GrayDorian said:
EvilAngel said:
Prince was full of shit most of the time. I'm sure Bart could come up with at least 10 examples of Prince contradicting himself off the top of his head. I'll just leave it at "actions speak louder than words". You'd also think a reasonably intelligent man would have rejected chem trail conspiracy theories and that such a man wouldn't have taken the Moline incident lightly just to name a few things. Oh well... 
“Prince was full of shit most of the time.”
This seems more like the kind of remark I would expect from one of my esteemed colleagues trying to goad me, than coming from a fellow Prince fan on a fan site, especially so shortly after his passing. I guess you and I must see Prince very differently. He always struck me as a passionate, sincere and caring man…far from a phony in my eyes, that’s for sure. You can call me a ‘delusional fanboy’ if you like. 
“I'm sure Bart could come up with at least 10 examples of Prince contradicting himself off the top of his head.”
I doubt he would need too much encouragement to burst my balloon either. Well, I guess we all contradict ourselves at times in our lives. I am often pretty conflicted, and I’m sure many others have their own personal struggles/demons to face. Nobody’s perfect, that’s for sure…well, unless you happen to be Jesus.
Bart has clearly devoted a great deal of time and energy to his interest in Prince, though sometimes, when I have read his posts, to be frank I find his presence on this fan site a tad baffling. If he still retains any measure of love, affection or enthusiasm for Prince, he has hitherto concealed it brilliantly from me.
I'll just leave it at "actions speak louder than words".
I agree that actions often speak louder than words (though of course words can have great value and can be potent too). Prince certainly doesn’t need the likes of me to defend his reputation. Let me post a quote made by his good friend Van Jones in April that says a lot for Prince’s character:
“Prince was immensely charitable -- giving away lots of money anonymously. As a Jehovah's Witness, he was not allowed to boast about his donations. But he helped causes as diverse as public radio, Green For All, the Harlem's Children's Zone and Black Lives Matter. More importantly, he made lots of calls behind the scenes to get people to act on causes that needed attention. He would see something in the news, and start calling people -- "We need to do something about this." He was kind of like the 911 of the celebrity class.”
If I try to ponder how many people around the world Prince has touched so deeply with his lyrics, how many of our lives have been enhanced by his music, how many musicians have been inspired by him artistically, and how many souls he has blessed through his unheralded philanthropic acts of charity and love, were I to live for a million years I suspect I would still fail to make that level of positive difference in the world.
No doubt Prince had his faults, as we all do, but to me there is plenty of evidence of a life lived to the full, which has yielded an extraordinary contribution by an exceptional man of uncommon, unique talent and unyielding love for his fellow man.
I ’d also like to quote the same interview with Van Jones with regards to your suggestion that Prince “didn't care what would happen to his music when no longer around”.
“The happiest day that I have ever seen him is the day that Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins got him his master recordings back. It was like someone being released from prison. Every day I knew him before that day he would talk about getting his masters back. Every. Single. Day. He felt that the musical industry had robbed him -- as they had robbed so many black performers before him. But after a two-decade struggle, his last manager, Phaedra, forced the powers-that-be to relent. When he finally got his precious music catalog back under his own control, it was the ultimate vindication. He looked 100 pounds lighter -- and 10 feet taller. Prince, Phaedra and I cried a little -- and laughed a lot. He had beaten them all. The jewels were back in the Vault. And the Prince was irrevocably on his throne.”
Surely this hardly paints the picture of a man who would not make provision for his music after his passing, however unexpected? Imho Prince was no fool…far from it. He may have been reputedly wary of entering into contracts, but I still contend that a will/trust may not have been absolutely necessary to achieve this, provided he had given clear instructions to capable friends/family, whom he knew he could trust and rely upon to fulfil his wishes.
“You'd also think a reasonably intelligent man would have rejected chem trail conspiracy theories and that such a man wouldn't have taken the Moline incident lightly just to name a few things.”
Oddly enough, somebody was harping on at me about chem trails a few weeks ago. The conversation kind of left me speechless. I hadn’t even heard of them before that Prince interview, which did surprise me and make me wonder.
Although I have always found it easy to relate to Prince in many respects, I did perceive him to be a touch paranoid (albeit perhaps wrongly). I suspect that in his lofty yet vulnerable position at some points in his life he may have endured some pretty bad experiences at the hands of users, swindlers and other sundry dodgers in the music industry, which may have scarred him and made him understandably wary.
I work with a really nice, stand-up guy, who is very bright and capable, yet seems to see conspiracies everywhere. He even told me that he is convinced that 9/11 was an inside job, and George W was in on it! Go figure! 
As for “taking the Moline incident lightly”, I can be quite fatalistic in outlook, and I wouldn’t be all that surprised, if Prince had a similar attitude to life (which again could be utter nonsense of course). Sadly (from a purely selfish perspective) no amount of wishing will turn back the hands of time, and bring him back to us. I hope and pray that he is at peace and at Home with God now.
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