Ageism and the attitudes towards Prince


Prince may claim he’s not getting older because he doesn’t believe in time, but let’s face it—The Pope may not believe in evolution, but we all know damned well there’s a monkey somewhere in his distant family tree. Prince is growing older. It’s a natural part of life, and one that we all in our own ways grope with. Some embrace it, some fear it, while others just find ways to cope.
But most of us will factor a person’s age into our overall assessment of a person’s character. For example, a 20 year old binge drinking may be an annoying behavior to many of us, but it’s par for the course at 20. Now a 50 year old binge drinking constantly at parties—well, we’re likely going to judge him different, aren’t we?
Take, for example, Nina Hartley, famous female porn star who made it big mostly during the 80’s. Nina has sucked more cock, had more objects inserted into her vagina, and been fucked by more dudes with bad hairdos than Cher. She’s simply one of the legends of porn. Amanda by Night II lights up the stage in ways that new cats in the porn industry can only hope to do. It’s even far hotter than gay porn. If any of you have seen gay porn, you’ll know that it’s very mechanical, though darned hot. But they’re’s a lot of buttfucking and rimming and whatnot, but it’s woefully inadequate with regards to true ‘emotion’ between the characters. This is often true with straight porn too, but not with some of Hartley’s performances. You actually believe she’s in love in some of her performances.
But now, eligible for senior discounts at movie theaters and museums, Nina has actually continued her porn career. What makes this all the more tragic is that rather than go on and do what she does, she makes the age issue glaringly apparent by her own brand of ‘MILF’ porn and ‘Instructional’ videos. I’ve watched her video ‘How to Make love to a younger man’ or something along those lines, and found her descriptions clinical, patronizing, and a bit disturbing at times. I love her personality, and I love the fact that she delivered a very informative guideline on how to shag a younger dude while dressed in a leather brazier, but I found the overall mood of the performance a bit clinical and uncomfortable—even though she adequately demonstrated that she has not lost the ability to suck cock.

Prince, is like Nina Hartley. He’s become an older father figure now. Unlike Nina, he’s progressed through his career by cleaning up his act. Gone are the really racy performances, the cursing, and the sexual imagery on stage. Now it’s stripped down, highlights the band, and is all about the music. Unfortunately, even the music has become a bit sterile and clinical.
Many folks, including myself sometimes, have complained that Prince went from being the bad boy of Rock & Roll to being some kind of deacon of gospel. That he went from exciting us with new ideas to boring us with lectures and preaching.
While it is true that his preaching methods have become a bit bizaar compared to what we’re used to, it isn’t true that this is necessarily a new thing.
Prince has always preached to us—on Dirty Mind, on Controversy, all throughout his career. He wrote “New Power Generation” from Graffiti Bridge and implored us to join the NPG. ‘Come Join us on the floor’ Prince said asking us to join him in a new way of thinking, vague though that may be.
The difference between the old and new Prince isn’t that he’s preaching anymore than he ever has. The difference is that the subject matter and the fact that it’s now being delivered by an older man. In some ways, Prince is the subject of our own ageism.
Many of us are in our 30s and 40s as fans. We know what it’s like to think we’re no different from the 20 year olds. We still want to get our groove on. But the world labels and judges us regardless. It’s ironic that many of us label and judge Prince based upon a certain sense of ageism as well.
Don’t get me wrong—the Prince of ‘new’ has a lot of other things, to me, that makes him less intriguing than the old Prince. I very much prefer the old Prince. However, his ‘cleaning’ up his act and ‘preaching’ at least to me, is more an issue of fan perception than of him becoming more extreme.

Perhaps Prince could learn a thing or two from Nina Hartley—she’ll be sucking dick to the beat of her own drum and despite disturbing a few folks, entertaining us with her craft for many years to come. She takes artistic risks.




NOTE: Prince impersonator used to prevent any potential cease & desist warnings from the Prince camp.

It angers me when Prince fans complain about the changing morals of Prince. People who don't expand upon and learn from this type of crap either die young or live unnecessarily hard lives.

I didn't read all that, so I don't really know what this thread is all about, but I just wanted to be among the first to jump onboard and say I think I'm gonna really enjoy this thread. Especially if it has more of these fun pictures.

So...you want Prince to teach you how to make love to a younger man?

Interesting thread, interesting comparison even though it does seem a tad far fetched upon first reading but you do make some valid points. I expected a bit more details about the physical aspects, especially coming from you since you seem to know a lot about exercise, cosmetics , nutrition and health, and I´m not saying this sarcastically.
It never ceases to amaze me that one of the most fascinating aspects of Prince besides his music, that is his healthy, young looks and great hair, still seems to be a taboo topic here on the org. Some either say he´s all covered in make-up and wears a hairpiece, others say that he looks like a twenty year old ...both sides tend to extremes but the fact remains that Prince is among a select few celebrities who really look amazingly young for his age, and it rarely gets discussed in a civilized manner here on the org.

I think that if Prince wrote a book about his health secrets, it would really be a bestseller. Kind of like Sylvester Stallone´s book that became a bestseller in 2005, one year before he had his cinematic comeback with Rocky Balboa.

Sure, Stallone is a bit extreme with his botox these days,and yes, he´s using HGH but hey,so what? It still takes a lot of dedication and willpower to achieve what he has achieved physiquewise, HGH or not. You still gotta work hard in order to look that young at the age of 62.

See this link:
http://www.youtube.com/wa...m4B0FWrrD0

Simply amazing.

And the same goes for Prince....doesn´t really matter whether he dyes his hair jetblack or whatever, Prince looks like he´s still in his 30s.

But I digress,your thread is not really about the physical aspects,right?

Imago said:

Whish one are you referring to?

langebleu said:

!!!


langeblue cracked a funny

I am quite sure Prince, along with all the other famous people, have botox and what not to improve their "age." He hasn't however changed his features which is good.

Thank goodness we all grow up and take fewer risks and becomer closer to the purpose of life, because it would be awfully shallow if we all had too young a mind set. I don't see Prince as any different.I think his music has more taste and his outward extrovertness tamed is far better. It's probably because of him that R&B is so sexually explicit. He's a pioneer and the younger generation tend to follow somewhat, even if that may be in a different method/style.

Yes in our forties we'd still like to get our groove on and Chocolate box and dance 4 me are certainly songs in that category. Why does he have to let it all hang out and take risks. I think there's nothing worse than seeing rock stars of 60 or so and still running around pretending they're 30. I find it distasteful. That's what we have the youth for surely Ageing artists should be like ageing wine, more refined with time. That's surely natural law.

Prince is still funky, definitely improved and just as MJ would never reproduce another Thriller album, Prince won't make another Purple Rain. Says nothing about a decreasing quality of the music. Times are different. How many more kids have been born on this planet since 1982. Music evolves just as life, people and the 'scene.' Things will never stay the same, and thank goodness. It would mean that life is standing still.

Maybe you should go and listen to other artists only. You cannot appreciate something day in and day out year after year. It's a natural phenomena that you will get bored. Who wants to eat the same food everyday?

Bohemian67 said:

Actually I go through very long bouts of listening to other artists exclusively and not Prince.

I have several favorite musical acts, Prince being among them, and I tend to put each down for periods of time to experience other things.


I very much like Lotusflow3r, though I don't care for any songs with a preachy element to them--which is very subdued on lotusflow3r. It it dawned on me when listening to some of Prince's older material that he's preachy on those too. I just tolerated it more back then cause I was younger and Prince was younger, and I perceived his religious statements as bold and daring. I think a certain ageism in me is why I'm so intolerant of his more recent religious statements. I thought it would make a decent thread.

Prince and Nina Hartley are actually perfect public figures to do a comparison and contrast of in my opinion.

Good thread. I think some fans need Prince to mentally & spiritually be in the same place he was in 198__ as a weird way of holding onto their own youth.

Frankly, I think MJ tried to live that way and it just became progressively sadder.

That sounds great. You get Prince to start cussing and to jump off a piano. When he hits the floor hard and is writhing around in pain I'll snatch the keys to the Vault! Brilliant!!! Nina can be there indulging the bodyguard for distraction sake.

Imago said:[/quote]
[b]Actually I go through very long bouts of listening to other artists exclusively and not Prince.

I have several favorite musical acts, Prince being among them, and I tend to put each down for periods of time to experience other things.

I very much like Lotusflow3r, though I don't care for any songs with a preachy element to them--which is very subdued on lotusflow3r. It it dawned on me when listening to some of Prince's older material that he's preachy on those too. I just tolerated it more back then cause I was younger and Prince was younger, and I perceived his religious statements as bold and daring. I think a certain ageism in me is why I'm so intolerant of his more recent religious statements. I thought it would make a decent thread.

Prince and Nina Hartley are actually perfect public figures to do a comparison and contrast of in my opinion.[/quote]


I don't have lotusflower yet. I just invested in a catch up of the last 14 years so have more than enough candy for now. Your thread is fine. I don't know the female artist though and I'm not into porn. Though Prince used to be explicit I wouldn't compare with someone like that though.

When it comes to preaching in a song. It doesn't bother me at all if it makes me think. But it also depends on the song. Sometimes i like a song because the music grabs me and less the lyrics and sometimes it vice versa. There could be a song with preaching which I don't like but it's probably gonna have more to do with the music itself than the words. I suppose the music comes first for me. It's an aded extra when the lyrics match the tune or even outdo it.

As I'm catching up with listening, I don't feel that having aged I listen to Prince differently. Yes I could take the rock better in younger days, but then Batman of then was on screen and Purple rain was just a perfect form of art in every way. I am happier than in my absence Prince has moved into more refined styles. I don't have the Rainbow children yet I've heard that's jazzy. I'm sure I'll like it. From what I've heard so far, I'm very happy, though I do agree with some that funking it up here and there wouldn't be a bad thing.

My sister regularly sends me christian preacy music which can be quite heavy musically sometimes, so no reason why Prince's can't preach in a wilder setting, but as I said, so far I'm happy. It has probably been the absence though and having listened only to other artists that I can return and once again appreciate. Thanks for your post.
[Edited 9/19/09 6:08am]
[Edited 9/19/09 6:08am]

Yeah u get old and learn but still live ur way or the way that was shown 2 u!

Bohemian67 said:

[b]Actually I go through very long bouts of listening to other artists exclusively and not Prince.

I have several favorite musical acts, Prince being among them, and I tend to put each down for periods of time to experience other things.

I very much like Lotusflow3r, though I don't care for any songs with a preachy element to them--which is very subdued on lotusflow3r. It it dawned on me when listening to some of Prince's older material that he's preachy on those too. I just tolerated it more back then cause I was younger and Prince was younger, and I perceived his religious statements as bold and daring. I think a certain ageism in me is why I'm so intolerant of his more recent religious statements. I thought it would make a decent thread.

Prince and Nina Hartley are actually perfect public figures to do a comparison and contrast of in my opinion.[/quote]


I don't have lotusflower yet. I just invested in a catch up of the last 14 years so have more than enough candy for now. Your thread is fine. I don't know the female artist though and I'm not into porn. Though Prince used to be explicit I wouldn't compare with someone like that though.

When it comes to preaching in a song. It doesn't bother me at all if it makes me think. But it also depends on the song. Sometimes i like a song because the music grabs me and less the lyrics and sometimes it vice versa. There could be a song with preaching which I don't like but it's probably gonna have more to do with the music itself than the words. I suppose the music comes first for me. It's an aded extra when the lyrics match the tune or even outdo it.

As I'm catching up with listening, I don't feel that having aged I listen to Prince differently. Yes I could take the rock better in younger days, but then Batman of then was on screen and Purple rain was just a perfect form of art in every way. I am happier than in my absence Prince has moved into more refined styles. I don't have the Rainbow children yet I've heard that's jazzy. I'm sure I'll like it. From what I've heard so far, I'm very happy, though I do agree with some that funking it up here and there wouldn't be a bad thing.

My sister regularly sends me christian preacy music which can be quite heavy musically sometimes, so no reason why Prince's can't preach in a wilder setting, but as I said, so far I'm happy. It has probably been the absence though and having listened only to other artists that I can return and once again appreciate. Thanks for your post.
[Edited 9/19/09 6:08am]
[Edited 9/19/09 6:08am]
[/quote]

great post

Mars23 said:

Oh Shit !

Dayclear said:

When Prince comments on not aging, he comes off as insecure about aging, which is completely normal because he's no different from any of us in that dept. We also cant fathom how so much more important youth is and ageism is commonplace, the entertainment industry is notorious for it.Princes "return"in 04'contained an underbelly of acceptance by youngsters who admired his ageless appearance, it also confirmed those of us in "generation me" who are contributing in the (in recession times) boom in products (supplements, cremes, assorted crap) all geared to create the myth of immortality. Had Musicology been a stronger album (most real prince observers found it pedestrian) and Prince was 20lbs heavier and rockin some gray he would have found it hard to get a label pick it up. Prince, like no other performer is in the damn if you do damn if you dont catagory. He wants to project maintained virility but his maturity wont allow him to sing about being horny. He wants to rock hornrimmed specs and rap about deep shit with Tavis and Cornel West but he cant stay away from patent leather stilleto's. Obviously he wants mature relationships, but they all just happen to be with stunning exotic children young enough to be his daughter.Claiming to be mature yet not kicking it with any woman within 10 years of your core audiance is telling. He is still human, but as a writer he cant merge his faith with being horny or liking the above mentioned girls, he cant produce anything provacative enough to gain the attention of the sex sells music model he helped create. I am personally proud of him, because as my guy he has maintained a degree of dignity and class. at 13 i needed him to say certain things because i was trying to deal with what i was feeling and find access to pussy, most of us dont need that now-i just need him to keep it pimpin and play a mean axe. We out here in the real world are struggling with the passage of time, as we come up with more names like MILF and Cougar to ward off our fears and assert the right to stay sexy. I dont mind Prince being conflicted, he always has been and that is what makes him an original. I on the otherhand will sometimes dye, sometimes wear the gray, sometimes scoff at the kids, sometimes watch porn, sometimes long for the old prince, and sometimes be happy he's not trying to do the splits in assless pants.

dreamshaman32 said:

Great post !
[Edited 9/21/09 4:17am]