When I was about 15, my mom requested that I make her a Prince mix tape, and told me to be sure to include Darling Nikki.

According to my mom, the only time Dad ever mentioned Prince in the 80's was "Prince? More like 'Punse'!". However he acknowledged that the man was a musical genius, as he'd met a famous Australian music producer/sound engineer who saw P on the D&P tour in Sydney and told him all about it. One of my friends got into Prince through Purple Rain a few years back and I flipped, bought Purple Rain on vinyl and it all grew from there... naturally all of my family heard about it and they all came to like him as I kept buying and buying his stuff.

My parents always loved his musicianship, because we're all musicians. My dad loved his eccentricty--to this day, the leg warmers and trench coat cracks him up. My mom never liked the cursing. My dad also LOVES when Prince plays blues guitar. My dad said to me right after I was gushing about the One Night Alone performance here in Detroit, "Well, I hope before I DIE that you take me to a Prince concert!" It was a bit of a shock because I never thought about taking him before. So, my date for the Detroit concert this year will be my soon-to-be 79-year-old dad.

My dad to this day still swears he's a poof, but respects that it is a passion for me like camper vans are for him.
When I was 13 my mum forbade me to play my Prince tapes to my friends in case their parents rang her up to complain - after an incident where some smaller kids who used to hang out at the beach with us on the weekends sang Sex Shooter to their parents and they were apalled.
My mum couldn't understand "next time wipe the lipstick off your collar" and said if I liked that song so much I should like all the records in her collection (lovey dovey ballads). She also though Prince had revolting facial hair! (but says it looks good on my husband, or is she only being polite, hmmm?)

When I was growing up, my dad listened to Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, 70s Aerosmith, Led Zepelin, that sort of thing. Of all the members of my immediate family (the others being my mom, my 2 sisters, and my brother) I think my dad understands my Prince "thing" the most. He was REALLY into Bruce Springsteen in the late 70s/early 80s. And he spent whole summers blaring nothing but Hendrix from his Jeep's tape player.

When Purple Rain came out, I was 9, so I didn't get to see it in a theatre, even though I REALLY wanted to. However, when it came out on VHS (I think about a year later?) I convinced my dad to rent it for me...with the condition being that since it was rated R, he had to sit and watch it with me. I protested but relented, because I HAD to see this movie. I'd been hearing about it and listening to the album incessantly.

My dad really enjoyed the movie, which makes total sense to me now, since he loves anything that bucks convention (this is a man who has mowed the lawn in pink spandex in suburbia, I kid you not, and he was an MD at the time), he LOVES great guitar work and dynamic personalities, and he had MAJOR "father issues," just like Prince (and just like me, ahem).

Anyway, that same year, when it came time to dress up for Halloween at school, I asked my dad to help me make a Prince costume. I wanted to know what it felt like to be a rock star. My dad made his version of a cloud guitar using this linoleum flooring we had lying around...it actually looked really sweet. He gave me a pair of his scrubs (the all-white [back then] outfits doctors wear) and we dyed them purple. We put lots of gel in my hair, tried to get some height on the bangs, and used that spray paint hair dye shit - purple, of course.

I wish I remembered if we put any makeup on. Probably, right? Hmm.

Anyway....years later, when all of my friends wanted absolutely nothing to do with Prince and wouldn't go to see Graffiti Bridge even if I offered to buy their ticket, my dad offered to buy us both tickets, and we went together. We spent the ride home in his Jeep listening over and over again to both sides of the Thieves in the Temple cassingle ('member those?), with my dad going on about what a genius Prince is.

When I asked him if he wanted to go to see Prince with me when he comes to Columbus in April, my dad replied, "I would be honored." Heh. He's such a cheeseball. I'm really psyched about going with him.

theblueangel said:

It sounds as if you have one cool father

My parents have been supportive. They're old-school, Christian parents who have been extremely cool about an artist they haven't always liked.

When I was kid, my mom would talk to my older cousins for the scoop on this guy whose records I kept playing (I was about 10, when I bought 1999): "They say he's too mature for you to be listening to," my concerned mother said. And, every now and then, she'd peek in as I'd watch videos, to make sure things weren't too racy for me. At that age, I thought Vanity 6's outfits were a little weird -- the whole "hooker" vibe missed me (same for the Mary Jane Girls).

Then Purple Rain came out, and I was a little more cognizant of the innuendos. I didn't get to see it in the theater like a lot of my other friends (some of whom claimed to have cousins who'd seen the "X-rated" version). Though, my dad swore that he'd bought the regular, R-rated version on video for me a few years later -- said video was never found. And, I looked -- believe me.

I remember listening to "She's Always in My Hair" on the radio with my dad, as he drove me to summer camp when ATWIAD came out. And, my mom watched the Paris/"America" interview on MTV in another room as I watched it in our basement, I heard her tell her sister on the phone, "because you just never know what he's going to do..."

Still, when the Lovesexy tour came to my hometown, my dad got tickets for me, and my mom (yes, my MOTHER) took me. It was funny, rocking to "Bob George" while Mom looked on. (Penny for her thoughts on that one. ) Same deal later on, when my dad got tickets to "Billboards." I was much older by then, and my mom loves theatre and dance, so it wasn't a parental-guidance deal this time. (Though, that would've been hilarious: "You just never know what he's going to do..." )

My dad, from time to time, always talks about how bad Prince is. But he and I talk about other folks, like Stevie Wonder or Patti Labelle. He's a big music buff, and he loves good music; so we talk a lot about people we like. He has much respect for Prince. I remember when "Batdance" came out, he was like: "That's unlike anything else on the radio. Prince is so far ahead of everybody else!"

Nowadays, my mom will call me up or e-mail me, if she hears that Prince is going to be on TV (Essence, NAACP, AMAs -- you name it, she lets me know). A few months ago, she saw that the Prince's Trust all-star concert was going on, and she thought it was about P. So, she called me to let me know.

This is but one of many reasons that I believe I have the best parents in all of history. They rock. I'm blessed.

My dad never expressed an opinion on him one way or the other. I do remember my mother wouldn't buy me 1999 when I was young cause she heard the lyrics weren't suitable (but she bought me For You instead. ) When Purple Rain came out on video she rented it for me and loved it. To this day, she asks about how Prince things are going. "Been out to Paisley Park recently?" She tells her friends and my aunts and stuff about the Paisley parties I've been too. She thinks it's neat.

aries4ever said:

I like all these stories.


And what's up with the moms secretly liking "Darling Nikki"?

minneapolisgenius said:

me too! thanx for sharin your testimonials, everyone!

Eye've never had problems w/ liking P. All of my aunts and my mother r all big fans of P (n more ways than 1). My father, having a lot in common with him musically, has respect 4 him (even though eye have even more respect 4 my father as a musician). Everytime eye go over 1 of their houses (especially 1 n particular), all we do is look at each others collections and listen 2 them. Eye'm also the informer of them, 4 the fact that eye am the only fan n the family who is a part of this site. That's my family n a nutshell.

Supernova said:

Your first sentence is killing me!! Prince is da debil!!

My mom loved three Prince songs: Why U wanna Treat Me So Bad?, Kiss and Raspberry Beret. That was her extent of liking any Prince music. When he did the MTV assless pants thing, she called him a fruitcake.

My parents have always been a little weary of my obsession, but also treated it with respect. I remember in junior high my sister came home from college and made some rude comments about Sheila and the Romance 1600 album that was playing and displayed in my room. It turned into a bit of a yelling match. My mom told my sister, "You have to understand that some things in that room are sacred."

Anyway, as for the music, my parents are pretty conservative in their practices, but open minded nonetheless. Their own musical taste is definitely skewed towards Tejano and traditional Mexican music. My father's palate is a little more wide. In the last threee years, their interest in him and his music has definitely grown. When I was recently staying with them, my father really enjoyed Madhouse, One Nite Alone and One Nite Alone Live. They both enjoyed the Aladdin DVD quite a bit. They both loved the Grammys and recent Leno performance, and watched Tavis Smiley for the first time to see his interview.

Prince is like a rash, but there is no cure. You just scratch and scratch, and that's that.

Cool thread! It's funny how we share similar stories as fans sometimes.

Well, I got "into" Prince by 'borrowing' my oldest brother's DJ records. He and my other older brothers all like Prince, but its mainly the pimp side. Although this past Christmas, I was floored by one of my brothers when he flipped the cd changer to Parade and said "aww man, this one jam is my favorite" ...and he skips to "Mountains"!! (which just happens to be my favorite most of the time!) We never talk music unless I'm taping one of his old Heatwave or Mandrill records or something like that, so this hit me out of the blue. I gave him the "Under the Cherry Moon" movie cuz he likes the whole Christopher-Tricky interaction, but he really wanted the video at the end

Oh yeah, my mom kinda likes Prince too. She pays more attention to him because she knows I'm such a major fan though. When the club tour behind Emancipation was coming round, I struck out on tickets, but she got through back home and got me a pair *sigh* ... I am loved.. LOL Anyway, she is a big 'Scandalous' fan..

Funny, the one time she ever said something to me about 'too nasty for you to listen to' was when I asked could I get Rick James' "Street Songs". lol.. of course I ended up getting it anyway...

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

Same with my mom, ha. She was like, "is there some kind of reason we need to see his butt cheeks? I don't understand why his bottom is so important."

Anxiety said:

So, your mom didn't understand that wonderful ass?

When i got into Prince at 14 I got my 9 year old brother into it, so Prince was playing all over the house. My Dad just used to roll his eyes because my brother and I would hog the TV with our Prince videos. My mum took a big interest and we would discuss his clothes and stuff like that and I'd make tapes for her to listen in the car. My first Prince concert I went with my mum and brother and it was their first one as well. Now neither of them take much interest.

My mom says that prince is one of the greatest ever...she only says that because of the song purple rain...my dad would never listen to prince...when i was a teenager i had prince's poster in my room, it was so cool kicken the trench coat and 1/2 the poster was night and the other 1/2 was day. my dad thought prince was a little fruity

TheOrgerFormerlyKnownAs said:

The way she used to talk about his ass, you'd think she would understand. Go figure. Maybe she just couldn't handle the ass truth.

My dearly departed mother once came into the living room where I was blasting the "La La La He He He" extended version and asked: "How you supposed to dance to this, it's so long?!"

She'd also taken me 2 my first concert when I was about 12 - "PURPLE RAIN"...and dammit was I pissed (!!!!) when we left before he even got to "When Doves Cry" becuz my damn sister was having a tantrum cuz she couldn't get one of those lil' cupie dolls. In my head I was like shut the #)(*$*& UP!!! You're gonna ruin it!! I wanted a tourbook so bad but knew my mom had no $ so I didn't even ask...Sure enough, she threatened once, twice...and we were outta there...and plus, my aunt of course, wanted to "beat the traffic"!!!!! I will never forget that SHIT! It was the last of 6 concerts at the Cow Palace in Daly City, SF, CA

My dad? He just says, "He's old now."

Anxiety said:

My mom likes Mexican music and country music...

I got into Prince on my own...

My mom likes Prince also, but she hasn't seen him in concert. She did come with me to see Jesse Johnson, though.

I have been a Prince geek for some 15 years now. First my parents weren't really interested, but once I played them 'Willing and able'a ll of a sudden they thought: hey that Prince isn't so bad after all! Since then numerous times they asked me to play the song so they could dance to it. I still have to take them along for a concert though... Maybe this year.