to celebrate what would have been the Purple One’s 61st birthday.
What’s your favorite Prince memory?
I love Prince. My favorite memory is when I was a kid I loved the song “My Name is Prince.” Bought the single cassette and just about wore it out. And then not too terribly long after that song came out, he changed his name to a symbol. I was thoroughly confused.
The day he died. I had plans to go to Cory Taylor’s concert at First Ave that night, and wondered what downtown Minneapolis would be like. After the concert, opening with Purple Rain, First Ave rolled a ton of speakers outside and set up a stage for an impromptu memorial concert with local artists. It really felt like the entire damn city came out to party. We managed to get back inside for the party, but didn’t make it until they shut down around dawn. It was absolutely incredible.
A few years after the Janet Jackson Superbowl halftime show controversy where she flashed a breast at America, Prince performed while all the NFL officials held their breath. After his performance where all he did was stand there and play his guitar with the oddly shaped body (shaped like his name symbol), everyone thought he had behaved. The next day people noticed his shadow on the curtains next to the stage.
When my sister and I put 12 dollars together between us to make a joint purchase of Purple Rain on VHS. I think I still have it in a box in the closet with other old videotapes.
Once, I was hanging out at a coffee house. Someone was singing “Purple Rain”. Even when sung by a geeky white guy, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, it still sounded great.
The Prince/Doctor Who crossover fan fiction I wrote with my best friend.