prince died today. holy shit. that’s like a punch to the gut. i didn’t even listen to the guy that much but i’ve heard enough to know that he’s good. real good. has been for over 30 years. and now he’s dead all of a sudden. sure he made his impact, and honestly his later stuff isn’t as good as his 80s and 90s work, but isn’t that always the case? eventually you just cease being relevant in art. that’s just how it goes. eventually you don’t change mindsets, you just make art. that’s artistic entropy. you have to create because that’s all you’ve done for 30, 40 years. but it ain’t the same. not the same urgency or pressure. you’re older, you’re staler, you’re not longer in the limelight of the cultural zeitgeist. prince, man, prince was the zeitgeist, prince was the forefront of the 80s music revolution. prince took bowie’s 70s weirdness and sexualized it and millions of people across the world suddenly realized how many weird fetishes they were into. and they had to, like, deal with it, because the music was so good and prince was so popular. that’s prince, man. no matter how much his output lagged compared to his earlier work, the fact is, he has earlier work, work that changed people, that changes people still. at least he has that stuff.
man. what a life to have lived. i’d give so much for a life like that. i mean, i haven’t given enough. i should give so much for a life like that. i’m sure prince had. nobody plays guitar that well without hours or practice. and to be so reserved, so reclusive, so introverted. the man is a legend to people who desire to noodle around on their guitar in their bedrooms. rest in peace man. rest in peace.
