i think it's quite endearing. a bit patronizing & yh prob a piss take, but hey look what some have been calling him over the years!
it's also been subject 4 debate. keeping us busy talking a load of shit really....
i adore the music & having lots of fun listening 2 it.
i dont consider myself a fanatic.
but fam doesn't offend me in the slightest. i think original & pretty cool

lottielooloo1968 said:

It's not original. It's a rip of off "fan", just like the PFU response is a rip off of the websites idea. Prince needs to keep his originality in the musical realm because he can't come up with an original idea if it bit him in the ass otherwise

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Oh, that's very true and I've never thought otherwise. I was just pointing out an inconsistency in pplrain's assumption about a thread dedicated to adulation.

For a man claiming on one hand to shun the idea of being the object of idolatry, Prince is, on the other hand, undeniably ostentatious and self-indulgent in the way in which he presents himself to his public.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

take it ur not impressed then.
y du call it a rip off? it's just a word.

Shorty said:

ahhhh the voice of reason.
thank you for posting this because this has caused me to check myself.

I don't judge people for loving and defending Prince... that is their right.

I don't judge or hate Prince for what he is doing... he believes this all is within his right as well.

I can, will and do voice my disagreements, with the so-called "fams" and with Prince in this instance... that is MY right.

But to go beyond that.... voicing disagreement, is going a bit far.

I haven't voiced my opinion on Prince and Prince supporters this time around... because I have been really outspoken about this subject on HQ earlier this year, and last fall, and 2 years ago and.... (it never ends... does it Prince?)

I have really become weary. But this post really made me check myself about how I was feeling about all of this.

Willy wonka

I absolutely love your siggy and your avatar.

prodigalfan said:

What a kind thing to say. Thank you, prodigalfan.

I'm trying to get away from negative thoughts at the moment but that word annoys me as much as the word 'vigil'. Don't ask me why I just can't stand that word.

lexstarr said:

I don't like the word "fam" its as creepy as saying you're a "fanatic"

prodigalfan said:

hey cool! thanx

Love every minute of being a Prince FAM

FAM = FAMILY... NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS~

The funny thing about this imaginary word is that Prince created it in an attempt to criticize those most into his work, or what most would call "fans," but only the most truly obsessed crazies would consider themselves "fams."

It's idiotic.

Either that, or he wanted his own Parrothead style name for those still into his music & couldn't think of anything better,

I have no problem with the word. 'Fam' = family... nothing more ... nothing less. Prince used it as a term of endearment. It may be a midwest thing... I'm not sure... but i know for certain long before he mentioned that term on TV... we used it to describe our friends and family alike.

Now... what I do I have issues with are people who call themselves 'fam' and treat Prince like a diety... i.e. his shit don't 'stank' and he does no wrong.

BUT

I have bigger issues with people who are self righteous and judgemental concerning the opinions of others who do choose to call themselves that... and those who think it's cute and clever to insult others for the sake of having nothing better to bo with thier lives.

If you think the term 'fam' is stupid or insulting... don't use it...get over it... go take a happy pill.. you'll live longer. But if you use the term TO INSULT others... it really says you have 'shitty' character in general yourself.

Prince IS NOT the first rocker to have a specific term for his fans. Fam is just one of them... 'True Funk soldier'... 'Rainbow Children'... 'New Power Generation'... 'New Breed'... etc etc... are others.

The funniest thing is that most of you would consider shooting your own mother rather than burn your entire Prince collection and delete any reference to anything of Prince in your house, PC, Ipod whatever. You have have paid hundreds and in some cases thousands of dollars to see Prince in concert. You pride yourselves on what 'rare' shit you have and others may not. You spend hours per day on a Prince fan site... just talking shit.

YET

You don't consider yourselves to be fanatics...or 'fam'.

Self righteous hypocracy never ceases to amaze me.

I consider myself a 'fam'..... but in my 25 years of 'famdom' I ain't got nuthing on most of you when it comes to an obsession with Prince. 'Fam' and non-fam alike.

Raze said:

Totally agreed.

QuakeXLE said:

Don't you think it's ironic that he started using the word because he didn't like the idea of "fanatics"... yet those who call themselves that are the most fanatical of the bunch, if even just for the fact that they refer to themselves the way that Prince wants them to be referred to?

He wants a cult. And people want to be in a cult. He and they just don't want to be called on it.

"Fam" is completely annoying. The only good thing about the term is that it helps to easily identify the truly over-the-top fanatics (in the true sense of the word) from the more moderate fans.

"Fam" may be short for family, but anyone who thinks calling themselves a "fam" makes them nearer & dearer to Prince's heart (e.g. like part of his "family") is mistaken. I (hopefully) thought that maybe Prince realized that over the years, the term 'fam' has come to represent exactly what he claimed to dislike about the word 'fan' and stop using it. But then he resurrected it on princefamsunited.

"Fam" tends to have a negative connotation with me.
It's Prince lingo, taken hook, line, and sinker, used to identify ones self with Prince.
Those who refer to themselves as such, tend to be the most aggressive in this forum: refering to others as "haters", "why are you here?" "why don't you leave this site?".
There's no toleration for valid criticism of Prince .

His "fans" here at the org don't like the term because they want to make it out to be something derogatory. Something bad, something cult-like that Prince came up with. They especially love to use it on his young female fans.

Prince has NOT come out and said that he despises his fans and so secretly come up with this "FAM" word to call them his stupid "sheep". If he HAS please link us to a video or newspaper clipping and we will stop using it.
Where's the Proof?
Where's the Proof?
Where's the PROOF?

Otherwise stop telling us what you "think" he was "thinking" when he defined the word. That is rubbish!!!!!

LOL some of you guys who pretend that you "know" Prince can be pretty funny.

Bottom line is Prince has himself come out in an interview and said that he LIKES to refers to his fans as FAMS and FAM is short for FAMILY...

pplrain said:[quote]His "fans" here at the org don't like the term because they want to make it out to be something derogatory. Something bad, something cult-like that Prince came up with. They especially love to use it on his young female fans.

Prince has NOT come out and said that he despises his fans [quote]


actions speak louder than words, and his actions lately imply that he does.




we are not his family. he is not our family. if you've never met or had correspondence with the man, it's insane to think of him as part of your family or you part of his.

Raze said:[quote]pplrain said:[quote]His "fans" here at the org don't like the term because they want to make it out to be something derogatory. Something bad, something cult-like that Prince came up with. They especially love to use it on his young female fans.

Prince has NOT come out and said that he despises

his fans

Family is a term he uses for people around him... meaning within the group not literally.

pplrain said:

but how many of us are actually "around him"? it's doubtful that any of the people that are referring to him are. he'd probably take out a restraining order on anyone that came near him and told him they were a fam. deep down, he knows those people are nuts.

Raze said:

Maybe he thinks that... I don't know. He is so famous, he needs to be careful otherwise he can get hurt. He does attract a lot of nut jobs. He does get a lot of death threats.

I don't know Prince, never met him, never been around him.
I have seen him up close in concert... he was almost sitting on my nose.

Anyhooo.... he said fam = family. If he was thinking something else and saying something else ... I don't know..

Raze said:

That is such a scary thought!!! Can you SEE him freaking out!! LOL!!!!!

On another hand he would probably want all the beautiful females to stick around so that he can topple Solomon's 1000 wives record.

Raze said:

Maybe you missed my point....

What name you label yourself is secondary to how you act. Many of those who are offended by the term or deam it stupid or what ever... are in fact some of the biggest FANATICS there are. and that is what they claim a 'fam' to be.

The casual fan doesn't spend hours per week on a 'fan' site commenting both negatively and/or positively on every aspect of Prince and his music. Nor do they own countless bootleg recordings... or rally give a damned about what Prince does... or use terms like 'inspired' when refering to his music... etc

I'm reminded of the movie 'Revenge of the Nerds'.... one 'nerd' never called himself or saw himself as one... and in fact saw the term as derogatory... but was in fact one of the biggest 'nerds' of the bunch.

Labels are secondary to your actions. A 'fam' isn't who you are...it's what you do. and there are a lot of 'closet' fam around here.

pplrain said:

Like U're attitude