Prince was in in the process of writing an autobiography/memoirs, which was due for release next year. I'd give an arm and a leg to read what he'd written already. I'm really curious as to what his writing style is like. Would it be quite cryptic and 'typically Prince', or would it be quite open, converstaional and humorous? I'm leaning towards the latter if I'm honest.

of course it would have been worth a look as a fan but most autobiographies are dogged by people being disengenuous and I couldn't see Prince being very open. anyway, i heard he only finished 50 pages.

This could be better than expected. To sit down and write 50-60 pages of an autobiography, you would already have to have been thinking about it for a while and have a few important points you wanted to make, either about your life or about the world. Unless he was looking back and chronologically writing about whatever he could remember from each year, I would expect the first 50-60 pages would contain his most personally-important thoughts.

as a fan, anything he would have done would have gotten read by me, I just don't think bios are very honest. this topic made me think of Barry Gordy's bio, which i didn't read but did listen to the audio version as read by him. It was interesting and he comes across as such a nice guy in spite of all the stories about him. that's pretty common. Arethas bio was horrible in that way. I mean, it's understandable, who wants to tell people their personal stuff? It gets out anyway but why do it yourself?

FOr sure they will release this...They might bulk it up and create some kind of COffee table book format with Pictures..

but there is NO way they wont release it...

50 Pages IN HIS OWN WORDS !!!

I want that..

PeteSilas said:

as a fan, anything he would have done would have gotten read by me, I just don't think bios are very honest. this topic made me think of Barry Gordy's bio, which i didn't read but did listen to the audio version as read by him. It was interesting and he comes across as such a nice guy in spite of all the stories about him. that's pretty common. Arethas bio was horrible in that way. I mean, it's understandable, who wants to tell people their personal stuff? It gets out anyway but why do it yourself?

.

Miles Davis's autobiography is fascinating and I don't even know his music. Prince had high standards for whatever he did and his would have been just about as good or better.

Prince might've written more than 50 pages. It was said he had 50 pages written at the time of him doing the book publishing deal.

FunkiestOne said:

PeteSilas said:

as a fan, anything he would have done would have gotten read by me, I just don't think bios are very honest. this topic made me think of Barry Gordy's bio, which i didn't read but did listen to the audio version as read by him. It was interesting and he comes across as such a nice guy in spite of all the stories about him. that's pretty common. Arethas bio was horrible in that way. I mean, it's understandable, who wants to tell people their personal stuff? It gets out anyway but why do it yourself?

.

Miles Davis's autobiography is fascinating and I don't even know his music. Prince had high standards for whatever he did and his would have been just about as good or better.

i never read mile's, i don't doubt you. but prince is a whole different kind of a guy. he never did like people prying into his life (who does really?) and i don't see a good book coming out of it, interesting, yes, but not a good autobiography. He'd have just taken the money and run, which is the reason he said he was doing it in the first place "they made us an offer too good to turn down". I heard he was shopping for a bio 20 some years ago, in those days, i don't think the general public would have been interested.

fbueller said:

If the publisher has any sense, it'll come out at some point, even if it has to have a lot of input from others.

Dibblekins said:

hopefully we'll see it. be quite interesting

laurarichardson said:

fbueller said:

Prince might've written more than 50 pages. It was said he had 50 pages written at the time of him doing the book publishing deal.

-- Who said he had only written 50 pages? I noticed that a lot of information post death is being put out via Internet has if it is fact with no source.

i forgot where i even read it. honestly, the only things I would find interesting are maybe things he thought of other people. for some reason, that would tell me how his mind worked. You know, we never ever got to see him like that, it would have been great to hear him say something like "Morris was a great drummer but I thought he would make a better frontman just because of his humour". you know, you get insights and impressions in a bio. I remember Johnny Cash saying in his book how he was surprised no one ever mentioned how powerful Elvis' rhythm guitar playing was which he'd seen firsthand in the early days. Little anectdotes would have been great. But bios are usually hagiographic if not decietful. A guy like Bill Cosby would never put some of the things he did in a bio you know.

FunkiestOne said:

PeteSilas said:

Springsteens recently published autobio is exceptional and personal at times. Sure I was aware of friction with his father, but to come out with something deeply personal as his battle with depression and its debilitating effects on him was something unexpected, appreciated his candid openness. This was also after the fame, not when battling for success, which perhaps Prince had a bit of during Dirty Mind era, sure I have read this.

Hard to fathom Prince touching on the too personal but you never know, Springsteen often wrote in characters, and only in his best music (Tunnel of Love) did he write transparently autobiographic in his songs. Likewise Princes best work was often rooted in relationships and family life (When Doves Cry, Old Friends 4 Sale, Forever In My Life ,Papa,), but like Springsteen, also did not choose to go there obviously transparent at times. (or maybe he did more than I realize, and an autobio would have cleared up more of the non-fictional songs).

I really hope they do release it. And like it's been said before, perhaps what he manage to write down is like an index for all topis covered, with notes and stuff. I would love to read it and I'm sure they could do a great job by complementing it with P&M photos and some lyrics. It can be done in a tasteful manner, let's hope it is.

precioux said:

Of all things... I wish I could have heard his side of the story...

Hopefully whetever he's written will be published somehow. How? IDK. 50 pages isn't much of a book, IDK how this is possibly marketable, but it wouln't make much sense if it wasn't made public one way or another.

Put together Volume 1 of a Prince Anthology (like The Beatles did) and include the memoir pages as part of the package.

databank said:

Of all things... I wish I could have heard his side of the story...

Hopefully whetever he's written will be published somehow. How? IDK. 50 pages isn't much of a book, IDK how this is possibly marketable, but it wouln't make much sense if it wasn't made public one way or another.

Maybe a long article...

precioux said:

laurarichardson said:precioux said:Prince’s forthcoming memoir could be the source of his recent bout of nostalgia. According to literary agent Esther Newberg, he’s already turned in the first 50 pages of the manuscript. The Paris Review’s Web editor, Dan Piepenbring, is also on board to help Prince (who pens all of his lyrics) write his book. “He’s a good critic. That’s what I need,” the singer said to the crowd on Saturday night. “Not a yes man.” THERE!HE TURNED IN 50 PAGES! SMDH!He had a book signing in NY and said "I could not turn down the offer"...signed with Spiger & Grau (Randomhouse subsidy) -- And for all we know there could be more pages that were completed. That would be an "OH HAPPY DAY!!!!" Would love to hopefully one day be able to read 50 if not more pages...does anyone know the legalities behind a contractual bind of a memoir and if it has to be released, even if the author dies before it is complete??????

i know nothing about the legalities of it but I do know malcolm x was killed before his book was properly done. I know that he took some advances on it too but Malcolms bio was pretty much complete. the only problem was that I think it's very possible that Alex Haley remade Malcolm to conform to his politics rather than Malcolms. It's a great bio and an important one but Haley was not above chicanery, he was successfully sued over his roots material. Anyway, there will probably be a couple things to straighten out but I would think that they will do something with P's bio.

runningbear said:

Springsteens recently published autobio is exceptional and personal at times. Sure I was aware of friction with his father, but to come out with something deeply personal as his battle with depression and its debilitating effects on him was something unexpected, appreciated his candid openness. This was also after the fame, not when battling for success, which perhaps Prince had a bit of during Dirty Mind era, sure I have read this.

Hard to fathom Prince touching on the too personal but you never know, Springsteen often wrote in characters, and only in his best music (Tunnel of Love) did he write transparently autobiographic in his songs. Likewise Princes best work was often rooted in relationships and family life (When Doves Cry, Old Friends 4 Sale, Forever In My Life ,Papa,), but like Springsteen, also did not choose to go there obviously transparent at times. (or maybe he did more than I realize, and an autobio would have cleared up more of the non-fictional songs).

Bruce is nothing like Prince or very many people. He's more open, humble and honest. He's willing to admit to faults and fuckups, not too many people are, so, of course that makes it more interesting. Unfortunately, I had the oppurtunity to meet him, he stopped in seatttle on the book tour, i didn't hear about it until the next day, I was pretty depressed myself.

Also, I wonder how much of anything in anyone's bio is true, bruce might have put some depression in to spice the thing up. A book has to have selling points, tragic stories and scandals, people love that. I can't tell you how many times I've scratched my head reading bios and wondering if things happened the way someone said. Patti Labelle said Jackie Wilson raped her, it's probably true, another woman came out and said the same, but Patti saved it for her book. Darlene Love tried to say Elvis made a pass at her and said he'd never been with a black woman, which, if other sources are correct, isn't true. Cybil sheppard tried to say she taught elvis to give cunnilingus, which, i doubt, i'm sure elvis did plenty of things by the time he was with Cybil in his 30's.

Another good question is, Who has possession of these 50 pages or so???

MMJas said:

BillieBalloon said:

MMJas said:

I really hope they do release it. And like it's been said before, perhaps what he manage to write down is like an index for all topis covered, with notes and stuff. I would love to read it and I'm sure they could do a great job by complementing it with P&M photos and some lyrics. It can be done in a tasteful manner, let's hope it is.

Why just P&M photos? It was a biography of his whole life not just the end. If he started at the beginning he wouldn't have even got to the P&M part anyway.

Apparently, P's intention was to stop the book at 2007 (the Superbowl appearance) although I do think that would have been a mistake on his part as so much took place afterwards!