The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2007 21 Love. Sex. Purple. Pur P There are few musicians I'd consider to be totally unique. - Prince is a dif- ferent category in and of him- self. Prince is a guitar god, a wildly talented I producer and a LLOYD H. heaving, pant- CARGO ing, steamy purple sex symbol. His appeal is absolutely undeniable. Hell, even I'd blow him. While Prince isn't as ubiquitous as he was in the '80s, it's worth exam- ining just how the diminutive funk- purveyor from Minnesota could craft such a heady reputation. (As a side note, the only reason you should sell a Prince CD is if you can't get it up anymore. In that scenario I could understand it might be emotionally difficult to keep around.) The most notorious culprit of Prince's risque menagerie is prob- ably Lovesexy (featuring Prince naked on a purple flower), although Dirty Mind (with him in the little black Speedo) is a close second. I firmly believe there's a spot reserved in everyone's hearts, minds and loins for Prince. You have to be pretty confident in your sexuality to hang the poster that came with the Purple Rain LP on your wall - a big step from hum- ming along to "1999." I do want to stress that Prince is an extremely gifted musician, worthy of praise not solely based on his sexual prowess. As he admitted to Dick Clark in an 1980 "American Bandstand" appearance, he plays "thousands" of instruments. He's consistently shown his musical integrity, beginning by refusing a record contract at age 15 because "they wouldn't let me produce myself." Later, he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in order to escape his "slavery" to his record label. Still, it's impossible to separate Prince's music and his sex appeal - they're so inescapably intertwined. If you still dont believe me, there's video evidence. Allow me to set the scene: You're watch- ing a James Brown concert in Los Angeles from 1983. The clip begins with Brown calling up Michael Jackson. MJ kills every- one by singing a verse and bust- ing out a few signature dance moves. As everyone is going wild, he's whispering something in JB's ear. JB walks up to micro- phone and, gesticulating wildly toward MJ, says, "and give him a big round of applause, because he insisted that I introduce Prince!" The Godfather proceeds to scan the audience until all of a sud- den Prince appears - riding on the shoulders of a giant, bearded man. He walks on stage, ambles past Brown and grabs the lead guitarist's axe. He brings the tempo down with some slashing funk rhythm, then proceeds to stop playing, and starts to fuck his guitar, with the occasional punctuating chord. After a little more guitar teasing, Prince shakes the strap off and ditches his shirt to wild applause. I get a little worked up just thinking about it. He hardly has to play or sing a note to own the stage, and don't forget the feat was infinitely more remarkable as he followed both The Godfa- ther of Funk and the King of Pop. I admonish you to buy a few Prince albums. Start with Purple Rain, and go from there, and you'll feel like a new man (or woman) in no time. While he's surely not poor, you owe it to the nman - you were probably con- ceived to his music. - Feb. 12, 2007 By MATT KIVEL The seats at Hill Auditorium "When I'm 64" in honor of his own Daily Music Editor were filled near to capacity with 64th year and stumbled gleefully a crowd dominated by long-time through McCartney's quintessen- Mar. 19, 2007 -A year after Soul Ann Arbor residents and older fans. tially British lyrical take on grow- Jazz released the brilliant 2006 With the lights dimmed, Gil strolled ing old. compilation Tropicalia: A Brazil- on stage with his arms raised above A segment of the performance ian Revolution in Sound, Ann Arbor his head, smiling at the adoring was devoted to a bilingual rendi- finally got its taste of the legendary crowd. His warmth and passion for tion of "Nightingale" from his 1979 movement in Gilberto Gil's captivat- musical expression were a welcome crossover album of the same title. ing performance on Friday night. change from the often cold and pre- He often spoke fondly of his fellow As one of Tropicalia's founding tentious performers who come to Tropicalistas, Caetano Veloso and fathers, Gil has enjoyed an innova- Hill's spacious front room. Jorge Ben. An inspired rendition tive career spanning nearly 6 dec- Gil calmly strummed through of Bob Marley's "No Woman No ades. His persistent involvement songs from all periods of his career, Cry" worked the crowd into a fren- in both social and political causes allowing his versatile singing voice zy at the close of his main set, and lead to his 2003 appointment as to dominate the cavernous concert a rapturous ovation ushered him the Brazilian Minister of Culture, hall. Wry commentary often fol- back onto the stage for an inspired and Gil's music has always reflect- lowed the music and his charm was encore ofclassicGil compositions. It ed his deeply personal ideals and immediately endearing. He played a was a night to bask in Gil's genuine opinions. bossa nova rendition of the Beatles' warmth and exquisite songwriting. TI)C EW LINME C "eseh CUtSIMc- spcctaLtzimc ts Au-txc-rttc cO-iese cutst'C fruit, to-fu and vegetarian dishes + strawberry with beef " papaya with prawns All dishes cooked in vegetable oil " Now serving assorted beer, wine, liquor & cocktails Scored 9 out of 10 for food- Ann Arbor News Restaurant Review Menyediakan makanan Cina yang terbaik di seluruh Michigan Mon-Tes : 11am - 10pm Fri-Sat : 11am - 11pm Sun : 12 noon - 10pm WEST HURON 116 S. Main5 WAsmNGTON 116 S. 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