Don't shoot me, but why, again, was Prince so great?

[clementine]

Not really true that his religion required him to keep it anonymous. He chose to apparently which makes me respect him.

"We never knew about his humanitarianism since it was against his religion to publicly speak on his good acts as a Jehovah’s Witness."

 

This is a quote from an interview that a good friend of his did. I've heard it more than once.

Regardless, he did many charitable things & not for fame or attention. Admirable.

[MFG]

OP, how old were you in 1984?  That matters.  :-)

  

This explains much of my lack of reaction. I was in my late 20s and in the midst of pregnancies/infant care. I call the 1980s my "lost decade" in regard to pop culture.

 

I don't get it either, but I'm older than dirt and my kids tell me I'm out of it, so it might just be that, lol!

Me too. I did recognize the name Prince and the title Purple Rain but no music or lyrics come to mind. Too much baby brain.

[Carrie12345]

I've never been a conscious FAN, but Prince's work definitely seeped into my life.  I was born in 1977, so I don't really remember a time when there wasn't a big Prince hit, whether performed or written by him.  His persona, while I never paid much direct attention to it, was always THERE.  He was always entirely himself, whatever anyone else thought or had to say about it.  Even the relatively recent New Girl episode didn't have me going "OMG, it's Prince!"  It was more "Hey, there's Prince," and had me wondering, in the background of my mind, what it must be like to live as this flamboyant and energetic performer while appearing completely at rest and peace off stage, all while having a brain that NEVER stops composing and creating, regardless of whatever was going on around him.

 

Beautiful, bizarre, incredible genius, on a completely different plane than most of us.

[kentuckymom]

I have to admit that, when I first heard about Prince's death I thought, "Oh, that's sad that he died so young," but I didn't understand why so many of my Facebook friends acted like it was a huge deal. But then I learned more about him and realized just how much of a gift to the world the man was. No, I don't know any of his music past the 80's. The only songs I remember are Purple Rain and When Doves Cry. But the man played 20 instruments. He wrote all of his own songs plus hit songs for many other artists. Plus he was an incredibly generous philanthropist but didn't brag about it. A librarian friend of mine posted about how Prince found out that the library in one small town was about the close due to lack of funds, so he wrote a check to cover the shortfall. If another celebrity did that, you'd hear all about it. Plus, even though he was incredibly sensual and bent the lines of traditional gender stereotypes, he was never involved a in sex scandal. That's unusual. I also heard that he promoted women the music industry long before it was cool. He had a female drummer in his band in the 80's. That was unheard of. So, no, I'm not a big fan of his music and never will be and his death has not materially affected my life, but I still think his death is a huge loss to the world.

[umsami]

Oh...and one other thing is he was only 57!  That's ten years older than me!  Plus, he was like a skinny vegan, and I'm the complete opposite. ;)  As shocking as Michael Jackson' or Whitney Houston's deaths were.... it was pretty well known that they both had substance abuse issues.  If Prince really did (whether because of his hip pain or not), I don't think that was well known...which added to the shock. 

[flyingiguana]

Here in MN, though, we're drowning in purple this week.  I was kind of surprised at the number of people who have been upset at his passing.  But, you know, hometown boy becomes world famous -- still chooses to live in town and not diss the place -- I guess it makes sense. But it turns out I also know a fair number of people who knew him at one time or another -- ex-neighbors and that kind of thing. 

 

His earlier songs are best appreciated while dancing.  And at higher audio quality than what you can find on the internet.

 

But I think the real reason he became such a superstar (which he definitely was for a time) was the videos he put out.  Not that they look like anything remarkable today, but at the time they were pushing societal boundaries.  They may not have been boundaries some wanted pushed, but I'm sure they spoke to a lot of people.  I can't tell you my reaction because I was basically screenless for the 80's.  What I knew of Prince back then was only what I heard on the radio.

Edited April 26, 2016 by flyingiguana

[Bluegoat]

He wasn't:  Mother Theresa yes.  Nelson Mandella yes, Prince, no.

 

Really?  I think a lot of the critisisms of Mother Teresa are pretty silly, but Nelson mandella had a dark side.  He was no Ghandi (and Ghandi had a dark side too.)

 

Prince wasn't less involved in social justice or charity than either of those people were, it just wasn't his day job.

[bettyandbob]

I wasn't a fan. However I do recognize in music he had an amazing talent. I always thought of him as operating in another universe.

 

He played so many instruments. He wrote so much for so many different people. He worked across genres.

 

I think he will be someone whose influence is not fully realized for years.

[justasque]

He wasn't:  Mother Theresa yes.  Nelson Mandella yes, Prince, no.

 

I think a person can be "great" without being world-famous, or accomplishing major things. 

 

I think you can be "great" by doing your job (whatever it is) well, treating people with respect, and looking out for those less fortunate than yourself.  By all accounts, Prince did all those things, and did them gently and quietly. He was also quietly part of his religious community.  What more would you ask of a man, to have him be considered "great"?

[Scarlett]

"We never knew about his humanitarianism since it was against his religion to publicly speak on his good acts as a Jehovah’s Witness."

 

This is a quote from an interview that a good friend of his did. I've heard it more than once.

Regardless, he did many charitable things & not for fame or attention. Admirable.

Yes I read that quote more than once too. I imagine it was his own conscience that dictated it be kept secret. And it does go along with Bible principle to not blow a trump in front of your good deeds..but it isn't a requirement of our religion.

[SparklyUnicorn]

He was talented.  I liked him when I was younger and bought his records.  But I haven't been into his music for a long time since.  So that brings me back to remembering stuff as a kid.  On top of the music stuff, my uncle let my cousin and me watch the Purple Rain movie.  That was a big deal...you know...ohhhh cool uncle is letting us watch a rated R movie.  :laugh:

 

Ugh but yeah it's sucky to get to a point in your life when past liked pop icons are dying.  Micheal Jackson was another one.  I wasn't into him for a long time, but he was a big deal when I was a kid.  I even had some of his posters. 

[Scarlett]

Prince had enough musical and other achievements that he is recognized as a great artist by most knowledgable people in the field.

 

That doesn't mean anyone has to like him - I can acknowledge that Faulkner achieved specific things and is a writer of note, but I am still not going to read and enjoy As I Lay Dying (aka As I Died Reading).

 

I don't remember the exact wording, but there was a meme that expressed why some people are emotional about the death of someone they never knew - it wasn't that you knew them, but that they helped you to know yourself.

I like that quote.

[SKL]

Yes I read that quote more than once too. I imagine it was his own conscience that dictated it be kept secret. And it does go along with Bible principle to not blow a trump in front of your good deeds..but it isn't a requirement of our religion.

 

The guy who said that may have meant Prince's personal religious beliefs, which are not necessarily official requirements of an established religion.

 

I agree that the Bible says you should give charity in secret etc.  I do understand why people sometimes want to be public about it - and it's not necessarily all about ego.  Sometimes it's about raising awareness of a need or fighting back against a negative idea.  But it is really awesome to see these acts of generosity coming out after his death.  One gets the feeling these are just the tip of the iceberg.

 

I would say there are many others in this world who are quietly doing what they can with what they have.  It's nice to be reminded of it sometimes.

 

He must have felt so blessed to be able to do more than most thanks to his unique gifts.

[SKL]

Ugh but yeah it's sucky to get to a point in your life when past liked pop icons are dying.  Micheal Jackson was another one.  I wasn't into him for a long time, but he was a big deal when I was a kid.  I even had some of his posters. 

 

My favorites are probably Elton John, Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, and Freddie Mercury.  All rather controversial.  :P  Of course FM died long ago.  I wonder how it will be when EJ and CS/YI finish their time.

[slackermom]

My husband was a big fan of Prince, and he took me to a few concerts through the years. He put on an AMAZING show! So much talent, so much energy. He also showcased many other musicians. I love that he signed Mavis Staples to his Paisley Park label.

[SparklyUnicorn]

My favorites are probably Elton John, Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, and Freddie Mercury.  All rather controversial.  :p  Of course FM died long ago.  I wonder how it will be when EJ and CS/YI finish their time.

 

My dad had some Elton John records.  I know of Cat Stevens.  I know of FM. 

 

Icons of "my day" were people like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Men at Work, etc. 

 

My mother was mostly into elevator music (LOL).  My dad for awhile was into really strange crap like King Crimson.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Prior to moving to the US, my DH worked for a large TV station in Germany.  That station owned several channels including a popular music channel.  DH worked on the set when they did an interview with Prince.  My DH said Prince was quite unusual. 

 

I think part of his talent was stuff probably people were not aware that he was a part of such as song writing (songs that other musicians sang). 

 

 

[Haiku]

He wasn't:  Mother Theresa yes. 

 

My son lived in a Mother Theresa orphanage before he came to us. It was a hellhole. It was called the "Home for the Destitute and Dying," and the emphasis was not on treating people and helping them heal. It was on helping them accept their fate and suffer gracefully. People with terrible diseases were not given any medication, or even pain medication, to relieve their suffering. Babies and young children were not given love, stimulation, or healthful food. The idea was that they were where they were because of god's will and their suffering was to be glorified.

 

The nuns at Mother Theresa's orphanage neglected and abused my son. He is hearing impaired because of the lack of medical care he received at the orphanage. This was done in Mother Theresa's name and in line with her religious ideas.

 

Mother Theresa was no hero ... far from it, in fact.

 

Whether you care for Prince's music or not, you cannot deny the well-documented fact that he was a great philanthropist.

[flyingiguana]

My husband was a big fan of Prince, and he took me to a few concerts through the years. He put on an AMAZING show! So much talent, so much energy. He also showcased many other musicians. I love that he signed Mavis Staples to his Paisley Park label.

 

Yeah, that was his thing.  He put on SHOWS.  I don't know that just listening to his music gets at what he was all about or why people were so passionate about him.

 

And people in the music business had a lot of respect for him that went beyond respect for his music alone.

 

 

[poppy]

Yeah, that was his thing.  He put on SHOWS.  I don't know that just listening to his music gets at what he was all about or why people were so passionate about him.

 

And people in the music business had a lot of respect for him that went beyond respect for his music alone.

 

Innovative writer, brilliant musician, commanding performer.  Someone who is all 3 is rare.  Doesn't matter if he was your cup of tea or not. Gotta give respect. 

 

 

When I think of Prince, I think of Talking Heads "Wild Wild Life" video.  They made fun of him, which I always thought was funny, since David Byrne and Prince were in so, so, so similar: whipsmart, experimental, funk-lovers who give legendary live shows. But, of course, in terms of persona, the exact opposite too.

Edited April 26, 2016 by poppy

[Scarlett]

He created some edgy and unusual music for the time. He combined a lot of R&B sounds into the pop funk of the day, which was unique. He was always experimenting with new sounds. I remember when "Kiss" came out. The first time I heard it, I was like, "huh?" Turns out I really like that sound. Who knew? (LOL) Besides all that, he played something like 20 different instruments, mostly self-taught. In some of his albums he plays all the music - ALL of it. Every instrument. Plus sing.

 

In an era when pop music was starting to be very bubble-gummy, Prince did his danged hardest to stay away from that. He wanted to be known as a serious musician, which he was. As a matter of fact, he refused to let Weird Al parody any of his songs. Hence Weird Al's quick slamming reference to Prince in Word Crimes at 2:05 or so:

 

 

Ha I was trying to figure out the Prince connection and finally got to it.  

[mathnerd]

I'll be the one to come right out and say it: He wasn't so great.

I have spent time reading more about him on the newsfeeds after his death than when he was alive. I did not follow him or his music.

 

Anyway it's ok to not like someone's music. I think a lot of people think of Prince as an 80's novelty or one hit wonder but he really was more than that to a lot of people.

 

 

 

 

I can recognize that he had great talent even though I did not like much of his music. Interestingly, I just figured out from his obituaries that "1999" was written by him and I always thought that it was a fun song but never tried to find out who the artist was. 

[MercyA]

My son lived in a Mother Theresa orphanage before he came to us. It was a hellhole. It was called the "Home for the Destitute and Dying," and the emphasis was not on treating people and helping them heal. It was on helping them accept their fate and suffer gracefully. People with terrible diseases were not given any medication, or even pain medication, to relieve their suffering. Babies and young children were not given love, stimulation, or healthful food. The idea was that they were where they were because of god's will and their suffering was to be glorified.

 

The nuns at Mother Theresa's orphanage neglected and abused my son. He is hearing impaired because of the lack of medical care he received at the orphanage. This was done in Mother Theresa's name and in line with her religious ideas.

 

Mother Theresa was no hero ... far from it, in fact.

 

I had no idea, Tara. Thank you for sharing this. I'm very sorry for what your son went through.

[SparklyUnicorn]

My son lived in a Mother Theresa orphanage before he came to us. It was a hellhole. It was called the "Home for the Destitute and Dying," and the emphasis was not on treating people and helping them heal. It was on helping them accept their fate and suffer gracefully. People with terrible diseases were not given any medication, or even pain medication, to relieve their suffering. Babies and young children were not given love, stimulation, or healthful food. The idea was that they were where they were because of god's will and their suffering was to be glorified.

 

The nuns at Mother Theresa's orphanage neglected and abused my son. He is hearing impaired because of the lack of medical care he received at the orphanage. This was done in Mother Theresa's name and in line with her religious ideas.

 

Mother Theresa was no hero ... far from it, in fact.

 

Whether you care for Prince's music or not, you cannot deny the well-documented fact that he was a great philanthropist.

 

Wow, that's pretty terrible. 

[MercyA]

I know Prince helped many people without asking for any acknowledgement. I think that's even part of the Bible? Or maybe it's an important part of being a JW. Either way it's a reflection on his own religious character.

 

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:1-2

[Happy2BaMom]

Prince is considered great because of the incredible diversity, depth, prolific, and long-lasting nature of his accomplishments that were all rolled into one person and from such an early age. The obvious ones: mastering 20 instruments & being considered one of the greatest guitarists of his age; being an incredibly successful and wildly diverse songwriter; being an accomplished vocalist; exploring and combining various music genres; being an outstanding performer at live shows and singing LIVE, and more. And he was never known to have any substance abuse issues, which, nowadays, is probably a hallmark of greatness for any hugely successful performer.  :closedeyes:

 

I liked some of his music. Personally, I thought he was weirder than *&(#, but what I (or anyone else) personally like or dislike is not the point. The point is that it is incredibly, incredibly rare (and therefore, great) to have so many prodigious and diverse talents combined into one person. 

 

A friend of mine has found some relatively significant success as a regional rock band. Here is part of what he shared with me after Prince died:

 

- When you, as a musician, are playing in any venue to a crowd of people, it is INCREDIBLY difficult to get people to really pay attention to you (they are restless, they want to talk to their friends, they're hungry/thirsty/tired/bored/surfing the web, etc). The larger and more open that venue is, the more difficult it is to hold their attention. A stadium is 1,000 times more difficult than a small theater with fixed seats. 

 

- What is much, much, MUCH harder than even holding people's attention is getting them to sing along with you. This one should be obvious: singing out loud in public is so out of the comfort zone for most people that they will usually never do it, or they will simply pretend to do it without really singing. Even if you can get them to start, it usually doesn't last, especially if you (as the musician) are not leading them by singing along with them. Again, the level of difficulty is exponential if you are in a stadium versus a smaller theater. 

 

With that in mind. think about what Prince accomplished at the 2007 Superbowl (watch the video upthread if you weren't aware of it). A truly Biblical flood rain is pouring down, with rain coming down in sheets. 100,000 rather miserable people are crammed in an open-air stadium. And the guy walks out and performs one of the considered-to-this-day one of the best Superbowl shows ever and, by the end of the show, has those 100,000 people singing out loud - LOUDLY - by themselves. In Falsetto. On cue. 

 

I mean, holy cr*p. That alone is something very, very, very few performers could pull off. And he made it look effortless. 

[SKL]

Yes.  And another thing that is personal to me.  I have a short, skinny brother who aspired to be a musician.  (He was in bands for many years, but never hit it big.)  Prince always reminded me of him, physically and personality-wise.  :P

[Lady Florida.]

OP, how old were you in 1984?  That matters.  :-)

 

 

I don't get it either, but I'm older than dirt and my kids tell me I'm out of it, so it might just be that, lol!

 

 

  

This explains much of my lack of reaction. I was in my late 20s and in the midst of pregnancies/infant care. I call the 1980s my "lost decade" in regard to pop culture.

 

 

 

I don't know. I was nearly 30 when he became popular and was well aware of who he is and how popular he was. I wasn't a big fan of much of his music outside of his commercial hits, but I recognize talent when I see it. He was a musical genius.

[Spy Car]

I just made a smoothie

It was blueberry all the way

I zapped in the blender

And made such a beautiful frappé

 

The smoothie was all purple

There were seeds scattered everywhere

The color was hypnotic

To drink it, did I dare?

 

They say two thousand zero, zero

Watts of power
Can really grind
So tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999

 

With my princely-purple smoothies

That taste really really fine

 

Worst Prince homage ever :D

 

Bill (who really did just made a Princely-Purple smoothie)

Edited April 26, 2016 by Spy Car

[Scarlett]

I completely agree with you. I can think of hundreds of "ordinary" people that I think are great.

 

When i think of Prince, i think of being 17 and working in a movie theater when Purple Rain came out and all of the guys working there sneaking in to see the dirty scene over and over. He seemed vulgar to me and his music did as well. It is funny that people here that are so high on respect for women have respect for this guy.

You probably have no idea of the changes he made in his life, continuing to do so all the way to the end.

 

The Prince that was in The movie Purple Rain was not the Prince who died last week.

[Scarlett]

Darlin Nikki was released in 1984.

 

And out of respect for the man he eventually came to be would you delete those lyrics?

Edited April 26, 2016 by Scarlett

[clementine]

Yes...what a great song...

 

Unnecessary to post that, IMO.  

 

Why not just say "I disapprove of his lyrics." And be done with it.  

Edited April 26, 2016 by clementine

[SparklyUnicorn]

Unnecessary to post that, IMO.  

 

Why not just say "I disapprove of his lyrics." And be done with it.  

 

Oh man..and here I took her literally.

 

I guess I don't have virtual sarcasm down...

[Guest]

Seeking, we get it. You aren't a fan. No one is surprised by that.

[EmseB]

Wait, reposting lyrics of his songs is not respectful? I seriously do not understand this.

[EmseB]

I don't think it's exactly blasphemous to post the man's own words in a discussion of why people don't like him. Especially if you can post favorite lyrics in a thread lauding him. Also pretty sure those lyrics can be found numerous places around the internet.

[elegantlion]

I completely agree with you.  I can think of hundreds of "ordinary" people that I think are great.  

 

When i think of Prince, i think of being 17 and working in a movie theater when Purple Rain came out and all of the guys  working there sneaking in to see the dirty scene over and over.   He seemed vulgar to me and his music did as well.  It is funny that people here that are so high on respect for women have respect for this guy.

 

As a child of the 80s, yes, some of the Prince songs had "vulgar" lyrics, yet they were not the chauvinistic lyrics some other bands used. They were sexual and not everyone views sexuality as a bad thing. Gilgamesh (the ancient text, not a band- although that would be a good band name) uses the idea of the sexuality of a woman as a humanizing feature in the relationship between Enkidu and Shamhat. Even Darlin' Nikki's graphic lyrics give the power to the woman in the situation.

 

Why women might respect him? Here, this might help. 

 

http://themuse.jezebel.com/prince-spent-his-life-elevating-and-mentoring-women-1772479454

[SparklyUnicorn]

As a child of the 80s, yes, some of the Prince songs had "vulgar" lyrics, yet they were not the chauvinistic lyrics some other bands used. They were sexual and not everyone views sexuality as a bad thing. Gilgamesh (the ancient text, not a band- although that would be a good band name) uses the idea of the sexuality of a woman as a humanizing feature in the relationship between Enkidu and Shamhat. Even Darlin' Nikki's graphic lyrics give the power to the woman in the situation.

 

Why women might respect him? Here, this might help. 

 

http://themuse.jezebel.com/prince-spent-his-life-elevating-and-mentoring-women-1772479454

 

Yep.  I was 10 when I saw the Purple Rain movie.  So exciting..rated R!  LOL  My parents weren't concerned about the reasons that movie was rated R.  There were other rated R movies they would have said no way in heck to.

[Scarlett]

Wait, reposting lyrics of his songs is not respectful? I seriously do not understand this.

I seriously doubt he would want to be remembered for that song.

[hornblower]

Why would we hide Nikki? It was part of his body of work.  (& actually there is quite a bit of religion and spiritual underpinnings to many of his lyrics which at times drove me off.  Do we need to get into a lyrics showdown?) 

I loved Prince because he was so self confident and original. His creativity was amazing, his work ethic relentless, and while I gather he was sometimes pretty impossible to live with, he also sounded kind. 

I don't begin to understand the depth of his musical contributions but I trust it when musicians tell me he was a genius. 

I did make sure my kids knew about Prince & among other things, I especially sought out his first national network appearance to show them because I wanted them to try to drape themselves with a bit of the self confidence that Prince had.

 

Look, if a straight, small black man can go on his first big tv appearance wearing bikini bottoms and thigh-high, high- heeled boots and just do his thing ... well, hun, then you can just march out there and do YOUR thing. 

Also, his eyeliner game was unmatched ;) 

[Scarlett]

Why would we hide Nikki? It was part of his body of work. (& actually there is quite a bit of religion and spiritual underpinnings to many of his lyrics which at times drove me off. Do we need to get into a lyrics showdown?)

 

I loved Prince because he was so self confident and original. His creativity was amazing, his work ethic relentless, and while I gather he was sometimes pretty impossible to live with, he also sounded kind.

 

I don't begin to understand the depth of his musical contributions but I trust it when musicians tell me he was a genius.

 

I did make sure my kids knew about Prince & among other things, I especially sought out his first national network appearance to show them because I wanted them to try to drape themselves with a bit of the self confidence that Prince had.

 

Look, if a straight, small black man can go on his first big tv appearance wearing bikini bottoms and thigh-high, high- heeled boots and just do his thing ... well, hun, then you can just march out there and do YOUR thing.

 

Also, his eyeliner game was unmatched ;)

I guess it was the way it was posted to show how little she thought of him....while others were pointing out his good works toward others.

 

And it was posted to show how vulgar he was when the fact in he became a very non vulgar man.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Scarlett

[MFG]

I don't care about the lyrics one way or the other but I find calls for censorship offensive.

[Haiku]

I seriously doubt he would want to be remembered for that song.

 

But he will be, and no one need be sorry for that.

 

People change. That's ok.

 

Besides, Darling Nikki was part of what made Prince who he is.

[Scarlett]

I don't care about the lyrics one way or the other but I find calls for censorship offensive.

Censorship? No. Just seemed crass to post those lyrics when people were answering the OPs question about what was great about him.

[clementine]

I don't care about the lyrics one way or the other but I find calls for censorship offensive.

 

I don't care about the lyrics either, but to be sarcastic & then take the time to type out the lyrics that you find so offensive was done for pure shock/disgust value.  

[poppy]

This thread is so odd. I can't think of anyone else who gets a 'eh he's not so good ' thread within a week of dying.

 

Just looking at recent deaths - we didn't get this for Bowie. Michael. Whitney . And of that list I would have thought Prince was the least divisive- not a junkie, no scandals, not even a lightning rod spouse. Just music.

[Happy2BaMom]

I don't have a problem with someone stating that they didn't like him, or his lyrics. Or posting those lyrics, early or late, as an example of why she doesn't like him. And it's fine not to consider him great, good, or even worth listening to. That's the world of free opinion. 

 

But the OP asked why Prince is considered great, which he is, by a great many people. Some of us have tried to answer her question directly.  

 

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

 

He was an amazing musical talent, even if you don't like his individual style. And he was a genuine and generous individual.

[SKL]

As far as posting the lyrics, I hope someone checked the copyright rules on that.

 

I am so [not] shocked that a pop singer sang lyrics that were off-color.  I mean I am totally corrupted right now.  I need to go take a cold shower.  :P

 

Little Red Corvette (which I mentioned was one of my favorite Prince songs) was not about Sunday School either.

 

Well shoot, I let my kids listen to Queen all the time, so the earth is doomed.  :P

[Spryte]

I guess it was the way it was posted to show how little she thought of him....while others were pointing out his good works toward others.

 

And it was posted to show how vulgar he was when the fact in he became a very non vulgar man.

I understand what you're getting at here. My grandfather would've said that PP had lemons in her fingers, typing that. (Ok, he'd have said in her mouth but that doesn't translate to a message board.). That post struck a nerve here, too because it was in response to a question about what's great about Prince... This may be off topic a bit, but that post and a few others made me think of my intro to message boards, on a serious peer support board run by a life coach. Our mantra was *not* to post unless it would be of help in some way to the OP. How many times over ten years of peer counseling did I type and delete?! :) I don't always succeed, but I try to maintain that here, too.

 

Like him, love him, hate him - Prince was extremely talented, diverse, and a genius in his field. He shaped a genre, and influenced lives. He did great things, for many people. I don't know as much about him as many, but I did see him perform one time, after winning tickets, and it was an astounding experience. Such a talented performer, I had no idea!

 

I don't care for country music, but when an icon of country music dies, I can appreciate the loss of someone who shaped a genre.

 

When a recent well known figure died, one on the opposite side of the political spectrum from me, I did not denigrate him or imply that people grieving his loss were somehow wrong to do so. I'm not sure why the people who feel they must say negative things feel that need.