SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

AGREED... Comfort Woman feels really celebratory to me & it's not really, but it has a more joyous feeling about it. Not in a sappy, "stfu w/ all that happiness shit" kinda way either but a genuine undercurrent of contentment. I'm making it sound goofy but that's the album of hers that I enjoy most b/c of the way it makes me feel

wow, thank you Namepeace.

well....are you enjoying anything of what you have so far?

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Immensely.

Stymie said:

did I ever send you the pitch I wrote to write a book sized review of Peace Beyond Passion?

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Nope.

Hello, my name is Richard Corona and I am completely interested in writing one of these books and my selection is Me'Shell N'Degeocello's "Peace Beyond Passion".

My approach:

The approach I will take with this book is primarily lyrically driven. I will no doubt discuss various angles about the music, as musically this album is stellar, however the true approach to this album is the lyrics. One song off this album contains more depth than most of entire albums, and eclipses a lot of the trash that's being passed off for music these days. I would like the main focus to be on the lyrics and their meanings.

Brief Bio:

I grew up as Nondenominational Evangelical Christian, or Born Again, and I am also Gay. I come from an abusive background as well. Domestic abuse was prevalent on both sides of my family and eventually I went on to live through an abusive relationship myself. I have written about my experience here:

http://www.prince.org/msg/100/114206

When Peace Beyond Passion was released, I was out of the church for 8 years. I was out of my relationship for only 2 years at that point. When I heard this album I was just floored that someone was asking the same questions I was asking my Lord. I had a very tough and sad childhood and being in the church was not a positive experience for me. For the first time in my life, I had begun questioning what I believe and why I believe it and her album made navigating those psychotic waters so much less threatening and scary.

I have written briefly about this album on a website I have belonged to for the past 10 years. It was in reaction to 1 star reviews I saw on Amazon.com and the charges of racism lobbed against her. I couldn't let that stand and so I wrote a small review and submitted it to Amazon and then I created this thread for public discussion in the music section of the site (Prince.org)

http://www.prince.org/msg/8/146200

Obviously, I couldn't write an actual book or people would be scared to read the thread. But you'll see I love discussing music

Why I should write this book:

Well as I have explained to friends of mine, I got to meet Me'Shell very briefly at an in-store appearance. Most of the folks there were acting very stalkerish and I wanted to respect her space and not push myself on her when the time came for me to speak with her. In about 15 seconds I thanked her for sharing her art with the world and that she could never know how much her music has changed peoples lives. 15 seconds simply could not scratch one cell off the person I have become because of this album. I would love the proper chance to express my gratitude for this album and explain what this album really means and that is why I would love to write this book.

As a gay man raised in a faith that very often rejects me, I truly identify with the pain of her struggle and the absolute need to find peace in one's life. Very often, I stand alone in the gay community with the artists I hold dear. Artists like Prince, Me'Shell, PJ Harvey, Bjork....well they are not Madonna. Most people stare at me with blank faces when I mention these people. Well, I would consider it an extreme honor and privileged to be able to explain to my community exactly how much salvation can be found in this woman's music.

33 1/3 book series:

To be honest, I have never read one of these books. I had never even heard of them either. A friend of mine recently thought of me when he found out that you were accepting proposals and while I have been published a couple times for small things that I have written, I love the idea of writing an in depth piece about this album. I am interested in the Prince & PJ books and will be purchasing them to read. So as of now, I don't have any opinion other than I absolutely love the concept of these books.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Richard Corona