One Year of d / m / s / r

One year ago today, I launched dance / music / sex / romance on what should have been Prince’s 58th birthday. I had no real expectations: I knew, of course, that it would appeal to a wider audience than my usual content, but that’s a low bar to clear. The response, however, has been beyond anything I dared to hope. I’ve met some great people through this blog, and their/your excitement is infectious; it’s carried me through a few lean periods already, and is sure to carry me through plenty more in the future of this insane task I’ve given myself. In the past, I’ve sustained long-term projects through a combination of obstinance and a deep, insular commitment to taking inside jokes to their ultimate conclusions; this will be the first long-term project I’ll have sustained with a genuine sense of community.

So, about that “long-term” thing. As of this writing, I’ve completed two albums, and am about (I promise!) to begin a third. Projecting purely from this number, we’re in for a long ride: Prince had 39 “official” studio albums to his name, so at two albums a year, you can expect me to wrap up in about 2036. Of course, it isn’t that simple: I’ve actually covered about 45 songs in this first year of operation, and for a month or so in there I was barely writing at all. I’m confident that I’ll be more productive in my second year–though after that, who knows. And of course there’s always the possibility that I’ll give up, or be shut down by the estate, or otherwise rendered unable to continue. For now, I’m taking it one year at a time, and I’m very excited about the year to come.

In the meantime, if you’re new and wondering where to start, here’s a roundup of the territory we’ve covered so far:

Ephemera, 1975-1976
For You, 1978
Ephemera, 1977-1978
Prince, 1979

Or, if you prefer to read in purely chronological order, there’s always this option:

The Story So Far

Finally, you are probably already aware that I recently launched a podcast. Our first series is over, but it’s still an ongoing project! I have a lot of stuff lined up in the next few months that I’m excited about. For now, you can check out the first four episodes that I recorded with professional philosopher and amateur Prince scholar Jane Clare Jones:

Part 1: A Year Without Prince
Part 2: Dig If U Will
Part 3: The Most Beautiful
Part 4: Empty Room

Remember, you can also check out the podcast feeds at iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play if you’re so inclined (Stitcher recommended over Google), or stream the episodes on Mixcloud.

I think that’s all for now. Again, I’ll be back by the end of the week with that monster post I’ve been working on. In the meantime, happy Prince Day, and thanks for reading!