Why is Prince driving wedges between his fans? Am I missing something? I'm asking people out there to either tell me why they or agree, or maybe convince me why I have it all wrong.

Why is Prince driving wedges between his fans? Am I missing something? I'm asking people out there to either tell me why they or agree, or maybe convince me why I have it all wrong.

manci said:

People change. I'm not the same person I was in 98... nor are most of my friends. Lamenting it certainly won't help. As long as one uderstands that change is part of life, you don't expect people to conform to how they were in previous times, that wouldn't be fair to them and whatevers going on in their worlds. We all take the paths that seem the most rational to us at any given moment.

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since I've posted anything... Have been around hardcore since the days of the PML in 1993 or so. Over the years, I've grown closer to and then further way from Prince and his music as actions have dictated. I remember the golden years of 1993 to 1996 or so...when he was fighting WB and the fans really felt like they were a part of something special. We felt like our support made a difference somehow.

That began to end around 1998 or so...soon after LG got involved with Prince's world and all of the sudden, instead of singing about how "black, white, Puerto Rican, everybody just-a-freakin'," I was was hearing him sing about "every snow flake in an avalanche," and wondering "when will we be paid?" Instead of singing about unity, he seemed to be driving wedges, however unintentional it may have been. So, by 2001, I drifted away from the man and the music.

Around 2003, it seemed like he had found his groove again, at least to some extent, and I have really enjoyed his music as of late again. But I still feel distance from the man himself, which is sad to me, because my wife and I spent a lot of time in front rows, at after parties, and even at Paisley Park during the 2000 Celebration...she even was on stage dancing at the Northrup gig. I haven't checked prince.org or HG for a while.

As I said before...for a long time, it felt like the fans were actually a part of the revolution. Now it feels like that if you aren't playing into his world exactly how he wants it, he'll shut you down and sue you.

Why is Prince driving wedges between his fans? Am I missing something? I'm asking people out there to either tell me why they or agree, or maybe convince me why I have it all wrong.

-Jaysen (manci)
[Edited 2/15/09 19:56pm]

manci said:

People change. I'm not the same person I was in 98... nor are most of my friends. Lamenting it certainly won't help. As long as one uderstands that change is part of life, you don't expect people to conform to how they were in previous times, that wouldn't be fair to them and whatevers going on in their worlds. We all take the paths that seem the most rational to us at any given moment.

When I read you saying things like, "...But I still feel distance from the man himself.." it strikes me as off, because any "closeness" you actually have to Prince is simply your perception. Maybe his art doesn't touch you like it once did, but it is not a friendship...it is simply fandom.

Again, it's music and art...very powerful things, but I raise and eyebrow at any fan who starts letting what Prince does or does not affect their actual personal life. [/b]
[Edited 2/15/09 21:34pm]

With that said, I must ask, and I'm not trying to be nasty in asking this, but why does it matter what Prince does for the fanbase? To me, all that matters is whether or not he's going to come out with a new CD or not and if he's going to tour, when and where is he going to play? That's just me but why do you need anymore than that?

Keeping the party moving is his one and only duty. He's got the right to set bounderies when it comes to his music and his personal life. The fans that can't deal with that should just step off just like you did Manci.

Don't let it get to u too much manci.
Cute name btw, manci

I guess we all have times in our life where we want to reach back when we felt we were a part of something and bring it with us...in a sense we do...But today is today and we have to take it for what it is.

I didn't mean "closeness" in the delusional sense. I meant closeness to the man's ideals and things that he preached in his music. But I can understand why you might have taken it a different way...

purplecam said:

When I say that he is driving a wedge between his fans, I am also referring to songs like "When Will We Be Paid," and "Avalanche." Compare those to "Uptown," and there is a huge gulf between the ideas presented. I can understand the business decisions more, even if I don't agree with them. It's the ideals that have caused me to pay less attention to prince.org, etc.

Let me give you an example. I was at a concert a few years back, and I (a white dude) sat down next to this black dude. And we started talking about the music and how it brings people together. We hit it off really well. And then Prince comes on and plays "When Will We Be Paid," and I remember me and my new found friend just kind of looked at each other uneasily and didn't say much at all after that. Uptown was a uniter. WWWBP was a divider. And his interviews during that period of time were quite disparaging also...

Granted, he has eased up on this kind of talk lately, but it still lingers.

3. too much drugs.

lezama said:

Thanks. I've had that name going strong since 1996... Can anyone guess where it comes from? I'll give you a hint...it is Prince related, and stems from something that happened in 1996.

manci said:

Emancipation?

JayJai said:

You got it.