Agreed. I also read her book and it was a beautiful and complicated and gruesome story of this complex and very flawed genius. Anyone who knew Prince would agree that he wasn't a great communicator or skilled at personal relationships. His trauma informed his genius but oh boy was he a difficult person to love as a friend or partner.
Fantastic piece, Jami. I’ve been waiting for another Prince essay! I’m not sure if there was another death of a musician (to be extremely reductionist) that hit me harder. I still haven’t processed it. “Uptown” is the perfect song to explore Prince’s utopian vision.
Thanks Steve! I'm glad you were happy to see another one because I constantly feel I have to hold back from the potential tsunami of posts that I'd love to write about him alone. There's just so much gold to mine.
You know, you could write a separate Substack that is dedicated only to Prince....with your spare time and all! You could open it up to guest posters so you wouldn't have to do all the writing. The more I think about it, the more I think this is a great idea for you! 😜
Ah yes, all of that spare time! I think, for now, people might have to buckle in for me repeating myself o this Substack, lol. But I do appreciate the temptation here.
His worldview was as unique as his music. While he was far from the first or the last Black musician to imagine a better world than the one we lived in, that vision was clearly fuel for his genius.
Love every word of this! The song works at so many levels - dispelling stereotypes and attacking racism & homophobia through the story of a date with a stranger and one hell of a party. All wrapped in those super funky keys by Dr. Fink! I discovered Dirty Mind in 1988 and this song was my go to when I needed a break from the petty cruelty I witnessed in high school and I wanted to dream of a better world. I’m so glad you put the song in a larger context too, both Prince’s career and U.S. society at large. Great piece!
Fantastic read, Jami! If I've learned anything living up here, it's that the upper Midwest is an incredibly complex place, with a lot of dissonance--even in seemingly progressive cities like Minneapolis and Madison.
As a kid growing up in Minneapolis the same age as Prince, I came of age yearning for that place, that fictional uptown, and it manifested itself some nights at First Avenue. Nuanced piece about a complicated human who led a musical revolution.
Such a fascinating, ingenious, complicated human. I read his ex-wife Maite's memoir a couple of years ago and learned so much about Prince.
Agreed. I also read her book and it was a beautiful and complicated and gruesome story of this complex and very flawed genius. Anyone who knew Prince would agree that he wasn't a great communicator or skilled at personal relationships. His trauma informed his genius but oh boy was he a difficult person to love as a friend or partner.
I love Prince so much - what a loss to us all that he’s gone. I grew up near Uptown and hung out there some as a teenager.
Fantastic piece, Jami. I’ve been waiting for another Prince essay! I’m not sure if there was another death of a musician (to be extremely reductionist) that hit me harder. I still haven’t processed it. “Uptown” is the perfect song to explore Prince’s utopian vision.
Thanks Steve! I'm glad you were happy to see another one because I constantly feel I have to hold back from the potential tsunami of posts that I'd love to write about him alone. There's just so much gold to mine.
You know, you could write a separate Substack that is dedicated only to Prince....with your spare time and all! You could open it up to guest posters so you wouldn't have to do all the writing. The more I think about it, the more I think this is a great idea for you! 😜
Ah yes, all of that spare time! I think, for now, people might have to buckle in for me repeating myself o this Substack, lol. But I do appreciate the temptation here.
Lol. I'll second that!
His worldview was as unique as his music. While he was far from the first or the last Black musician to imagine a better world than the one we lived in, that vision was clearly fuel for his genius.
Love every word of this! The song works at so many levels - dispelling stereotypes and attacking racism & homophobia through the story of a date with a stranger and one hell of a party. All wrapped in those super funky keys by Dr. Fink! I discovered Dirty Mind in 1988 and this song was my go to when I needed a break from the petty cruelty I witnessed in high school and I wanted to dream of a better world. I’m so glad you put the song in a larger context too, both Prince’s career and U.S. society at large. Great piece!
Fantastic read, Jami! If I've learned anything living up here, it's that the upper Midwest is an incredibly complex place, with a lot of dissonance--even in seemingly progressive cities like Minneapolis and Madison.
That entire album is perfection. Top 3 Prince record for me for real.
As a kid growing up in Minneapolis the same age as Prince, I came of age yearning for that place, that fictional uptown, and it manifested itself some nights at First Avenue. Nuanced piece about a complicated human who led a musical revolution.