The Prince We Never Knew

September 8, 2024 11:32 AM

Ezra Edelman has made a nine-hour documentary about the complicated life and passing of the musician Prince, but disputes with the late artist's estate over his portrayal may mean it might never be seen.
posted by They sucked his brains out! (10 comments total)

this is a great article. The quotes from Questlove almost brought me to tears. The OJ Simpson doc was amazing, if you haven't seen it, and Edelman was the director. It's a shame this work may never see the light of day.
posted by bluesky43 at 11:39 AM on September 8 [2 favorites]

Would be a shame if it was leaked onto a torrent site. Just sayin.
posted by conifer at 1:25 PM on September 8 [1 favorite]

Thanks for posting. I read this earlier today and since then have been listening to Purple Rain all day.
posted by hilaryjade at 1:26 PM on September 8

Damn.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 1:58 PM on September 8

"Never meet your heroes, they'll surely disappoint".
posted by Czjewel at 4:10 PM on September 8 [4 favorites]

RTFA and, yeah, example#547,987 of why we can't have Nice Things....
posted by gtrwolf at 5:41 PM on September 8

Yeah, fantastic article.
posted by latkes at 10:13 PM on September 8

"Never meet your heroes, they'll surely disappoint".

Strangely, I left the article feeling a greater sense of compassion and a sense of dignity for Prince. I don't think anyone successfully leaves a childhood with that much abuse without constructing a series of adaptive strategies for navigating society; and most 'adaptive strategies' fail around the edges; they are not flexible enough to adjust to true vulnerability and intimacy. At least, that's what I've seen.

Questlove is right in saying these stories of black men do not get told here. And they should, yes. I hope this article is also a case of sending up a balloon to gauge interest in the 9-hour documentary. Because I sure as hell would prefer that to some cheesy biopic down the road.
posted by Silvery Fish at 4:33 AM on September 9 [11 favorites]

Over time, Edelman and his team interviewed many of Prince’s protégées from the 1980s and ’90s: Jill Jones, Carmen Electra, Robin Power, Anna Fantastic, Sheila E. and others. They were muses, girlfriends, baby dolls, many of them getting involved with him as teenagers (though he was careful not to sleep with them until they turned 18)

*sad laugh*
posted by egypturnash at 9:25 AM on September 9 [4 favorites]

What a read. Thank you, They sucked his brains out!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 12:30 PM on September 9