13 Things I learned from Prince about masculinity.
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Last week, Prince died. While the details of his death are still to be determined, all that I see around me are articles about his life. I will say it once and clearly, I didn’t like his music. I’m not a hater, I just prefer Alternative Rock. I like the Police, not Prince. I appreciate his talent, and I agree that he was a genius.
His death is important, because everyone who lives is important. I wanted to honor him and do my own reflection. You may like this, or you may hate it. I don’t care, I’m just in the mood to honor the life that he lived.
- He died last week, and most people have moved on. That happens with famous people. Everyone rushes in and then forgets the next week. If you haven’t, don’t worry about it. Prince would tell you to just go with it.
- He lived life on his own terms and defined success for himself.
- He sang about God and then he sang about masturbation. He just did. It’s not a sin, I checked.
- Other people die and that can have an effect on you, even if you did not know them. If you feel sad, just be sad.
- Be yourself, wear purple and change your name. Life is too damned short.
- He was weird and proud of it. He gathered people around him who felt weird and made a community for them. That is cool.
- He named himself an unpronounceable symbol. I probably have made fun of that, but it’s pretty ingenious.
- And then he changed his name back. It happens. No harm done.
- He made it okay to cross gender lines. I’m straight and I look like a straight white guy. He was different, and that’s okay.
- He was a man but not have to prove it by flashing his muscles or his sexy women.
- He used drugs. But that does not discount his creativity, his impact or his value. Money, fame and stuff doesn’t take the humanity away. People struggle even when they have a lot of cash. Money causes more problems than it solves.
- He sang music that you either liked, or didn’t like. I really want to like his music, I just don’t. But I don’t hate him.
- He made a song about doves crying and I actually like that song. I probably won’t download it, but kinda like it. You have to be a genius to sing about a dove crying and make it work. If I wrote about doves crying, you would probably not read my stuff. He was a genius.
Maybe you liked Prince, maybe not. One thing we can all agree on is that he lived life on his own terms. And that is a good thing.
Keep it Real
Photo by thierry ehrmann