"We Need 2 Come 2gether" - Supporting Other Bloggers

As a writer, I feel that I need all the support that I can get. Because I understand the stress that comes with the profession, I try to support other writers.

Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with K Nicola Dyes, who manages Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur  ?s: The Beautiful Nights Blog. She was really friendly and helpful!

Check out Dyes' blog when you get a chance! She has a lot of great interviews with people who worked with Prince, including Susannah Melvoin, Cat Glover and Jill Jones.

Last week, I mentioned that I had an upcoming interview. Well, the interview was with Craig Rice, who worked with Prince on the Purple Rain film and tour, and on the Graffiti Bridge film. I had a great time speaking with him. I will have more on that next week.

I'm also currently writing chapter seven, though it's been really hard to focus lately. I hope to have the chapter finished by the end of the month.


What is your favorite interview about Prince?

"I'll Take U 2 A Movie Show" - Current Research

Look what came in the mail today!

I have never seen Prince's Sign O' The Times concert film from 1987. I've heard great things, so I am extremely excited to watch it in the next couple weeks as I write chapter seven! I bought it on VHS because the DVD versions on Amazon.com looked unreliable. Luckily, I have a dual VCR and DVD player.

However, before I watch Sign O' The Times, I need to re-watch Under the Cherry Moon (1986).

I was supposed to watch it over a year ago, but I never did. It's not my favorite film; I prefer Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge. Maybe I will appreciate it more when I watch it this time around.

I also got a new copy of the soundtrack, Parade, in the mail on Monday. I love this album!

What did you think of the Sign O' The Times concert film?

"You're Writing a Bio About Me?" - Chapter Six is Finished!

These three months have flown by! The good news is that I have been busy writing and requesting interviews. Since my last blog post, I have finished chapter five and chapter six!

Here is a shot of my work area:

As you can see, I was studying the Around the World in a Day album. I will be writing about the Parade and Sign O' the Times eras for chapter seven.

I'm also excited to announce that I've lined up another interview! I will have a summary for you next month (if everything goes well, of course). My last interview was last fall, so I am ready!


What is your favorite track from Around the World in a Day?

"I Got Two Sides, and They're Both Friends" - Another "Master of the Sacred and Profane"

I am back from a long hiatus. I wrote, went to Cancún, Mexico, for vacation, and wrote some more. I really want to be able to blog consistently, but if I have to choose between blogging and actually writing the book, I will always go with the latter.

With that said, I finished the section on other popular artists' spiritual journeys. That was a tough section because I had to rewrite it after I submitted it to my professor (I got a little carried away with the length). I also had to modify the list of artists. After reading about Stevie Wonder, I determined that his spiritual journey is not really comparable to Prince's spiritual journey. However, I did discover some similarities between Prince and another artist--D'Angelo.

"In his life and in his music, he has always felt the tension between the sacred and the profane, the darkness and the light." -- GQ



I added D'Angelo to the list of other artists covered in the book. I enjoyed learning more about him, and I hope that he releases new music soon!

I am currently finishing chapter five, which covers the Purple Rain era!

What is your favorite D'Angelo song? 

"Take a Picture, Sweetie!" - Odds and Ends from the Past Week

Research schedule...

Fascinating bio...

Peek at the long-term calendar...

Peek at my professor's feedback on the first four chapters...

"I'll Tell Your Story" - Finally Finished Editing!

I finally finished editing the first four chapters of the book in the early hours of December 15. My professor is reviewing the manuscript now. Since then, I've been taking a break and focusing on my job. Next week, I will start working on the section about other artists' spiritual journeys.

Preface, Prologue and Chapters 1-4! (Taken on Instagram)

Happy Holidays!

"'Oh, My Favorite Song'" - Prince's First Five Albums

I'm still editing, so I thought I'd do a different type of post. I am finished writing about the 1999 era of Prince's life, so I'll share my favorite song from each album up to that point:

1. For You: "Soft and Wet." I hate to admit it, but I don't really listen to the other songs on Prince's first album.


2. Prince: I'll have to go with the hit single, "I Wanna Be Your Lover." It's a classic. I also enjoy "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad" and "I Feel For You."


3. Dirty Mind: "When You Were Mine." I especially like the live version on the One Nite Alone...Live! album. 


4. Controversy: It's a tie between the title track and "Annie Christian." I fell in love with "Annie Christian" when I heard it; it's so different and the guitar playing is awesome!


5. 1999: It's definitely "D.M.S.R." I dance every time I play that song. "Clap yo' hands on the four, now..."

What is your favorite song from each album?