The artist formerly known as (choose one) TAFKAP, the artist formerly known as prince, Zapf Dingbat, hermaphrodite rooty-toot horn thingie, etc. is once again simply Prince, his birth name. Prince Returns
One of my first posts was a comment about his colossal arrogance but it appears the name change was for a different motive.
He looks kinda ragged in the photo. I actually like some of his music. At least now I know what to call him. It was hard drawing that symbol in the air and trying to get people to guess who you were talking about.
A friend of mine who has been a true Prince fan for years and has some insider knowledge in the entertainment biz said that the name change wasn’t an ego thing or something to get press, but rather a dispute with his record label at the time. His understanding was that it was an attempt for him to break his contract under the argument that he wasn’t the same person and/or artist that the company originally signed, and demonstrated it by changing his name. As far as I know, it didn’t work, but they eventually parted ways through a settlement of some sort. It’s an old story - George Michael went through something similar with his record company, but he didn’t go to such a great length.
Esprix
The musical genius is back! Oh man, thank God. I think I’ll celebrate by listening to “Erotic City” and “Sexy MF”.
Proud to be a Minnesotan like Prince…
Yes, Prince is Prince’s birth name. That symbol of his supposedly came to him during meditation and was indeed because of his contractual obligations under the name “Prince”.
And for the record, George Michael was born:
Georgios Kyrialos Panayiotou
-S
I wonder why Garrison Keillor has never had the diminutive one on Pairie Home Companion. It may be that Prince is offended by the many Ole and Lena jokes and jabs at Lutheran potluck dinners but more likely his disdain for corporate sponsorship. I read years ago that he insisted none of the instruments have any manufacturer logos on them.