Awesome book Alex,
Disturbing and fasinating.learnt alot,the photos could have been better quality.Worth the money though.

AlexHahn said:

Sorry, but the acknowledgement is so timid it doesn't register. You didn't go into depth.



It is, but the way you wrote it is not too inspired - I feel none of the pleasure of rediscovery I've felt reading other biographies, because you don't had much light of your own and stick to the standards. The best part is by far the one on Dream Factory.



Maybe I should add my own review.




But that makes your take so much less interesting. You see, as much respect as I have for Uptown and Per, it is getting quite irritating that so much of what we now know about Prince originates or is inspired by this groupS or associated to it. as if it was the Sacred College of Princology. If I read several bios on one person, I don't want them to come from the same "school" or group of people.



Hopefully. I am sure Prince deeply regrets a lot of the behavior you detail.


[This message was edited Thu Jun 26 4:16:39 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]

Hey Alex,on page 103,it states that Madonna's 'Like A Prayer' album came out in 1987.Actually,it was released in 1989.When it comes to years and release dates,you should have asked me to be your proof-reader...lol

DavidEye said:

Excellent point. Alex, hire David to fact proof your book.

DeVanti,you are a trip! Do you work for Paisley Park or something? First of all,Alex's book is not doing that well on the BestSeller list because,frankly,not alot of people are interested in Prince anymore.Alex's book was aimed at diehard Prince fans and,let's be honest,there aren't really even alot of those left.Hardly anybody even buys new Prince CDs anymore,so why would alot of people rush out to buy Alex's book? This says absolutely nothing about the quality of the book itself.


Secondly,you say that there is so much "negativity" on this site and that you prefer the NPGMC.Well,with all due respect,I have to ask,why are you still here? Why aren't you on the other site chatting with all the beautiful,respectful "positive" purple folks that you admire so much? And for someone that is so into "positivity",you're being a real hypocrite by coming here and flaming people (a flame was deleted from one of your other posts),and telling folks to "go straight to hell".

First time a moderator even corrects my quote "technique" or lack of it. Thank you Ian.

As for those who are like "how dare you, Alex Hahn!", you are into a cult of personality. Your own hero doesn't think like that... keep that in mind. Why do you think Prince became so attached to Larry Graham? It's not hard to figure out.
[This message was edited Thu Jun 26 5:55:58 PDT 2003 by Aerogram]

Aerogram said:

No worries mate

DavidEye said:

Very well stated.

DeVanti seems to show little understanding of the niche market and target audience which Alex Hahn's book is aimed at; similarly, 'Uptown' publications and its website couldn't give a stuff that most people who visit mass market websites which say 'not officially endorsed' turn away after one click of the mouse. Their business model (reflected in content and pricing, for example) depends upon a diehard fanbase of enthusiasts which, rather than being deterred by the 'not officially endorsed' language, are knowledgable enough to know the history of such a label.

They are also likely to know, or will be keen to learn that the likes of prince.org and 'Uptown' have actively chosen to remain independent and this stance has necessarily carried with it a lack of endorsement from the subject of their activities. Such independence, or lack of authority might dissuade the mass market visitor - but that's not the primary target audience. It might even put off those of a fam-based mentality who see the badge of 'non-authorisation' as the brand of treachery. And some shallow-thinkers might conclude that 'non-authorisation' also bestows upon it a lack of credibility.

But, to the niche market of diehards who will most probably join NPGMC, visit prince.org, buy a copy of 'Possessed' and subscribe to 'Uptown', the 'non authorisation' label is a mark of independence (worn well before Prince sued Uptown) which is valued rather than shunned.

AEROGRAM ROCKS !

Thank you for taking the words out of my mouth.

What you said in regards to this book can also be applied to the ORG.As a 20 year fan of Prince's music I want to have a honest debates/discussions/disagreements over the music.When hidden agendas are present then the credibility of the debate/disagreement is gone.

3 years ago I would be very harsh toward Prince and his actions because I wanted "his album" to be the best.Prince will never be a "top selling" artist again.What most so called fans need to discover is Prince is OK with that.

As his personal life is concerned ,it's none of my damn bizness.Prince can be an asshole,but little is mentioned when he gave $500,000 to the Marva Collins school or when he gave a $100 tip to the housekeeper who delivered water & towels to his room at 4:00 in the morning.Is this ass-kissing ? No, because I will also say that he has fucked up in his career with the CrystalBall fiasco,Black Album,WB,etc,etc.I dont need a wanna-be music critic telling me what is good or not.



Good point Aerogram !

Aerogram said:

How do you know?

ian said:

THANK YOU!! read the book and lets discuss, otherwise understand what your comments are worth and what they say about you..

If that really was Alex Hahn, I applaud him for posting on here with all the negativity aimed in his direction.

Now first let me state that I never read DMSR. When I bought 'Possessed', I was prepared for the worst, but I enjoyed reading it, lol. It wasn't the most well-written book ever, some facts were off, and I got the impression that the lawsuit Hahn was involved in influenced his perspective. As well it should. Hopefully many other perspectives will be thrown into the mix.

All in all, Prince wasn't depicted as a rapist, axe murderer, or rampant misogynist (at least in the classic sense). If the author chose to "editorialize" as some have stated, that was his prerogative and the prerogative of any biographer. It's one person's educated take on another person's life. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read it critically. Reading any book and taking it as the 'gospel truth' is ill-advised...(LOL, even the gospel itself, IMO)

I guess I'm one of those folks who think that the flaws actually ELEVATE my opinion of people I admire, because I can see them as ordinary people who just found ways to do extraordinary things.

I admire the career Prince has fashioned, be it rise, fall, or status quo right now. He's a real person, one I'll never know, and never have the opportunity to ask about this or that song and its genesis. And also one who's as imperfect as you or I...but who did His thing, '2 the max', in a way that will stand the test of time. This book hints at some flaws specifically, and adds context to that which I admire. How much to believe? I don't know, but knowing some of the possibilities adds context regardless.

Its a book, y'all learn what you can and move on. Someday, maybe Prince will do a great autobio and we'll have more pieces to the puzzle...but failing that, we have the music.

As I said before, the book is just one version of the truth.

I enjoyed it.

I think Alex made a big mistake with the title of the book, but then again, it got us all talking.

With a title like that, he was bound to end up with a backlash from the very clan he is selling to.

I don't know why people have a problem with it. I thought we all knew Prince was an asshole. Always was, always will be. He just happens to be a genius in musical terms.

I happen to agree with a lot (not all) of Alex's music reviews. We share an opinion, and thats all it is, an opinion.

Anyone that slags someone off for their opinion should take a good long look in the mirror.

Ian, how do I get in touch with Alex? Thanks.

giotto said:

Same advice as I gave Ian, my friend. Read the book. It will dispel a lot of conjecture.

If you do, it will soon become clear that Hahn does not necessarily go along with much of what Nilsen has written in the past.
Say what you like about 'D.M.S.R.',accusations were rampant here at the org that the book read like the work of someone not well-versed in the English language ( such observations always struck me as moronic).



You speculate that "Possessed" could be "a bunch of outtakes from "D.M.S.R" and that most of what Hahn has used "stems from Nilsen". Well, Hahn appears to have gone much further than that and gone the proverbial extra mile.
He has cannibalised a series of well-chosen passages from a number of books and has fashioned a hideously derivative pot-pourry to back up his own preconceived ideas before he administers his coup de grace. I can see remnants of books such as "Slave To The Rhythm", to name just one, used in the mix. Hahn has hardly bothered to disguise his references.

"Possessed" is not a serious attempt to chronicle the highs and lows of a spent rock-star. It is an excessively personalised account that often reads like payback time.


.[/quote]

Sure, I agree with you, it´s just that the book
is pretty expensive for me (overseas, shipping cost
etc.etc.) and the price makes me think twice about
ordering it. I have a lot of Prince bios, even the
really "bad" ones, but I bought some of them 2nd hand
and my "speculations" about Possessed being "a bunch of
outtakes " were based on what I´ve read on the org before,
maybe even in some advertisement for the book, so I didn´t
really want to sound negative, but as I said above, I agree
with you, maybe I SHOULD read it, but I guess you catch my
drift. Thanks for your response, I appreciate it.
Just one more question: What exactly is this thing with
people criticizing Per Nielsen´s English.
As a non-native speaker of the English language (and owner
of a copy of DMSR) I would like to hear(read) YOUR opinion.
(OK, I know you find that criticism "moronic", but what
exactly was the criticism ??)
Thanks in advance, the E

2freaky4church1 said:

Just orgnote him He's a friendly chap and I'm sure he'll appreciate any feedback as long as it is expressed with civility and intelligence

ian said:

HI Ian...enjoyed your points & counter-points to my fellow
orgers. On the subject of should you yourself read the book-
if you can get a copy from someone check it out.

i've corressponed several times via org-notes with ALex and
gave him my view of his book. which was basically this:

yes there were some errors in there (he knows what they are!) and it could have been a bit better written...but
i told him i dug the book.

the reason was simple. i didn't go in the book with any
personal bias toward alex or prince.

i've read most of the books on prince and found this a
apt conclusion to all of these books.

the prince ALEX gave to me was pretty much the man i've
heard about for years.he's flawed. and i wouldn't want to
work with him (cuz i woulda killed him for some of the
stuff he did!) however,he don't hold what he is against
him! he's like most of the music stars and actors i've
read about ove the years...they tend to live in a world
of their own...one that most of us couldn't conceive of
being in.

like you i AM interested in prince as a musician and artist.
but i do like to find out the person behind the music.
it gives me a good idea why they are what they are.

my view has always been i can't criticize if i don't check
something out. i don't begrudge any of my collegues views
of not wanting to read the book...(this is AMerica-right?)

but my take is i'll check it out and let the author hear
my rants...

basically Possessed is real interesting...a fascinating
book about a fascinating dude.

if you're like me and don't PUT prince in Sainthood and accept he's a human being with warts (like us all) then
you shouldn't be thinking about Hangin' ALEX from the
ceiling!!!

great words IAN...(YOUNGCA)

Well said youngca.

I will check the book out and make up my own mind. I'll bug Ben about those promo copies...

KoolEaze said:

Sorry I took so long to respond to your query but I have a life outside of the org and hadn't logged on since my last post...

Since I supect you will be unable to find "Possessed" at your local library I suggest you send me an orgnote with your details and I'll be mailing you my own copy of the book to your address, free of charge.

.

mrdespues said:

Haven't read Possesed... Been reading DMSR since last week(first time ever) and I'm likin it!!!

I have read both Possessed and DMSR plus a few other biographies. I must say I like DMSR a lot because it is so inspiring. It shows just how focused Prince is on his music. Possessed is going a bit more for the dirt. Some of the stories were downright funny. Such as D'angelo feeling like he needed a shower after visiting with Prince. The fact is they are probably both true. Just depends on what you decide to focus on
The biggest problem with Hahn's book is in the title. The rise and Fall??? Every artist goes through periods. No artist gives innovative, great work all the time. Also he evaluates Prince largely by commercial standards, frequently letting the reader know just how much Prince albums sell (or don't sell), He seems to miss the entire point of Prince's desire to operate without being dictated to by boys in suits. Is it really a fall if he (Prince) is happier and growing as an artist and a person?
One other thing. Hahn claims on his website for the book that the book includes all new pictures. That is a fat lie. I have seen all the pictures in the book years before.
All in all I think Prince fans should read both books. If you don't want to put money in Hahn's poceket get it from the library. Also be sure to read the reviews for both books on Amazon.com. Some are very interesting.

DonRants said:

My understanding has always been that libraries make royalty payments for books borrowed.

My website is www.princepossessed.com. There is nothing on that site that makes such a claim about photos. If you can tell me the specific website that makes the claim you speak of, let me know. It may be a Billboard-sponsored site, in which case I will advise them if there is any inaccuracy. Please note, however, that I do not have any direct control over any website other than princepossessed.com

Alex

I just finished reading this book.I wanna write a review but I'm still trying to gather all my thoughts together.The book is interesting,that's all I'm saying for now

DavidEye said:

detailed at the front the book it says both Wendy and Lisa declined opportunties to comment or be interviewed for the book.

any referenced quotes are either from press interviews or third person commentaries

Just wait until Alan Leeds writes a book about Prince.
THAT will be one HELL of a read!
Watch out ya'll!
MD

I luv Prince!


http://www.musicbuilder.c...fault.asp#

In a previous Post I stated:

One other thing. Hahn claims on his website for the book that the book includes all new pictures. That is a fat lie. I have seen all the pictures in the book years before.
---

I made a blunder there. That claim is not on the book's website. I publicly retract that statement and sincerely apologize for any harm that might of caused. Not sure where that got in my head. Maybe I saw it in relation to something else I read.