PRINCE IN A BOX

Current mood: RATHER WONDERFUL
Category: RATHER WONDERFUL Music

Until recently Prince has laregly passed me by.

I didn't listen to him as a kid. In my late teens I had a girlfriend with a fairly heavy interest, but he didn't grab me, and I never got the whole Purple Rain thing.

When Prince changed into a symbol I didn't much care, indeed, the only time I began to take notice was when I read Miles Davis describe him as hugely talented and 'another Duke Ellington'..

Seeing his name turn up time and time again in favourite artist lists of more and more poeple I liked, I picked up a handful of the later LPs, 1999, Lovesxy & Of all those only two tracks made it into my favourite folder...

But since then he's kept cropping up. 3121 sounded as fresh and inetersting album as I heard last year, then I recently saw his energy, his knee slides and colour on video...

And last night the last bits fell into place, and for probably only the second or third time, I feel as if I've been honoured to watch a top level proper musical genius at work...

Yes boss, if you have any sense at all, I'd suggest you get right on with getting a ticket to either the main show or the aftershow at the venue formerly known as The Millenium Dome before his run there ends....

He says you won't get another chance to see him play his 'Greatest Hits' again and it's highly unlikely you'll never get an opportunity to see him as up close and personal as you will at the aftershow - we're talking right dead close - a few meters - less, if you're determined and have good elbows...

So, to celebrate my Prince coming of age, hereafter will follow a whole set of Prince pieces, starting with reviews of the two gigs of last night...

Currently listening : [Symbol] By Prince Release date: By 05 January, 2001

1:56 PM - 20 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

	Charles Bukkake	yap yap, prince does indeed rock i was interviewing a girl band once (a shit pop idol spin-off called CLEA) and we started talking about the genius of Prince their manager was horrified but the worm's turning now, individuality's becoming cool in the mainstream once more hopefully the kids listening to Lilly Allen and Amy Winehouse will start listening further afield Posted by Charles Bukkake on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:46 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	He's the only one of the 3 big pop icons who's still functioning to any serious creative degree... Jackson seems to be a spent force and Madonna's all about the money and becoming Gandhi... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 4:53 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Paloma, First Lady of Infinity	who are the other two? Posted by Paloma, First Lady of Infinity on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 8:12 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	The other 2 Genius types I've seen LIVE or the other 2 pop icons?? Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 30, 2007 - Thursday at 10:16 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Paloma, First Lady of Infinity	hmmm...um...now i am rethinking my question. both? so who are the two genius types you've seen live and who are the other two pop icons (besides madonna and jackson)? Posted by Paloma, First Lady of Infinity on August 30, 2007 - Thursday at 1:31 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	The two I have seen are Lee 'Scratch' Perry and The Aphex Twin (He I would only be about 70% on at this point in time, but would expect that to increase) The other two are Mads and Jacko... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 30, 2007 - Thursday at 1:35 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Mog Hartley	I've been a prince fan since my teens although I've commited the crime of never seeing him live. "Lovesexy" is a great album. "Around the world in a day" is a work of genius and Parade is damn good too as most of them are except "Graffiti Bridge" stay well clear of that one. Posted by Mog Hartley on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 5:11 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I'm on the case of all of them as I type... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 5:17 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Oh, and crime is the right word... I feel certain I'll be back for another one or two shows before the run's over - miss them at your peril... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 5:43 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Naomi	The early ones are worth investigating too. 'Dirty Mind' is a great album; 'Controversy' isn't but the title track is so stupendous that you don't actually care all that much... Posted by Naomi on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 5:26 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Yes, my full princeucation starts now..) Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 5:39 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Naomi	I think your pictures capture the momentousness of the occasion rather well... Posted by Naomi on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 5:25 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	I got lucky with the pictures, I only took 14, 6 from the aftershow (Did you see the bouncers opinion of cameras?? - Shit, I didn't mind actually. It made me concetrate of enjoying the performance and recording it in my brain) Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 5:37 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Naomi	yeah, they've been like that all the way through the run, but I think it's at the request of Prince himself. I think he left the stage at one of the aftershows because the camera flashes were annoying him... Posted by Naomi on August 30, 2007 - Thursday at 12:06 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Yeah. Mrs G was saying her seat neighbour up on the 4th level got escorted out for 15 minutes for taking pics.. It's not a bad thing. People are so keen on taking images they forget to actually watch the event THEMselves - it's another manifestation of how we work for machines and not the other way around, etc bore etc bore.... (I'm half a journalist with sunglasses, an audience and a collection of tracksuits - I'm allowed.....))) Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 30, 2007 - Thursday at 12:15 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	For that matter yesterday was a day completely loaded with luck... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 5:52 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Paloma, First Lady of Infinity	fucking lucky bastard you are. lucky bastard. Posted by Paloma, First Lady of Infinity on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 7:22 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :	Says the woman who's danced on stage with the Flaming Lips twice...) Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 30, 2007 - Thursday at 12:16 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

	Hijackalope	nobody humps the stage like prince, penis shaped geetars! i sended you some cd's today hopefully the homeland security police won't intercept them Posted by Hijackalope on August 29, 2007 - Wednesday at 8:16 PM [Remove] [Reply to this]

: THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI :

I'll tell my people to have a word with homeland security. Those cunts need to start buying their own shit rather than opening everyone elses... Posted by : THE FUTUREPROOF MUSIC BLOG BY PIOUS GIOVANNI : on August 30, 2007 - Thursday at 4:04 AM [Remove] [Reply to this]