waynemusic1 said:

Growing up in the eighties,MJ was that entertainer that everyone in 1983 wanted to emulate, but I at that time was a young teen venturing into writing music and playing instruments and performing in local talent showcases,and came across Prince/The Time and Vanity Six in 1981..What Prince was doing at the time,many said wouldn't last and that he wouldn't have longevity...Nothing against MJ,who is still a great inspiriration to me,but Prince just took it all to another level..Look back from teh first project and even being booed opening up for the Rolling Stones,I remeber Mick Jagger in an interview at one the those concerts stating that he was ashamed that their fanbase booed Prince and that he was going on to do big things in his career and Mick even stated that Prince may be just as big as them..Wow,what a difference 30 years has made in Prince's career!

Looking back in the eighties,Prince pushed things like Maxi singles(Remixes),b-sides,pseudo production and writing credits,afterparty mini-concerts,album releases almost every year in the eighties,and beautiful women in music,not only was he the most versatile,but had a beauty that always stood out!!

Innovator,and No disrespect to James Brown,who also was one of my inspiration,but Prince has and still is the hardest working artist in show business..No disrespect to Ray Charles,Frank Zappa and Todd Rundgren, who i believe before Prince,were the most versatile for their eras,but Prince to me is the most versatile artist of our times...He is the true ARTIST,no matter the legal mumble jumble,Prince was blessed to always come through on top!!! God Be with him...

My first memory of Prince was when he performed I Wanna Be Your Lover on American Bandstand. I was 7 at the time but what stood out was that my parents thought he was blowing off Dick Clark. Flash forward to 1983. Now I'm age 11 and more into music. My brother and I were in the car with my dad and 1999 came on the radio. We asked him to turn it up and instead, he started to preach about the meaning of the song (he's a preacher) and turned the channel. Next year, of course, was the huge year. With my allowance, I bought the 12" single for Let's Go Crazy. Upon hearing the b-side, my parents destroyed the LP. From that point on, I was hooked. Prince guided me through puberty, helped me get girlfriends, inspired me by his skills, words, and songs.

computerblue72 said:

My first memory of Prince was when he performed I Wanna Be Your Lover on American Bandstand. I was 7 at the time but what stood out was that my parents thought he was blowing off Dick Clark. Flash forward to 1983. Now I'm age 11 and more into music. My brother and I were in the car with my dad and 1999 came on the radio. We asked him to turn it up and instead, he started to preach about the meaning of the song (he's a preacher) and turned the channel. Next year, of course, was the huge year. With my allowance, I bought the 12" single for Let's Go Crazy. Upon hearing the b-side, my parents destroyed the LP. From that point on, I was hooked. Prince guided me through puberty, helped me get girlfriends, inspired me by his skills, words, and songs.

I learned some extreme vocabulary from him that's for sure

chocolate1 said:

Bulldog said:

It's okay, that's why we're here....to school U!!

(the ones who want to listen and not try to know more than us old-heads )

I'm a listener.

i didn't like prince at all

i was about 14 & saw when doves cry vid when it was released in uk. all i could think was how puny he was.. 'u & i engaged in a kiss..blah.. can u picture this?' i was like NO THANKS!

then i decided he was a cheezy american trying to be a new romantic

when he climbed out the bath i thought i'd get an eyeful of skinny dick, it was a bit scary.

then the lyrics about animals striking curious poses, he lost me there, i decided he was creepy & weird.

around this time all the pop mags were dedicating posters of him.. i thought he was very girly & had a nerve to call himself prince.. it was like this bloke was so vain, his fans were his public/servants/subjects/minions

i have a memory of showing my mum a poster, where he's clutching a flower in white cotton ruffles, looking all sultry. i asked her if she could fancy him what i find very funny is i recall her studying his face.. she didn't say yes, but she didn't say no either!

later i vaguely remember purple rain & then fell in love with the hits that followed, lrc, raspberry beret, great videos. great songs but although i didn't get prince

i noticed he danced very well .. then met my husband when i was 16, he was a big fan, i couldn't get my head round that..

then came sott era.

i have to say sign of the times had my heart pounding, it was nothing like i ever heard... he had cat's amazing dancing & sheena easton! u got the look

i wasn't rich enough to buy the album back then & when i did have the cash i bought lovesexy album which killed both mine & husbands enthusiasm

so that is as far as my love went until 2007 & 21 nights at the o2. ever since making up 4 lost time, checking out purple beauty

[Edited 1/30/11 2:08am]

Bulldog said:

Tremolina said:

Interesting, honest post. You shouldn't try and make your son "get it". You know it doesn't work like that. You either get it or you don't. Also, some first don't get it, but later do. Just let him know the music is there, he will go and discover it on its own one day.

My (12yr) son knows I'm a huge fan. He likes Kiss and Housequake. But, he's not ready for the entire experience. He's likes The Time also. I'm saving all my video clips and core 80's material for when he's a little older. He can't get past the "Glam" just yet to appreciate the musicianship. I play a lot of the songs in the car, just to get his ears interested first. I don't tell him who it is....

Cool.

PurpleLove7 said:

Tremolina said:

Interesting, honest post. You shouldn't try and make your son "get it". You know it doesn't work like that. You either get it or you don't. Also, some first don't get it, but later do. Just let him know the music is there, he will go and discover it on its own one day.

I was one of the many that didn't 'get it' until 1996 ... LoL

My son loves MJ ...

I had known Prince since Purple Rain and Kiss, but didn't start to 'get it' untill LoveSexy came out and my brother had me listen to the concert in Dortmund that Prince broadcasted live on radio and TV in the summer of 88.

It took a while to get IN to it, but it was his musicanship, especially his guitar soul and skills as well as his singing, followed later by the enormous variety and quality of his songs, as well as his excellent showmanship that did it for me. The man really has 'it'.

purplecam said:

I didn't become a die-hard fan until I was 12.

I always knew, you and I had to have SOMETHING in common

DoffieParker said:

i didn't like prince at all

i was about 14 & saw when doves cry vid when it was released in uk. all i could think was how puny he was.. 'u & i engaged in a kiss..blah.. can u picture this?' i was like NO THANKS!

then i decided he was a cheezy american trying to be a new romantic

when he climbed out the bath i thought i'd get an eyeful of skinny dick, it was a bit scary.

then the lyrics about animals striking curious poses, he lost me there, i decided he was creepy & weird.

around this time all the pop mags were dedicating posters of him.. i thought he was very girly & had a nerve to call himself prince.. it was like this bloke was so vain, his fans were his public/servants/subjects/minions

i have a memory of showing my mum a poster, where he's clutching a flower in white cotton ruffles, looking all sultry. i asked her if she could fancy him what i find very funny is i recall her studying his face.. she didn't say yes, but she didn't say no either!

later i vaguely remember purple rain & then fell in love with the hits that followed, lrc, raspberry beret, great videos. great songs but although i didn't get prince

i noticed he danced very well .. then met my husband when i was 16, he was a big fan, i couldn't get my head round that..

then came sott era.

i have to say sign of the times had my heart pounding, it was nothing like i ever heard... he had cat's amazing dancing & sheena easton! u got the look

i wasn't rich enough to buy the album back then & when i did have the cash i bought lovesexy album which killed both mine & husbands enthusiasm

so that is as far as my love went until 2007 & 21 nights at the o2. ever since making up 4 lost time, checking out purple beauty

[Edited 1/30/11 2:08am]

Lol I think this is my 2nd fav story, cuz Prince finally caught u down in the chase for your love, . I'm glad he could convert the person that you were.