Tag: vanity

Podcast: It’s Time Someone Programmed You – Leah McDaniel on the Salford Purple Reign Conference

Podcast: It’s Time Someone Programmed You – Leah McDaniel on the Salford Purple Reign Conference

(Featured Image: The infamous “Prince’s Women” cover, Rolling Stone, April 1986; photo by Jeff Katz.)

For the third installment of my miniseries on the University of Salford’s interdisciplinary Prince conference, I’m talking to Leah McDaniel (née Stone), a businesswoman, world traveler, and lifelong Prince fan. Her paper was on the eternally unsettled question of whether or not Prince was a feminist; we reflect on that question, as well as the contrast between his artistic warmth and his sometimes-chilling approach to interpersonal relationships, and why even Prince at his worst was still better than R. Kelly at his best.

If you’re frustrated that we don’t issue a final verdict, come back in a few months, when I plan to host a round table discussion on the “was Prince a feminist” debate (and almost certainly still won’t offer a definitive answer). In the meantime, you can check us and our way-improved new logo out on all the major podcast services (iTunes/Stitcher/Google Play). Your reviews and subscriptions on your service of choice would be a big help in getting us more visibility. As always, thanks for listening–we’ll be back with another episode by the end of next week!

Continue reading “Podcast: It’s Time Someone Programmed You – Leah McDaniel on the Salford Purple Reign Conference” →

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Dystopian Listening Party Podcast: Prince, 1958-2016

Dystopian Listening Party Podcast: Prince, 1958-2016

(Featured Image: Prince tribute outside First Avenue; photo by Jeff Wheeler, stolen from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.)

Yesterday, I spent an unbelievably self-indulgent six hours on Skype with Jane Clare Jones, preparing and recording a podcast to mark the first anniversary of Prince’s death (because of our unbelievable self-indulgence, it will actually be several podcasts). The first installment of our conversation should be ready to post by Friday; but in the meantime, here’s another conversation from last year with my sister Callie, which ran on our blog Dystopian Dance Party just over a week after we heard the terrible news. In case you’re concerned–I know emotions are raw this week–it’s mostly a joyous discussion, focusing on Prince and what he means to us rather than the tragic conditions of his end. I thought now was as good a time as any to share it with a wider audience. Show notes are here, and I’ll be back tomorrow with a review of another recent addition to the canon of Prince literature.

 

Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me?

Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me?

(Featured Image: Sue Ann Carwell with Orville Shannon, then of local band Enterprize–which also featured Morris Day on drums–at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. Photo by Greg Helgeson for City Pages; stolen from Numero Group.)

Man, where did last month go? I’ve been meaning to post for a while now, but haven’t been able to make time between my various other projects (including, like, my actual job). I’m back, though, just in time to talk about one of Prince’s most significant early compositions: a cyclically-titled little number called “Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me?”

Actually, “Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me?” has been a long time coming for this blog in more ways than one. Some readers may have already noted its absence from my writeup of Prince’s earliest home recordings in 1976, where it made its technical debut alongside early sketches like “I Spend My Time Loving You.” But I wanted to save my discussion of the song for later, because its transformation from that primitive early demo to a much more polished second version in 1978 is in many ways emblematic of Prince’s artistic development in those two short years.

Continue reading “Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me?” →

4 Paisley Park’s Consideration: 14 Rarities That Need to Be on the New Purple Rain Reissue

4 Paisley Park’s Consideration: 14 Rarities That Need to Be on the New Purple Rain Reissue

(Featured Image: Purple Rain, 1984; © Warner Bros.)

Well, it’s been a while. I honestly try to post here at least once a week (preferably twice), but work and travel have been conspiring this month to severely limit my productivity. I hope to be back with a real post next week. For now, though, here’s a piece I wrote over two years ago: way back when the 30th anniversary Purple Rain reissue that was just re-announced for release in 2017 was actually going to be a 30th anniversary reissue. Check out the tracks I’m hoping to see on the bonus disc, and feel free to let me know how wrong I am in the comments:

4 Paisley Park’s Consideration: 14 Rarities That Need to Be on the New Purple Rain Reissue

Have a great weekend–hopefully I’ll get the chance to post again before Halloween!