Is one better than the other? Is there a difference at all? Does it matter?
Which of the two do you think you are and why?
All views welcome

It'z what separates me from everybody else here.

That shakes out into two categories.

The worshipper, commonly refers to his/herself as a "fam". This person usually has a difficult time grasping reality. This person thinks Prince can do no wrong, and thinks each movie is a masterpiece and every song is a concerto. This person also thinks that Prince is the center of the musical universe and will react quite violently (on the internet) when there's any discussion of someone being compared to Prince or mere mention of the fact that an album might be anything less than stellar.


The fan, likes his music but doesn't think that everything he's done is amazing.

EchoofmySoul said:

It really is all making sense now... Thanks.

JazzMeUp said:

Hey - just trying to get things in perspective for ya!
[Edited 4/12/08 10:27am]

What distinguishes the difference you ask? I thinking it's the amount
of drooling involved....

I consider myself to be a fan...
I love listening to his music...
pure and simple.

And I've been fortunate enough to attend 3 concerts....

And no, my name has nothing to do with Prince....long story..

ButterscotchPimp said:

Well said!
A fan may also attend multiple shows because he/she enjoys the live performances.
The worshipper does too, but thinks Prince is singing to him/her, and looking in his/her direction throughout the show because they have a "special connection".

chocolate1 said:

There are those who think that Prince has done nothing but masterpieces. There are those who think Prince has done incredible work but also some bad work too. There are even those who think Prince hasn't done anything worth a damn in a long time. Whatever the case, being a fan is an individual thing. As long as you and I are not hurting anyone with the level of fandom that we are in, then it's all gravy. It's when others feel it's their right to dictate and tell you how to be a fan, that's when you go into dangerous territory. Those are the ones to be careful of on BOTH sides of the fence. Just my on the matter...

purplecam said:

[Edited 4/12/08 11:49am]

purplecam said:

impressive

My stand on Prince has kinda evolved over the past year, but I'll never be under the illusion that everything he does is... well, gold
In other words, not every thing he does is a masterpiece. I don't like every song he's done, but I do enjoy a great % of them... like about 90-95% of his work, is

chocolate1 said:

A double high-five on that comment bolded.. Basically, choosing to be a fan of an artist is an individual choice, regardless of who puts labels on it. It's a choice that one doesn't have to answer to anyone for to be honest. (stealing babynoz's popcorn emoticon )
[Edited 4/12/08 12:53pm]

JazzMeUp said:

Is one better than the other? No.

Does it matter? No.

Your welcome.

purplecam said:

A shrine

ButterscotchPimp said:

OMG Butterscotchpimp, you've described me to a 'T'

Worshipper-Thinks he can do no wrong

Fan-has stuck with him since 79'or 84' take your pic even through the assless pants and PFU-now that's a fan.

I agree with some of the comments above. I think that a true fan does not feel they have to love everything Prince does and that they do love his incredible musicianship. I think a worshiper is probably someone who would be a "groupie" in the true sense of the word.

A fan doesn't necessarily have to be attracted to Prince, but more to his music in general.

Madison88 said:

WTF!

ButterscotchPimp said:

purplecam said:

yes, very well said.. i dont understand the ones who get upset @ others.. for not liking the PE album.. i dont get it.. i mean, it's all apart of being a fan... we're not gonna like everything he does and that's normal...we all have different tastes .. but like u said.. both sides must be careful ..

I consider myself a Prince fan. Not of a lot of his current work, or the way he treats his fans. Unlike some at the other end of the spectrum, I am capable of understanding that he is not flawless, doesn't always do the intelligent thing & I'd call him on his bullshit rather than brush it off as a "quirk of his endearing magic," or whatever someone like laurarichardson might say.

Worshippers can't stand hearing anything negative about their idol.

Flowerz said:

If I may add to what you are saying flowerz, it was something to see fans who didn't like PE go crazy when other fans here said that they liked PE. That's why I said BOTH sides. We seem to focus primarliy on people who defend Prince's every move, right or wrong, but what about those who have to always criticize and dog his every move too? They need to be held to the same fire as the defenders/worshippers or whatever you call them. In my world, it's all about balance.

A worshipper--Thinks Jughead is on par with 1999....

A fan---Knows Jughead is crap and Prince should never tackle rapping.

A worshipper---Believes Wendy/Lisa reunion will bring back the Purple rain sound to Prince/May be inclined to believe that The Time are the greatest funk group ever

A fan--appreciates that the contributions of Wendy/Lisa was great for that moment in time./recognizes The Time were a decent group but not on par with funk groups from a decade earlier.

A worshipper--Believes Prince is the greatest musician ever

A fan-Developed a healthy appreciation for Prince's music, but as stated before, realizes you can't appreciate his music without understanding his influences.

A worshipper-Thinks Mayte & Prince were the chosen ones and that Prince was at his greatest when she was in his life.

A fan-May be inclined to believe that Mayte was Prince's Yoko Ono

purplecam said:

Back in the 90's, I actually knew of a person at university who had a small Prince shrine in his room - people used to think he was strange. But there are such people, and I put them in the category of Prince worshipper.

COMPUTERBLUE1984 said:

Yeah that pretty much sums it up for me. I think that is almost spot on.

I would add that a worshipper becomes belligerent when you imply he may have had musical influences other than funk.(don't speak about Wendy and Lisa)