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New Prince book coming out on tuesday: I Would Die 4 U by Toure. The host of the Cycle and former rock writer has a new book out about Prince. I guess it might be good but I doubt it.
http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/03/18/toure-explores-the-music-of-his-generation-and-prince/
I don't buy books from suckas who support drone murders.
[Please do not post/reproduce contents of the book without the permission of the author, for legal reasons - luv4u]
All you others say Hell Yea!!  | |
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Nope, this has defintely not been posted about. Not once. | |
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I agree, this is the first thread about drone murders in Prince: Music and More that I've ever seen! | |
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"Climb in my fur." | |
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Considering both Eric and Alan Leeds are quoted heavily throughtout it's likely to be pretty good. And unvarnished. |
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Toure is a dipshit and his level of commentary doesn't rise above what's to be found on "I
notice, I didn't say "I | |
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the '90s"
There was a story on Prince this morning on the NBC Today show. It showed shots of Prince performances [Edited 3/19/13 7:29am] | |
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Then they were talking to the writer of a book who had many flattering things to say about Prince. Just watched the segment on the dvr...I would like to see Prince playing basketball | |
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So far every interview I've read or seen his views on Prince seem to be WAY off. His take on Purple Rain seemed way over thought out and he's mentioned "religion" in Prince's music? That shit didn't start until he became a JW, his message USED to be about SPIRITUALITY, not religion. Prince may be the purple Yoda, but Wendy & Lisa and Eric Leeds also sit on the Jedi Council. | |
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Reading the previous comments, it seems the author is interested in Prince's spirituality. Knowing this and the fact that the Leeds brothers have a relevant place in the book, I guess it might be interesting. | |
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http://www.amazon.com/Wou...1476705496
Celebrated journalist, TV personality, and award-winning author Touré investigates one of the most enigmatic and fascinating figures in contemporary American culture: PRINCE Drawing on new research and enlivened by Touré’s unique pop-cultural fluency, I Would Die 4 U relies on surprising and in-depth interviews with Prince’s band members, former girlfriends, musicologists, and even Bible scholars to deconstruct the artist’s life and work. Prince’s baby boomer status allowed him to play a wise older brother to the latchkey kids of generation X. Defying traditional categories of race, gender, and sexuality, he nonetheless presents a very traditional conception of religion and God in his music. He was an MTV megastar and a religious evangelist, using images of sex and profanity to invite us into a musical conversation about the healing power of God. By demystifying the man and his music, I Would Die 4 U shows us how Prince defined a generation. [Edited 3/19/13 0:45am] "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves. And wiser people so full of doubts" (Bertrand Russell 1872-1972) |
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http://www.goodreads.com/...ld-die-4-u
Celebrated journalist, TV personality, and award-winning author Touré investigates one of the most enigmatic and fascinating figures in contemporary American culture: PRINCE Drawing on new research and enlivened by Touré’s unique pop-cultural fluency, I Would Die 4 U relies on surprising and in-depth interviews with Prince’s band members, former girlfriends, musicologists, and even Bible scholars to deconstruct the artist’s life and work. Prince’s baby boomer status allowed him to play a wise older brother to the latchkey kids of generation X. Defying traditional categories of race, gender, and sexuality, he nonetheless presents a very traditional conception of religion and God in his music. He was an MTV megastar and a religious evangelist, using images of sex and profanity to invite us into a musical conversation about the healing power of God. By demystifying the man and his music, I Would Die 4 U shows us how Prince defined a generation.(less) Someone called Rosa rated it : "Initial reaction: That actually made for a more sluggish read than I expected. That had nothing to do with Prince or his life - what little bits there were in this narrative, I really appreciated hearing. My problems were with the overarching presentation of this "biography", which it really wasn't a biography as much as it was a perspective piece and how certain parts/dimensions of Prince's life had an impact on contemporary pop culture as well as the culture that grew up with his music. Which for me, that would've been fine given some of the interesting details and conversations that marked its jumping points. But the presentation here is really jagged and - dare I say - mediocre in some turns. I don't know, I really expected more from it and at the same time, was rather put off by the transitions. I will say there were interesting tidbits here, just that the execution left much to be desired. Full review: I'm actually quite familiar with Touré considering I've seen and heard his commentary on pop culture figures and media measures for quite some time. Yet when reading "I Would Die 4 U" - I don't think some of the sharp, humored commentary that usually defines him came across. Particularly for a opinion piece that's supposed to showcase why Prince is such a dominant figure, I found the narrative rather choppy, disorganized despite its respective sectioning, and difficult to really capture the essence of what Prince has meant not only in the music realm but in entertainment across multiple mediums (film, etc.) I don't necessarily want to take away from the author's overall perspective point and intentions, particularly considering the aim of the narrative and its proposed thesis. It actually made some very interesting points about Generation X, Prince's past and how certain events in his life came to shape him, among other factors. Yet, I knew by the presentation of the introduction and the narrative jumps that it takes from the get-go that this was going to be a rough read. It seems to talk about everything else in the spectrum of media other than Prince himself. You would think for a book about Prince that he would be the prime focal point with some added commentary shaping the argument and insights, but it's more that I think the author chose to do the reverse and shape certain arguments and then bring in certain pieces of Prince's past, present, and influence as the supporting arguments. It's my belief that such was why this narrative wasn't as intimate, connected, or structured as well as it could've been. I actually expected more to be offered than what it provided (though I appreciated some of the personal narratives offered by Prince himself, sourced from interviews.) I'm going to make an amendment to one of my initial notes because for all intents and purposes, I don't think this was as much a biography (though parts of it qualify) or showcase of Prince's life as it was a commentary, which is what I think Touré was going for from the get-go. It makes suggestions into Prince's respective character and shaping from people who knew/worked/interacted with him, based on his childhood and coming to terms in life as a boy into the man and icon he is today. There were many places I wanted to ask why it jumped from one time frame to the next. It wasn't smooth in either the time dimension or topic dimension, though it made good points (though arguably in that this was a perspective piece, there were many drawn juxtapositions I didn't agree with). I felt the references to Prince's work didn't touch with as much intimacy as it could've been, though there were points where the analysis of the themes and backdrop those films were released within were sound. If thinking over the narrative as a whole, I would say that there are references to Prince's talents here, but it is not comprehensive, nor does it really support its argument on how Prince is an icon, which is what the title of this purports. I think if you're a die-hard Prince fan, you'll be likely underwhelmed with this effort because it really doesn't tell you all that much. However, I did take from this some interesting insights on Prince's early years, some constructs on why his work "worked" to an extent in the time it was released, and I appreciated the read. I just wish it'd amounted to more than what it was. Overall score: 3/5 Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Atria Books.(less)" [Edited 3/19/13 0:57am] "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves. And wiser people so full of doubts" (Bertrand Russell 1872-1972) |
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Another review here :
http://readinginprogress....e-4-u.html "MONDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 2013 I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became An Icon Author: Touré Published: March 2013 What They Say: Celebrated journalist, TV personality, and award-winning author Touré investigates one of the most enigmatic and fascinating figures in contemporary American culture: Prince. Drawing on new research and enlivened by Toure's unique pop cultural fluency, I Would Die 4 U relies on surprising and in-depth interviews with Prince's band members, musicologists, and Bible scholars to deconstruct the artist's life and work. Prince’s Baby Boomer status allowed him to play a wise older brother to the wayward kids of Gen X. Defying traditional categories of race, gender, and sexuality, he nonetheless presented a very traditional conception of religion and God and, Touré argues, is the most important religious artist of all time. Prince spoke in the language of 1960s pop and soul to a generation fearing Cold War apocalypse, the end of American world dominance, and the crack and AIDS epidemics. He was both an MTV megastar and a religious evangelist, using images of sex and profanity to invite us into a musical conversation about the healing power of God. Prince is undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic and fascinating figures in contemporary American culture, and by demystifying the man and his music, I Would Die 4 U shows us how he defined a generation. What Elaine Says: I really enjoyed this. The book takes on the conflicting (and conflicted) reports of Prince’s life and tries to decipher just how (and why) he became, and remains, an icon for Generation X. This wider, social approach to the biography was very appealing. There are a plethora of biographies out there about Prince, so to look at why society decided to embrace him as they did, is a clever move and Touré does it very well. The book also takes on Prince’s seemingly odd juxtaposing of religion and sex in a lot of his music. Sex and religion on a par in Prince’s world and Touré does a great job examining both. All in all an interesting, knowledgable, look at not only Prince, but Generation X as a whole. Please note this an advance review copy Elaine's Rating: 7/10 Quotes: "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life" Prince Find it on Amazon " [Edited 3/19/13 1:02am] "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves. And wiser people so full of doubts" (Bertrand Russell 1872-1972) |
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WonderU said: So far every interview I've read or seen his views on Prince seem to be WAY off. His take on Purple Rain seemed way over thought out and he's mentioned "religion" in Prince's music? That shit didn't start until he became a JW, his message USED to be about SPIRITUALITY, not religion. That's YOUR view on it. Where does one begin and the other end? The Cross and the Lovesexy LP are definitely about religion. | |
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I don't think I would say 'dipshit', but I have NEVER been able to figure out why this guy is considered talented or insightful. I've heard his take on things before, and wasn't terribly impressed.
I'm curious about the book, but honestly can't see how someone with Toure's skills could pull off a book in which the primary subject is neither interviewed, nor very forthcoming with information. Interviewing those around him can only give you part of the story---remember, ALL these folks are scared of being sued. Given those contraints, I would imagine he filled in the gaps with these broad, sweeping statements, etc.
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Exactly! Toure makes way too many presumptions about Prince's spirituality and music and Toure and to a lesser extent, Questlove, act like they know Prince better than Prince and come off as male groupies. There's a chapter that really gave me the creeps when a former flame described how he was in bed. I can see why Prince doesn't like giving interviews. 3121 #1 THIS YEAR |
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You've already read the book?
At first I was going to to say "what is the relevance of his love-making skills", but considering his earlier material and cult-of-personality I can see how this would apply.
Either way, I think I'll read the book, but doubt I'll gain much insight considering the constraints.
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whoa, whoa, whoa, stop the clock.... [Edited 3/19/13 19:09pm] | |
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SuperSoulFighter said: WonderU said: So far every interview I've read or seen his views on Prince seem to be WAY off. His take on Purple Rain seemed way over thought out and he's mentioned "religion" in Prince's music? That shit didn't start until he became a JW, his message USED to be about SPIRITUALITY, not religion. That's YOUR view on it. Where does one begin and the other end? The Cross and the Lovesexy LP are definitely about religion. Ok then, WHICH religion is he talking about??? You should probably open a dictionary if you don't get the difference between the two. Prince may be the purple Yoda, but Wendy & Lisa and Eric Leeds also sit on the Jedi Council. | |
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Soon all of our problems will be taken by the Cross. Save me Jesus, I've been a fool. Do you really have to ask what religion we're talking about here? | |
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LoveSexy LP's heaven and hell stuff, You must believe, God is love etc is pretty Christian too. But I forgive him. Love the music! -Wtv u heard bout me is true,I change the rules n do what I wanna do.[Im n love w God,He's the only way - NOT!]We know we gotta die some day,so Im gon have fun evr MF night!Im gon 2 another life.How bout u?
-Im wit u...Ur so cool, evrtg u do is SUCCESS. | |
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Not falling for it. The only thing different about all of these Prince-inspired books is the author. There is no joy in repetition..... | |
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I've read the first Chapter, "Prince's Rosebud".
He definitely is writing a completely different book than the 10 or 12 other books on Prince I've read. So far, this is not repetitive, and I appreciate that plus his unique outlook. But....
Why the hell can't any author writing about Prince get simple facts right?
On page 25 he mentions the song Papa and states that is from 1996. If he's really a Prince fan, how hard would it be for him to walk over to his music collection, grab the CD, and see that it is from 1994? Also, he thanks PrinceVault in the book. Without getting off his ass he could navigate to their site and find the correct date. Or, how about getting his buddy the "Prince scholar" Questlove to proof read it for him. Surely Questlove would catch something like that.
Then on page 65 he misquotes the lyrics to 1999. Since the lyrics are printed in both the CD & LP versions of the album I cannot excuse this.
Nobody could take the time to fact check stuff like that? It's hard to take a "journalist" seriously and consider his thesis when he can't eve be arsed to get the facts right...
Sloppy.
Don't hate your neighbors. Hate the media that tells you to hate your neighbors. |
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Not remotely interested in Prince book written by anyone other than Prince. | |
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I'm assuming that would be in the fiction section, no?
Don't hate your neighbors. Hate the media that tells you to hate your neighbors. |
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You know, that's altogether possible but I rather hear his side of the story. | |
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Chile I would KILL myself if I had to read a Prince book written by him. Could imagine???
She CONtacted my fath3r after he left her his #. Do U own Ur masters? | |
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was born 2 a mother Tw3lve souls in
Oh fuck!!
Nevermind. | |
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I can't stand that annoying know-all things-black-culture ass hat toure. this will b one Prince book I refuse to buy. Howcome he gets to make money off Prince and Prince got mad over that adorable little doll? **************************************************
Pull ya cell phone out and call yo next of kin...we 'bout to get funky......2,3 come on ya'll | |
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I don't but you must need to [Edited 3/20/13 13:22pm] Prince may be the purple Yoda, but Wendy & Lisa and Eric Leeds also sit on the Jedi Council. | |
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