Okay, I am writing from the point of view of one of Prince's biggest fans. I don't think that should be all that unusual on this website, as I think that most of us are on relatively the same page when it comes to why we visit this site, and as to why we are involved with Prince's music.


My question is simple. Why do so many of us, and I am singling out nobody hear, feel the need to be venemous and hateful not only towards Prince, and especially the NPGMC, but more so to each other? Prince has one of the largest, but also one of the most derisive and divided online fan communities in the world.


I was reading posts the other day regarding the ONA Live boxed set, and people were complaining that they had to pay for it. I'm not aware of any additional charges besides club membership, but that isn't my point. My point is that I am personally grateful that this set is being released at all. Even if it wasn't being released via the club, I know for a fact that I would go out and by it the second it hit the shelves. People are complaining about something that they were never even expecting to receive in the first place, and now that they are getting Prince's first live album at no cost besides membership and before it's official release, they complain about the fact that there aren't going to be any more releases from NPGMC this year.


That's just a small side note. My real problem is with the amount of antagonizing, mudslinging, and insulting language that is thrown on this website. In my everyday life, I can't really talk about Prince or his music to anyone, and being that this is a huge part of my life, thats a difficult thing to deal with. When I first found this website, I was so excited that I had finally found a place where I could meet other Prince fans that I was on here constantly.


Over time, I became more and more upset that I couldn't post a thing without someone calling me an idiot or worse for one reason or another, which is why I took a break from the site for awhile. In an environment that most of us can only find on this site and a few others, we go out of our way to hurt each other. Are we taking the barbs that people give us for liking Prince in our everyday lives and shooting them at each other?


It should be our responsibility, not Ben's, to manage ourselves on this website. There is nothing wrong with disagreements at all, but far too many of them are carried out in a less than civil manner, and by saying that I am being overly generous. I've met some of you at concerts, and talked with some of you in the chat, and I cannot think of a single person that came across as rude or mean, and that says something. There are good, kind, accepting people on this site, and I am happy and thankful to have them as friends. Some people, though, say things here that I am sure they would never say to anyone face to face. What makes you think that someone telling you to go fuck yourself online is any less hurtful or cruel than doing it in person.


As far as the Prince bashing is concerned, I'm sticking up for Prince in that I think what he has done over the past three years is largely underappreciated, and I don't mean in general. I mean by us, his fan base. This man has put out more music in the past three years than some artists put out in ten, and he has given us the chance to go to soundchecks, Celebrations, free afterparties, new music that isn't available anywhere else in the world. Instead of doing it through a record company, Prince brought it directly to us. Literally. The next time you start griping about what he is doing, think about how impressive and unique the NPGMC really is. Few other artists on the planet have such a tool to reach their fans. And I really believe that thats why it exists. For us. For Prince and for business purposes certainly, but for us.


So in conclusion, read this or don't read it. Reply to it or don't, but if you decide to read it, just think about what I said. If we want to call ourselves a fan community, we should act more like one.



Its Good To Be Back,
Mike

Boy are you 100% right. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Everybody is always saying something about my Comments . They don't get my Kooky Humor sometimes or Threads and do take it too Far. In the End we are Prince fans and that's what Matters. The Man and his music. To Hate is Null and Void. Prince wouldn't like it at all. He's not about that. He's not a Man O War. Ultimately,even if fans Hate each other it really Is Prince's Final Word on who he will Bother with and who he will Trust. Let Him{PRINCE} make that Decision Fans. Prince is the Master in this Game.

My mom always says that it takes all kinds to make a world. The .org is simply a microcosm of the world at large and includes the good the bad and the ugly just like the rest of the world.

You're right. People say things here that they wouldn't have the nerve to say to someone's face. I think they feel a sense of anonymity (sp?) here, so they take out their aggressions without fear of repurcussions.

And I think that some folks just like to stir the pot to see others get all agitated and stuff.

Don't let the actions of a few negatively color your view of this forum or keep you away from it.

As to being ungrateful for what Prince does/has done, we're definitely a spoiled bunch. Admittedly, Prince has done the spoiling. He's been so prolific that he has set that expectation among his fans. It's not unusual for artists to wait 3 - 5 years or more between releases, yet we complain when Prince doesn't release completely new material every 12 months or less.

It's all just part of the package that goes with being a fan of this man and his music.

This is not music. This is a trip! Enjoy the ride!

Nice post Mike, I agree with you 100%.

Although, i think alot of what is posted
here is meant to be taken VERY lightly.
Wisecracks abound on the ORG, and i would
hope that no one takes offense to some of
the blurbs posted.
Also, i've found Prince fans, the ones that
i've actually met, to be genuine fun-loving,
good hearted people. I think that stems from
their appreciation of Prince...he's been talking
of love4oneanother since the beginning.

Peace, and go turn someone you know into a Prince
fan!

Whatz up Big Mike:

I like this post, its straight and to the point. I came to Prince Org looking for fans to share my passions with. Namely the Music and the Artist. I was shocked that everytime someone gave Prince props that individual got lynched by other org members, called "stuck up Princes Ass", "Oh here is a Fan" etc... what is wrong with saying something positive about anyone especailly someone who is the reason we are gathered in the first place. I have been a fan (and I will never back away from it) for 23 years now and I am just as pleased today as I was in 1979/80. I get the same exciting Feeling when I hear something new from Prince. I don't understand how so many people her are experts on Prince's Music, they know what is good, what is junk, what he put effort into, what he just threw together etc. They know his every thought, his every move and 99% of us have never met him and surely do not know him on a personal level.

His music and lyrics have made me a more open person, his style has challenged me personally, His lyrics have made me look deeper into my own heart, And his fans have made me feel unique and apart of something rare and special.

All the Prince Fans Please make your comments heard, even if you get attacked for them, (all the Prince fans should come to your defense because the Prince Haters have no problem giving their comments.

All the Real Prince fans lets take back the org and make it what it once was. When someone says something lame. Lets voice Our opinion just like they do. the fans have been silenced, its time for us to stand up and let our voices be heart, and lets take over this ship.

1.) This is a message board. People love to go off on long-winded tangents on message boards. Because someone may post a lengthy criticism of Prince on here doesn't really mean that they spend 24 hours a day worrying about him.

2.) I'm honest to god tired of being forgiving of Prince's half assed business ventures. Its plain and simple. You make and album, then release it. This pussyfooting around that Prince does proves that he is a complete flake.

When I go to a restaraunt and order a dinner, I expect it to come out as described and in a timely fashion. Prince's logic would be that the menu never explicitly stated WHEN you would recieve that steak, it could be now or a year from now. The menu never explicitly said it would be cooked, you just assumed that.

We signed up for a club expecting to recieve several CDs of music periodically throughout the year. NPGMC hinted at all kinds of grand things they had no intention of living up to with remarks like "AT LEAST 4 new cds.." and fake album titles they listed in the Tour programs.

Since when do you order something online only to be told that they arent gonna ship your order till they get enough other orders together to do bulk shipping. If the club can't even handle shipping charges, that should tell you something is wrong.

When and if Prince ever does drop a decent album, quit pretending like all these fiascos leading up to it were worth it, because they arent.

Reality is Prince is charging you for things that many other artists give away free on their sites. Why? because with the number of delusional people in his fan base, he can.

I too have been a Prince fan since 1979. His music has helped me through some very rough and troubling times in my life and I truly thank him for that. It has helped me to keep an open mind in the world around me, which is not always easy to do.

I feel very blessed to have been around long enough to witness the begining of his career until now. Every day he continues to give us more and more. I get very anxious to think of what he has in store for us in the future. It only gets better and better. How many musicians have lasted as long as Prince has and continued to give us his very best.

I was very excited to find the org, thinking I finally had found a place to share my thoughts, but many times I have written replys only to delete..delete..delete, because I thought it sounded stupid or someone might have something nasty to say.

Momma always told me "DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU"...So I do.

Maybe one day I won't feel as intimidated as I do now. When that happens WATCH OUT!

jazzy328is said:

It's not the "in" thing to do. Some people have a high school-ish mentality about certain things. The "Asskissers vs. Naysayers" shit is the most idiotic aspect to come out of this whole thing.

Or should I say it's not the "cool" thing to do? Yeah, that's it...
[This message was edited Sun Nov 17 0:17:06 PST 2002 by Supernova]

some people just like to talk just to have something to say...

those same people that complain consistintly will be shellin out music club $$ next year as well.

now, dont get me wrong, people have the right to complain when they feel they have been treated unfairly, but do it in a constructive way, people will listen.
When one does it in a demeaning, low nonsense way, then u are whineing...take it somewhere else.

In a place like this and /or amp one just has to take what they want from it and leave the rest.

What gets me is...all the lil stupid nonsense post gets the most hits and most responses.

Why people post those kind of post and why so many people respond on them baffles me.

There has to be more substance to those people then that.

Either they are afraid to get deep, or dont know how, or they just want to raise their post number, cuz i know this post board is not full of a bunch of immature kids.

the litehearted stuff is cute...like the pic captions, what r u listening to etc...Im talking about the stupid posts of such content as bodily fuctions...do u people honestly think posts reflecting such topics are cute or funny?...one surely must have better topics to talk about.

Wow! A ray of hope. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Some complaints are legitimate, but I know what you mean.
As I scan the topics, I sometimes wonder...

But I assume that Prince fans may include a good number of
people who are dare to be different...as Prince does.

Sometimes I wonder though, are some here just because this
site has such a nice set up.

Oh my goodnes, there r Prince fans on the org. I didn't think there were any! There seems 2 b a number of people that r either extremely negative towards him or just don't seem 2 b into him that much. Why bother even being on the Prince.org? Why not go 2 other websites in the general discusion chat rooms if u want 2 b negative, insulting or 2 have so called flame wars, etc.?
I certainly enjoy reading other discussions not Prince related which rn't so degrading. Not every thing has 2 b about Prince. Having variety is interesting and helps 2 make the org fun.
Nobody is perfect including Prince. I think we all expect so much from him because of the immense for him and his music. We always want more. Yes, we have been spoiled with all of the music he has put out. I know I still get extremely excited over a new release. He rocks my world, but doesn't rule it.
I can understand many of the complaints that people have with the NPGMC (especially with the not knowing). The club does offer a lot of incredible perks for some people though, such as access 2 soundchecks and good seats 2 concerts. None of which I've experienced by the way. I realize he can't tour everywhere, and hope that next year he'll perform were he hasn't this year. Maybe I'll b lucky.
Everyone has a right 2 feel a certain way, but some r letting themselves get 2 riled up over it. Believe me, $100 for me is a lot of money being that I am a stay at home mom. In reality though, it doesn't take much 2 spend that amount. A trip 2 the grocery store and it's gone. And for those of us who haven't benefited from those concert perks, let's just hope for the best. We really don't know for sure all of the CDs we will b receiving.
:)LoveForOneAnother:)

100% agreed!
people in here complain that the bloody passes 2 get in2 the sndcheck werent good enough or that "we have 2 stand at the concert"
I mean COME ON!
its true that people dont appreciate the fact Prince works his ass off 2 get music 2 fans,do shows 4 fans,make music 4 fans,etc... etc...

& as 4 the mudslinging here,well there r ignorant ppl everywhere,& also here,but thats their problem.
They know who they r & they r the ones who have 2 live with themselves.

Peaceluv&bwild

"We really don't know for sure all of the CDs we will b receiving."

err...last time i checked,about a month ago!...u were getting the ONA live 3cd set sent out,which the process has begun.
that makes 4 cd's,thats membership,but people will b ungreatful & say "oh but,ONA was only a piano demo cd".
no it was a album of music played on the piano.
C,it gets annying doesn't it

I believe that Prince has some of the worst fans any artist could have. I thought the Rolling Stones had a dubious audience..ever been to some of their shows? damn. But we are even worse then they are. If Bowie, The Stones etc. ran bad business practices etc, ripped the audience off (which thwe Stones do every tour with their prices), folks would end up rationalizing it. Not saying that people do not have a right to be upset about it etc. But Prince does it and it becomes vendetta-ish and personal etc. And the harshnes about material and output is even worse from Prince fans. Because shit that org holy grail artists have released in the last decade has been shit for the most part and wayyy below the artsists best work just like Prince (see Bowie, Rolling Stones, Costello,,Stevie, etc. Shit -name anyone damn near who was big in the past..and on another note, Ndegeocellos non acknlowedging the audiences ass for that matter). But folks will claim those artists are still making relevant and inspired music. Yeah right..keep telling yourself that. And then there is the "against Prince or for Prince" stance that is created within..I mean wtf? Cliques like this from grown men. I mean arent there other ways to critique besides resorting to the "he sucks he sucks and if you like him we arent friends!nanny nanny boo boo" mentality lol. Thats why I say Prince has some of the worst fans an artists can have. And the "but we expect more from him because he is so good thats why" stance is boolshit...an excuse. I wholeheartedly believe there is a reason for this but I am not ready to comment on that at this time. But for the most part, Princefans are some biased- assed mutherfuckers for the most part. Please realize that Im sort of generalizing too before anybody has a damn heart attack and starts flaming me.

I agree with you about the mudslinging and insulting language. Nobody should call you an idiot for your comments or questions!

You might be a new fan of Prince's, and have sincere, valid questions. Maybe there's an album you haven't heard about, or one that you'd like to get opinions about before you go out and buy it.

You might only be a "casual" Prince fan, and only want to get his best works - maybe for money reasons, or simply a lack of interest to collect everything he's put out.

The mudslinging you mention really isn't about Prince at all. It's between the fans, who either disagree or one feels superior to the other. Plus, there are "romantic" connections that start here on the Org, and it gets ugly when they go bad.

There are plenty of people on here who consider themselves experts on Prince. There are musicians here who can play his music note-for-note. There are residents of Minnesota who know Paisley Park inside-and-out. And there are collectors who have hundreds of unreleased songs, bootlegs, and live recordings.

There's lots to learn, but the information should be delivered in a respectful manner.

Your argument about ethics is on-point.

Now, the argument about the NPGMC and the ONA box set . . .

Yo! We all know the core of Prince Music lovers are some hard-core quality demanding motherf*ckers most of them musicians or singers themselves. And yeah, we're all aware that the winds are changing. Dog-goneit if Prince wasn't becoming such a religious fanatic himself.. I would be even more vicious in escorting all the idol worshiping bible boobies back to the "rainbow they floated in from the heavens on". But Mike, nobody is going to hold your hand and pass you a tissue because you can't deal with the positive criticisms and sting of public opinion. Pull up your skirt man! You have fans making logical and quite interesting points about the music on the org. That doesn't mean they MUST respect the beliefs, actions, and lies of the musician who after suffering much emotional trauma over the past years has some serious issues to work out on his own. Like someone said... it should be taken very lightly!

But Mikie you're blind as a one eyed bat if you think people were complaining that they had to pay for the box-set. There are many legitimate complaints, some real knee-slappers written with a sense of humor about how NPGMC is anything but impressive or unique. Its a disgraceful pit of false advertising, but since we love the music, we have a laugh and blow off a little steam just like we did during the Crystal Ball fiasco. But when you sprinkle sugar on sh*t.. its still sh*t! Perhaps thats why you were getting hit with it in the past.

And if in every post in the past people were calling you an idiot.. maybe you should think about this...

.. dude if you don't understand why people don't like NPGMC after reading the posts and after they way these investors have been treated in the past year, then friend i'm afraid you are an idiot!

..."sticks and stones..."

Savannah said:

hahaha LMAO!!!

If you think Prince.org is bad for general mudslinging
You should have seen it back in the day.

It's a lot tamer than it used to be in the days of
the old republic. (Flame Wars: Attack Of The KellyAnne)

And even that was nothing compared to AMP.

Well, I agree also Mike

First of all the ONA is NOT GOING TO BE RELEASED UNTIL HE IS DONE TOURING!!! Hello people wake up and quit crying. He's doing a 3-CD live project. What's he suppose to do just releast YOUR own hometown show. He does have Fams all over the world. Yeah I stick up for him cause his sounds got me through a lot of crap from whiny peeps. And if your one who got a chance to visit Paisley Park and got a dang good show, then maybe you should be a bit greatful that he allowed your sorry butt to come into his home...so much for respect! I just joined NPGMC a month ago only because some of us couldn't get a credit card but ya know...I'll wait for my CDs and then some...in other words shut up...

It isn't just here, it's most message boards. What's worse are the ones where there aren't any "insults" and "mudslinging" everything is pretty cordial, but if you disagree with someone even in what you believe to be a casual fashion, you get a bunch of people telling you to "lighten" up, so not only should you not get mad, but you can't disagree with someone at all without some numnut insisting you're being petty or you're at home trashing your house cuz you disagreed with someone. This is the only message board I come to these days.


As to the stuff posted here. I actually enjoy coming here because despite some of the rowdy posts, it's pretty real and I like that, even if I do disagree with the manner it's handled. I really don't believe you're gonna get any better. You'll get the anger, the insults as well as the "smart ass" comments to the light-hearted and funny ones. All you can do is stand by what you wanna say and try not to take it too personal. Yes, it's annoying when you wanna disagree with something and get a bunch of people puttin' their hate on, but I really don't believe it will stop, so you make a choice to say and bear it or not say it at all. Personally, I try to keep my opinions about Prince simple. I love the guy and his music, but I refuse to join his club because I think it's too much, his concerts are too much - I've danced next to the guy at clubs back in the day so being at a soundcheck doesn't interest me - now if he wants to invite me over for dinner and give new meaning to "One Night Alone" then I'd consider joining his club. However, that isn't to discount if others want to join. I think his club was a brilliant idea which can keep some money in his pocket. I'm for whatever makes you happy. I still admire the man and his music.

Just my couple of pennies.

LQ

I don't understand why people act this way and never will.
I agree 500% that we all should be nice 2 each other!
People should not write anything that they would not write or say 2 thier Mother, Father, Grandmother or Grandfather!
I was banned from Princefams.com for writing the same thing as I wrote above.

Yeah, so what if we have to wait a while to get a cd?
Prince does more for his fans that any other artist.
We should be nice to each other because we all see the genius and the beauty in the man and his music,and so many people arenot that blessed.

Supernova said:

see this is exactly what the problem is... "asskissers vs naysayers"...

there are people in here that will post nothing but negative comments about prince... regardless of what he does or has ever done, they refuse to acknowledge anything in a positive light... he could release a cd so good that brings about world peace and puts an end to hunger, and they'd still bitch about it...

there are others in here that will post nothing but positive comments about prince... they refuse to acknowledge that prince does not always get perfect... he could rape their grandmothers, and they'd find some reason to rationalize it...

more posters here need to realize that sometimes prince will do good things, and sometimes he will do bad things, and acknowledge each... although there are a lot of posters who are like this, it seems like the site is sometimes overrun by one-dimensional people...

rdhull said:

Geez what got into you RD? But you're right, on all points.

To be honest,I don't think there is alot of negativity on this site anymore.Things have actually been real calm lately.Ian (the moderator) has been really good at deleting flames,warning people when they "act up" and of course,if YOU see an offensive post,all you gotta do is report it to the moderators.

Generally I agree with Savannah.

For me I don't think this forum is any different from any other artistinspired forum.

Point 1: Critical Appreciation:

But I do have problem with certain aspects of fans... and its the fact that there is this section of Prince fans ... (altho I'm sure if u got deep enuff into any fan base u'd probably find the same true there)
... that seem to think everything Prince has ever done is brilliant and I find this attitude vacant, slave-like and that seems to induce more poop from Prince.

Generally I think since Emancipation (and that had more throw-aways than keepsies on it) Prince has failed to come up with some decent music. One or two jams may have been ok but nothing in comparison with his stuff prior to Emanciptaion.

OOOooo all the silly people start crying now bcuz they feel insulted. Well for me it's like saying the movie The Beverly Hill-Billies is better than 2001 or Citizen Kane. No-one in their right mind would think that.

The point is that many, many Prince fans seem to lose all critical sensibilities when it comes to any sort of analysis of his music. This just makes any sort of intelligent thread / discussion / chat seem really shallow.

Don't get me wrong I am all for praising Prince... his stuff pre 1996 is the best ever, but it's personal to me and describing how much I like it looks a bit stupid when I write it down, so I don't. The whole point of music is that is causes a reaction that is not quite ever accuratley describable... so I just don't bother.

But when I hear Rainbow Children I shudder. It's so obviously musically / lyrically pretentious it doesnt even bear contemplating. Now this LP is a Jazz-orientated affair. If u cant see that then u need some basic music lesson. Prince comes out and sayd that his new LP Rainbow Children is the best ever blahblahblah... whateva... let us decide! he keeps going on about keeping an open mind yet he's tryna tell what to think...

I could write about this for a long time but I am even beginning to bore myself, suffice to say if u wanna listen to a major recording artist go Jazz listen to the last 2 Radiohead albums, some brilliance and some pretentious rubbish.

Point 2: The NPGMC
It's a rip-off. Plain and simple. But Prince fans will continue to be members.

Why?

Because hope... We hope for some amazing bit of music to come along and get in tandem with our senses. Just like it used to be. That's the thing with his music, its gets to u like no-one else does and we want more.

Prince has probably released as much music in the past 4 years as he did from purple rain to lovesexy.

Which set of discs would u prefer?

Purple Rain to Lovesexy

or Rave, ONA, TRC and NPGMC music year 1

I know I am being ripped off but I will still jion next year. Bcuz I hope... Bcuz I actually have dreams where I dream of Prince doing new amazing stuff better than any of his previous stuff and its brilliant. I wake up singing a tune that I dreamt and the next day I have forgotten it.

We all hope, we all join. We r all disappointed, we all complain. (Except the rainbow children fans and the ones who actually like the Year 1 downloads)


Point 3: Taking the p***
Prince does take the p***: Chaos and Disorder; Girl 6; The Vault... total cost £39 (all 12.99 each when they came out)

Point 4: Shut up Persian.

getwild007 said:

I agree with u. theres much 2 much negativity about prince on here. however, i feel since i started posting in feb. 02 it HAS improved a bit. back then, there was sooo much criticism about prince, i just felt very bad 4 him. but no one wants HIM to criticize the fams, among many other demands they make on him, and if he has a paisley party, if he DOESNT jam, it gets REAL BAD with the criticism. now, if he doesnt have any, who's to blame? hmmm? it's ALWAYS cool to hear him praised, but on the other hand, i think prince xpects us 2 offer our ideas about the club and his music, as it is a wise business/career move to listen to the fans for any artist, and then, as always, he makes the final decisions. also, i have observed a big change in the way the orgers converse. there IS very definately LESS name calling, & being overly critical to any ones opinion. arguments do ensue, and is xpected on a forum such as this as ppl vary in their opinions, but i feel it is much more civilized. i can remember when i would b shocked at some xchange of words between the orgers back in feb/mar. 02, i.e. when kellyanne etc. was here. it's ok 4 ppl to differ, but it SHOULD b done with decency, and respect. there is REAL HUMAN behind the screen...