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Prince: Music and More > For many, Prince was the soundtrack of your life, but the soundtrack has faded. When is it time to move on and letitgo?
I completely identify. Although you can tell by my screenname I'm a "newbie", I'm really not in my heart. There must be some reason that over 30+ years of moving from apartment to apartment I dragged my PR album with me after I let almost all the others go. Anyway without defending my newbie status any further let me say a few things: I'm glad you said it's not a goodbye. It's just a change. Everything changes except for God and we have to accept that. Watch Prince's closest friends like damaris Lewis and even Sheila e sometimes as examples. They bravely and strongly say that Prince would want them to move on and enjoy each day to its fullest. This is NOT easy. Nor is it supposed to be. Life is full of challenges and growth. Trust that Prince is with God now and he likes where he is. He lived a remarkable life. We're all going to die. He knows we love him and he'll be there waiting for us, somehow, in some way, however that looks. He's okay. So it's something about separating the sadness and past from the present and being grateful, enjoying his legacy and music, etc...living our lives and growing...something like that. I feel depressed when I listen to his old stuff sometimes and I don't think he'd mind that. He was all about the present. It kept him young! No stress. So I understand what you mean about there being no new music. What I do is really study his recent life (since about 2013) and go deeper and deeper into that music. The great thing about Prince's music is it grows on you! I also find it interesting that you mention life problems, family problems etc. I am also going through a rough time personally (lots of fear and stress). Those issues can exacerbate the pain and sadness of someone's death. Prince's death makes us all feel our (what's the word I'm looking for? Our human limitations and the fact that we'll die someday too). What I'm saying is a lot of my extreme grief (which has surprised me!) is about me and my current circumstances and my fears. It's okay, it's human. This is a learning experience. But Prince's example (especially his spiritual example - no, he was not without human trials and tribulations - but he grew a LOT spiritually) has helped me rely on God more too, and be trusting, calm, etc. Prince never let fear stop him. He always knew his Creator was God. There's something to be said for being in an obsession too. I hear you. Being here every day and taking my focus off my life...it's a distraction. There's a balance somewhere...lets find it together. Darned iPhone typos!!! [Edited 7/6/16 16:57pm]
I never mean 'newbie' in a derogatory way. I've said on here many times, someone with one album that aches with passion for the music is just as worthy as someone who strokes their Madhouse CD's.
Lucky for me, I do both
No offense taken. And if there was, Prince would say that would be something wrong within ME. I'm glad we could meet. And I've become a stroker, too...do not TOUCH my new HNR cd.
I already wasn't into P's newer music when he was here, so that didn't change anything. His voice and songs will always be the soundtrck to my life. My best years are behind me, just like it was with him and most anyone else over 40ish (who didn't have a trainwreck of a life when they were younger), so not going to work to let anything go more than happens naturally through the passage of time.
Stop using that newb word bullshit .. hated it when ppl used it when id go in holy river n still hate it, for fuck sake ..
Noob (or newbie) is a commonly used word, not just in Prince world, to describe someone who is new to a hobby or activity. There is nothing inherently derogatory about the word itself. It can be used in a negative way, sure, but that's no reason for a perfectly descriptive word to not be used.
Why would you have a problem with it? Everyboy involved with any activity started out as a noob. If no noobs get into Prince, the fandom will wither, so, I welcome the noobs!!
Don't hate your neighbors. Hate the media that tells you to hate your neighbors.
I already wasn't into P's newer music when he was here, so that didn't change anything. His voice and songs will always be the soundtrck to my life. My best years are behind me, just like it was with him and most anyone else over 40ish (who didn't have a trainwreck of a life when they were younger), so not going to work to let anything go more than happens naturally through the passage of time.
Would you please stop with the fucking ageism already?
We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.
Buddy, you, nor anyone, get to dictate that. Stay in ya lane.
Thank you! As a newbie, sometimes the condescension I detect makes me not want to come back.
Interesting....
Personally I see a big difference between newbies and casuals. Newbies might stick around, become hardcore, and eventually be considered one of the "old-timers". Love the newbies, WELCOME aboard!!
Casuals, in my opinion, are interested because he just passed, and for the moment it's "hip" to be into Prince. They want to be a part of something that they couldn't be bothered with when he was alive and they have no real interest in becoming what we consider hardcore fans. They can move on.
Just sayin....
[Edited 7/7/16 12:57pm]
Don't hate your neighbors. Hate the media that tells you to hate your neighbors.
I already wasn't into P's newer music when he was here, so that didn't change anything. His voice and songs will always be the soundtrck to my life. My best years are behind me, just like it was with him and most anyone else over 40ish (who didn't have a trainwreck of a life when they were younger), so not going to work to let anything go more than happens naturally through the passage of time.
Speak for yourself. 40 isn't old; I was in great shape when I was 40. Ish.
"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." --Plato
Stop using that newb word bullshit .. hated it when ppl used it when id go in holy river n still hate it, for fuck sake ..
Noob (or newbie) is a commonly used word, not just in Prince world, to describe someone who is new to a hobby or activity. There is nothing inherently derogatory about the word itself. It can be used in a negative way, sure, but that's no reason for a perfectly descriptive word to not be used.
Why would you have a problem with it? Everyboy involved with any activity started out as a noob. If no noobs get into Prince, the fandom will wither, so, I welcome the noobs!!
Its been used in a negative way a ton more than ppl will ever admit . .
Dont know why .. I hate that word.
You aint new to anything except some ahole tellin u you some new bla bla .. know whats new, your tired ass bs thats been up in this for to damn long is what it is .. you aint got nuthin new n improved to say other than newb stuff it ..
Buddy, you, nor anyone, get to dictate that. Stay in ya lane.
Thank you! As a newbie, sometimes the condescension I detect makes me not want to come back.
Interesting....
Personally I see a big difference between newbies and casuals. Newbies might stick around, become hardcore, and eventually be considered one of the "old-timers". Love the newbies, WELCOME aboard!!
Casuals, in my opinion, are interested because he just passed, and for the moment it's "hip" to be into Prince. They want to be a part of something that they couldn't be bothered with when he was alive and they have no real interest in becoming what we consider hardcore fans. They can move on.
Just sayin....
[Edited 7/7/16 12:57pm]
Thank you for that discernment between newbies and casuals.
Totally agree.
I have to admit that as a sort-of newbie who's become hardcore, I feel some resentment towards causals. Like the people who only know about PR and other obvious songs and get all the details of Prince's life wrong, then post them on the Internet. I have no affinity for misinformation.
I think it's ok to discern who's who as long as I'm not being exclusionary, territorial, and thinking with my reptilian brain so I can put people in slots of "worthiness". Like any other group-think BS.
It's also ok to be honest. [Edited 7/7/16 13:27pm]
Not everybody is on the same time frame with life. If you can move on fine, good for you. But don't try to preach or make anybody else feel bad if they aren't ready. Healing takes time, and time is infinite. We will be ready when we are ready.
admission is easy, just say U believe, then come 2 this place in your heart.
Noob (or newbie) is a commonly used word, not just in Prince world, to describe someone who is new to a hobby or activity. There is nothing inherently derogatory about the word itself. It can be used in a negative way, sure, but that's no reason for a perfectly descriptive word to not be used.
Why would you have a problem with it? Everyboy involved with any activity started out as a noob. If no noobs get into Prince, the fandom will wither, so, I welcome the noobs!!
Its been used in a negative way a ton more than ppl will ever admit . .
Dont know why .. I hate that word.
You aint new to anything except some ahole tellin u you some new bla bla .. know whats new, your tired ass bs thats been up in this for to damn long is what it is .. you aint got nuthin new n improved to say other than newb stuff it ..
I can't really tell if the bolded part is aimed at me personally or merely a rant in general, but, it kind of seems like you really hate the word newbie and find it offensive.
Seems like an extreme opinion to me, but, okay.
Don't hate your neighbors. Hate the media that tells you to hate your neighbors.
My 10 year old twin boys asked me the other day why I like Prince so much. I explained to them that certain music, at certain points becomes a part of your life, because lyrically, and timing wise, it can have a greater effect on you than the music itself.
I'm not sure they got it, so I made them a quick montage of prince pictures, based on a song that resonates with my personal journey. I think they then understood. (mods, it doesn't use Prince music or video, and only uses images already on here, be it my favourite ones).
Well done and very moving. Thanks for posting
"Almost all art is trying to become an anaesthetic and at the same time a healing session drawing up the magical electrics.”
Hey all, I’m not sure where I stand on all the stages of loss type stuff, all I know is, it feels like it might be time to move on, or at least, let go. After I went to see Purple Rain on June 7 and then the Tribute of Prince night in London, it started to feel…over.
For me, it’s been a 32-year blast. Hundreds of gigs, thousands of songs and conversations. I never went off the music. Songs in 2015 were as part of my life as ones in 1985. But until now, everything was the present, not wallowing in retrospect.
I don’t mean giving up on being a Prince fan. I’ll buy every note of vault music when it finally gets released, but it will never be new music. It will never set markers in my life as it carries on. I've had a lot going on recently, from family illness, to job changes, to child dramas. Usually I have a Prince album to accompany me on the journey, but no more.
I’m not suggesting a goodbye, but it might be healthy to explore other things, other experiences for a while. At the moment, I still check the org every day. Habit. Always looking out for the next surprise Prince gig, like I have done since it started; or even further back when some of us were the PPML, or AMP, or the Controversy hotline. Prince was like a perpetual hunt for sound and sight.
Anybody else felt like moving on? Not moving on from being a fan, but moving on with life. Some of the longest fans seem quiet of late. Have they moved on already, or retreated for a while? Maybe I should just retire SquirrelMeat, take a break and come back with a different account, asking all the newbie questions that can drive the old timers mad?
How are you feeling? Like you could never bail? Time to assess? When does living an online life in a forum to a dead pop star (and I hate the term 'dead') become unhealthy or obssessive? Or are we more than that? A legacy? A community?
I understand what you are saying but I think the community should stay in place and I don't think it is unhealthy or obsessive anymore than long term Beatles, MJ or other fans. I do agree that there will be no more markers in my life related to Prince albums, there haven't been in years because I prefer mostly the older music. And the fact that there is no more excitement related to surprise Prince gigs, tours or releases does put a damper on everything. After watching the BET awards, particularly Sheila E tribute, I definitely felt a sense of "it's over". Just watching her scream and slide just nailed it in that there.is.no.more.prince.
I am not sure what direction to move on to, but I feel my initial period of sadness/mourning is over. I just feel...empty. I am definitely interested in preserving the legacy and educating newer fans, and I pray his Estate does not make similar mistakes like what the person said happened to MJ. I will start coming here more often (I used to be active in early-mid 2000's but the rancor here combined with NPGMC just turned me off completely) because I don't know where else to go. Reading articles about Prince on FB is about all I do now. I joined some FB fan pages but I don't care for them. Definitely need to keep the Org going and princevault.com. Not sure how to make them more user friendly maybe if everyone donates $19.99 it can be upgraded
Hey all, I’m not sure where I stand on all the stages of loss type stuff, all I know is, it feels like it might be time to move on, or at least, let go. After I went to see Purple Rain on June 7 and then the Tribute of Prince night in London, it started to feel…over.
For me, it’s been a 32-year blast. Hundreds of gigs, thousands of songs and conversations. I never went off the music. Songs in 2015 were as part of my life as ones in 1985. But until now, everything was the present, not wallowing in retrospect.
I don’t mean giving up on being a Prince fan. I’ll buy every note of vault music when it finally gets released, but it will never be new music. It will never set markers in my life as it carries on. I've had a lot going on recently, from family illness, to job changes, to child dramas. Usually I have a Prince album to accompany me on the journey, but no more.
I’m not suggesting a goodbye, but it might be healthy to explore other things, other experiences for a while. At the moment, I still check the org every day. Habit. Always looking out for the next surprise Prince gig, like I have done since it started; or even further back when some of us were the PPML, or AMP, or the Controversy hotline. Prince was like a perpetual hunt for sound and sight.
Anybody else felt like moving on? Not moving on from being a fan, but moving on with life. Some of the longest fans seem quiet of late. Have they moved on already, or retreated for a while? Maybe I should just retire SquirrelMeat, take a break and come back with a different account, asking all the newbie questions that can drive the old timers mad?
How are you feeling? Like you could never bail? Time to assess? When does living an online life in a forum to a dead pop star (and I hate the term 'dead') become unhealthy or obssessive? Or are we more than that? A legacy? A community?
I agree with most of this, I'm not sure what's next for me...
Thank you! As a newbie, sometimes the condescension I detect makes me not want to come back.
Interesting....
Personally I see a big difference between newbies and casuals. Newbies might stick around, become hardcore, and eventually be considered one of the "old-timers". Love the newbies, WELCOME aboard!!
Casuals, in my opinion, are interested because he just passed, and for the moment it's "hip" to be into Prince. They want to be a part of something that they couldn't be bothered with when he was alive and they have no real interest in becoming what we consider hardcore fans. They can move on.
Just sayin....
[Edited 7/7/16 12:57pm]
Well, from my perspective, the ostentatiousness of the casuals might provoke someone younger who never had exposure to the music to want to hear what everyone is suddenly talking about.
I get the vibe (and I understand, to an extent) that a lot of hardcore fans have become very possessive of his music since he passed. They don't want people singing his songs because they "can't do him justice". They don't want new fans because "you should have been listening to him already." I ask to those people: do you even care if his music survives to future generations? If there are new Prince fans 10 years from now, much less 100 years from now? Because I don't know if that's the way to ensure it...
Help me out here: Is this about letting go of Prince? Or letting go of prince.org?
Please let me know if I'm misinterpreting you (talking to SquirrelMeat here)...but I don't get the whole "move on with life" aspect of your post. This assumes that people don't have lives outside of Prince or prince.org - which is ridiculous. I mean...Prince is my favorite music artist. Has been since 1982, will be for the rest of my life. (At least - I can't imagine anyone else knocking him out of the #1 position.) He's been a huge part of my life - but he's never been my whole life.
Being here, or at NPGMC or NPGUnderground or wherever, has been at least as much about the people here and there as it was about Prince. I made new friends because of him - should I let them go, too? Aren't they part of that whole experience? As long as they and the music are still part of my life, is it really over?
See...I think Prince did something really amazing - he achieved immortality. I like to think that, in my own tiny way, I'm part of that. I'm not letting go of that ever - and no one can make me.
We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.
I will not move on...the soundtrack of my life will forever be Prince. Now that he is gone I am enjoying the videos sooooo much. I wish they could stay up because they do bring comfort. Plus all of my kids are seeing these now too. My 9 yr old likes Prince as much as ugh...dare I say it... Justin B now... Whom I can't stand
Not everybody is on the same time frame with life. If you can move on fine, good for you. But don't try to preach or make anybody else feel bad if they aren't ready. Healing takes time, and time is infinite. We will be ready when we are ready.
I have already cut down on visiting .org (it has spiked in last couple months)
Also, started to listen to new/different music recently - after having Prince on loop for the last two months
Put all of his stuff in a box and shelved - barring a couple of display items...and will get a blue angel as my last major purchase
Otherwise - unless there are new boots/vault... then yes - there is an element of that part of life is over...never forgotten - but the following of Prince is over
He will always be a part of us - just not as apparent
My 10 year old twin boys asked me the other day why I like Prince so much. I explained to them that certain music, at certain points becomes a part of your life, because lyrically, and timing wise, it can have a greater effect on you than the music itself.
I'm not sure they got it, so I made them a quick montage of prince pictures, based on a song that resonates with my personal journey. I think they then understood. (mods, it doesn't use Prince music or video, and only uses images already on here, be it my favourite ones).
Personally I see a big difference between newbies and casuals. Newbies might stick around, become hardcore, and eventually be considered one of the "old-timers". Love the newbies, WELCOME aboard!!
Casuals, in my opinion, are interested because he just passed, and for the moment it's "hip" to be into Prince. They want to be a part of something that they couldn't be bothered with when he was alive and they have no real interest in becoming what we consider hardcore fans. They can move on.
Just sayin....
I don't think you get it. The people who paid attention to Prince only right after his death have already left onto the next media sensation of the day. That is the way our throwawy culture is. His sales are drastically down starting two weeks after his death (I dare say they are at most a few percent now of what they were then). He is no longer on general magazine covers. Rolling Stone, who had features every day, rarely mentions him. Why do you think there would be tons of these fans hanging on at the org after almost three months when every other sign is that they have moved on long ago. Many people who are still here are likely similar to the ones that have spoken up about why there are here: They love Prince and came to the org for comfort and info about his death. Many had said they causually visited before and oithers have mentioned that they typically aren't into message boards. Just becasaue they wern't org fans in the past has nothing to do about whether or not they were Prince fans.
[Edited 7/7/16 12:57pm]
Well, from my perspective, the ostentatiousness of the casuals might provoke someone younger who never had exposure to the music to want to hear what everyone is suddenly talking about.
I get the vibe (and I understand, to an extent) that a lot of hardcore fans have become very possessive of his music since he passed. They don't want people singing his songs because they "can't do him justice". They don't want new fans because "you should have been listening to him already." I ask to those people: do you even care if his music survives to future generations? If there are new Prince fans 10 years from now, much less 100 years from now? Because I don't know if that's the way to ensure it...
Yes, YOU should move on. Go move on. "living an online life in a forum to a dead pop star" is about as distasteful and insulting as you can be to everyone on here.
for me? never, I'll probably have little red corvette played at my funeral, and if anyone comes, they'll go "WTF". Elvis has been out of the building for almost 40 years and people still listen, i still listen, and you know what? both guys had enough material that there is a lot that i either haven't heard or haven't heard well. Elvis was a fellow workhorse who every so often, i'll stumble upon some song of his that is forgotten and I'll think "not bad". In Prince's case, I would put money on him doing things which he knew were so different and left them for the future, I'd put money on it. Beethoven once said "it's for a future time" when people didn't understand some of his music. Same with Prince. For me, a musician is a subject, someone I can go back to, learn more about, study, study study. it never ends. i still here elvis stories all the time and I have yet to go to graceland, like i say, it never ends.
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Prince: Music and More > For many, Prince was the soundtrack of your life, but the soundtrack has faded. When is it time to move on and letitgo?
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As a newbie, sometimes the condescension I detect makes me not want to come back.
and miss him, but it is time to get back to living and focusing on other things. 
so true!
