Not really a fan, but I give him props for being an actual musician in spite of his over the top image, and he gets points for being with Kim Basinger in her prime.
You're too kind. I don't mind speaking ill of the dead. First, a little background: Being young and impressionable I was blown away by the movie,
Purple Rain, not because it was well shot, or well acted, but because of the music performances and the man himself. I became a fan. But over the years Prince kept chipping away at my image of him.
That started when I learned his mother wasn't white, as portrayed in the movie. Then there was that second movie, the Cherry Moon debacle. I wondered how he could have released that POS. The answer was money. Like
Rain, it was dirt cheap to make and profitable. Then I noticed his music wasn't on You Tube. No profit there! I know of no other artist that blocked You Tube.
Then there was the war with Warner: WTF is that "slave" bullshit? Who put a gun to his head and made him sign? He's by no means the first celeb to grow too big for their contract. EAT IT
I wondered why he jettisoned The Revolution, and why his his wing man, Andre Cymone, had no lines in the movie. He was careful not to let anyone around him get too big, and he was cheap. Instead of sharing the wealth he just hired new musicians, most likely tickled to death to be associated with his Purpleness.
Ever wonder why his biggest hit "When Doves Cry" wasn't performed on stage? Because there was nothing to perform. No Rhythm section, no guitar, no voices other than his own, some clapping hands to keep the beat and a cheap electric keyboard. The returns on that song and the embarrassingly cheap video had to be the all time cost/profit record holder in the MTV era. (don't get me wrong, the song does work)
His mumbling TV interviews wearing hats and shades were frustrating. Why didn't he ever talk and laugh like a regular guy? Why the pretense? It made me want to puke to see
60 Minutes fawning over his "genius". He was an accomplished guitar player but I never saw any evidence of
skill on any other instrument, in spite of the stories spun by his PR people.
There's more but I'll stop here as I'm not sure anyone will be interested in this critique. But here's a vid I just came across that Prince fans might enjoy. (who knew Wendy and Lisa where a couple???)
