Prince's relationship with money was convoluted, to say the least. His secret and private nature didn't help to understand the reasons behind some controversial decisions he made during his lifetime. In this article, these topics will be analyzed in the light of revelations made since April 21st, 2016.
A long time ago I acquired a bunch of original black and white negatives. After some thorough investigation one of the strips appeared to be photos from Prince & The Revolution Parade Tour show on August 22, 1986 in Stockholm.
The first standalone release from the semi-mythical vault presents a portrait of the artist in his element, in possibly the only place he was ever completely comfortable or felt at ease letting his guard down.
As an icon of not just music but popular culture in general, when you mention Prince to anyone who isn’t necessarily a fan, they will more than likely conjure up a very specific image of him in their mind. It will relate to a particular period, and be linked to a particular color.
When this was announced, my natural excitement was tempered by more than a degree of trepidation and cynicism about what this exhibition would be and how Prince would be represented...
Since April 21st 2016, I have often felt the need to write something about his death, and what it meant for the many hardcore fans around the world. But very soon I realised it was very sensitive material to me: the superstar, the music genius living in an ivory tower for decades… was actually someone I felt very, very close to me.
While it’s comforting to think we, as longtime fans, knew the real Prince, the reality is he was a deeply complex and contradictory character.
10 years ago I was a happy camper in a legendary forum for Prince fans, Housequake.com. I remember the excitation surrounding the release of the new album Prince was going to release in 2006, entitled 3121. In that occasion, all the expectations were fulfilled (at least for me), and after spending a few days listening attentively to 3121, I wrote a review.