TrivialPursuit said:

lurker316 said:

I just remembered that I read Morris Day's book as well. It was interesting and as far as I know reasonably fair and accurate.

That goddamn thing. Hard pass.

Why is that? When I read it I took everything with a grain of salt. But with that said, he didn't make any outlandlish claims and didn't try to blame Prince for everything. He owned up to a lot of stuff, which made it somewhat credible in my eyes.

Hamad said:

Susan Rogers is coming with a book this year or early next year actually

THAT I'd read!

lurker316 said:

Why is that? When I read it I took everything with a grain of salt. But with that said, he didn't make any outlandlish claims and didn't try to blame Prince for everything. He owned up to a lot of stuff, which made it somewhat credible in my eyes.

I don't discredit Morris at all.

First, when I saw the cover I thought it was a joke. It's horrible. Zero design to it, made it look half-assed and cheap. Yeah, judging a book by its cover. Absolutely.

Then the answer back element in the book. I read the first few pages and it just felt so awkward and weird and contrived. I couldn't imagine going on, so I deleted it off my Nook.

Maybe it's a great book. I won't know for a long time.

TrivialPursuit said:

Hamad said:

Phase3 said: I still can’t bring myself to read it because of that very same reason. All the best to Mayte, I hope she’s having a fabulous day wherever she is.

Yeah, I get that. But it's a good journey to take. Yeah, it's rough, but it's also very loving, insightful and honest. It's not all "He was terrible after we lost the baby." Quite the opposite. If anything, it shows some of the most vulnerable and flawed parts of the man who spent his life building his mystique.

The book paints him as a human being. And that, really, is all we should ever want in a book about Prince.

Well-said.
It's the most respectful book I've ever read from an ex.

TrivialPursuit said:

lurker316 said:

I just remembered that I read Morris Day's book as well. It was interesting and as far as I know reasonably fair and accurate.

That goddamn thing. Hard pass.

Pretty much. The guy carries a chip on his shoulder, waiting to toss it at the man who made him a star. Several "alternative facts" in it make it a bad choice.

laytonian said:

TrivialPursuit said:

That goddamn thing. Hard pass.

Pretty much. The guy carries a chip on his shoulder, waiting to toss it at the man who made him a star. Several "alternative facts" in it make it a bad choice.

Reading it, I didn't get the impression MOrris had a chip on his shoulder. Granted, there were a few specific points where he seemed resentful, but those were more than balanced out by all of the positive stuff he said about Prince and their relationship. Is he not allowed to have even a few gripes? If you eliminate those, then the book would be sycophantic.

lurker316 said:

laytonian said:

Pretty much. The guy carries a chip on his shoulder, waiting to toss it at the man who made him a star. Several "alternative facts" in it make it a bad choice.

Reading it, I didn't get the impression MOrris had a chip on his shoulder. Granted, there were a few specific points where he seemed resentful, but those were more than balanced out by all of the positive stuff he said about Prince and their relationship. Is he not allowed to have even a few gripes? If you eliminate those, then the book would be sycophantic.

Yeah, I don't believe Morris has some chip on his shoudler or something. I sometimes think fans believe these associates have to write glowing reviews. But they weren't just reading a fluff piece in Right On or something. They were living it, flaws and all. Their own, and Prince's.

Morris is certainly entitled to his opinion and view on things. Who's gonna tell him different? No one else was there.

TrivialPursuit said:

lurker316 said:

Reading it, I didn't get the impression MOrris had a chip on his shoulder. Granted, there were a few specific points where he seemed resentful, but those were more than balanced out by all of the positive stuff he said about Prince and their relationship. Is he not allowed to have even a few gripes? If you eliminate those, then the book would be sycophantic.

Yeah, I don't believe Morris has some chip on his shoudler or something. I sometimes think fans believe these associates have to write glowing reviews. But they weren't just reading a fluff piece in Right On or something. They were living it, flaws and all. Their own, and Prince's.

Morris is certainly entitled to his opinion and view on things. Who's gonna tell him different? No one else was there.

Exactly. I leared a lot about their relationship through Morris' book...as well as his solo career...and meanings to several songs he wrote himself.

I also liked his candid take about how much Prince took care of him during his binge in 1985. He didnt have to say that but he did.

The thing is, if you read the books by Mayte or Morris or Sheila you will only find out about how they saw Prince in the time that they were with him, so they may portray a picture from the inside, but it's only a part of the whole picture. So there's no way that Mayte or Morris or Sheila are going to write the definitive biography of Prince. Neither are Duane Tudahl or Per Nilsen, because they only focus on his recordings in a particular period. So everybody is looking at a part of the story, but who is looking at the whole story?
[Edited 11/18/21 15:45pm]
[Edited 11/18/21 15:48pm]

jasopig said:

Apart from the Tudahl books, which are different categories, the Prince book I most enjoyed was This Thing Called Life by Neal Karlen.

-

I have it, but still have to read it.

-

Hamad said:

Susan Rogers is coming with a book this year or early next year actually

-

Kinda really really looking forward for that!

-

Thanks for all who replied and answered my question.. Lots of great ideas. I just finished BrownMark's "My Life in the Purple Kingdom" and Toure's "Nothing Compares 2 U".

BrownMark's as a bit thin. Gave a few stories...but most of all it is a warning to be careful of being taken advantage of. Prince, wild women and even a crooked Judge and his son..all take a piece of his flesh. But he wins in the end, which is great.

Toure's book is good...and in the past I have not liked Toure..but I have to hand it to him for this one. He is trusted by Prince's inner circle and it shows. They give him all the stories and he presents a well-rounded portrait of Prince. I also think this book has a lot of the same material in his "Who is Prince " podcast..so you may enjoy that format more.

Only the session-ography ones... Uptown's The Vault, Duale Tudal's Purple Rain Studio Sessions & Parade Studio Sessions, etc.

.

[Edited 11/24/21 20:10pm]

My favorite Prince book is Prince: A Documentary by Per Nilsen.

It opened my eyes up to a whole different world of outtakes,bootlegs, and uncirculated music.