I want to hear your stories on how you first heard Prince and progressed to the fan you are today. I'll start.

I first heard Prince in 2002, I was 13. My sister came into town and played Peach for me. Being the 13 year old rebelious shit I was, I told her Prince is gay and she needs to listen to good music like Insane Clown Posse... boy was I wrong. In 2006, I stumbled across 2 Prince songs she had left on my computer, Blue Light and Sexy MF. So I threw them on my mp3 player and to my suprise I couldn't stop listening to them. So I went to the Wrecka Stoe and bought the Love Symbol album. After having it on consatant repeat I decided I wanted to hear some recent Prince, so I went back and got 3121. To this day 3121, is probably my facorite Prince album. The rest is history, I continued buying Prince albums until there wasn't any left to buy. (For the record I have every Prince CD except, Goldnigga, Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic, and One Night Alone [studio version]) I even have an entire corner of my room dedicated to Prince LP's. All in frames, I have For You, Prince (sealed), Controversy, 1999, 1999 Single, Purple Rain, Purple Rain Single Purple 45, Pop Life Single, ATWIAD, Sign O The Times, and The Black Album (sealed). Recently I've been listening to Graffiti Bridge alot, and Crimson & Clover.... So what's ya story?

I was 4 when Purple Rain came out, and my parents had the movie on Laserdisc (you are too young to have lived with those DieLon). I always knew who Prince was, and when I was 12 my friend and I both started buying Prince tapes and cds. At the time (1992-3), there were already so many Prince albums available that it became sort of a thing to get all of the Prince albums.
Like you DieLon, by first album was . To this day, it holds a special value to me that no other Prince album will ever have.
I got out of listening to Prince for a couple of years earlier in the decade. I spent the ages of 20 and 21 going through that "hating the world" phase that I avoided in high school. Through those years, I sort of moved away from all of the things I liked during my earlier years. However, in March of 2002, I got a call from a friend asking me if I wanted to go see the One Night Alone show in Cleveland. I hadn't seen a Prince show in a couple of years, so I said why not. I had a great time and my love for Prince's music was reawakened, never again to go away.

Hopefully you will get to see a live show, if you haven't already.

Darwintheorgangrinder said:

Never got to see a live show. I would have loved to see him in the 80s though. I was born when the Batman soundtrack came out though. I remember laserdiscs! I never owned them, but I do remember seeing them at the video store when I was renting tapes!

My Purple Crush.

Sentimental is where I must begin.
April 9th 2008 marks a 25-year anniversary of the day I had the pleasure to encounter Prince on the Cleveland Colleseum Stage.
This story will be missing details that are solely personal 2 me, such as the moving emotions I was experiencing at the time.
I was definitely new 2 love, when Prince had to walk into my life shirtless for the second time.
The first time being 1979 when "I wanna be your lover" was taking over the airwaves, and the "Prince," album cover was taking over my heart.
"I had to have a plan...to meet this man."
I mentioned to my friends that it would happen.
As I turned fourteen and now the owner of, "For You," as well as "Controversy," and "Dirty Mind," I was still falling 4 my purple crush.
I was sixteen when I heard that "1999" was coming to town and I had purchased my tickets.
A photographer friend of mine took pictures of my tickets, and another friend of mine, Kurt, and I went to the show April 9th, 1983.
I had the 8x10 in an envelope marked, "What's the hang-up? What's the scam? I guess you think I'm just another one of your fans." ....."Well, I'm not, so don't treat me like one."
And a red rose.
I wrote a hello letter 2 Prince, and a poem or two, that I barely remember.
I believe I gave my envelope to "Chick," however if I hadn't, I had met him backstage.
Within a half an hour of giving this photo to security, I was escorted backstage and to the right wing.
"Vanity-6" was on stage and I sat comfortably on a road case alone.
Prince came to me with a guitar in hand. And shirtless.
Prince came nearer to me and whispered, "Thank you for the rose."
I froze.
I smiled I hope, and said nothing.
Prince finished the song and softly left the stage.
"The Time," came up the stairs, I said, "Hello" to the members as "Vanity-6" were leaving the stage and "The Time," were going on stage. I remember dancing a few minutes before I was escorted back to my 12th row floor seats , but somehow I remember watching the show from the second row.
Prince doesn't know this but I went back to my seat and broke out in hives for two days. I was watching the concert itching with white welts all over.
I wonder if I'm still allergic to him. That's nothing but, "rash," behavior.
Anyway, that was twenty-five years ago.
A rose 4 a rose, I thought.
Prince is a beautiful guy.
I remember telling the story to a DJ friend of mine, Todd Zilla, and he was funny to say to me in his cute southern accent..."You had it all planned out, didn't you?, you just didn't figure out what you were gonna say."
And that is the funny truth. I guess my plan worked out, kind of.
I should have conjured up running away with him 2, and maybe that could have come true. I had just turned seventeen two days prior.
I have a feeling Prince assumed I was illegal, although I knew nothing of statutory laws at that age...I was just chasing after my purple crush. I loved him. And I still do.
Twenty-five years later.
When I originally wrote this in April of this year 2 post here, I had myself convinced that it was a Sunday night...I found my tickets recently and it was a Saturday...Anyway...After I was escorted back 2 my seat, I felt that I was treated very kindly, and I knew nothing about using a backstage pass 2 return backstage 2 say goodbye 2 Prince...I wish I would have, however, knowing how concerts are now...Prince was probably gone in 60 seconds ya know.


Tame

Tame said:

Very nice.

When doves cry video 1983. Went to see 'Purple rain', Hooked ever since.

Dayclear said:

Pretty much the same...my God was it 25 years ago..

Joyinrepatition said:

U ppl are old I kida I kida

I,ve liked Prince music since I was a dot
but only got to find out what it was in 83 I was 10
LRC, 1999, Automatic where on a show in Ireland called MTUSA
These Looked like every concert I imagined in my Head with a crafts-man in charge. I use to get pocket-money and Ispent half on sweets and saved the other half ,as my mammy said to buy something important.
1 day I emptied my piggy-bank and went to the shopping centre with my mom and as my younger brother played on a swing I asked to go to the record shop, which I often went to, so I could look at the cool album covers. My mam nearly killed me when I got back to her with 1999 the album in a bag.
I got the lecture about how my money was to be spent on something important, and of course I said This Is Important.
I've never looked back
D-Man 4ever.