Episode #59 | 6.9.20
Prince: Control, Ecstasy, Dark Funk, and Fentanyl
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In this episode
Few pop artists achieved the dizzying creative and career highs that Prince did. An artist who famously stayed away from drugs and most anything that would cause him to lose control, Prince was aided in his legendary musical output by a small army of creative alter egos, who helped him maintain control and helped him reign supreme as one of the greatest pop musicians of all time, until of course, all control was lost.
Sources
Dig If You Will the Picture: Funk, Sex, God & Genius in the Music of Prince by Ben Greenman
I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon, by Touré
Drugs, Disses, and Cindy Crawford: The Crazy Story Behind Prince’s The Black Album (Genius)
Fans Crown Prince King of OB Rock (Miami Herald)
That Time Prince Got Booed Off The Rolling Stones’ Stage (Ultimate Classic Rock)
24 Outrageous Prince Stories (Vulture)
Prince.org Online Fan Community
Twin Cities musicians: ‘He was a world icon’ (StarTribune)
Prince’s Closest Friends Share Their Best Prince Stories (GQ)
The Fascinating Origion Story of Prince’s Iconic Symbol (Wired)
Prince: The Philanthropist (MPR News)
12 Wildest Prince Moments (Rolling Stone)
I Was on That Fateful Flight With Prince: A Protege Tells Her Story (NY Times)
Prince’s Addiction and an Intervention Too Late (NY Times)
Tom Petty and Others Tell the Story Behind Prince’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” Solo (Guitar Player)
Investigation Says Prince Was Isolated, Addicted, and in Pain (AP News)
Prince’s Death: His laptop, diet, weight loss and distress highlight intriguing police docs (USA Today)
The Day Prince’s Guitar Wept the Loudest (NY Times)
Disgraceland is a podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. It melds music history, true crime and transgressive fiction. Disgraceland is not journalism. Disgraceland is entertainment. Entertainment inspired by true events. However, certain scenes, characters and names are sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes.
Music
Score by Jake Brennan.
Mixed and Engineered by Sean Cahalin.
Disgraceland theme song, "Crenshaw Space Boogie" written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor.
*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak