I really don't think Prince actually cares about art or creating a lasting body of great work. He's more about his own ego than anything else. You see someone like Bob Dylan, who is in his sixties, but the guy keeps cranking out amazing work. Work even better than his sixties stuff, which is amazing. This would be like the Sex Pistols putting out a new disk better than Never Mind The Bollocks. Prince is about getting on the radio and selling out concerts. He knows radio won't play him but doesn't give up. His ego can't take it. In my view it is better to be great then to sell records. He used to do both. He needs to remember what made him great and stick to that:

1.Weirdness as a virtue. Put it in the music, not just your life.

2. Original melodies, not watered down Hendrix or James Brown cops.

3. Amazing lyrics, not b-boy schlock.

4. Genius drum programs, not Casio on stun.

5. The amazing use of backing vocals as full bodied choir.

6. The Verse, chorus interplay of his genius stuff.

Get with it Prince, you are embarrasing me..lol

2freaky4church1 said:

That's not really true. Prince has long said he doesn't care about radio, and really doesn't even try to get a song on the radio. It's a 50/50 shot if he makes a video for a song and even attempts to give it to a station that will play it; same with a single. Sure promo singles might be sent out, but radio stations don't care. Sending out a promo single is just part of the business. It doesn't mean he's trying to nudge a General Manager into playing his track.

He made two videos from the Lotusfuck3r set, didn't release them to anyone except site members, successfully pulled them from YouTube and other places, throwing a fit to keep his "control" intact, rather than understand what free promotion and word of mouth is all about. Once the videos did come out a bit more, no one gave a shit.

Every artist wants to sell out a tour. That's not a Prince thing, that's a musician thing.

Every artist wants to sell records. No one releases anything in hopes of it being a flop. The fact that Prince 'was taken care of' for his Target venture shows that he is about the bottom line. He had a #2 record w/ that drivel, so someone bought it. There's no harm in an artist wanting to sell music and make a living. It's just when the music is crap that there is a problem (and another thread).

What made Prince great still keeps him great in the annals of history. But what makes Prince "Prince" now is $$$$.

Nobody climbs to the heights Prince has without a massive ego. Nobody.

Genesia said:

Very true. And if he was really into getting radio play he'd pay like everyone else.

He said himself that he wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think he was bad. As far as I'm concerned he still is.

Come on...Prince is an artist, it is obvious he cares about style and delivery...God has obviously touched Prince's life with a beautiful nature...genius is somewhat superficial in comparison to blessed.

2freaky4church1 said:

You could always, you know, stop being a Prince fan. Or make a shirt that says "1978-1988" or some shit like that. And it's definitely a big ol' pile of your opinion that Bob Dylan is better now than in his hey day.

2freaky4church1 said:

Bob Dylan´s ego is probably about as huge as Prince´s.

skywalker said:

2freaky4church1 said:

He's more about his own ego than anything else. - somewhat like you and this thread

Genesia said:

You're dead wrong. He came to that heights thanks to his talent, and despite his ego.

MuyMalaPersona said:

Wrong. There are countless uber-talented people in this world who never make it because they lack the drive. The drive to develop their talent. The drive to make it known to the world.

That drive has a name - it's ego. It means you always think you're the shit - even when nobody else does. And you're by-god going to prove it.

If Prince didn't have that, he'd be just another no-name slob living in Minneapolis, working for Best Buy or Target during the day, trying to gig at night, and freezing his ass off nine months out of the year.

Genesia said:

You can make it to the top if you got some of these (not necesary all):
talent,charisma,image,confidence,"market flexibility", and yes some luck.
Big ego is more of a problem than a help, at least at Prince's egocentrism levels.

MuyMalaPersona said:

That's totally wrong. He wasn't some humble little boy making his way in the world of music, sex, God, et al. You don't get onstage and hump the fuck out of a bed, or a girl, without having an ego. You don't ask a new band member to get on their knees and simulate oral sex during a guitar solo, or to sing into your phallic shaped, crotch-oriented, microphone w/o having some ego to do so.

You don't use the godlike term "I am music", and not have an ego. Of course Lucifer had the same attitude, and look where it got him. (And he was an angel of music, by the way.)

Yeah, Prince has ego, AND talent. In music, they go hand in hand.

You are confusing self confidence or 'attitude' with egocentrism.
Egocentrism is a problem because it means you can't get into other people thinking neither get advice, so you limit yourself drastically and you will probably market yourself the wrong way.
His genius/ego helped him to create his own original musical universe, no doubt.
But he should have been much bigger than he is today, according to his talent.

MuyMalaPersona said:

Sweetie, I'm a grown man. I'm not confused about anything. My point stands.