Alfie Kohn, who is an education expert has shown vast amounts of research that say that rewards, merit pay and other awards don't make people do better or work harder. It may even make the work worse!

Then I started thinking, could the Grammy's, American Music Awards, money, fame, does this make artists like Prince not have the same fire to make great art or perform at peak? Since research shows that you lack motivation with awards, does that mean Prince has less incentive to make great art?

You see this also with the Oscars, where actors who win big end up doing crappy movies--think Halle Berry, Anthony Hopkins.

Struggle is what makes great art. When you lose that fire, you have nothing to prove. Prince goes through the motions because he already has it all. Am I wrong?

I don't know what to blame it on, but Prince's current 'art' SUCKS when compared to his best efforts.

No, the tunes are good, but it's not great art.

vitriol said:

I don't know what to blame it on, but Prince's current 'art' SUCKS when compared to his best efforts.

Well Leonardo never "beat" the Mona Lisa, however that does not make the rest of his art shitty, so out with that....

I believe he still does write beautiful music indeed....it just doesnt come out so catchy..some of it doesnt rhyme anymore (annoying), some of it is too religious and forcing at times..however I do see some light at the end of the tunnel...especially with tunes like Act Of God...it seems like he is becoming more spiritual with his writing than objective statements being made judgingly in tracks. Lavaux and Sticky Like Glue really show some progressive thoughful charm. Dreamer, Boom, Dance With Me and even Chelsea Rogers have alot of spunk and flavor..unfortunatley some of them sit next to songs written unlike those and lack inspiration...I think that where some of the criticism lies.

Sometimes I feel he tries too hard to sound deep, and when he doesnt have to (like Act Of God) it catches on very quickly and the message stays as much as it did back then.

What is "great art" anyway?

Prince's music is just fine

He won all those awards because he earned them

He doesn't need to prove anything and everything he does is a bonus for everyone

colorblu said:

Prince's music is just fine

He won all those awards because he earned them

He doesn't need to prove anything and everything he does is a bonus for everyone

"i don't care to win awards!"

-DMSR

Then of course of at the Minnesota Musiic Awards in 86 i think, he said he wrote that line b/c he had never won any (at that time), hehe