Sunday, April 24, 2016

Prince: Oh, were you two close?

Okay, I get it. Prince was a glittering star in the musical firmament, prodigiously talented and his music was integral to the soundtrack of an entire generation. My own, in fact. I'm a huge fan but I'm just that, a fan; neither kin, friend nor acquaintance.

Prince's passing was sudden, untimely and absolutely without question newsworthy. A musical polymath and consummate showman, his impact on the industry will deservedly be felt for years to come.  

But c'mon...enough already with the self-indulgent cyber-wailing over how his passing has wounded your soul, shattered your psyche and how your life will never ever be the same. Spend 10 minutes on Facebook right now and you'd think that we'd lost a President, the Pope or - God forbid! - Oprah.

Let's get real here: Prince was a musician and a pop-culture icon, not a cherished, life-long friend, not a beloved member of the family, not even an adored family pet. Nor did Prince Rogers Nelson cure cancer, bring peace to the world, feed the starving masses or land an airliner full of passengers on the Hudson.  

If you're reading this lame-ass blog of mine then it's probably a safe bet that Prince wasn't in the waiting room smoking purple cigars when you were born. He didn't grow up with you, help you cram for finals, teach you how to shoot hoops or apply makeup, give you away at your wedding or take you out for shots the night your ex dumped you. 

Try as I might, I have a hard time believing that The Artist Formerly and Presently Known as Prince was as personally influential to your life as the vast outpouring of self-indulgent, melodramatic, teary-eyed social media posts otherwise indicate. Was The Purple One truly that integral to your development, happiness and overall sense of well-being?

Dearly beloved, let us bow our heads, remember his music with renewed appreciation and maybe even indulge in a replaying of his albums or a re-watch of Purple Rain (or better still Dave Chappelle's classic Prince sketch) and get on with it without elevating Prince to a level of personal reverence best reserved for the people who really did make a difference in our lives.

Thursday it was news; today it's just...not. Unless I'm mistaken he only died once, right?  


Were we close? Umm...you could say that.