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My tribute, my grief, the light guiding me gone. Please read. Hearing from people would help. When the news broke I was with my family eating dinner and I received a text from a friend asking if I'd heard the news. When I read it I got that feeling of vertigo you get when you slip on a flight of stairs, then disbelief, then total confusion. Now after I know it's true I'm left with the sense that a pillar of support and strength underpinning my whole life, from 9 years old, has been taken from me. I was a small boy on holiday in Florida, in a hotel room when I stumbled across MTV. When Doves Cry came on. I was utterly spellbound. The music with no bass but so deep, the look, the mystery.....I wanted to be this person, or try to be something close. Then and there I decided to become a musician. I eventually learned guitar, bass, keys, percussion, harmonica and ended up as a producer/engineer. I joined the music industry and designed small studios; modest affairs but loving every moment. All because of that moment gifted to me by this man, Prince. I have followed and loved him for 33 years. I've been irritated by him, disappointed by him (cancelled sign o the times dates to name one event), but mostly I have felt joy. I have attended performances with friends and family where they have laughed at me because I have wept tears of joy throughout the whole event and been unable to communicate for hours afterwards due to sheer emotional fatigue. I loved Prince as you might a fabulous and daring parent who teaches you cool stuff that makes your heart beat faster. I am an atheist but I can honestly say that I have felt as close to having a religious experience singing his lyrics back to him amongst thousands of other out of tune audience members in equally rapturous captivation. The last performance was the LG arena last year. I took my 12 year d Autistic Son to his first Prince Gig. He loves him too. We could hear he and 3rd eye girl sound checking funk n roll. We were grinning from ear to ear. Inside we ended up at the very front against the barriers, feet from Prince. At one point I shouted to Prince 'This is my Son' and pointed to my grinning 12 year old. Prince beemed and gave him a thumbs up. I felt like a brother in arms. What a moment. I feel like a family member has passed and I am utterly at sea. I will miss looking forward to the next gig/album/look/concept more than I can put into words. How I will experience my life from now I will be different.....a little bit less! Thank you Prince for your gifts. Thank you for your beauty and thank you for guiding me. I love you brother! I wish so much that you were still here. My heart is broken and I'm lost without you. | |
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Stay strong brother, we still have all the beautiful music he created. | |
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Thank you Deanm. I was hoping for some kind words like yours. People think I'm weird for feeling like this but they don't realise how Prince is woven into my fabric. Each time I moved residence I would Christen the new place with a Prince tune. When my boys were born, I went home at night and celebrated with a Pribce party song. Every memory of note I have had an associated album to go with it. I'm devastated! If there is a memorial in the UK, I will be there! | |
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His creativity is more connected to my thoughts and emotions than anyone else outside my parents and has been pretty much constant for more than 30 years. I've had down time but always returned to his music. It still buzzed me like nothing else - still able to make me shake my head in awe. I feel robbed for him. If anyone deserved to go out on his own terms, he did and until a week ago I completely believed he would. He has left soooo much and if you've been to any of his shows you know how much love the audience gave him. He couldn't not know how much love there was for him. I've started playing some random things - the npg ahdio shows, some instrumental stuff and it's helped. He's still there. I'm not quite ready for my own favourite albums, I'll ease into them in time. | |
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I hear you mate, I have been a fan since 1983. As a young man growing up adoring Prince , including many bootlegs etc in Australia ( white Rock culture !! ) it was difficult to say the least !
Now Having two young kids also , which I have been converting for the last few years , it doesn't make losing the Man any easier.
Just try & keep positive, I have hardly listened to any music since my wife rang me Friday morning in Australia , as she had done nightshift.
Peace
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I'm the same. I don't want to listen or play music right now. It's way too raw. It's the same for me in terms of musical taste. As a young lad growing up I always got viewed as a bit odd because of my taste, but being exposed to his music educated in a much wider sense than just music. It taught me to be open minded in all aspects of life. | |
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deanm said:
I hear you mate, I have been a fan since 1983. As a young man growing up adoring Prince , including many bootlegs etc in Australia ( white Rock culture !! ) it was difficult to say the least !
Now Having two young kids also , which I have been converting for the last few years , it doesn't make losing the Man any easier.
Just try & keep positive, I have hardly listened to any music since my wife rang me Friday morning in Australia , as she had done nightshift.
Peace
Thanks for support mate. I needed to reach out to someone who understands the loss. I find myself a bit alone in this because I think (and I really mean this) that people who are fans of Princes music and ethos have a deeper sense of artistic experience and feeling than the average joe and that exposes you to overwhelming emotion at times. | |
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Stay strong Mate. Family is really important at this time, hug them all a little longer. Don't listen to any Prince music until you are ready & possibly alone.
Hopefully time will make us feel better. I am really sad I couldn't get a ticket to his shows in Sydney this year , first time I ever missed him in Australia.
But on a happy note, in 2004 when he played Sydney my heavily pregnant wife & I said hello to Prince & Mani out the back of The Basement nightclub at around 2 AM !!! | |
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We have each other, and the music. I listened to the second half of the broadcast of the catalog, some songs were hard, but some were just awesome to hear. It did help. I feel ya, I am very sad. We dont have a new show track album to look forward to, but we can always seek our inspiration and consolation through the vast body of work. And maybe we will get more? From the vault? The music does not die. (((Hugs))) to you and all that read this. | |
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deanm said:
Stay strong Mate. Family is really important at this time, hug them all a little longer. Don't listen to any Prince music until you are ready & possibly alone.
Hopefully time will make us feel better. I am really sad I couldn't get a ticket to his shows in Sydney this year , first time I ever missed him in Australia.
But on a happy note, in 2004 when he played Sydney my heavily pregnant wife & I said hello to Prince & Mani out the back of The Basement nightclub at around 2 AM !!! Awesome that you met him in 04. That band was tight. Probably his best in terms of pure musicianship. Similar situation for me in 02. My eldest was a few weeks old and his Mother and I had our first night out after his birth at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Small venue ish, and the gig blew me away. I loved that period of jazzy funk. An inspired time. | |
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It was around 1990 and a local TV station had the movie purple RAIN on. I Knew the movie and the artist before then but didn't pay him any mind. Rather curiously and out of boredom I took the trouble-so I thought to watch the movie. ALas,i had opened pandoras box, I had an epiphany, nay a sort of RAPTURE. Like COlumbus discovering America, I discovered what music meant and how it should be played. PRINCE became the musical touchstone of my existence since then. I shudder to think if I can appreciate any other music or musician ever again. THE deepest regret is not that he is dead but the reality that any more expectation of future music and event is gone. Now I am confined to a past, a prince past and nothing more. Rest in LOVE forever my soul brother-Prince! | |
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Yeah 2004 was my favourite of the 5 times we saw him. You know I can almost certainly say I will never go to another live show. It just won't feel the same. How I wish my children could have got to witness his greatness.......
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