Authors

Hi, I am the owner of this website. 26 years ago on June 7, 1997, I started Housequake because at the time there was little to read and discuss on Prince. Except on some obscure Prince fan sites, mailing lists, and newsgroups like alt.music.prince.

I am a Spanish guy who was always a music lover (despite having no music playback device at home when I was a kid). I became a crazy Prince fan in 1987, straight after listening to "If I was your girlfriend" for the first time, on "Rock 3" (a radio show). For years I knew nobody sharing my love for Prince music. Then internet came to rescue me: I discovered the Prince Mailing List, then other resources. And finally in early 2004 I found Housequake, which became my home in Princeland. I have closely followed Prince career since 1987, and written some articles focused on his music.

Douglas Rasmussen was born on the Canadian prairies, but his maternal grandfather originally was born in Prince's home state of Minnesota.

He has a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Saskatchewan where he majored in American Literature and Film Studies and wrote his thesis on the AMC TV series Breaking Bad. He has published articles on Canadian History and Virginia Woolf, and has chapters in upcoming collections of critical essays on various Film Studies topics to be published in 2020. Discussing film is his first love, but any time he has a chance to discuss Prince, David Bowie, or Tom Waits, he is more than happy to do so.

You can follow him at @grumpybookgeek on Twitter.

Charlie Brawner lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with his wife and three kids. He spends most of his time as a husband, parent, and IT Director. However, late at night he can be found spinning vinyl - usually Prince or jazz - and often writing about it. You can learn more at: mookiefantana.com.

I’m a Graphic Designer based in the UK. Became a casual fan in the late 80s on the back of the Batman album — an underappreciated classic in my opinion (though admittedly not one many Prince fans share) — before graduating to a more full-time fan role in the early 90s. First saw him live on the Ultimate Live Experience tour of 1995. My favourite album is Sign O’ The Times (an uncontroversial choice), and if I had to pick a single favourite song it would be “If I Was Your Girlfriend”, which I think encompasses a lot of what made Prince a genius of his craft.

Declan McCarthy first discovered the music of Prince in 2015. Since then Prince has become one of his favourite artists, second only to Bob Dylan. He is an English Literature graduate from the University of Bangor and his final year undergraduate dissertation concerned the poetry of Leonard Cohen, another of his favourite artists. His main interest lies in taking the analytical skills he attained throughout his degree and applying them to various forms of popular music.

Raine Baker currently lives in the Detroit area, and has been a funkateer since he was just a toddler bopping along to "Delirious." The unparalleled experience of his first Prince concert on June 1, 1998 in Indianapolis showed him the direction he wanted to take with his life. A former performer on tour, on stage, and in the studio, he transitioned to being a band manager, record producer, and photographer.

Raine now uses his experience & insight while trying to write the definitive Prince book. The favorite album is always rotating, but 1999, The Truth, 8, and Indigo Nights frequently take the lead. #Listen2Prince

Ben Sansum heard his first Prince song at 11.05pm on Wednesday 24th August 1988 and has been obsessed ever since. In the summer of 1990 he crawled into a bassbin at a huge illegal rave and didn't leave the dancefloor for a decade, which resulted in two books - 'Spannered' and 'The Secret Lives of Freaks' (available at Spannered Books). He can't remember the last time he went a day without listening to Prince.

I'm 56 (eek!) and am from Yorkshire, England. I'm a qualified social worker and now work for a mental health charity. Like so many others, I first got into Prince after hearing When Doves Cry. After that, I bought every album on release. My first time of seeing him live was on the Lovesexy Tour, truly a life-changing event. I've followed his astonishing life and career obsessively for 35 years, have seen him in concert and aftershows many times (but never enough!) and like everyone, felt utterly bereft when he passed. Visiting the Exhibition was part of an ongoing process of trying to both heal the pain of his loss and luxuriate in the endless gifts he bestowed on us.

Casci Ritchie has been a dedicated fan of His Royal Badness ever since she heard Peach blast from her Dad’s Ford Mondeo speakers as a young child. Ever since she’s proudly sported a raspberry beret.
She is a fashion historian based in Glasgow, Scotland who proudly writes about Prince, twentieth-century fashion, film and consumer cultures. Casci is currently researching the origins of musician Prince’s iconic style and has presented her research in London, Manchester, Roubaix, Newcastle and Minneapolis. Her article focusing on Prince and the trench coat will be published in the upcoming book, Prince in Popular Music: Critical Perspectives later in the year.

Nickfunk is a nomad Italian having lived in Italy, France, Belgium, Chile and Brazil and visited many other places. Currently living and working in Brussels he still enjoys travelling - which he rates as the highest form of culture - while listening to music and going to live concerts remain central among his interests.

Social history lover with some extra love for popular culture. Heard Prince for the first time in 1982 and became a fan in 1984. Nothing beats the Parade tour from 1986 by Prince and the Revolution. Joined the Housequake moderator team in 2003.

Chris Lacy is an independent music journalist, follower of Jesus Christ, I.T. consultant, and hip-hop choreographer. Born in a Navy family, he grew up in Puerto Rico, Guam, and San Diego before moving back home to South Carolina. Lacy spent four years with Albumism.com as a Contributing Writer. “I had zero experience when I joined,” he explained. “But with my passion for music and storytelling, Albumism taught me how to find my voice as a writer. I’m forever grateful for that.”

Chris’s goals for every writing project are to move you emotionally and stay with you long after you finish reading. And like Prince, his musical tastes are all over the map. You can find Chris Lacy on Twitter, Instagram, and Medium.

Yves Navant is the youngest of 13 monsters, coming of age against all odds in the nighttime world of punk rock and hedonism. He was raised with lions and tigers. Seriously. After graduating college with honors, Yves founded and performed with the band Divine Reich, co-writing and singing all original material. Yves is an author, illustrator and designer whose work first appeared in the notorious magazine Heavy Metal. Yves conceived, wrote and illustrated the graphic novel 13: the Astonishing Lives of the Neuromantics, published by Northwest Press.

Follow Yves and participate in his adventures on Instagram @yvesnavant.
You can find Yves’ work at yvesnavant.com

Ernest Sewell was born & raised in Oklahoma. After living across the U.S. in places like Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis, he's settled in upstate New York for the past twenty years. He's authored and published two books, and is currently working on a new horror novel due in 2020. He shares his home with a friend, three cats, and a his vinyl collection, all of whom have the same level of love from him. When he's not causing an uproar on Prince forums or social media, he enjoys reads (a lot), trying new recipes, and prank calling people.

"Don't take yourself too seriously. No one else does."

Attorney • Entertainment Law Professor • Consultant • Speaker • Dad²

I, San Francisco-native Mark Montgomery French, am an award-winning film composer with the group Spiky Blimp, an award-winning Creative Director with 20+ years of presentation experience, and a music culture writer noted for Uppity Music — Your Guide to Unsung Black Departure Albums, the series 28 Days, 28 Black Music Documentaries., and the music talk All Your Favorite Music is (Probably) Black. I was formerly the co-leader of the ’90s progressive funk band Endangered Species.