Okay. First off, I am NEW at this being a fan of Prince thing compared to probably most people on here. I'm 17! I started liking him when I heard Purple Rain playing on the radio. Which, looking back, is kinda freakish, cuz I've never heard them play it (or anything else of his) again, and I first heard it 3 years ago!

ANYWAYS, my question is for any of the younger fans on here (or anyone, really) Have you ever had the experience of casually mentioning Prince to your friends, and they look at you like "Huh? Who the hell is Prince?" Cuz I have. Sometimes, I've tried to clarify who I mean. Once in a blue moon, if I mention "Kiss" or "1999" they'll have a vague idea of who I'm talking about. The only people my age I've run into who know who he is are in the Dance program at my school.

I've also noticed that in a lot of teen-girl type mags, there will be a completely random reference to Prince somewhere (usually in the makeup section. Hmmm..) that the majority of the readers wouldn't get.

I just find it unbelievable that, with the number of popular singers and bands that teens listen to that cite Prince as an inspiration or an idol of theirs, more people my age wouldn't at least have a clue who he is.

Hey, oohh I can defintly relate to this! I wouldn't call myself a "new" fan, but I'm young and a lot of my friends on the same age as me, don't know him!!! It kind of freaks me out, coz they dont know what they're miss out on.. Most teenagers today doesn't dig' REAL music! HOWEVER all of my friends etc. knows "Most Beautiful Girl In The World" (Which I dont think is one of his best)... Whenever I tell my friends that I'm a huge 80's freak & into funk & Rock, they look at me as if I was some weirdo !! - Particularly around the time Prince was touring EUROPE, all of my friends thought I was crazy, coz I just had to get tickets 4 the show, they were REALLY shocked when they heard how much I paid for the tickets (125$ x 2) but I think the realized how much Prince meant to me and other hardcore fans and they kind of have a lot more respect for him now!!!

Last week I told most of my friends that I'd might be going to PAISLEY PARK (Celebration 2003) (of course I had to explain what it was and where it was and what the hell this "Celebration" was all about) When I told them how much it probably would cost they looked really surprised at me!!

In a way I dont really care if most teenagers dont know what real music is!! They'll hopefully discover it at some point in their life. Either you LOVE Prince or you HATE him (Of course I wish people would love him )

His music is great, and its a REAL shame that the younger people don't know his music.. coz it really rocks

meow85 said:

Could it be because those of your age usually listen to the radio and watch MTV for their music? It's almost unheard of for most radio stations to put any new Prince music in their rotation, the same goes for MTV. And since he doesn't have a habit of making videos anymore...mainly what i'm saying is that Prince's career isn't mainstream anymore and what most kids your age like is in the mainstream because its easy to find. But you can hear his old music on radio a lot so then again...that confuses me too.

I myself have been a fan since the ripe young age of oh... say... about 10 or 11.

Real big fan since about 14. I'm 19 now.

Most people I talk to recognize Prince to some extent. They say things like:

"What a fag"
"The 80s Sucked"
"He had like, 2 good songs"
"Kiss was ok"
"Do you like Michael Jackson too?"
"Hey, I have a brother who likes Prince too."
"Don't have to be beautiful... to be my girl, hahah, I'm so funny."
"Don't have to look wonderful...to fool my curls."

et cetera et cetera.

I have turned on several people to his music as well. If I just play and album of his, I guarantee they'll hate it. So what I do, is make mixes of all sorts of stuff. I throw in 3-4 songs that I know they'll recognize and love, and start off the CD with one of these. For example: My latest creation starts out with "Island in the Sun" by "Weezer". This makes the person go "wow, I love this", and proceed to crank it. Then slowly, I immerse them into a kaleidoscopic experience of music. My latest endeavour saw the incorporation of the likes of Frank Zappa, David Bowie, Miles Davis, Funkadelic, Victor Wooten, Chris Isaak, Hawksley Workman and a few others. About 1/3 of the music is Prince. When so many genres hit them in the face, they don't know which artist is which, so they quit trying to judge and just listen. I keep an eye out for what they like, and make future mix CDs to cater to their needs. After a short period of time, I mention that, hey "that solo was Prince", or "what'd you think of this song?". Before you know it, they are leery, but open to other music. Eventually I get to give them a CD with nothing but Prince. soon, they're buying their own Prince albums, and loving it.

I've had great success to date. Some people now own almost as much as me now! One friend of mine, he's a devout protestant who was taught that Prince's music is sinful. lol, It's taken a few years to open his mind, but he's starting to crack now. He was too smart to fall for my throwing in Prince songs into mixes, so I stop exposing him to Prince altogether, and just played other music for him. After a while, he forgot about what I used to do, and the other day, I got a comment from him on Prince's music while it was playing. "Man, where do you find this AWESOME music?!?"

lol. They'll all break eventually. It just takes dedication.

hi meow welcome 2 the Org...

i know all what u r saying .. . . i get it when i say i like prince,ppl our age have no idea & cant be stuffed getting 2 know how amazing & what a genius he is.
"What a fag"
"The 80s Sucked"
"He had like, 2 good songs"
"Kiss was ok"
"Do you like Michael Jackson too?"
yeah these r so true, . . .u get that whne ur a Prince fan our age . .. .i got in2 prince,this will sound odd,but back when i was a huge teenybopper & loved Britney,i read an interview where she sed her first album was purpleRain & she mentioned some of his music she liked . . ..i loved the stuff i heard on radio,so i bought Hits/B*Sides,& the rest his History! that was mid-1999, . . . .when i started hearing his live stuff,it really hit me what a genius & star he is,& reading about him,learning about him,its a beautiful thing.
so u cant say all teen pop is evil,cos if it wasnt 4 me reading that britney interview,i wouldnt b here & wouldnt be a fam of the wildest musician we have ever seen

ok ok so im going on abit . . . . .in short,if ppl can be stuffed 2 take time out 2 recognise P,that is great . . . .if they cant,PFFT!... their loss!
it is odd isnt it...jay z & beyonce put out a piece of crap that goes wild on the charts,the kids buy it up . . .. . they wouldnt even know that it uses 4 lines from a PRINCE song,& the fact Missy mentions Prince's name in Work It,heck even an impersonator in the video . . . u dont do that kinda thing if ur not inspired by the aritst in some way . . . .if it were not 4 Prince's inspiration & influence . . . . .

cos Joshy sed so!

meow85 said:

... well we can thank the insipid xcuses posing as artists 2day & the lost sheep that follow & support them 4 that 1. Im sorry 2 preach & judge (what a combo hehe) but it is rather scary what passes 4 music these days ... I mean I know every musical star goes on a personal journey thru recording, rightfully so we all long 4 something affirming... but tell me how is it spiritual or different 4 them... actually how does any of what they do teach any1 anything; if its ALL THE SAME ... so damn what r they bothering 2 sing 4... y dont they just rob a bank, surely they will get the same feeling & pay off but with less torture 4 us lol ... newage statement my ass ... IMO the music of 2day is 1 thing only ... an echoing flop & an answer 2 us of just how backwards we have made r world... hehe

... i think Wolf also has a good point... the universal culture is very visual... & that really hurts the moral aspect of the music industry ... it makes everything much harder 4 people such as Prince, who in fact remain relying on the simple principle of making music (4 that purpose only... well... okay plus a little cash but at least we know HE is more than meets the ) & not on a superficial ‘eye candy’ party 2 get them somewhere... TV is a huge conduit... but 4 the good or bad ... I think i will let u decide. I just hope soon enough people really start 2 think that thru a little deeper, thats if they want good music 2 survive!!

it kills me how people use the word “music” so freely ... which is rather funny since they normally have NO interest of anything beyond a commercial resolve ... it is so true that MTV & shows that r similar really soil the industry & the mentality of it. Which is why I agree that younger people (even some of my peers, god help em) r desensitized... they were never xpossed (they have 2 research... & that takes brain power so 4get it lol) 2 something that I call ‘real’ music & the old ‘work 2 get 2 the top’ type system/paradigm... so what do we xpect??? ‘Kids’ r now looking 2 Britney Spears types, & when they c them they think that is what they have 2 do 2 b successful... but I mean little do they know that brit probably didnt even make 1 professional choice 2 secure her own career... anyway this means that we probably will b seeing more Britneys & less Princes in yrs 2 come. Yep the ‘beautiful ones’ r surely doomed lol ... I swear ... whats next "Popstar in a bottle cloning" or have we gone that far yet? ... xcuse me well I ...

Anyway sorry 4 the essay... we just better pray that artists who have ‘got it 2gether’ dont quit on us now or the hole purpose of music will b virtually lost...




P.S welcome Meow... i can tell u that u wont have trouble finding fellow felines around who enjoy prince... i just hope u meet the nice 1s like me ... seriously every1 is cool here ... they have 2 b if they dig Prince :p
[This message was edited Tue Jan 14 1:47:10 PST 2003 by harmony]

Im gonna b 19 this year...and have been a Prince fan since late 2000...
One thing thats for sure is the fact that most kids our age have never heard of Prince due to the fact that he no longer produces mainstream material and every teen seems to be tuning in to MTV or the radio for their musical needs.
Here in bright sunny Singapore, there are two major radio stations...PERFECT TEN 98.7 and CLASS 95FM.
This is the situation: the teens tune in to 98.7 for the latest music(Missy Elliot,Britney,etc.)while people like me and well old folks tune in to Class 95 which plays a truckload of Prince songs...Heck they even play Money Dont Matter Tonight once in a while...Class 95 plays a mix of old and new...but emphasizes more on the old material...
So basically teens here can choose to tune in to either station but their mentality is like,"Nah...thats old stuff..." Heck,to them,a month-old song is considered "old news."
I aint criticizing their interests in music but i just wish they'd stop crushing their ears to just pop or rock music today. To me,to totally enjoy the art of music,you need to listen to a whole variety of genres and people.
I listen to Queen(am listenin to A NIGHT AT THE OPERA right now as i type),The Beatles,Pink Floyd,Jimi Hendrix,Led Zeppelin,Coldplay,Radiohead,Miles Davis,Metallica,Stevie Wonder,Dr.Dre,Eminem,Usher,Jamiroquai,(sometimes a lil' Blink 182 for fun) and of course...Prince.
I respect the stuff the teens listen to...but y'know sometimes they gotta explore...and yeah i get the occasional "What a fag" response from friends when i mention Prince...but i just brush it off and let their ears decide for themselves...some of em dont like it and some do...so thats their decision...its cool...but maybe i should adopt that CD-BURNING trick by SAVOIRFAIRE...thats cool dude...

Ecnirp84
Singapore

If it weren't for BATMAN movie.. Prince would have faded into the forgotten sunset with the 20-30 age crowd along time ago as an aging hipster.

Some feel that he needed to get involved with another project that would introduce him to a new generation but with the exception of the barely seen and cancelled "Muppets Tonight in 1997" he hasn't done anything. Party because as they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks and he doesn't follow through to complete any business projects (like Batman) and the future we look to see if he ever gets involved with MTV or the silver screen again.

The answer may lie in what would happen if he did score big with a new generation and who would profit from the demand from his back catalogue.

meow85 said:

Hey there mate. Im only 19 now & I sympathise with what your going through with your mates. The good thing about my mates, I found, was that even though they didnt like Prince, they still liked good music (hence why they were my friends lol) so all I had to do was play them some of Prince best stuff & they were able to agree that, although not their thing, Prince was good . Try that.

Also, at the time, Alicia Keys had just done yet another Prince cover which alerted them to all the great songs he wrote for other people most of which they never knew about. Sinead O Conner - Nothing Compares To You for example.

God bless

Lewis

I'm 22 and love Prince since I was 14...There was an older boy at school who was really kinda cool and he gave me a tape- that was it- here I am ! In the first years I didn't like the funky stuff, I was just listening 2 songs like morning paper and purple rain etc. This time my friends at school were listening 2 Backstreet Boys and f*** like this. If I told them abourt Prince they allways said; "ah the gay one with the high heels..haha"
same today...If I mention Prince even the "older" ppl know only kiss and purple rain...and one of them even thought Prince would be dead:angel:, cuz he didn't bring out something new (he thought) ...

Does'nt bother me cuz I know what I have with his music


live 4 love

Conny

Hey,
I'm 15... been a prince fan since I was 13...

nostalgic bumpies!

i'm 22, but i've been a p freek since i wuz about your age, meow...

Yeah me being a Prince fan is pretty big news for everyone at my school too.

I was talking to a girl about going to see Prince in London this year who thought he was dead.
Everyone thinks that Prince is gay, and some used to wonder if I was aswell just for listening to his music.
And loads of people have me on their phones under Prince, not that I'm obsessed, just cause I'm the only fan!

What annoys me is that I'm in a band at school who won't acknowledge that his music excells. Then again, my guitarist didn't know who James Brown is until a couple of weeks ago!


Mark

I'm 16 and live in Belgium
I became a fan like 3 years ago and now I know realy much about him, have a big collection of his music and was to his concert last year. It is a pitty that the new generation don't really know him ( and if you ask them they say they know only Purple Rain). I got many friends and they all know I'm a fan of Prince, I didn't try to convince someone to become a fan yet but they just don't know what they're missing (I can't imagine now not being a fan).
I think when you know more music by him and know a littlebit more about him you can't just like him a little, he is someone who doesn't have casual fans, but only "hardcore" fans

This is what I have a feeling Im going 2 B known 4 sayin when I mentioned my age, my idol & how long Ive been in2 him...
Ive been N w/ Prince's music (& his looks ) since I was in my momma's womb & Im 19.

Prince cannot B ignored N mi casa

I had a HUGE crush on him when I was in the 6th grade, I was 12 & this was during the GOLD stages...Ive was in heaven watching him perform

I used to watch "UTCM" all the time when I was 9,10,11 & even NOW :LoL:...N E ways, I kinda had my closest girlfriends hooked on that movie & Prince. They R openminded

Me & MY MOTHER had HUGE crushes on Prince during EMANCIPATION ( even though my mother didnt like the way his hair was, we still freeked out over him)...boy, talk about mother daughter experiences!

I have LITERALLY grown up with Prince influence all my life & it started from my mother because she was pregnant w/ me partying 2 HIM!

Dayum! All these youngins...ya'll don't know NOTHIN...

FirstAvenue said:

that's why we look up 2 all u old people...

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

OLD being the key word

Don't feel bad.

I got the same reactions when I was 17 and I'm 27 now.

The album came out my senior year in highschool and that was my first concert I went to as well. Hard to believe it's been 10 years.

I remember getting 3rd row tickets and I couldn't get a date. Girls my age wanted to go see the Pearl Jam show that was going on the same night.

Eventually I ran into a friend who graduated the year before me who dug Prince. Well, I'll just say that our "freindship" blossemed after that. Them shows had that effect to your reproductive organs.

I remember kids my age wanted to listen to morbid alternative music rather than Prince.

Even 10 years ago they only knew of Purple Rain and Kiss.
I think I wore my concert T-shirt one time and got ragged on the entire day.

"Dude!... He's gay!... You should listen to Nirvanna and Primus, that's real music"

crap like that...

I remember the song "7" getting a lot of airplay though.

And the girls knew the words but not who it was.

yamomma said:

oooh...

I'm still reasonably young at 21. I guess I first got into Prince when I was 11 or 12 when my auntie, who was working for WB's, gave me a tape of Diamonds & Pearls. I seem to recall already being aware of Purple Rain, 1999, Kiss etc. prior to that but oddly enough that must have been my first Prince album.

The thing that really got me into Prince though was seeing the video of "Sign O' The Times" on MTV, this being quite a rare occurance, which only added to my curiosity. Asking for "Purple Rain", "The Hits" (1 I think) and "1999" for Xmas was the next step and over the following years I slowly built up my collection.

The NPGMC got my into Prince even more and this place too. Strangely I got into unreleased and live stuff about 1 year ago and consider myself to be quite a big fan, yet still don't own several released Prince records like GB, Batman, Come, Symbol and Emancipation. Kinda like running before u can walk, but to be honest I'm not missing too much without these albums from hearing most of them here and there.

Definitely the whole unreleased thing has made me the Prince fan I am now. There's the obssessive streak right there. I think once u get into that u've got no chance of ever getting out!!!

P.S. I will, of course, get those above mentioned album within the next year or so. I'm just not in a massive hurry. They'll still be around.

No wait, maybe not. Emancipation it seems is out of print.

Anyway, there's so much other stuff to chase and new stuff to get. I'll get the remaining released albums in my own time.

I think the unreleased stuff is able to open up the deepest parts of your obssessive tendancies. I'm sure many a Prince fan has felt almost overwhelmed by this "discovery". It really is quite a big thing to get into, and not something to be done lightheartedly. It can be very frustrating, almost as much as it is rewarding.

I am 33 and when I mention Prince I get the same thing or I get, he is still around has he put anything out lately?. I am like YEAH, and it rocks too!
Keep on keepin on! Have you gone to a celebration at Paisley? If not you should go it is so awesome to be around people who know just what you are talking about.

meow85 said:

well personally, most of my friends know who Prince is. I'm not saying they would recognize any other song than "kiss" , but they are familliar with the name Prince.
Maybe it depends on the area and country you live in.
Anyway, prince was at the center of the stage and at the peeck of his carrer during the 80s, so I'm not surprised if ppl our age don't have a great clue of who he is.. (I'm 18 btw).

CherrieMoonKisses said:

yeah...but at least we experienced more than you did...hehe