. Yeah, lyrically it left a little to be desired but musically my man was back!!! For the first time in a LONG time, it sounded like he didn't care about making a hit, getting back on top, he just wanted to make a cool ass record. And it sounded like it. YAY!!!!!

Well that didn't last long. Musicology, I liked 3 tracks. 3121 i liked 2. Don't even get me started on Planet Earth.

So.

Why did i just lay my life out here for all to read?

Because here's my point. I guess some people never got off the train, and that's fine. Some of the proud kool-aid drinking kids want to pretend that it's still 1984 and everything that P does is still as magical as it was in those heady days. If that's what gets you out of bed in the morning, cool. Some of ya'll went and had the man's symbol tattooed on your bodies! For LIFE! wow. okay. Again, that's fine.

BUT don't, "feel superior" and look down your noses at those that don't think that everything that Prince does is great. Some of us have been at this for a LONG time, and have watched the man make some COLOSSAL mistakes.

I didn't feel sorry for the man with the Warner Brothers situation, because i'd seen how he's screwed himself in that deal. Warner rolled out the freaking red carpet to him and gave him the keys to the kingdom. Mostly because at the time he was trying to compete with Madonna and Janet Jackson BOTH of whom had just signed MASSIVE deals with their respective labels. So they made Prince a VP, gave him an office and gave him ANOTHER record label!!!! But they had to be smart and cover their asses. They put sales numbers in the contract. So instead of being a SMART label head (like Madonna who signed Alanis Morrisette and Me'Shell Ndegeocello to HER label), Prince treated his like a casting couch. DUDE, you signed CARMEN ELECTRA to a RECORDING CONTRACT. Yeah, YOU were a "slave" alright.

Graffiti Bridge. 'Nuff said.

So I don't think everything Prince does is great or even good.
I'm certainly not the "fan" i was some years ago.

I lurk (just like in here) and keep one eye and HOPE that at some point he'll sneak up and surprise me again, like with TRC. But i'm not planning on it.

For now i'll champion new artists that make me feel like i did back then, like Van Hunt and Amy Winehouse and to an extent Nikka Costa.

So there you go.

I guess i said all of that to say this.

Those of you that think Prince is still the "bees knees" shouldn't judge or look down on those of us that don't. Because some of us have paid our dues, been there since the beginning and have earned the right to speak out when we think Prince is being a dumb ass.

The whole YouTube thing? Dumb.
[Edited 11/4/07 8:52am]

What is a "straight dyke"? I mean, how can a dyke by straight?

ButterscotchPimp said:

beautiful ... and im with you on the WB thing... i always thought Prince should have handled that situation in a different manner, WB was very good to him despite all the crying he was doing.