Prince, Purple Rainmaker and Purveyor of Funk, Dead at 57
M.
Damn it!
We're very sad. WE LOVE OUR PRINCE. He was a true master of music. Every artist, no matter the genre, not only loves Prince but is in awe of what he's done.
Had done. It's gonna take a while to say it in the past tense.
Sure, everyone knows the Purple Rain years.** But those years produced what are considered his weakest pieces of music. The real stuff came later.
Prince himself said, "I figured out how to make pop songs long ago...but, why?" and we agree. He was heavy, thick, light, dark, swaggin', funk to the core with a touch of his own flavor. Always about being pure to the music. He could play anything and everything. Putting together all the production and doing it all on his own. He didn't need anyone. We were the ones who needed him.
Look for Prince covers galore this weekend at Coachella. Basically 74 versions of, "Let's Go Crazy" and 32 versions of, "Purple Rain." Let's hope someone does "Darling Nikki" to change it up.
We're sad. Like Bowie, he is an ICON. In just four short months, 2016 has already been brutal for our art. Let's hope it slows down to nil.
A good obit of Prince's life and times can be found here: http://www.treblezine.com/celebrate-catalog-every-prince-album/
For now, let's celebrate the artist formerly known to us as Prince. Below is a video I found of Prince absolutely shredding his guitar at the Hall of Fame during "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."
** Editor's note from E. (not M.): For example, my husband is emotionally scarred by a partially nude poster of Jheri-curled "Purple Rain" Prince that hung - literally - in my mother-in-law's house in the 80s. But that's another story...