Thank You Prince! This is What it Sounds Like When a DJ Cries
"We don't mourn artists we've never met because we knew them, we mourn them because they helped us know ourselves."
My introduction to Prince was a bit later than others due to over-protective parents and the church that tossed his music in the same 'evil pile' that included KISS (Knights In Satan's Service ya know... ha ha!) and pretty much ALL rock n roll. Exactly 2 weeks after my 12th birthday, I saw him perform for the very first time on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Kind of a belated birthday gift. Thank you Prince!
Watch it here!
It would be a few more years before I knew another song from this man and DAMN it was worth the wait. I had mentioned Prince to some of my friends and then it happened. It happened in a car in the parking lot of Warner Park in Madison, Wisconsin. It was the Spring of 1983 and I was at a Madison Muskies baseball game watching the Oakland A's Single A team (Jose Canseco was on that team). In the stands I met some people from Waunakee, WI and one very tall girl in that group nicknamed "Gooch" had a cassette in her car that would start my love affair with the most talented musician I have ever known. That cassette... 1999!
"1999", "Little Red Corvette", "Delirious", "Let's Pretend We're Married", and "D.M.S.R." Those 5 songs couldn't have been played any louder out of Gooch's car stereo.
Sorry Gooch if your speakers were destroyed after my asking you to keep turning it up. If you know Gooch, tell her to get in touch, I've got a good job now and I'll by her a new set of speakers.
In 1984 the movie Purple Rain arrived... are you freakin' kidding me... Prince... Morris Day... in a movie!!!!! Oh it's rated R and I'm only 16. Guess it's time to try sneaking into a movie. Thank you Prince for making that adventure worth it for this teenage boy, Apolonia topless and Vanity 6 in lingerie notwithstanding.
Prince won an Oscar for the music... and of course he sparkled more than the statue.
The joy of playing music and telling stories on the radio was something I realized I wanted to do between my Junior and Senior years of high school and it was only increased when I found a school to polish my skills in Prince's city... Minneapolis, Minnesota. From 1986-1988 I was immersed in a city filled with amazing music and Prince was everywhere. In 1987 Prince released Sign 'O' The Times, a double album that still sounds as good to me as the day I bought it. I bought that album at Musicland, the record store I worked at in 1987/88 just one block from the infamous live music club featured in Purple Rain... First Avenue!
Not long after buying that album, I got to attend the last dress rehearsal for the "Sign 'O' The Times" tour, for free, at First Ave. The story of how that show happened was the talk of the city. The band that was scheduled to play that night was informed that morning that Prince wanted to play 'one night only' to show his home what the tour looked like. The band was payed to NOT play. The rumor was they were paid double what they would've made if they had played. To this day, I think what Prince really wanted to do was show us all his amazing new drummer... Sheila E. Thank you again Prince! Thank you for giving that 19yr old drummer a sleepless night I WILL NEVER FORGET!
It would be 6 years before I would get the chance to see Prince live in concert again. And while I didn't know it, someone sitting behind me at that show in Richmond, Virginia would one day (2 years later in Rockford, IL) become one of the best friends ANY human being could have. Thank you Prince!
My friend John 'Queer Eye' Nelson until I'm in the dirt, Prince brought us together and we're bonded forever.
Then there was THAT night in 2004! The night Prince was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The night Prince burned the place down with his guitar virtuosity.
The funniest and strangest story I've ever heard about Prince as told by movie director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jersey Girl). I know this clip is lengthy but it's really good
To Prince... Nothing Compares 2 U!
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