Comments on: Someone controlled you

Someone controlled you

Artifice_Eternity — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:47:06 -0800

While my guitar fiercely weeps Next on YouTubeFilter: Prince shares a stage with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and George Harrison's son Dhani, at Harrison's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. No, scratch that: Prince ain't sharin' with nobody -- that stage is all his.

By: rosemere

rosemere — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:52:02 -0800

*whimpers, melts*

By: dash_slot-

dash_slot- — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:52:03 -0800

He floated!! He FLOATED!!

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:55:26 -0800

Prince kicks ass, and looks cool doing it. Clapton would have dropped a large wet turd and then waited for the applause.

By: Artifice_Eternity

Artifice_Eternity — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:55:53 -0800

Also impressive: Prince's performance on SNL last week -- his first in 25 years.

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 14:59:04 -0800

YouTube: The New Google Video! (which isn't a bad thing considering I found Nick Burns there). That said, Prince has always been an accomplished guitar player. Not that he's breaking any new ground with his wheedelee-wheedelee-weeeeing but man, great dynamics. Rock guitar playing is 10% skill and 90% attitude.

By: hototogisu

hototogisu — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:00:03 -0800

I saw Built to Spill do a ten minute version of that once--I'll take Prince and his hat any day of the week.

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:00:15 -0800

Also, when he tossed his guitar in the air, where the fuck did it go? This Prince; he's Magic!™

By: gottabefunky

gottabefunky — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:01:55 -0800

prince: one of the all-time great motherfuckers i mean that in the miles davis sense and holy crap does harrison's son look like him, even in that tiny video

By: bachelor#3

bachelor#3 — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:01:55 -0800

KevinSkomsvold, I was thinking the same thing! While my guitar gently, but very very quickly, vaporizes.

By: majick

majick — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:03:29 -0800

The world would be a much better place if Prince did a lot more of this and a lot less singing and dancing.

By: Eekacat

Eekacat — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:11:36 -0800

What's also really cool about his playing is his staying with style and sound of the original song, and leaving the planet from there. It was a true tribute.

By: jon_kill

jon_kill — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:12:23 -0800

Prince is just retardedly talented. Where the fuck did that guitar go, anyway?

By: mojohand

mojohand — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:18:36 -0800

All these years, I never quite got the Prince thing. Now I do. Wow.

By: Corky

Corky — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:27:47 -0800

Wow... just amazing. Thanks for this!

By: super_not

super_not — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:29:33 -0800

Great video. Although I've never been a huge Prince fan, I truly admire his talent. I have heard that he puts on quite a live show, running from piano to guitar, singing, jumping around... here is a haiku I wrote for the great entertainer. tiny little man a guitar virtuoso why pants with no ass?

By: kid ichorous

kid ichorous — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:31:09 -0800

The arts were invented to make us short folks more formidable and sexy.

By: ktoad

ktoad — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:31:16 -0800

I'm so happy that post-2000 Prince has been justifying my allegiance to him during his 1990s fallow period.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:35:25 -0800

Prince is one of the few musicians who (whom?) I think could really revolutionize the music industry. He's got the bucks and the chops to create a startup that would provide production seed money to bands, and a iTunes-style music webservice that would ensure the band gets a good cut of profits while Prince gets a good — and not grotesque — profit on his investments. RIAA needs to be wholly eliminated from the picture. Between the various semi-intelligent "if you liked X you'll like Y" recommendation systems, reasonably-priced recording and production services, and web delivery, I see no reason why a decent band should not make a good living off their work. Unlike the current model, where RIAA fat-cats make a good living off their work, while the band sinks further into debt.

By: 327.ca

327.ca — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:38:09 -0800

Also impressive: Prince's performance on SNL last week -- his first in 25 years. Wow, that SNL performance was fantastic!

By: Artifice_Eternity

Artifice_Eternity — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:40:45 -0800

I was lucky enough to see it when it was broadcast last week -- totally by accident, b/c I never watch SNL these days.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:42:48 -0800

I feel like I've just been hit by a Mack truck made out of rock!

By: bardic

bardic — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:44:25 -0800

Tom Petty got pwned. He's so badass on guitar that I get the impression he's almost embarrased by it--his 90's reliance on synths was kind of an f.u. to rockers everywhere. Hopefully he'll continue to wail in his inestimably gender- and ethnicity-fucking way, Jehovah willing. And man, Prince has been using that Telecaster for years.

By: davejay

davejay — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:45:43 -0800

I caught the SNL appearance, and was just completely blown away by his guitar playing on the first song -- I had no idea he could DO that. It made the second song they played that night seem even more lame by comparison

By: leftoverboy

leftoverboy — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:45:44 -0800

brundlefly yes!

By: I Love Tacos

I Love Tacos — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:46:43 -0800

holy. fucking. shit. who knew?

By: ktoad

ktoad — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:48:19 -0800

Damn, just watched it again. Gotta get an mp3 of this sometime!

By: fingers_of_fire

fingers_of_fire — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:49:22 -0800

Yo - "Let's Go Crazy", anybody? What was that - 1984? Prince is B A D.

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:53:22 -0800

I have a WMV version (better quality) here if anyone would like to take a peek.

By: Space Kitty

Space Kitty — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:56:58 -0800

Damn, thank you for posting this, Artifice _Eternity! I never would have caught that performance. That was amazing, and this comes from someone who manages to take personal offense when one of my favorite songs get covered. Prince is outstanding. (gottabefunky: Didn't he!? I got chills!)

By: muckster

muckster — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 15:57:34 -0800

If you can get your hands on it, the Sign o' the Times concert movie is amazing. The best I've ever seen him was at an aftershow where he left his ego (largely) out of it and just become part of this incredibely tight funk outfit. I remember a huge Erotic City. It was quite something.

By: toma

toma — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:01:29 -0800

A buddy of mine used to work at Warner Brothers, in the 90s, when a Hendrix tribute album, Stone Free, was being put together. Living Colour, Eric Clapton, Pat Metheny and others covering Hendrix tunes (The Cure did a version of "Purple Haze"--a trip). They thought Prince would be a natural for it--Dude can Play. Turned it down. He said "Jimi had his thing, I've got mine." Oh well.

By: ?!

?! — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:07:49 -0800

That was from the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction wasn't it? That was the year Prince and Harrison were both inducted. Nothing against Prince, but Clapton should have stood on that stage reprising his work on that song.

By: Mental Wimp

Mental Wimp — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:08:39 -0800

Well, ahem, we in the Twin Cities have known since the early '80s that he kicked serious ass with guitar. Not always with thigh-high, high-heeled boots and a see-through rain coat, but always with skill and passion. His midget majesty is the real deal: a certified musical genius as composer, lyricist, and performer. He is weird, though.

By: HyperBlue

HyperBlue — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:10:16 -0800

Just watched the HDTiVo of the SNL performance for the umpteenth time. What made it best was it was live and raw and he nailed it. It's also a step back to his pop-rock roots with a stripped down band (no horns) and an emphasis on his guitar. He launched into all the RockStar™ nuances and grimmaces, threw in the obligitory one-handed arpeggios, hammer-ons and whammy bar manuvers. He added in some wah-wah, slides and delay at appropriate intervals. Then he stuck the landing with a perfect delay/distort/knock-the-mike-down, brash exit. He looses a couple of tenths of a point for cracking up at the very end though. Another great performance from one bad-ass entertainer.

By: Len

Len — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:11:57 -0800

prince: one of the all-time great motherfuckers Amen. If I could find Miles' autobiography I'd properly quote the line about Davis calling someone one motherfucking stone cold motherfucking motherfucker.* As it is, I'll stick to swearing. That was great. *I suspect that if jack_mo sees this anytime soon, he will (i) rhapsodise over Prince and (ii) be able to provide the direct quote ...

By: Manhasset

Manhasset — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:12:44 -0800

I guess I'll be the lone "meh" of the group. That kinda music bores me to tears. Someone sent me the SNL vid a couple days ago and I was equally whatever over it. Just seems like wankery to me (looks like Petty thought it wankery as well). Different strokes... The vanishing guitar trick was cute, though. :)

By: kryptondog

kryptondog — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:23:13 -0800

Prince is the man. I've received a lot of flack from people I know for being an outspoken Prince fan, but fuck 'em: this guy is amazing. Get past the 80's stage antics if you're really that insecure and recognize a hugely talented and diverse pop star when you see one. Great performance. Me and my brother replayed the last few seconds of the video about 6 times trying to figure out where the fuck his guitar went. We still don't know.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:24:18 -0800

I love YouTube. Do they even have a copyright policy? Let's see, the Grammys were last night. Wonder if there's any videos up? Oh yes, 44 of them.

By: horsewithnoname

horsewithnoname — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:27:54 -0800

Holy crap. After seeing that video, I can't feel my legs. And I'm bleeding from three orifices.

By: breath

breath — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:30:16 -0800

Maybe he just throws the guitar into the audience? He used that one guy to prop him up while he was playing leaning back, maybe that guy also caught the flying guitar.

By: trip and a half

trip and a half — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:40:54 -0800

It's been over 20 years since I saw Prince perform live, but it still stands out in my memory as the single most awesome performance I've ever seen. The man is the very model of the consummate professional showman. And yeah, he can play guitar.

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:45:42 -0800

Damn. Always knew the man could swing an axe, but.... damn. He was playing faster and better than anyone there with the three fingers of his left hand. Damn.

By: Artifice_Eternity

Artifice_Eternity — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:49:19 -0800

Yeah, Tom Petty did not look amused. But Dhani Harrison was delighted -- like a kid in a candy store. It made Petty look... petty.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:53:23 -0800

I read that as Petty's "you go, Prince!" face. His body language was all "hey everybody, look at that man shred over there." I could be wrong, but Petty seems to be something of a fan of musicians.

By: hal9k

hal9k — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:56:52 -0800

Prince Wilbury rocks!

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:09:46 -0800

Fuck. Me.

By: edverb

edverb — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:11:19 -0800

Thanks for this Artifice_Eternity (both the HOF performance and the SNL) ...I think I enjoyed the jaws dropping in this thread almost as much as Prince's performances. That's about a half dozen fewer people looking at me (or anyone else) cockeyed when it's mentioned how badass Prince's playing is.

By: mrbill

mrbill — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:14:42 -0800

Holy SHIT. Had no idea he could play like that. Time to fire up BitTorrent..

By: afx114

afx114 — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:31:39 -0800

I've been saying it for years: Prince is the only man in the universe who I'd let fuck me.

By: oflinkey

oflinkey — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:32:25 -0800

He tosses the guitar into the audience. You can see someone holding it up at the end. And that was swet.

By: oflinkey

oflinkey — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:33:15 -0800

Sweet. The was sweet.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:38:11 -0800

who knew? well, gosh. me. i can't believe so many are so surprised by this. prince has always been a massive motherfucker on guitar. this clip was tame. yes, tame. yes, i'm serious. he's fucking... awesome.

By: A dead Quaker

A dead Quaker — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:38:54 -0800

Game.....blouses.

By: lazywhinerkid

lazywhinerkid — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:45:38 -0800

Has anyone seen "An Evening with Kevin Smith"? In it, he tells a hilarious story about being hired by Prince to film a "documentary" -- apparently Prince is/was a big fan -- to accompany The Rainbow Children. (Here's a link to a video someone has ripped of the story.) If all facets of the story are true, then Prince is absolutely insane -- a total nutjob -- harmless, but completely bonkers. To me, somehow knowing that just makes him that much more interesting and cool . . .

By: hal9k

hal9k — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:47:08 -0800

Bah, back in my day our guitar heroes rocked out let me tell you... just... like this as a matter of fact, yeah. But isn't he supposed to be fat and playing Vegas lounges by now? Or shillin' Nexium?

By: snsranch

snsranch — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:57:06 -0800

What's the scoop about some album he made that wasn't promoted by Sony or something and then the Chili Peppers bought it or something and covered it? I remember there was a very small stink about it, but I would rather have heard Prince's version.

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 18:02:59 -0800

I'm not a fan of prince's music (with certain exceedingly rare exceptions) but if I saw a flyer for an all guitar wailing night of prince performances, I'd sell a nut to go. The man, when he wants to be, is simply inhumanly badass. Imagine being that full assed badness, and HIDING it, except for incredibly rare live performances where you just unleash the ass of badness on an unsuspecting crowd, just so you could be like, "Yeah, I got that, too." I mean, I'm a straight guy and everything, but DAMN my panties got wet watching that.

By: horsewithnoname

horsewithnoname — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 18:10:46 -0800

I'd watch it again, but I'm afraid I might die.

By: cortex

cortex — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 18:44:37 -0800

When I was young -- very young -- I conflated Prince and Jimi Hendrix.

By: The Bellman

The Bellman — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 19:17:20 -0800

Sure, that rocked and all, but the song is a lot better on the ukulele. Seriously. The uke link has been in the blue before, but if you haven't seen it watch it all the way through. Prince got nothing on this guy.

By: D.C.

D.C. — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 19:19:30 -0800

Double meh. Guitar-wankery. Extremely talented guitar-wankery, but wankery nevertheless.

By: TimeFactor

TimeFactor — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 19:41:50 -0800

Rock and Roll is long dead and buried but it was great for just a little while that Prince could be its zombie corpse walking the earth, playing guitar, and eating raw flesh. That fucking rocked.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:05:38 -0800

Boner and a huge smile over here. Thanks, Artifice. Took Petty a little long to catch on to the fact that something really good was happening there, though, didn't it?

By: nearo

nearo — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:12:14 -0800

holy shit Jake Shimabukuro just stole the thread... it always pleases me too see talent from hawaii leak into the world.

By: Mikey-San

Mikey-San — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:35:38 -0800

Let's keep the Prince haiku going: nineteen ninety-nine you sexy mother fucker keep shakin' that ass I bow to the awesomeness that is Prince. He tore up more floor on SNL than any band has in years.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:47:55 -0800

Petty was too stoned to know anything was going on. Muuuuuch to focused on his fingers.

By: celerystick

celerystick — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 20:55:03 -0800

the Big P has based his whole damn career on stage Wankery. What a HAM. That's what makes him so fun to watch on the Telly. I laughed hearitly watching this video. Thanks for the post . (P.s besides its a ROck and Roll Hall O' fame performance - those are historically dysfunctional)

By: newfers

newfers — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 21:12:31 -0800

Wow, anyone know of a hi-res copy of that performance? I spose I oughta just check the torrent sites, or do a google search. But... meh.

By: adrober

adrober — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 21:41:32 -0800

I love his dramatic exits. Oh and his guitar playing too.

By: markr

markr — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 21:46:10 -0800

After the comments in this thread I was expecting it to be better. Much, much better. *Shrug*

By: subaruwrx

subaruwrx — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 21:49:59 -0800

Who knew? I knew. But I was blown away. I love Prince, but i didnt know he was that great.

By: euphorb

euphorb — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 21:52:45 -0800

I saw this when it aired two years ago and I'm still talking about it on a reegular basis. If anyone wants the mp3, email me.

By: speicus

speicus — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 22:03:44 -0800

The actual solo was sort of monotonous, but I gotta say, the man has showmanship.

By: subaruwrx

subaruwrx — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 22:04:20 -0800

I thnk the other thing we are realizing is that these guys practiced all week on this and Im sure Tom heard this several times. If he didnt like Prince, he wouldnt have played with him. He was probably concentrating on his own game while Prince was owning the world.

By: speicus

speicus — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 22:07:34 -0800

Also, Marty McFly did it better.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 22:12:28 -0800

The day after this performance, the video took so damn long to load I eventually said to heck with it and forgot to check back. Thanks, A_E. Damn heck Harrison's boy does look like his pop - and that grin of his was just beautiful. If I were in his shoes, I'd probably have the same look, just I'd be sitting crosslegged on the floor trying to remember how to breathe. Prince is welcome to proselytize at my place any day.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 22:12:39 -0800

Im sure Tom heard this several times Sure doesn't look that way.

By: Ty Webb

Ty Webb — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 22:19:50 -0800

I saw this when it was aired, just happened upon it as Prince was beginning his solo. That's some high-octane RAWK.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 23:54:41 -0800

Magic. Thanks, Artifice_Eternity

By: PeterMcDermott

PeterMcDermott — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:13:58 -0800

I guess I'll be the lone "meh" of the group. Not at all, Manhasset. Lead guitar masturbation bores me to tears as well. I might be the only person in the whole world who thought that the best thing about Hendrix was his voice.

By: Ian A.T.

Ian A.T. — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 00:54:12 -0800

Okay, let's be honest: are there any girls in this thread at all? After watching this video for the second time, I think I've figured out what it is we're all respoding to...Prince plays guitar the way we do whenever we daydream about being a guitar player. I swear I played that exact solo the other day waiting for my laundry to finish.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 01:56:52 -0800

"If that didn't melt your snatch hairs, you're a wuss!"

By: dgaicun

dgaicun — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 04:00:01 -0800

WFMU recently hosted a video of Prince on American Bandstand in 1980 when he was 19, and (unlike Trent Reznor) Prince was still cool in highschool. Notice him giving a lesser fuck about Dick Clark.

By: sprag80

sprag80 — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 04:39:18 -0800

Awesome. Absolutely awesome.

By: zarah

zarah — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 04:45:23 -0800

Okay, let's be honest: are there any girls in this thread at all? *checks* I'm a girl! And that was fucking beautiful, god love that tiny, strange, talented man!

By: duncan42

duncan42 — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 05:46:11 -0800

Thanks Artifice Eternity for making me smile all over my face on my commute to work. A joyous performance.

By: piratebowling

piratebowling — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 05:52:17 -0800

I think I'm in love with Dhani Harrison and Prince now. Jesus, I need a cigarette now.

By: rosemere

rosemere — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 05:54:41 -0800

I'm a girl AND I was impressed (see first comment). I don't have the guitar wankery gene -- I really don't. Most guitar noodling and posturing bores me silly. But I've always loved the solo in this song because there's a fucking point to it. The original was dynamic, melodic and purposeful, and this one surpasses the original.

By: gfrobe

gfrobe — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 06:09:27 -0800

Was that guy in the audience really holding him while he played or did Prince just lean back too far and need help up again? Looked like a perfect Spinal Tap moment to me.

By: you just lost the game

you just lost the game — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 06:32:13 -0800

C'mon guys...it wasn't that good. I liked the American Bandstand clip much better. But props to the man for not getting fat, complacent and lousy.

By: dgaicun

dgaicun — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 06:42:16 -0800

Hey, what did Elvis ever do to you.

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 06:43:50 -0800

Meh, that's pretty lacklustre by Prince's standards - you want to see him about five minutes into a ten minute solo during Purple Rain at an aftershow party. What a HAM Precisely! The last time I saw him, halfway through a ridiculously fiddly solo he picked up a transparent walking stick and started picking out notes on a Mini Moog with it, continuing to play the solo on the fret of his guitar. Then, he looked up at the audience. And winked. Prince's greatness was in that wink, I think.

By: hazyjane

hazyjane — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 09:23:06 -0800

I liked this, and I think Prince is an excellent musician, but his best stuff is the raunchy funk stuff from the early 80s. Lady Cab Driver, Erotic City, Bambi, I Want to be your Lover, and of course Darlin' Nikki to name a few. I learned much more than I probably should have about sex from that music in my very early teens. But damn, I just couldn't help myself.

By: cairnish

cairnish — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 09:51:11 -0800

I'm impressed that he didn't knock his hat off. Being of a Certain Age, that clip pressed many nostalgic pleasure buttons, wankery or not.

By: timsteil

timsteil — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 09:59:26 -0800

I think my Telecaster just rolled over in the closet.

By: jimmy76

jimmy76 — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 11:17:59 -0800

timsteil - maybe pull your telecaster out of the closet and play it then...

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 14:26:05 -0800

Whoa. The American Bandstand vid is awesome. Was offered a recording deal when he was 15 and he rejected it 'cause they wouldn't let him produce it. Good choice, too.

By: Dunwitty

Dunwitty — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 01:52:15 -0800

Eh. And I'm a big fan of the wanked guitar. Originally, I thought the original poster was making the point "what a ham, making George's induction all about himself". Which is what I also thought Petty was thinking, judging byhis face.

By: Dunwitty

Dunwitty — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 01:53:57 -0800

Somebody link the SNL and American Bandstand clips? I'd like to see if I'm just sad about George.

By: Dunwitty

Dunwitty — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 01:55:39 -0800

Found the links, n'mind.

By: milquetoast

milquetoast — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 06:11:41 -0800

My favorite guitar wanker is and always will be Olga Toy Doll. [rm]

By: psmealey

psmealey — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 08:36:25 -0800

Wow. Prince is a fucking badass on guitar. I had no idea. I remembered the wankfest at the end of "Let's Go Crazy", but I never thought too much about it as it seemed pretty pointless to moving the song, and didn't demonstrate any more proficiency/taste than the average metal guy that hangs out at Manny's on 48th street and demos guitars all day long. I have heard, as we all have, the old "Prince is a musical genius" saw parroted for as long as I can remember, but it never meant much to me. I always associated him with lightweight, oversexed pop. Not my thing. What he's playing on this link (as well as the SNL link) is extremely tasty. I'd even be convinced to pick up an album of his if it contained more guitar oriented stuff. Can anyone make a recommendation?

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 10:07:32 -0800

Wikipedia has a good writeup on Prince.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 20:22:53 -0800

I'm afraid it's the Bandstand clip that cinches it for me. Age 19 and he's self-released a hit album? Played most of the instruments himself? Produced the thing himself? As a freakin' teenager? He's a weird little fucker, but he's a genius little fucker. It's challenging music and certainly not to everyone's taste, but there's no denying it is talented, composed, and tight music.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 20:27:14 -0800

Ah-ha. According to the Wikipedia, that AG interview was a little deceptive. Gonna have to watch it again, decide if it's Prince screwing with Dick.

By: mrbill

mrbill — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 00:37:53 -0800

maybe pull your telecaster out of the closet and play it then After watching this clip several times, I looked at the guitars in my closet (SRV Signature Strat, standard MexiStrat) and went out and BOUGHT a Telecaster. Need that twangy sound a Strat just can't quite duplicate.