Like millions of people all over the world, I was stunned to hear about the death of Prince last week. My initial reaction was similar to my response to the deaths of legends Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, David Bowie, Maurice White, Natalie Cole, Gil Scott-Heron and Glenn Frey. Another larger-than-life figure taken away from us far too soon!
To paraphrase a line from one of Prince’s more popular songs — the doves were indeed crying.
Prince was an artist who personified the word genius. In fact, in a Rolling Stone interview in 1993, that is the term that guitar legend and songwriter Eric Clapton ascribed to Prince, who was admired by many people from varied walks of life.
Prince, at one point The Artist formerly known as Prince before reclaiming his name in 1998, was a complex human being on many levels. Like his fellow baby boomer superstar counterpart Michael Jackson (I will admit that I was more of a Michael Jackson fan yet really enjoyed Prince), Prince was an enigma of sorts. Both men were demonstrably talented human beings who at times seemed to be very lonely, socially awkward and somewhat insecure about the world around them.
Prince was just one of a number of performers both male and female of his era who, like Boy George of Culture Club, Annie Lennox of the Eurythmics, Grace Jones, etc., had no apprehension in championing intersectionality. For Prince and a number of his contemporaries, androgyny was something to embrace, not shun. Prince’s altruistic attitude was evident in the compassion and generosity he demonstrated toward fellow artists. Indeed, last week, more than a few journalists, artists, record executives and others mentioned the fact that Prince embodied a Santa Claus persona of sorts, in that he bestowed acts of kindness on many people beyond fellow musicians, including strangers, while preferring to remain under the cloak of anonymity.
Today, a growing number of men, especially millennials, have no trouble embracing gender-bending behavior. Young men such as Jaden Smith, son of actor Will Smith, Odell Beckham, Cam Newton, Russell Westbrook and others have no problem in defying or, in some cases, outright dismissing what has largely been considered “appropriate” male behavior and social norms or sentiments that were often seen as retrograde.
