"Hello, how are you?I'm fine 'cause I know that the Lord is coming soonComing, coming soon."(vocals at the end of ‘Darling Nikki’ during the sound of rain storm are an extra verse played backwards ("back masked") through a vinyl player)
"Prince" - Prince Rogers Nelson, born June 7, 1958 was a US (Minneapolis- Minnesota) singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide.
Prince died on April 21 at age 57 at his Paisley Park home and studio in Minneapolis.
Prince grew up in a musical family - his father was a pianist and his mother a jazz singer - and he quickly developed an interest in becoming a musician himself: he wrote his first song, 'Funk Machine', when he was only seven-years-old.
"Purple Rain" released in 1984, is still considered one of the greatest albums of all time and has sold over 20 million copies. The album, which featured the singles 'When Doves Cry' and 'Let's Go Crazy', also served as the soundtrack to the film 'Purple Rain', in which Prince played the main role.
Interviewing Prince was rare, but in 1996, he invited several publications, including NME, to his home in Minnesota as he geared up to release his monstrous triple album 'Emancipation'.
The result was a revealing, funny and frankly bizarre interview with journalist Sylvia Patterson.
Here are some of the best and wisest quotes from Prince's fourth and final NME cover feature.
On his youthful ego
“I had a massive ego. Massive. But that’s not such a bad thing. Because at least you’re aspiring to be something, you consider yourself great because you want to be great.”
On religion
“I do feel like a punk, because no-one believes in God anymore”
On nature
“If you put a loaf of bread on the table, it turns into medicine and to me that is incredible. The bread will eventually take care of itself. That’s nature, that’s the Truth.”
On the rock and roll lifestyle
“I know those paths of excess, drugs, sex and alcohol - all those experiences can be funky, they can be very funky, but they’re just paths, a diversion, not the answer…”
On freedom
“I find freedom sexy. I find freedom so sexy I can’t even explain it to you. You wake up every day and feel like you can do anything.”
On life
“Everyone has their own experience. That’s why we are here, to go through our experience, to learn, to go down those paths and eventually you may have gone down so many paths and learned so much that you don’t have to come back again.”
On his talent
“I’m no different to anyone. Yes, I have fame and wealth and talent, but I certainly don’t consider myself any better than anyone who has no fame, wealth or talent. People fascinate me. They’re amazing! Life fascinates me! And I’m no more fascinated by my own life than by anyone else’s.
On his youthful ego
“I had a massive ego. Massive. But that’s not such a bad thing. Because at least you’re aspiring to be something, you consider yourself great because you want to be great.”
On religion
“I do feel like a punk, because no-one believes in God anymore”
On nature
“If you put a loaf of bread on the table, it turns into medicine and to me that is incredible. The bread will eventually take care of itself. That’s nature, that’s the Truth.”
On the rock and roll lifestyle
“I know those paths of excess, drugs, sex and alcohol - all those experiences can be funky, they can be very funky, but they’re just paths, a diversion, not the answer…”
On freedom
“I find freedom sexy. I find freedom so sexy I can’t even explain it to you. You wake up every day and feel like you can do anything.”
On life
“Everyone has their own experience. That’s why we are here, to go through our experience, to learn, to go down those paths and eventually you may have gone down so many paths and learned so much that you don’t have to come back again.”
On his talent
“I’m no different to anyone. Yes, I have fame and wealth and talent, but I certainly don’t consider myself any better than anyone who has no fame, wealth or talent. People fascinate me. They’re amazing! Life fascinates me! And I’m no more fascinated by my own life than by anyone else’s.
His Purple Reign Will Endure Forever : Prince as Fashion Icon.
Find here Prince best look and his fantastical and gender-bending onstage costumes, all selected by Vogue.
R.I.P Prince.
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