Pdge 8- The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 31, 1988 Growi BY BRIAN BERGER The first record I ever bought was Purple Rain. I guess that was in the early fall of 1984. For whatever rea- son, I had never felt the need to buy music before. I was content to listen to the radio or to whatever someone else was playing. But that was before I saw Purple Rain. fIn the late spring of 1984, I re- member hearing "When Doves Cry" for the first time. I was a freshman at Morris Hills in Rockaway, New Jer- STATE OF THE sey, running track, studying, screw- ing around with my friends a lot, and looking for girls. Anyway, for some reason, mostly I guess because it's such an incredible record, "When Doves Cry" hit me like no other song ever had. The only thing that even came close was Run DMC's "Sucker MC's." In the summer of 1984, when school was out, it was time for me to go to Fairview Lake YMCA camp in Stillwater, New Jersey. I'd been going there since 1979 and looked forward to camp because I dug the freedoms I had there that I didn't have at home. Windsurfing, sailing, hik- ing, canoeing, evening activity, scamming at "socials," and sneaking up into the girls' unit at night, it was great, and I did it all. One of my best friends was Hakim Aubrey Green, from East Or- 0 ng up, Prince-style ange, N.J. I'd known him since '80 Pretty soon after this, school Conrad, Hunter S. Thompson, an and he was always down with the started. I was kicking ass in cross the Georgetown Hoyas basketba newest and freshest fashions, be they country as one of the best fifth man's team, and fell in love again. And w clothes, music, or pick-up lines. in the state, fooling around with the rejected again. And fell in lov Anyway, 1984 was the Summer of fellas, all that stuff. Oh yeah, I also again... Prince for Hakim. The boy was sim- fell deeply in love/ infatuation with a Throughout all of these changt ply obsessed, swinging back and girl named Martha. We were on the though, I never left or forgot aboi forth between his writhing and same bus route and when I got Prince. I went through tli screaming rendition of "The Beautiful friendly with her and found out that psychedelic proselytizing of Arouri Ones" and working on his Morris she dug Prince too, well, I pretty The World In A Day, the half grea Day imitation. He said he'd seen much flipped. I thought that Martha half shit Parade, and the epochal ar Purple Rain something like 15 was too hot for words, and certainly godlike Sign '0 The Times. Aga; times. too hot for a lean, blond, harrier type and again, Prince amazed and inspire When camp ended, it was time to guy like myself. No, she was defi- me with his creativity, virtuosit: get ready for my sophomore year of nitely the cheerleader- who-goes-out- spirituality, and sexuality ... high school, i.e., new classes, cross with-a-football-stud-who-is-a-junior- country and freshman girls. I was in /senior-while-she's-still-a-sophomore STOP! I did all of reminiscin awesome shape and pretty pumped person. But good cross country last Sunday, October 23. I was wri for a good school year. Just before runners are nothing if not flexible, ing my Prince preview while alte school started, however, I went to see tenacious, never say die bastards, so I nately blasting the Black Album ar Purple Rain with my friend Rob. I went for it. Lovesexy and thinking about ho was already familiar with a lot of the So, I layed the groundwork for the many people's lives were changed 1 Prince and Time songs thanks to Martha deal, kept working out, and their exposure to Prince. Hakim, but still, I was blown away. got deeper and deeper into Prince. I Unfortunately, bad news came I Prince's music, his personality, his went backwards, going through me on Monday afternoon. You cE passion, his whole friggin' attitude 1999, Controversy, Dirty Mind, imagine how thrilled I was when just kicked my mind and ass into a Prince, and For You. Then I got b- got a call on my machine saying th whole new level of awareness. Right sides, Time, Sheila E., Vanity 6, the Prince show was cancelled. 1N after the film, I decided that I wanted books, and magazines. Basically, I response was typically calm and rep to be suave, sexy, hip, and cool, just immersed myself into the whole soned: like the characters in Purple Rain. Prince empire. So, as the weeks "What?! That goddamne The next day I bought the album passed, the undefeated cross country androgynous sex fiend cancelled tl Purple Rain. It was great. I freaked in team won the Conference, County, show! O man, I'll kick his skinr air guitar spasms to "Let's Go and Sectional meets (we choked in little ass if I catch him!" Crazy," imitated Hakim imitating the Groups...), school went on, and I So, yeah, I was pretty pissed off Prince to "The Beautiful Ones", did waited impatiently for Martha to know a lot of you are bummed als low down dirty grind to "Darling break up with her successive "pretty For me, it was Ann Arbor or not' Nikki," and then caught my breath boy" boyfriends. ing; for others, Ann Arbor was and flipped the disc to side two. With Yeah, so life goes on. I eventually convenient alternative to trucking o the incredible release of "When sent roses and candy to Martha but to to Detroit. I know people who so Doves Cry," followed by the goofy no avail, "We're just friends..." I their tickets to the Detroit show b and funky "I Would Die 4 U," fol- evolved from a runner to a triathlete, cause they had better seats for t lowed by the celebratory "Baby I'm found new heroes in the likes of Ann Arbor show. Now they ham A Star," followed by the grand and Howard Stern, the Velvet Under- nothing, except a few more dolla elegiac "Purple Rain," this side is ground, The Replacements, Woody and the memory of how psyched the among the finest in rock 'n' roll his- Allen, Alfred Hitchcock, Joseph See Prince, Page U tory. 0 4 CORNER OF STATE AND HILL 994-4040 11 4 k A= k A. ALL YOU CAN EAT PIZZA Every TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY $375 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ,; H: *; ,. r ., . THREE OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN BUSINESS ARE COMING 10 SEE YO Prince shows (clockwise from top left) his many faces with _ his Parade pout, Sign '0 The Times smirk , and Purple Rain perusal. 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