I should - in the interests of full disclosure - confess that I didn't make this from the point of view of a Prince fan. I was, however, fascinated by the hype created by his recent visit to the UK's capital.

I live in London (on a 60 ft narrowboat) and happened to be moored in Camden on the day that Prince was performing at Koko. At around midday, I walked past the venue and got talking to some of the people waiting in line (the people at the very front had come all the way from France, in fact, which struck me as a spectacular demonstration of their passion and commitment).

The conversations I had interested me enough to show up the next day at Ronnue Scott's with my video camera . As is the British way, many people were reluctant to be interviewed by a stranger with a budget camcorder but there were plenty of others who trusted me enough to have a conversation. I came away with a feeling that I'd connected with some lovely people and I hope some of them will get to see this film. Perhaps if you any of you in this community know someone on the film , you could forward the link to them. It turned out pretty good, I think.

Feel free to comment - or not. I hope you enjoy it.

http://youtu.be/_kowYSfqZ-A

http://www.angryboater.com

Hilarious!

What I find more interesting is the

fact you live on a boat. That's something

I've always dreamed about.

very nice

did the people from France decline to be interviewed?

I think I have seen them in the front of the line at almost every show I have ever attended. No matter how early I decide to get in line, they are always there before me.

The Angry Boater needs to check out a Prince show, he'd come out of it a raging recruit in the Purple Army. Great job on interviewing those in line, and getting their goat, I hope they all made it into the show.
[Edited 3/8/14 7:36am]

i enjoyed it, thanks for posting. i think you captured the mood & well done to those who took part cuz i wouldn't have done!!

i'm intrigued.. why are you an angry boater?

Shadesofpurple said:

That's great! Thanks. I too find his fanbase very interesting and am planning on creating a kickstarter in a few weeks to fund a full length documentary on this group. If you're interested in participating you can look me up on facebook: Benjamin Thomas Umbreit. I'll contact you after the kickstarter is up!

i really like informal stuff like the vid the op made, good luck with your project

bearing in mind you don' t like prince. you must of joined the org just to post this video?

Dandroppedadime said:

(1) I made it clear that I sm not a Prince fan but i do not dislike him at all. Why did you think I did? I saw him at the O2 when he did a run there a few years ago. It was fine and I am in no way disputing his talent , unique sense of artistry or legacy.

(2) I worked hard to make this film and I'm proud of it. Obviously, I want to share it with people who might be interested in seeing it! I also felt that - because this film is not from a devoted fan's perspective - it makes it a little unusual.

(3) I have been mindful of the fact that this is a forum for people who are passionate about Prince and have been open about my reasons for making the film in my original comment. My intention has not been to offend but to document the phenomenon of his recent trip to my city . I met some lovely people in the making of this film and neglected to take their contact details. It was my hope that - via this forum - they'd be able to see the film they are a part of. I'm sorry if my joining this forum is troublesome for you.
[Edited 3/9/14 4:51am]

NouveauDance said:

That is something we will probably never know

thedoorkeeper said:

It's very easy to do , I promise !

3rdeyedude said:

I can't remember tbh. I think it was hard for me to get close enough to the very front people as they were behind some railings and the distance would have made the audio to quiet (I was just using the mic on the camera)
[Edited 3/9/14 4:34am]

kenkamken said:

Actually, I have seen him once at the O2. It was fine. We were near the back and he was many nights into a long run so perhaps not at his sharpest. I also wasn't that familiar with his tunes other than the obvious ones . The combination of those factors obviously wasn't likely to convert anyone to his army. If I had seen him in a small place -like Ronnie Scott's perhaps - it's likely I'd have been a lot more impressed.

My points primarily relate to the problem of seeing artists in huge arenas. I think , more often than not, it's hard for any act to win over new devotees in the stale environment of a cavernous arena. Those shows are mostly about preaching to the converted.


I felt the same way a few months ago watching Springsteen at Wembley. It was my first time seeing him but - knowing very few of his songs (apart from born in the USA which he decided not to play that night anyway) - it was highly unlikely that I would have been so inspired that I wore headbands for the rest of my life.

excited said:

I'm not always an angry boater but I've come to terms with the fact that sometimes I can be and it's an emotion worth exploring when it hits me. Like the rest of us, I have the full range of emotions though .

I live on a boat and started my "angry boater" blog in which I usually focus on either my own experiences or something of interest to all boaters. I try to go beyond the superficial though and look at what my reactions (and the behaviours of others ) say about the human condition. Those things interest me.

I liked the name "angry boater" because everyone associates boating with serenity and peace. However, I don't want to use this forum to plug my blog (although perhaps I already have ) but - if you are interested - I'm sure you can find it easily enough.

Stemming from the above, I'm fascinated by the nature of infatuation (I have plenty of my own) so meeting fans of an artist to whom I - respectfully - felt ambivalence was an interesting thing to do... and I like doing interesting things.

A lot of Prince fans will undoubtedly believe that Prince is the "best" artist in the world. However , every successful musician will have fans who believe the same about them. It's the same with religions, real ale, comedians, actors, boxers, underwear , authors - everything !

But what does "best" really mean? Unless I have spent an equal amount of time listening to the recordings and watching live shows of every musician in the world, how can I expect anyone to take my opinion seriously when I say that X or y is the greatest singer ever? My experience of what is out there, in real terms, is ridiculously limited . I am simply not qualified to make such an enormous judgement.

Iconic artists such as Prince are in the position of being able to command huge media attention. The combination of this and s massive fan base is guaranteed to keep such artists in a powerful public position..... and that means more people will always like Prince than most other artists. However, just because an artist has sold more downloads, or is able to generate huge promotional interest or possesses a vast fan base ... why do any of these things make an artist the "best?" (At least with boxing it's easier to measure )

Talent is essential, of course. So is hard work.... and a distinct image too. But there are thousands of hard working artists out there with great talent and a distinct image that none of us will ever know about.

For me, the music of my youth still affects me more than any other type. I've found a few other artists along the way that have inspired me deeply too but there's something about those formative younger years that can get a grip on you like nothing else.

My bottom line is that when I explore anything artistic -a film, play, book, musician, band - whatever - I want to FEEL something. If I am moved to laughter.... or anger .... or euphoria ... or tears of sorrow ... I am going to come away with the belief that I've had a worthwhile experience and possibly even delude myself into believing that I've just seen the "best" example of whatever it happened to be in the world. If I don't feel something, I'm going to be ambivalent at best. I might come away with some sense of passing appreciation but it's not going to be enough to convert me to fandom. On the one occasion that I did see Prince perform (from the back of the O2) I didn't feel much so I did not become a fan that night. I arrived not knowing many of his songs and I'm pretty sure my seat and the stage were in different postcodes (Americans read zip code ). The circumstances were far from ideal so I didn't have an ideal experience . Most of the factors had nothing to do with the performer though. The key factors were that I did not know enough of his stuff and the environment was not conducive to the kind of experience I like when I see an artist perform. However I'd never be so arrogant as to say he was rubbish or judge his career / life/ iconic status on that night.

But even with the things I love more than I love anything else , I accept that they are not the "best" . They are just things I happen to love. If i love a song and I play it to a friend hoping that they will love it too, the chances are that they won't and I will be disappointed. I bet we've all had that experience.

Forums like this are so interesting. Like minded people with shared values come together and fuel each other's shared interest. It's a lovely thing to be involved with - and satisfies the deep human need for validation.

It's interesting for me to engage on here as an "outsider." I was curious what reaction I would get tbh and mindful of the importance of respecting the core values of this group - values which I do not hold myself (I am referring to being a fan of Prince, in case that is not obvious). Other than one comment, I have felt very respected here (as I did when I visited the queue to make this film) and I have assumed that is because I have shown respect to others. Thinking about it, it is very unusual to be an outsider on a forum like this unless your intention is to flame and upset the group.

That was really long, I know. I get carried away sometimes.
[Edited 3/8/14 16:44pm]
[Edited 3/9/14 1:47am]
[Edited 3/9/14 1:48am]

Dandroppedadime said:

bearing in mind you don' t like prince. you must of joined the org just to post this video?

"Must have" or "must've," not "must of."

Angry Boater, your posts are fantastic! I love the idea that you are a fan of the process of fandom itself... I will definitely watch your film when I have a good wireless connection to do it. And I totally agree with you about the underwhelming nature of arena shows, whether or not it's one of my favorite performers. Thanks for sharing with us!

I enjoyed it.

theblueangel said:

Thanks - a fan of the process of fandom itself." That's very eloquent. I like that expression and I hadn't thought of it that way before ... but you're right.

Hello Mr Sanders! I was one of the little brats* who was in your Drama and English classes at Haydon School, waaaay back in the mid 1990s. Ahem. I've since grown into one of those people who have nothing better to do on a cold Sunday but queue for Prince concerts.

Very interesting to see an outsider's perspective on such devoted fandom. As for me, I did it - on two consecutive weeks - because I knew that chances to see Prince in relatively intimate venues are few and far between. Know what you mean about shows in big arenas - it is difficult to feel a connection with the performer when you are watching them from the other side of what is essentially a concrete warehouse. No matter how much energy they give off, most of it gets lost when one is sat in a tiny seat half a mile away, hemmed in on all sides by hot dog munchers and larger slurpers.

I also knew that these would be experiences that I would never forget. It wasn't just the amazing shows, but the sense of community and camaraderie from my fellow Prince fans that will stay with me for a long time.

So, who are the artists that YOU would admire enough to queue up for hours to see?

*my description, not yours

ReddishBrownOne said:

Hello
Someone from my old teachy days found this. How bizarre

I woukd definitely queue up all day to see Paper Sun but you probably don't know them, right?

Tbh most of the acts I really like now, don't come with a need to line up all day. I can generally walk in at 845 pm and get close enough to the front.

If any of my newer favourites ever became commercial enough to be selling out arenas, I'd probably lose interest in them. I really like intimate gigs.... Which is why the recent Prince visit was such an exciting thing for so many.

In terms of a few of my favourites though ....

I once cancelled a flight to see Jonathan Richman perform. I adore him and I always feel lots of powerful stuff when I'm standing in a room watching him play. Brrrrr. Goose bumps thinking about it.

I'm a bit obsessed with the Brian jonestwn massacre atm (who just announced some UK dates for June / July. I'll go to a couple of those) . Like most people who know them, I discovered them through the rockumentary "Dig" . I knew nothing of them when I was told to watch it and that film is now one of my favourite things in the world.

I really like Hugh cornwell, Tom Robinson and an American I recently stumbled across called Jeffrey Lewis too. They all stir up something deep within.

I recently saw Slim Cessna's autoclub (a band from Colorado) . I found them to be pretty special.

The first band I ever saw (aged 10) was the boomtown rats in 1978. When they reformed 6 months ago, I was utterly delighted to watch them again.

If I was to pick a few better known bands who I caught at the right time / right place who blew me away on the night even though I didn't necessarily arrive as a convert , some 'off the top of my head' examples woukd be They Might be Giants, dragonforce , Weezer, Greenday, McCartney, Daniel Johnson (the American not the X factor one), sham 69, (In 1979 ) and perhaps even Metallica.

Nowadays, I know so little of what is out there. If I scan the listings of even biggish venues like brixton academy , I'll have only heard of about 20 percent of the acts. It all moves so fast.

Joel.