(Written for PRINCE/365 A CELEBRATION)
“...now I got an army and we're 3 million strong...”[1]
Purple Army Defined
Purple - The color has been known the represent royalty/nobility from the very beginning, particularly in terms of clothing, due to its at one time being a rare find.[2] Kings and queens throughout history forbade anyone but royals to wear the color. Purple also represents power/ ambition, luxury/decadence, wisdom/ideas, mystery/magic...and creatives/eccentrics. Sounds about right, yes?
Army - A great multitude; A body of persons organized to advance a cause.[3]
So that would seem to make us a powerful, luxurious, great multitude of wise, creative, eccentrics organized to advance the cause of Prince Rogers Nelson, yes? Dig it. The true importance and direction of the cause should be obvious, but as always where humans are involved, nothing is ever straightforward or simple.
Nearly 3.5 years later the loss is ever painful, the void continues to grow, and no one can or will successfully argue against the fact that Prince's transition to the next plane of existence, just like his time here, changed the world forever, in a way only he could do. Because, well, you know... Anywho, in truth, he's an Extraordinary Existence. Even in his absence from this world, his mark upon it remains. His army continues to grow. His music abides, in released and unreleased, live and studio formats. His museum houses many of his achievements and artifacts. Exhibitions of these things travel the world. Purple Fam discuss him and listen to him daily, still.
Then there are the lawsuits, the backstabbing, the loot-grabbing, attention-seeking, know-it- all-ism, bandwagon-bullying, casual racism, sexism, etc. Yes, those things exist in the Purple World. No, I do not believe sweeping those issues under the rug will work. Can't address it all here, but if you hit me up... lol. If you have any familiarity with me at all, you are aware of my usual caveats and they apply here just as they would in any of my pieces. :)
Much like The One who brought us together, Prince Fam are Extraordinary. He has inspired so many to be amazing and to do amazing things. We create art, music, bring beauty to the world, and try to make a difference in the lives of others through charitable works. I still think of the Purple Army in ranks, because we are such a peculiar type of "fan." I've spent some time with Bowie fans, and it's just different, lol. Back to the point, in an earlier writing, I proposed 3 Categories and 7 Ranks, Periwinkle/First Class(4/21-ers) through The Deep Purple Concord Grape of the Purple Army a/k/a THE Concord.[ 4]
If you have been around for more than five minutes you know what a 4/21-er is, if you don't, let me help you. These are the newbies, the fans born on that terrible day in April 2016. Periwinkles are those who joined the Purple Army mid to late 2016, who never saw Prince at a live show, and never purchased any of his albums, prior to his transitioning, but have awakened to the fact that he was, is, and ever shall be the most amazing, period.[5] On the other end are the Concord Premiers - those who who had direct relationships to the Purple One. These people are the special individuals whom he depended on for much of what helped him to be who he was on the world stage. They are fellow musicians, photographers, engineers, managers, and the like.[6]
As with any group, there are "good" and "bad" elements. There are some devourers in that first category, the ones who Want it All (did i mention I'm a huge fan of Queen too?) and they want it now. They will step on anyone in their way to be down. They show up at events and take and post pics with people using the wrong names because they don't actually know the band members, designers, photogs, etc., they just want to appear to. They don't own anything in existence prior to 2016 and all that they have was given to them, so no money was actually ever given by them to him or his estate, but they will cry (and i mean literally cry) about every move made by the estate because they care so deeply. {{sarcasm}}
Another extreme is the group who were directly connected to Prince in some way who will straight up ignore, disrespect and/or discount those they deem to be "nobodies" because unless you are them, you are apparently nobody. I always find this type especially interesting as I sit and listen to others who knew him say how the man himself noticed those some might consider nobodies and often gave them opportunities. Go figure.
Why does any of that matter? The source of information obtained affects the credibility and depth of information, which is vitally important to legacy. At present, there are amateur-experts (the "look at me" vs "look at him" - him, as in Prince) folks out there spreading misinformation with impunity, while other people with legit gems can't share. Some people want to do the "right" thing, but are confused about where to place their support. We need to do something.
InterACTive
It goes without saying, but I'ma say it anyways :) - it just makes sense that an Extraordinary Existence would have an Extraordinary Estate. Generally speaking, protecting the reputation of an artist, stopping improper use of an artist's image, maintaining positive cashflow, etc., are are things an estate handles. I propose that an Extraordinary Estate does these things and more, and, like Prince, does them differently.
"There are people who are unhappy with everything." - Prince.
No doubt, Prince changed the world of music in various ways. I posit that trend will continue. The Estate is now charged with getting his music to his people and the releases to date have been...interesting. :) I am not one to just complain. I'll tell you what I think, and then try to help make things better if necessary, where I can. I can imagine many are stuck on the idea that Prince is an 80s icon, no more, no less, thus releases at present tend to focus more on that time than some of us would like. The idea may be to grab a new demographic. While it is important to build a new fanbase in order to go into the future, a strong foundation is key to structural integrity. Guess who the foundation is? It's those Extraordinary Fam, the Amethysts & Core Concords, the Distinguished Concords & Concord Premiers of the Purple Army. The museum needs visitors to stay open. New visitors would be a welcome addition to the core group who visit regularly, attend Celebrations, etc. Collaboration between the Estate and that foundational element is the surest way to perpetual growth. Who can convert better than the converted?
What does that collaboration look like? Well, it's really all about communication. Since people with real knowledge still exist here on Earth talk to them. I don't mean indiscriminately cease & desist letter folks, but actually have reps talk to a wide array of people directly. Some are afraid of letters from lawyers and true gems may be lost forever out of fear/misunderstanding. I also don't mean limiting the sharers of info to those connected with 1980s rock-style P - not that there's anything wrong with that, love it, just want to see real inclusion. I still propose the idea of "Official Bootlegs" via folks proven to have helped him create live-performance projects for that market.
Be aware that "serious fans" already have much of the material in whatever format, communicate with them regarding the mythical, the legendary, the true rare finds and release that material. Also, please release rare items that happened after 1984 (had to get my personal plea in there, I love it all but hate the idea that future generations are missing live, pro-shot, officially-released Musicology or Piano & A Mic Shows).
Social media posts are cool. They're a great start. Follow-up ACTion is necessary. Many of the folks who have always and will continue to purchase items and give legit financial support existed in a pre-social media, and in some cases, pre-Internet world, purchasing items out of the back pages of magazines like Shockadelica, and Controversy way back, remember those? The folks who travelled continent-to-continent with his tours, many of them are still here, and can make a huge difference in terms of legacy. If the forthcoming official releases capture that foundation, the foundation will support the longterm structure.
What else can we do? Well, on this Love4OneAnother ... Don't just sing the lyrics. Live them out. If you knew him and have something valuable to share, don't hit folks up with a Judas Smile[7]Be sincere. Your experiences are what they are, they are real and they are yours. Be honest, and do so tastefully. Everyone has their own experience, is entitled to their opinion, their feelings. Written history for educational purposes should be fact-based. And on that note, Amateur-Experts, if you don't know, don't be the first to speak and spread misinformation, or encourage Chaos and Disorder, because while the album is great, that state of being, no so much. If you are a gossip forum, so be it, but be that in a real way. Let the experts share expertise.
Don't hate on folks doing real work and put them in the same category as users. Selling gossip is not creating art or preserving history. Support Real Music by Real Musicians, and artists, photographers, authors. Let the world know we care and will support. Show them that we know garbage from Gold.
Let me tell you 'bout me, I'm happiest...[8]
...when I'm helping others. :) This writing isn't to condemn, but to shed light, get some ideas out there. I personally volunteer for the task force necessary to get out there and be InterACTive with Fam ...aaaand help scan footage of his live performances. :)
Hopefully we are all listening to each other and getting better daily at whatever we do and how we deal with other humans. I have seen the museum at Paisley change with my own eyes from 2016 to 2019. In 2016, my tour guide was a very, very sweet person, to whom I causally mentioned Willing & Able is one of my top favorite songs, as we walked through the Diamonds & Pearls room. She responded by smiling sweetly and asking me which album that was from. In true overzealous Fam fashion, my head whipped around, my eyes bugged, and it was all I could do not to go off, but I did not. I wrote. That's what I do. And I've gone back to visit, again, and again. I've seen the level of knowledge and expertise with guides at Paisley improve greatly. There's some legit folks there who truly make the experience better every time. The exhibits are getting better and better. Work is being done. I hope to see more and that we can all make it happen 2gether.
There are also some folks, outside Paisley, out there doing real work, behind the scenes, making the world more beautiful, more musical, giving love, "Carrying Out a Legendary Purpose."[9] Forever grateful for them.
Much Love 2 u,
Violet
@violetesq www.VioletBInterACTive.com
PRINCE/365 A CELEBRATION
[1] Prince. Letitgo, Come. Warner Bros., 1994. [2] (Sea snails used to create purple dye prior to the advent of synthetic dye) Why is Purple Considered the Color of Royalty? The
History Channel, Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/why-is-purple-considered-the-color-of-royalty [3] “Army.” Definitions, Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/army [4] Brown, V., VioletViewpoint: The Purple Army - What's Your Rank?, (November 20, 2018) via www.VioletBInterActive.com. [5}See VioletViewpiont. [6]See Id.
[7] Prince, Judas Smile, The Chocolate Invasion, NPG Records 2004 (Sam Jennings - Album Cover Artwork)Judas was chosen as a disciple by Jesus and walked directly beside him for three (3) years. He was there for some pretty momentous events, like the Sermon on the Mount. He heard His teachings, witnessed His miracles, and even participated in healing others and still, when the time came, he fulfilled his purpose. Someone had to do it, in order for the prophesy to be fulfilled. Coincidence or Fate? Y’all know I don’t believe in coincidences." Brown, V., Judas Smile, Jubilant Judas Fakes Tears..., (March, 20, 2019) via www.VioletBInterActive.com.
[8] Lyrics, Prince. Way Back Home, Art Official Age. NPG Records, 2014.
[9] PRN Alumni Foundation (former employees of Prince & Paisley Parking working together to continue his generosity) http:// prnalumni.org/
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