Prince

The Man and His Music

Matt Thorne

• Publisher: Agate Bolden
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781572847729
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music Biographies

An astonishingly rich, almost encyclopedic biography of the American singer-songwriter, Prince Rogers Nelson. Famously reticent and perennially controversial, Prince was one of the few music superstars who remained, largely, an enigma—even up to his premature death on April 21, 2016. A fixture of the pop canon, Prince is widely held to be the greatest musician of his generation and will undoubtedly remain an inspiring and singular talent. This meticulously researched biography is the most comprehensive work on Prince yet published. Unlike other Prince books, this one eschews speculation into the artist's highly guarded private life and instead focuses deep and sustained attention exactly where it should be: on his work. Acclaimed British novelist and critic Matt Thorne draws on years of research and dozens of interviews with Prince's intimate associates (many of whom have never spoken on record before) to examine every phase of the musician's thirty-five-year career, including nearly every song, released and unreleased—that Prince has recorded. Originally released in the UK in 2012, this first U.S. publication of Prince includes updated content detailing the artist's two 2014 albums, tour, 2015 Tidal release, and other career events. Praise for Prince: The Man and His Music "Matt Thorne's Prince is the definitive work on the man; I am listening again to every piece of his music with renewed enthusiasm." —Alexis Taylor, Hot Chip "[Thorne] brings an enthusiasm, intelligence, and maverick spirit to the 562 pages covering the 35-year career of Prince Rogers Nelson... It's to Thorne's credit that through painstaking research and interviews he manages to paint a picture of what the man, rather than the myth, is actually like. A must for the legions of Prince fans out there." —Doug Johnstone, Big Issue (UK) "Thorne brings an exhaustive knowledge and attention to detail to the task... If you're as much of a fan as Thorne [is], you'll be in heaven." —Mick Brown, Daily Telegraph (UK) "The final word on the mad genius known as Prince Rogers Nelson. There is now quite literally nothing more to say about Prince or his music. It's all here—dance, sex, romance, and above all, the music. Downright orgasmic." — Current magazine

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Prologue: Come 2 My House (Part 1)
• 1. Justifications from a Mamma-Jamma
• 2. The Business of Music
• 3. Wouldn’t You Love to Love Me?
• 4. Still Waiting
• 5. Creating Uptown
• 6. Gigolos Get Lonely Too (Part 1)
• 7. Royal Jewels
• 8. Nikki’s Castle
• 9. There Aren’t Any Rules
• 10. New Position
• 11. Roadhouse Garden and Songs for Susannah
• 12. The Story of a Man I Am Not
• 13. Rebirth of the Flesh
• 14. Crystal Ball . . .
• 15. . . . Or Sign o’ the Times?
• 16. For Those of U on Valium . . .
• 17. Spooky and All That He Crawls for . . .
• 18. Cross the Line
• 19. Dance with the Devil
• 20. What’s Wrong with Graffiti Bridge?
• 21. Gigolos Get Lonely Too (Part 2)
• 22. Playing Strip Pool with Vanessa
• 23. The Chains of Turin
• 24. Part I: Introducing the Friction Years
• 25. Part 2: ‘It Was Just About Needing to Get It Done . . .’
• 26. Part 3: ‘All I Gotta Do Is Sell a Million and I Can Quit . . .’
• 27. Wasted Kisses . . .
• 28. . . . And Missed Opportunities
• 29. Join My Club
• 30. New Directions in Music
• 31. True Funk Soldier
• 32. Come 2 My House (Part 2)
• 33. 21 Nights in London: A Fan’s Notes
• 34. Gigolos Get Lonely Too (Part 3)
• 35. An Entirely New Galaxy Awaits . . .
• 36. Ending Endlessly
• Epilogue: Living Out Loud
• Afterword to the American Edition
• Acknowledgements
• Bibliography
• Notes
• Illustration Credits
• General Index
• Index of Works by Prince
• About the Author