NiceNBreezy said:

Genesia said:

Going beyond that, I think it might have pushed him to work even harder at his music, because it was something where physical size didn't matter. By all accounts, Prince loved to play basketball - and wasn't too bad at it. But obviously, no matter how much effort he put into that, he was never going to be an NBA star. Music was something he had a natural talent for - and his height didn't matter a damn.

I'm reading a book right now called Outliers (by Malcolm Gladwell) and a lot of what it discusses puts me in mind of Prince. In the book, Gladwell talks about the Beatles - and how they eventually made it so big. Yes, they were talented. But they were lucky to be among several musical groups chosen to play in clubs in the redlight district in Hamburg, Germany in 1957. Because of the hours the clubs were open, and because they used live music, the Beatles were able to work and work and work at one thing. They didn't have to work other jobs to support themselves while playing music on the side.

Gladwell talks about the "ten thousand hour rule" - that it takes 10,000 hours at something to really make you great at it. Doing something full time, you can spend about a thousand hours a year at it. Which means it takes 10 years to achieve expert status. In the case of the Beatles, they started playing in Hamburg in 1957. They released what are generally considered to be their greatest albums starting 10 years later - Sgt. Pepper (1967), the White Album (1968) and Abbey Road (1969).

Gladwell's premise is that natural talent only goes so far in making someone a success. The people who really hit it big also have a lot of luck and, in general, work much, much harder than the rest of us at just one thing.

In Prince's case, he was naturally talented, sure. But it helped that he had a music teacher who let him use the practice rooms at school whenever he wanted. It helped that Chris Moon hired him at his studio and gave him studio time in return. All these things (plus his tender age) meant that Prince didn't need a regular job and could focus on his music. And by all accounts, it was all he did. How many times have we heard that while his musical contemporaries in Minneapolis were sleeping, Prince was working?

Prince started playing guitar when he was 14 (so, in 1972). Think about what happened 10 years later.

Thank you for this. Gladwell's premise vis-a-vis Prince makes perfect sense. Never read Outliers (which is on my list), and now I have the Cliff Notes version.

There's so much more to it than I've outlined, really. The ten-thousand hours thing is just one of many of what I would call "coincidences of 'genius'."

I actually only picked up the book because I read that the new CEO of our company was reading it. (Thought I'd do a little under-the-radar brown nosing. ) But it's great. I'm totally engrossed in it - and I'm only halfway through.

Musical talent + ability does not equate with a person's height (unless maybe someone wants to be a master at a larger instrument such as the cello/ bass and doesnt have a great hand stretch for strings due to small hands). Prince has incredible manual dexterity while playing guitar. I think Prince's diminutiveness adds to his mystique and feminine side and him being able to refer to himself as a "gingerbread man" or the "Purple Yoda". If he was 6' I dont think he'd be able to have those nicknames.

Username: bigbrother.

Everybody has different body types that they like, God made Prince like that 4 a reason.

I've heard the same thing regarding Tom Cruise. But I think in recent years it doesn't bother Prince as much as it used to. One thing about getting older--the stuff you used to obsess about when younger no longer seems as important as your over-all health. Besides that, he looks terrific!

Pokeno4Money said:

Getting back to the original question, I think his height was neither an advantage nor a disadvantage musically.

Paul Simon & Paul Williams are an inch shorter than Prince

Sammy Davis Jr & Davy Jones are/were the same height as Prince

Beethoven was 3/4 of an inch taller

Elton John & Igor Stravinsky are/were one inch taller

Lou Reed 2 inches taller

Phil Collins & Bob Dylan & James Brown are/were 3 inches taller

I do think his size was an advantage when it came to dancing, as it's more difficult for taller people to be agile.

I don't think Eddie Vedder would've done the stage dives he did if he was tall. Doubt people would've caught him. Bono's a short dude, too.

dalsh327 said:

Pokeno4Money said:

Getting back to the original question, I think his height was neither an advantage nor a disadvantage musically.

Paul Simon & Paul Williams are an inch shorter than Prince

Sammy Davis Jr & Davy Jones are/were the same height as Prince

Beethoven was 3/4 of an inch taller

Elton John & Igor Stravinsky are/were one inch taller

Lou Reed 2 inches taller

Phil Collins & Bob Dylan & James Brown are/were 3 inches taller

I do think his size was an advantage when it came to dancing, as it's more difficult for taller people to be agile.

I don't think Eddie Vedder would've done the stage dives he did if he was tall. Doubt people would've caught him. Bono's a short dude, too.

Jeez, didn't know all those celebrities were so diminutive. Prince is probably known more for being short (than these people), because he is also very small boned. He's doll-like, as many have said.

Michael Jackson was an absolute giant by comparison to the above listed entertainers. He was 5'9" in his stocking feet, and when he wore boots and a hat (which was all the time) he added a good 4 to 5 inches to his height, making him look 6'2" to 6'3". I remember hearing a background comment made by a videographer who was doing some impromptu shooting of MJ walking down the street. He and his buddies just could not quit talking about how tall he was. In reality, he was only 5'9".

Physically speaking, there may be some relation to his size and his approach to playing instruments.

As for dancing, being compact helps for certain moves, and his certain of weight is going to be a little different. He's probably got stronger legs which is why some of his dancing looks so effortless.

That, and just being a little different than most people can add to a creative eccentric's persona. He literally is seeing the world from a vantage point that isn't the average one. Tall people must go through a different version of that. A lot of celebs are shorter, so there must be some psychological reasoning for it.

everytime i see a short person, or when someone tells me there 5'4" i always try to imagine them as a fancy lesbian. and also picture them dancing and singing. also im pretty sure his height always made him split easier considering he didnt have that far to go down and come back up

NiceNBreezy said:

Pokeno4Money said:

Height does matter to a lot of female fans, it's the reason why in Purple Rain all the camera angles make Prince look taller. You truly can't grasp how little the guy is until you see him in person.

About 2/3rd of the way through that interview he did with Scary Spice at Paisley Park, after they had moved to the oudoor playground, the camera pulled back for a minute and I got a fairly good look at his size. Yes, he's very small. The best part? At the end of the interview, when he said to Scary (Mel B, rather), in that deep voice: "I'll walk you out to your car." All man!

To answer the OP, I think his size is an advantage, because, like his talent, it's distinctive and sets him apart. The very fact that he looks the way he does is a talking point. Look at us, decades later, still talking about his height. It is part of the fascination.

Regardless, he's an incredibly self-assured entertainer. There's no one like him.

HEHE - love that interview - especially when she gets Rapunzel and Romeo and Juliet mixed up - he looks adorable when he tells her she got it wrong...