Reflection: A Princely Act

Story and photomontage by Susan Schaefer

Minneapolis, MN, April 22, 2016 – To create something entirely new, never seen, touched or heard before – something that resonates deeply with the beholder – is a hallmark of genius. The creator often treads precarious ground – misunderstood or unrecognized in his or her own time or homeland.

Prince Rogers Nelson (6/7/58 – 4/21/16), known inimitably as Prince, one-word name recognition rarely achieved by any creator, transcended such pitfalls.

Prince attained unprecedented adoration and reputation during an all too brief lifetime that ended suddenly and shockingly this past Thursday in his beloved, native Minneapolis. He lived and died wildly understood, highly recognized and greatly prized.

Creative genius has been scientifically linked to certain mental disorders that plague yet inspire the creator. The history of innovation is littered with the untimely demise of such great ones whose vast psychic capacities also incapacitate. Many, like Robin Williams, have taken their own lives. Though we do not yet know the cause of Prince’s untimely death, his life depicts an innovator filled with hope and promise.

His recent Twin Cities’ forays to enjoy an evening of music out at one of his favorite local nightclubs, The Dakota, or his music-shopping trip just last week to the famed record store, the Electric Fetus, belie any indication that Prince harbored depression or suicidal thoughts. Close confidants indicate quite the opposite – they speak of his newly ignited solo tour, his renewed energy, and outlook. What is known is that the pain from his hip replacement and ankle trouble hounded his characteristic physical style over the past few years.

Eccentricity and abundance, not depression or depravity, defined Prince’s life and work. Though he certainly endured his share of hardships, rejoicing emerges as the main underpinning of his creative, compositional and performance platform. Unquestionably he sparked controversy with his blended and blatant sexuality, yet his sheer originality branded him.

Outpourings from global luminaries sing his praises from Mick Jagger, “His talent was limitless,” to Oprah Winfrey, “The doves are really crying now,” to President Barack Obama, “[Prince was] one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time, … a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer…Today the world lost a creative icon.”

Prince rewrote life’s rules rather than be constrained by them. He broke free of the bonds of socio-economics, race and gender, as well as those of the tightly controlled entertainment world. His lyrics, compositions, and instrumentality defied genre; his groundbreaking, risk-taking break with the recording industry’s star making prison unshackled him to not only explore new musical worlds but to plant his gender-blended glyph in the stratosphere.

I had no idea of Prince’s global recognition until 1994, when on a solo trip to Hungary, I ventured out late one night in gloomy, rainy Budapest to one of their famed underground all-night clubs to hear Ando Drum, a Gypsy Hungarian band perform a double bill with Anita Livs, a Sámi folk music band from Sweden.

There, wildly dancing with enthusiastic international strangers Prince-style into the wee hours, I met a tall, lanky Dutchman who essentially freaked out when he discovered I was from “Princeville,” meaning Minneapolis. My ‘fame’ quickly spread throughout the club; by sheer virtue of being from Prince’s hometown, I had won celebrity status.

It wasn’t long thereafter, unbidden, the Dutchman paid a surprise transcontinental call to my then-Lake Minnetonka home on a pilgrimage to Paisley Park, where he was welcomed, toured the compound, and returned the Netherlands a changed man. Such was the power of the Purple Reign.

Literary genius, author Virginia Woolf, wrote, “The beauty of the world …has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder.” Prince provided the joy; his death the anguish. Alongside Prince-proud Minnesotans, fans worldwide now share a heart torn asunder.

Susan Schaefer can be reached at susan@millcitymedia.org.