Prince reminds me of an arrogant chef in an over-priced restaurant who flips his shit every time anyone criticizes his food, complains about the wait time, suggests a tad more seasoning, cpmlains about the noise, or who won't happily and unconditionally pay $500 a head and book reservations 3 months in advance just for the priviledge of dining in his oh so hip restaurant, whether the chef shows or not. Then if anything sucks, he yells at this staff.

We should all just be grateful to eat whatever he cooks, I suppose. At least in his mind. Yes, thank you, Prince. May I please have a second helping of 'Purple and Gold'? He's a wonderful musician and remarkably funny and personable when the mood strikes him, but Jesus Christ, this shit gets old.

*Org Fams tell me to leave*

And yet here were are on an "independent and unofficial Prince fan community site" talking about how we're tired of Prince's behavior and games. If you're over something you don't keep track of it so you can renew the complaint everytime something riles you up. I understand that some of the fans feel alienated and are tired of Prince being what he always has been which is different. As for myself you'd have to be a close person(friend, lover or relative) to me to alienate me. Prince can either make me music or not make me music. If I stop enjoying it he doesn't tell Hannah Ford that I've alienated him and he's done with me. The excuse of "I know there's some greatness left in there that's why I stick around" is growing old on here. If that's what you have to tell yourself to rationalize following someone you don't respect, admire of even consider talented at this point then you might as well enjoy the purple abuse you've come to accept.

HonestMan13 said:

And yet here were are on an "independent and unofficial Prince fan community site" talking about how we're tired of Prince's behavior and games. If you're over something you don't keep track of it so you can renew the complaint everytime something riles you up. I understand that some of the fans feel alienated and are tired of Prince being what he always has been which is different. As for myself you'd have to be a close person(friend, lover or relative) to me to alienate me. Prince can either make me music or not make me music. If I stop enjoying it he doesn't tell Hannah Ford that I've alienated him and he's done with me. The excuse of "I know there's some greatness left in there that's why I stick around" is growing old on here. If that's what you have to tell yourself to rationalize following someone you don't respect, admire of even consider talented at this point then you might as well enjoy the purple abuse you've come to accept.

HonestMan13 said:

And yet here were are on an "independent and unofficial Prince fan community site" talking about how we're tired of Prince's behavior and games. If you're over something you don't keep track of it so you can renew the complaint everytime something riles you up. I understand that some of the fans feel alienated and are tired of Prince being what he always has been which is different. As for myself you'd have to be a close person(friend, lover or relative) to me to alienate me. Prince can either make me music or not make me music. If I stop enjoying it he doesn't tell Hannah Ford that I've alienated him and he's done with me. The excuse of "I know there's some greatness left in there that's why I stick around" is growing old on here. If that's what you have to tell yourself to rationalize following someone you don't respect, admire of even consider talented at this point then you might as well enjoy the purple abuse you've come to accept.

Yaaaas

Tell they behinds about themselves

HonestMan13 said:

And yet here were are on an "independent and unofficial Prince fan community site" talking about how we're tired of Prince's behavior and games. If you're over something you don't keep track of it so you can renew the complaint everytime something riles you up. I understand that some of the fans feel alienated and are tired of Prince being what he always has been which is different. As for myself you'd have to be a close person(friend, lover or relative) to me to alienate me. Prince can either make me music or not make me music. If I stop enjoying it he doesn't tell Hannah Ford that I've alienated him and he's done with me. The excuse of "I know there's some greatness left in there that's why I stick around" is growing old on here. If that's what you have to tell yourself to rationalize following someone you don't respect, admire of even consider talented at this point then you might as well enjoy the purple abuse you've come to accept.

Well, I still love the guy's music. I still love him as a live performer. There isn't a single album of his that I dislike. I've always considered myself one of the more "positive" Prince fans out there. Heck, I even thought the Bria album was alright! For me, it's not about the music being a problem, but it's the false "hype" that gets annoying. The songs he put out the other day were OK. Nothing special, but OK. Enjoyable. But were they really worth all the "mystery"? If he wants to put them out, cool. If he doesn't, cool. But it's this constant game of tease that just gets annoying. Not everyone who expresses an opinion contrary to his Purpleness is a "hater"...

HonestMan13 said:

And yet here were are on an "independent and unofficial Prince fan community site" talking about how we're tired of Prince's behavior and games. If you're over something you don't keep track of it so you can renew the complaint everytime something riles you up. I understand that some of the fans feel alienated and are tired of Prince being what he always has been which is different. As for myself you'd have to be a close person(friend, lover or relative) to me to alienate me. Prince can either make me music or not make me music. If I stop enjoying it he doesn't tell Hannah Ford that I've alienated him and he's done with me. The excuse of "I know there's some greatness left in there that's why I stick around" is growing old on here. If that's what you have to tell yourself to rationalize following someone you don't respect, admire of even consider talented at this point then you might as well enjoy the purple abuse you've come to accept.

There are folks in the GD forum who really don't get into Prince, believe it or not.

And I know a few folks who actually made accounts because of the P&R forum.

And those with gripes who use expressions and languge that supporters find disrespectful or ironic still often have legitimate gripes. I remember during the Love 4 One Another days and the Crystal Ball fiasco, embarassing Letter to Madonna, etc. that I felt like the old girl was self-imploding. However, on the website, all you got was praise mostly for really dull material and even an email sent out saying that customers with complaints about their merchandise were just "haters". No, they were customers with legitimate complaints.

The org has been very instrumental in people being to at least express their frustrations as legitimate paying customers. When there where issues with Lotusflow3r, it was org moderators customers turned to for information about what was going on. When Lotusflow3r double charged folks, it was an org moderator who attempted to track down ANYBODY from the website who could answer questions--has anyone here every attempted a customer service call to one of Prince's "expirements?"

Over and over again, the org has been a place where people could at least express an honest concern or opinion. All you get from the NPG-side are dial-tones (if at all), snarky song-responses (that dreadful PFunk nonsense), and C&D.

Being on prince.org does not mean fans accept his abuse, nor does it really mean they're that big of fans anyways. Several of my personal friends openned up accounts just because they thought GD was a hilarious place to hang out.

As far as me, I'm a relatively big fan of his older material and a so-so non-paying fan of his new stuff.

toejam said:

HonestMan13 said:

And yet here were are on an "independent and unofficial Prince fan community site" talking about how we're tired of Prince's behavior and games. If you're over something you don't keep track of it so you can renew the complaint everytime something riles you up. I understand that some of the fans feel alienated and are tired of Prince being what he always has been which is different. As for myself you'd have to be a close person(friend, lover or relative) to me to alienate me. Prince can either make me music or not make me music. If I stop enjoying it he doesn't tell Hannah Ford that I've alienated him and he's done with me. The excuse of "I know there's some greatness left in there that's why I stick around" is growing old on here. If that's what you have to tell yourself to rationalize following someone you don't respect, admire of even consider talented at this point then you might as well enjoy the purple abuse you've come to accept.

Well, I still love the guy's music. I still love him as a live performer. There isn't a single album of his that I dislike. I've always considered myself one of the more "positive" Prince fans out there. Heck, I even thought the Bria album was alright! For me, it's not about the music being a problem, but it's the false "hype" that gets annoying. The songs he put out the other day were OK. Nothing special, but OK. Enjoyable. But were they really worth all the "mystery"? If he wants to put them out, cool. If he doesn't, cool. But it's this constant game of tease that just gets annoying. Not everyone who expresses an opinion contrary to his Purpleness is a "hater"...

I never use that word regarding people on here when they talk about Prince and how they're "over it" or "he's done". After all the times I've read the posts it's like listening to a bunch of battered women talking about getting they asses whupped by this guy who only does it when he's drunk. The complaining is fine but what are the people complaining doing on their part to end the cycle? We can't control Prince or his actions but we can make decisions for ourselves. People use such personal terms when talking about Prince negatively(alienated, pissed off, annoying, he's a dick, etc.). Why would you continue to let someone into your life like that and then give them so much power over your emotions?

dJJ said:

I don't understand why you spend time posting about him if you are bothered with it.

Why not just check out these last songs and be happy with it? Or dislike them for that matter.

The fact that you are all talking about it, either positive or negative, makes the whole thing a succes. Because it keeps you more entertained than just publishing a song somewhere.

Well, it depends on what you define as success.

It's pretty obvious now that Prince defines success through unites sold.

It's been speculated (and I think accurately), he didn't support lotusflow3r

and paying fans because he was dissapointed with the signups.

So, instead of honoring the propoganda leading up to the site launch, he

punished paying fans (the ones who really support him) by ignoring the site.

They man didn't even issue a personal apology when they were double charged.

I don't think customer complaints makes the whole thing a success.

HonestMan13 said:

I never use that word regarding people on here when they talk about Prince and how they're "over it" or "he's done". After all the times I've read the posts it's like listening to a bunch of battered women talking about getting they asses whupped by this guy who only does it when he's drunk. The complaining is fine but what are the people complaining doing on their part to end the cycle? We can't control Prince or his actions but we can make decisions for ourselves. People use such personal terms when talking about Prince negatively(alienated, pissed off, annoying, he's a dick, etc.). Why would you continue to let someone into your life like that and then give them so much power over your emotions?

Power over my emotions? I think that's pushing it a bit. This isn't as big-a-deal for me as I think you think it is. I am merely posting a relatively minor frustration. Like I said, I still (generally) love the music, and I have made heaps of purple friends over the years. That's why I'm still active in the fan community. But to say I shouldn't express how I feel about Prince's recent "marketing strategy" (if you can call it that), that I should just keep it to myself, seems a bit silly. If you have a problem with it, then perhaps you need to do a bit of self-reflection as well

used to the nonsense .. just waiting for show / music news ..

Prince is Prince. I never expect him to be anything but himself. I am in awe of him and also find him fascinating for way too many reasons. Good and bad. He is a spectator sport, and I think fans here react as all fans do. Cheer and boo. That's the way it is. That's what spectators do in any spectator sport. But of course I really dig his music and his talent. And am critical only becasue I know he is a badass. Fairly or unfairly we expect our legends to be legendary all the time.

Prince is not normal, and I would certainly never expect him to act "normal". Whatever that is. I don't think any of us would be fans if he was normal. We are fans of the extraordinary talent he is. Who lives to entertain us. That's not normal.

When he went out and created a strange twitter account pretending to be a bootlegger of whatever the fuck. When he makes us all go WTF? That's Prince. That's what he does. That's him just doing it. While we think we are so smart when we push the square shape through the sqaure hole, others push the star shape where they want.

You know, reading all of these posts gave me a GOOD LAUGH!

I do, understand the rant! Prince, is simply Prince.

I consider him one of the greatest artists, around, as to why I define him according to this..WHAT he does now has something to do with it. When, I compare him to someone, and see the results of the other people..Quite naturally...I suspect Prince should do the same!

For Instance: 'Prince should get a Youtube Channel! Prince should start his own website, and keep it around! Prince should not be so much of a contradiction, when it comes to his faith and his image! Prince should treat his fans better!' etc, etc...

We all have these personal suggestions or rants that we have directed at Prince! We kind of see him as someone who should listen to us. Afterall, IT IS US who pruchases his albums and who support him whenever he is touring..We are there!

The problem in this, is that...as someone said. Prince really does things his way. And, from what we have seen from what he has given us since he been around...He has always been like that.

We don't really know what he has and what he wants to give...until he gives it.

He created this mystery about himself since he came on the scene. I kind of think, he believes the persona he created for himself. We (Should) know..he is not everything that he presents to us. We only know what he presents to us, and if he presents anything...we are likely to take it as authentic. That is the problem.. We are going to also expect him to follow his example of mystery...But what is true and certain really depends on whether Prince lives up to his own word.

SO, I mean..Prince will not be normal. He defines normal differently...It's normal for him to react how he always reacted. It's normal for him to release a video for 'RNR' which will likely not be on any album! It is 'normal' for him, to drop a remix for the same song, that generally everyone percieves as superior...

Times have changed, (Especially since he does not even count time..like we do...LOL) He somewhat just goes with his flow. I don't think he hates his fans, as the famous quote around here goes. LOL.. 'Prince hates his fans, and we love him for it'

I just believe he seems quite comfortable with the way he does things. He knows, we love him and appreciate him, so somehow that creates an emotion to HIM (it seems) that he does not have to push the envelope. We have these expectations, because we know what he is capable of! He has already pushed the envelope though...I remember him saying that in a interview. He already knows how it is to push the envelope, and truthfully he ain't doing that. He is not interested in what we know...but what we are willing to learn! 'Surrender your expectation! LOL

I just think, Prince really is living out of his intentions. He makes awful mistakes and obviously..he could benefit from the advice of usual dealings. (ie, Websites...personal interaction with fans..selling bootleg material) But he simply is not..He has not already, and he probably won't until he is ready. He has mutiple voices speaking to him, and he is influenced by them just as any normal person. He is not resistant to manipulation and corruption. He has to answer to someone higher than him, just like anyone else. It's just Prince though...He will never simply announce anything as it is....he seems to thrive on the innuendo and the mystery of what you perceive..Only he knows..lol

But my rant is finished! I still totally can see where you are coming from Toejam!

toejam said:

Why can't Prince just be normal?

^I know, I know... I should clarify, as there's been a lot of criticism about that. I don't want him to be normal, just be a little more normal when it comes to marketing/distribution etc. I'm done with the "mystery" stuff....

'Why can't Prince just be normal?'

Really?!!!

I don't think anyone here would like Prince to be "normal". He never was, and that is part of what attracts us to him and his music.

However, I agree with Toejam that he could be a bit more normal or straightfoward in his business dealings. But in the end obviously it is all up to Prince.

Anyway, I am tired of all the games and hype and would rather have him focussed on delivering quality product (good new music and live DVD's).

toejam said:

Who's with me?

Rant over.

Im not....I am 34 and I actually kind of enjoy the twists and turns that Prince's career takes. I just hope in this case, that the mystery is leading to something worthwhile for us all to enjoy.

But let me answer your question as to "Why cant Prince just be normal?" Ill put it to you like this.

If Prince was normal, it would be as boring as all hell, nobody would give a fuck and his name would be Terence Trent D'Arby. Hope this helps.

I approach all this "hype" the same way as I approach the support act before the main show. Its entertaining enough and helps me fill in the time but its not what I came to see. I don't get annoyed with it or frustrated or feel ripped off. I'm interested in only one thing. The marketing approach that P uses is interesting/amusing but not annoying because its not what I'm focused on.

I liked the chef analogy. What he chooses to cook I'll always eat. Some meals I might enjoy more than others but I will always come back for more. His worst meals are still more enjoyable to me than most people's best.

bennett said:

If you've been a fan long enough (30 yr for me) I would've thought you'd accepted how P operates. Why so much angst about business as usual? I gave up on being frustrated years ago. Why is everyone so disapointed when Prince acts like he always has? Only the technology and communication methods have changed. Who am I to dictate what sort of artist he should be and how he should go about business? One of the things I admire about him the most is that he pursues his vision not matter what. Without that he would never have become the artist we know today.

The phrase "count your blessings" comes to mind. He's one of the most prolific and interesting artists out there. I don't want him to be normal. You can't separate the business Prince from the music Prince. It used to frustrate me when people would critisise Michael Jackson for not being normal. People want these artists to keep producing these works that blow their minds but are disappointed when those same artists aren't normal in other areas. Its there abnormality that makes them special. There's plenty of normal in the world. How boring. It bothered me when, earlier in the year, I'd hear people in Australia critisise P during his Australian tour. He's been here 3 times in 30 years. Just relax and enjoy the opportunity to experience one of the world's greats. Warts and all. Life's too short.

Prince is NOT normal. Never has been. Never will be (and thank Jehovah, God, Jesus, Muhammad and Buddah for that!). Get used to it because it makes being a Prince fan so much easier.

BTW Toejam, no disrespect. I'm a big fan of you and your band Cheap Fakes. Although......I do have a few suggestions on how you guys could improve your act. lol

Harlepolis said:

Maybe its tiresome, but for the younger up & coming fans who keep discovering his music, it could be a way to lure them more.

Pur-lease. They can smell fake from a mile away. They're not impressed by this 3rd Eye Girl crap, and they really don't care for Prince bitching about social media when there are plenty of artists who'll happily interact with their fans.

toejam said:

HonestMan13 said:

I never use that word regarding people on here when they talk about Prince and how they're "over it" or "he's done". After all the times I've read the posts it's like listening to a bunch of battered women talking about getting they asses whupped by this guy who only does it when he's drunk. The complaining is fine but what are the people complaining doing on their part to end the cycle? We can't control Prince or his actions but we can make decisions for ourselves. People use such personal terms when talking about Prince negatively(alienated, pissed off, annoying, he's a dick, etc.). Why would you continue to let someone into your life like that and then give them so much power over your emotions?

Power over my emotions? I think that's pushing it a bit. This isn't as big-a-deal for me as I think you think it is. I am merely posting a relatively minor frustration. Like I said, I still (generally) love the music, and I have made heaps of purple friends over the years. That's why I'm still active in the fan community. But to say I shouldn't express how I feel about Prince's recent "marketing strategy" (if you can call it that), that I should just keep it to myself, seems a bit silly. If you have a problem with it, then perhaps you need to do a bit of self-reflection as well

When I start posting threads about "how come Prince won't do this or that for me and be what I wish he would be" trust I will self reflect. Right now the mirror is all yours OP.

Frustration comes when you feel your expectations aren't being met. Give up on hoping that P will suddenly become the artist and business man you always wanted him to be. Let go and just enjoy the ride. Ignore the hype if it bothers you. Just enjoy the actual art no matter whether you think its his best or not. No matter what you think of this 3rd eye girl thing none of us expected it. See it as the surprise bonus gift that it is. Whatever album/tour/dvd/release that P has planned it will appear when he is ready no matter what comes before. I feel lucky to be a fan of such a prolific and individual artist. A lot of people seem to agree that his best stuff was in the 80s. He could have stopped making music 20 years ago and his catalogue will still be one of the most impressive out there. That stuff is still around for us to enjoy forever. Everything since is icing on the funky cake. I don't mind that his recent material is not as inovative as the early stuff. I have a huge collection of tunes and memories that span his entire career to date. He doesn't have to continually re-prove himself to me. I was convinced/converted completely in around 1985. I will always follow his work no matter how eccentric or inconsistent he seems.

HonestMan13 said:

toejam said:

Power over my emotions? I think that's pushing it a bit. This isn't as big-a-deal for me as I think you think it is. I am merely posting a relatively minor frustration. Like I said, I still (generally) love the music, and I have made heaps of purple friends over the years. That's why I'm still active in the fan community. But to say I shouldn't express how I feel about Prince's recent "marketing strategy" (if you can call it that), that I should just keep it to myself, seems a bit silly. If you have a problem with it, then perhaps you need to do a bit of self-reflection as well

When I start posting threads about "how come Prince won't do this or that for me and be what I wish he would be" trust I will self reflect. Right now the mirror is all yours OP.

Damn. Why are u so sensible? lol. Prince's fans are getting older at a faster rate then Prince is. They are grumpy and want everything to be simple and straight forward. I love that Prince is unpredictable and goes left when others go right. All this angst over 3rdeyegirl is just stupid. Either enjoy the mystery or just go sit down somewhere and be old with your bills and kids.

Nobody is forcing anybody on this ride.

imago said:

dJJ said:

I don't understand why you spend time posting about him if you are bothered with it.

Why not just check out these last songs and be happy with it? Or dislike them for that matter.

The fact that you are all talking about it, either positive or negative, makes the whole thing a succes. Because it keeps you more entertained than just publishing a song somewhere.

Well, it depends on what you define as success.

It's pretty obvious now that Prince defines success through unites sold.

It's been speculated (and I think accurately), he didn't support lotusflow3r

and paying fans because he was dissapointed with the signups.

So, instead of honoring the propoganda leading up to the site launch, he

punished paying fans (the ones who really support him) by ignoring the site.

They man didn't even issue a personal apology when they were double charged.

I don't think customer complaints makes the whole thing a success.

My comment was about what currently was going on with the twitter account.

bennett said:

Frustration comes when you feel your expectations aren't being met. Give up on hoping that P will suddenly become the artist and business man you always wanted him to be. Let go and just enjoy the ride. Ignore the hype if it bothers you. Just enjoy the actual art no matter whether you think its his best or not. No matter what you think of this 3rd eye girl thing none of us expected it. See it as the surprise bonus gift that it is. Whatever album/tour/dvd/release that P has planned it will appear when he is ready no matter what comes before. I feel lucky to be a fan of such a prolific and individual artist. A lot of people seem to agree that his best stuff was in the 80s. He could have stopped making music 20 years ago and his catalogue will still be one of the most impressive out there. That stuff is still around for us to enjoy forever. Everything since is icing on the funky cake. I don't mind that his recent material is not as inovative as the early stuff. I have a huge collection of tunes and memories that span his entire career to date. He doesn't have to continually re-prove himself to me. I was convinced/converted completely in around 1985. I will always follow his work no matter how eccentric or inconsistent he seems.

Excellent post, puts things in perspective! Lots of wise words here, this is probably the best way to see Prince anno 2013.

Most of us (including myself!) have skyhigh expectations of the man, and feel frustrated if he doesn't deliver what we had hoped for. But in the end it is Prince's life and Prince's career, it is all up to him. And indeed, we as fans can only be happy that Prince has released as much music as he did. Even if it isn't all up to par, or if it doesn't meet our expectations...

HonestMan13 said:

When I start posting threads about "how come Prince won't do this or that for me and be what I wish he would be" trust I will self reflect. Right now the mirror is all yours OP.

Hmmm... So it's up to me to do some self reflecting when I complain about something, but not for you when you complain about something.... Interesting. Why does it matter to you what I think? Why do you bother posting in threads you disagree with? This "quit complaining" game goes both ways, you realise.

bennett said:

Frustration comes when you feel your expectations aren't being met. Give up on hoping that P will suddenly become the artist and business man you always wanted him to be. Let go and just enjoy the ride. Ignore the hype if it bothers you. Just enjoy the actual art no matter whether you think its his best or not. No matter what you think of this 3rd eye girl thing none of us expected it. See it as the surprise bonus gift that it is. Whatever album/tour/dvd/release that P has planned it will appear when he is ready no matter what comes before. I feel lucky to be a fan of such a prolific and individual artist. A lot of people seem to agree that his best stuff was in the 80s. He could have stopped making music 20 years ago and his catalogue will still be one of the most impressive out there. That stuff is still around for us to enjoy forever. Everything since is icing on the funky cake. I don't mind that his recent material is not as inovative as the early stuff. I have a huge collection of tunes and memories that span his entire career to date. He doesn't have to continually re-prove himself to me. I was convinced/converted completely in around 1985. I will always follow his work no matter how eccentric or inconsistent he seems.

bennett, you are the voice of reason I agree with just about everything you say here, except the "no one expected it" bit. Again, I think that's the problem - I think everyone did expect it - the typical "mystery tease game" thing. Prince to me for the first time is starting to become predictable, and as a long time fan, that's becoming a sad realisation to me. I'm sure I'll dig the music he continues to put out, as I generally always do, and of course I'm grateful for that, but I think I have just had enough of the tease game. And in that sense, I agree with you that maybe it's time for me to just let go a bit more.

toejam said:

bennett said:

Frustration comes when you feel your expectations aren't being met. Give up on hoping that P will suddenly become the artist and business man you always wanted him to be. Let go and just enjoy the ride. Ignore the hype if it bothers you. Just enjoy the actual art no matter whether you think its his best or not. No matter what you think of this 3rd eye girl thing none of us expected it. See it as the surprise bonus gift that it is. Whatever album/tour/dvd/release that P has planned it will appear when he is ready no matter what comes before. I feel lucky to be a fan of such a prolific and individual artist. A lot of people seem to agree that his best stuff was in the 80s. He could have stopped making music 20 years ago and his catalogue will still be one of the most impressive out there. That stuff is still around for us to enjoy forever. Everything since is icing on the funky cake. I don't mind that his recent material is not as inovative as the early stuff. I have a huge collection of tunes and memories that span his entire career to date. He doesn't have to continually re-prove himself to me. I was convinced/converted completely in around 1985. I will always follow his work no matter how eccentric or inconsistent he seems.

bennett, you are the voice of reason I agree with just about everything you say here, except the "no one expected it" bit. Again, I think that's the problem - I think everyone did expect it - the typical "mystery tease game" thing. Prince to me for the first time is starting to become predictable, and as a long time fan, that's becoming a sad realisation to me. I'm sure I'll dig the music he continues to put out, as I generally always do, and of course I'm grateful for that, but I think I have just had enough of the tease game. And in that sense, I agree with you that maybe it's time for me to just let go a bit more.

Just enjoy what he's giving us, and don't get all worked up about P having fun.

No need to make a big deal of it