nursev said:

FunkiestOne said:

CalhounSq said:

Kara said:

CalhounSq said:

Not for me. I just hate the finality of it, how it happened, WHY it happened, that he was ashes so soon after... It's all just so fucking awful. The man has been in my ear for 38 years, I've been seeing him live yearly for 27 years. His music made me so fucking HAPPY, & just the sight of him made my clit throb. It's not about youth, it's about the end of something incredible that was a part of the majority of my life. No concert will ever compare, no music will ever touch me as deeply. That's what it's about for me.

I agree, and I felt that way right until the end. I was never pining away for the Purple Rain era or whatever.

FunkiestOne said:

CalhounSq said:

CalhounSq said:

Not for me. I just hate the finality of it, how it happened, WHY it happened, that he was ashes so soon after... It's all just so fucking awful. The man has been in my ear for 38 years, I've been seeing him live yearly for 27 years. His music made me so fucking HAPPY, & just the sight of him made my clit throb. It's not about youth, it's about the end of something incredible that was a part of the majority of my life. No concert will ever compare, no music will ever touch me as deeply. That's what it's about for me.

.

Yes of course that is what is about for me as well. I never said it wasn't. I just said that there were other issues at work too.

for me, none.

Kenshader said:

A little younger here, 37, and I got into him in the early 90s, but I'll go to watch something like an awards show performance on YouTube, and remember it like it was just a couple years ago and I'm still a teenager...then it dawns on me.

I so know what you mean!

FunkiestOne said:

ALL of it!

If life is like a three-act play and I believe it is. Then my act two began and ended with Prince. When he passed there was a huge screeching sound in my head, a momentary pause and then the loud slam of a door closing on that part of my life. TRAUMA. I am now shoved into act three of my existence. A phase I thought I would come to accept gradually over time. That it would come more gently. I had not anticipated this violent and abrupt end to something I didn’t even realize was so intertwined with my second act of this thing called life. Prince was my entrée to young adulthood; WOW! Couldn’t have been a better torchbearer. In the end, he blows me away yet again as a reminder I guess that he was here and he was spectacular!

This is what it is like for most of my friends who were in their 20's in the 80's it has been one rough summer so far.

CalhounSq said:

FunkiestOne said:

.

Yes of course that is what is about for me as well. I never said it wasn't. I just said that there were other issues at work too.

Depends on the person, I guess. I never mourned P's youth, I loved his evolution over the years, the direction he was going & the even more phenomenal musician he'd become. I love that he would do all sorts of venues, was still expanding his musical style, just did whatever he felt like doing. I guess for me, it's the live experiences I mourn, & the man himself. But I don't look at old stuff & think, "he's not young anymore" That's just not where I'm at, with him or myself.

I think the original poster wasn't talking about mourning P's youth, but our own: that his death breaks a link to our own youth -- assuming that our P fandom extends back to, say, our teen years. That's something that some people here feel, and others don't.

disch said:

Blakbear said:

Not so much for me at 40. Because to me, being 40 is much, much better than being 20. The things I used to do simply aren't even necessary anymore, and I'm much clearer about what I do and don't want. I think we need to stop worshiping youth as though our lives end when we stop having young bodies. Wisdom only happens when you keep living, looking forward, not crying over what you 'lost' because you're no longer 25. I wouldn't want to go back to 25 for any reason. You can't pay me for it. In fact, I can't wait for 50, when I really don't have to give a shit about anyone's opinion, not that I ev er really cared much, anyway.

It's WONDERFUL!! I turned 51 this year and I don't give a rats behind what people think, where I used to try to please everyone. Now I'm the one with a 2500 Watts amp in the back of my Jeep and I'm blasting Prince music, enlightening everyone. No way do I want to be a twentysomething like my daughter. Just starting out with her hubby. Nope, so glad its over and my kids are grown ups. Now it's just me and their dad and we are loving life. And it helps that I have a man who enjoys Prince music too, so I can listen whenever I want and not feel bad. Most of all I cherish lessons learned and coming into my own. I look back at the Purple Rain Prince and he was so young and cocky and overly self assured. I LOVED watching him grow and warm up to interviews and be himself. I find myself watching Prince videos during the day of him during interviews because I can't get enough of him. I have the songs, but these interviews are snapshots of him over the years that were kept away from us. I swear Youtube hates me. LOL

nursev said:

Im 44 so this has nothing to do with the death of youth its about someone you admired suffering alone and dying alone! The rest is bullshit. That shit will forever hurt my soul that Prince died in a damn elevator alone...some bullshit at the highest bullshit level. No way was it supposed to end that way for Prince.

I totally agree with you. Breaks my heart to think of him dying alone like that. He gave us sooooooo much and to pass away like that? It is bullshit and while I first felt like part of my youth had died, I never cried, still haven't. I just can't get this image of Prince, larger than life packed into a svelt petite body, dying all alone in a damn elevator. Does not compute. Pun intended. One thing I did feel deeply was that the music had indeed died. Like what was the point of music anymore if Prince wasn't here to make it? Weird. I'm over that now.

KRTREE said:

ALL of it!

If life is like a three-act play and I believe it is. Then my act two began and ended with Prince. When he passed there was a huge screeching sound in my head, a momentary pause and then the loud slam of a door closing on that part of my life. TRAUMA. I am now shoved into act three of my existence. A phase I thought I would come to accept gradually over time. That it would come more gently. I had not anticipated this violent and abrupt end to something I didn’t even realize was so intertwined with my second act of this thing called life. Prince was my entrée to young adulthood; WOW! Couldn’t have been a better torchbearer. In the end, he blows me away yet again as a reminder I guess that he was here and he was spectacular!

This is what it is like for most of my friends who were in their 20's in the 80's it has been one rough summer so far.

Yup. Me too, like you read my mind. Now when I watch the videos on Youtube he almost seemed "other worldly". Now that sounds dorky, but I don't think the man did anything "normal" and man, those hands of his...sigh. His hands were perfect and the way he played those guitars was how he played my mind and heart with his music as a young girl/woman. So glad to know I'm not the only one. I imagine that we are feeling about Prince death like so many women did when Elvis died. Lost, the music is over, why bother even listening to anything anymore. I'm passed that now, but I won't watch tributes. If it aint the original, I don't want it. Except Adam Levine's cover of Purple Rain... yeah, mmhmmm Excellent cover.

KRTREE said:

ALL of it!

If life is like a three-act play and I believe it is. Then my act two began and ended with Prince. When he passed there was a huge screeching sound in my head, a momentary pause and then the loud slam of a door closing on that part of my life. TRAUMA. I am now shoved into act three of my existence. A phase I thought I would come to accept gradually over time. That it would come more gently. I had not anticipated this violent and abrupt end to something I didn’t even realize was so intertwined with my second act of this thing called life. Prince was my entrée to young adulthood; WOW! Couldn’t have been a better torchbearer. In the end, he blows me away yet again as a reminder I guess that he was here and he was spectacular!

This is what it is like for most of my friends who were in their 20's in the 80's it has been one rough summer so far.

.

Yes very well said. I feel like his departure from this world has pushed me into another phase of my life as well. Things are very different now than they were before April 21.

I read an article the other day which said this will become the norm. The artists we grew up with, who have entertained us creatively for years, have started to pass away in higher numbers, and we shall face those numbers for many years to come. Prince was far too young, and his death - well, I would like to see the autopsy results. I believe his life and death was much more complicated than a Fentanyl patch.

Blakbear said:

It's WONDERFUL!! I turned 51 this year and I don't give a rats behind what people think, where I used to try to please everyone. Now I'm the one with a 2500 Watts amp in the back of my Jeep and I'm blasting Prince music, enlightening everyone.

I wonder if we are going to be the generation that ages differently than the baby boomers? I was at an Anderson.Paak show last month. I was not the only oldster there but I did feel self-conscious. That is until the music started. Then I didn't care he was just so much fun. I saw some footage in Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton of a white dude that had to be in his 80's dancing to J Dilla. So he's my inspiration. He looked SO out of place but he had the biggest smile on his face. He seemed to be perpetually full of joy. I want that to be my future.