little richard used to call his audience "god's boquet of love" and describe how his music brought folks together. I think Prince brought people together but I don't think people of any race are really ready to be brought together like he or many other artistic visionaries might want to see. too many other factors that divide even friends and family from each other let alone races and religions. that kind of community might come in the future or it might not. One thing i can say is that music does give us a glimpse of that kind of community, concerts, performances, parties seem to bring out humanity's laten tribalism and at least briefly creates harmony.

benni said:

KoolEaze said:

Interesting......I was thinking about the very same thing last night. He really united and brought together so many people from so many different parts of the world and some even became very close friends or got married.

I´m sure that other musicians and bands probably also have fans that met new friends at concerts and online but it seems to me that Prince was really good at uniting people without even doing it on purpose.

In the end, his old idea about a "New Breed" from the Controversy days finally came true, albeit under a new moniker (New Power Generation....not just a band name but also what he called his followers at times).

I wonder if he was aware of all this , and if so, to what extent.

I don't know if he was aware at how effective he was at doing it, but I think on some level he did know that he brought people together. I read in an interview after his passing, one of his previous bandmates or someone that was close to him, said that Prince had wanted to start a movement and believed New Power Generation wasn't just a band, but was that movement. He wanted his fans to be that New Power Generation, thus why he would call us that. But I believe, if I recall correctly, they said that he was often disappointed because he hadn't started a movement. It sounds like he was wanting his fans to become advocates for love 4 one another, being open and accepting of our racial differences, and bringing not just fans together, but the world together.

It's interesting that many of his songs would touch on this, on coming together, on loving each other, starting way back with New Breed around the time of Controversy with the song Sexuality and the New Breed fan club. If I recall correctly, he brought up New Breed again in The Rainbow Children album. I think that is what he felt one of his purposes was, but from the article, it sounded like he felt like that was one purpose he never accomplished completely.

Very nice!

ISaidLifeIsJustAGame said:

sexyisintheimagination said:

Prince was a uniter and would love that his energy is getting people to know the neighbors. We all should know people around us and really connect and not superficially but friendly.

agree! he lives on