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After much delay, here is my conversation with Chris Aguilar-Garcia and Natalie Clifford, two presenters from this May’s interdisciplinary Prince conference at the University of Salford. Both Chris and Nat identify as queer, and both have interesting things to say about Prince’s legacy of “revolutionary queerness” and the space he created for less conventional expressions of gender and sexuality in the mainstream. If you liked the last episode with Snax, chances are you’ll like this one.
This is the part where I would normally say we’re switching gears and moving away from the Salford conference, but as it happens, we already have another interview with a presenter in store. So basically, I’ll keep doing these as long as people want to talk to me. If you still want to listen to me–and, more importantly, my eloquent guests–feel free to subscribe on your podcast service of choice. And if you really like us, take that aforementioned podcast app and shoot us a rating or review; it will make us more “discoverable” and broaden the listening base. In the meantime, thanks as always for listening!
00:00:00 “Sexuality” (from Controversy, 1981)
00:03:07 The “Esoteric French” Podcast with Joni Todd and Karen Turman
00:12:08 Chris on a Recent Grown Folks Music Podcast with De Angela Duff
00:15:18 “Little Red Corvette (Dance Remix)” (1983 Recording, available on Ultimate Prince)
00:22:27 The Last Episode with Paul Bonomo (a.k.a. Snax)
00:27:23 “What’s My Name” (1993 Recording, available on Crystal Ball)
00:29:25 One Infamous Example of These Comments
00:32:50 (The Artist Formerly Known as) Prince’s Appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, 1996
00:34:02 An Earlier Episode with Erica Thompson
00:34:31 Erica’s Blog Post about Her Interview with Robin Power
00:39:09 “Emancipation” (from Emancipation, 1996)
00:53:50 “Let’s Go Crazy” (from the opening scene of Purple Rain, 1984)
00:59:45 Another Earlier Episode with Carmen Hoover
01:07:35 “Controversy” (from Controversy)
01:10:07 Young Thug’s Unexpected Tribute to Prince
01:13:38 “Lovesexy” (from Lovesexy, 1988)
01:14:18 Chris’ Presentation
01:24:51 “Y Should Eye Do That When Eye Can Do This?” (1999 Recording, available on The Slaughterhouse)
01:29:29 The Upcoming Prince from Minneapolis Conference
01:32:38 Here’s the Presentation from My Old Gender Unit as a Graduate Instructor
01:33:57 Recent Article on the Minneapolis Sound by Rashad Shabazz
01:34:17 “I Would Die 4 U (Extended Version)” (1984 B-Side, available on Purple Rain – Deluxe Edition)
01:36:48 Yet Another Earlier Episode with Harold Pride and Felicia Holman
3 replies on “Podcast: I am Something That You’ll Never Understand – Chris Aguilar-Garcia and Natalie Clifford on the Salford Purple Reign Conference”
Prince’s attempts to embrace religions toward the end of his journey is totally understandable given his life-long, sometimes tortured quest for the “spirit,” or that existence beyond physical, human, limitations. He never sought to deny or diminish his sex, race, heritage, or life experience, but I do think he was trying to understand, for lack of a better word, God, or an existence without artificially created limitations and constraints,as dictated by the society. After all, God don’t care what your skin color is, your size, how much money you have, what kind of car you drive, what sex organs you have, or who you find sexually attractive. It’s all soul to soul. Zach–thanks for bringing “academics” to the masses! Peace and love!
I think you’re exactly right, Gwen–one might even say Prince, in his own way, queered religion 😉
Ooh a lot of words , sometimes i feel you loose something by too much analysis …i don’t think academia is always the best way to understand but respect to you for all your thoughts