Entertainment Icon Prince has passed away at the age of 57. Now, I'm sure you have already read a handful of articles on Prince and his music, but I wanted this article to focus more on some of his lesser-known attributes. "Prince" Rogers Nelson was not just an eccentric performer, he was also a brilliant song writer and virtuoso on the guitar. Below, I will highlight these and other facts about His Royal Badness that you may not have known.
5. Prince could play any instrument.
On his album "For You," Prince showed his expertise by recording the entire album on his own, with no band. That album has a total of 27 different instruments. I can't even name 10 instruments, and this guy was playing each one at the level of a veteran. Did I mention that he was self-taught for the most part? No? Well, he was. The man taught himself how to play most of the instruments he'd go on to master. While he was most famous for his guitar solos, he would occasionally sit down on the drums (as seen above) during live shows.
4. Prince was a filmmaker.
"Purple Rain" (1984), "Under The Cherry Moon" (1986) and "Graffiti Bridge" (1990) are just a few examples of films crafted by Prince. Purple Rain is arguably his most famous picture, but Prince actually wrote and directed the latter two films. Though he did not direct Purple Rain, he was heavily involved in all aspects of production, as the film drew heavily from his own life. The artist also helped provide a soundtrack for the classic 1989 film Batman. His eye as an artist extended past the music industry and his talent allowed him to dip his hands into all other forms of media. Not only his influence, but his actual touch can be seen in many films from the era.
3. He was a brilliant writer.
As I mentioned before, Prince was incredibly influential in the music industry. Not just in the sense that his style was replicated, but there are many pop songs that we all know that were actually written by Prince. Artists like Sinead O'Connor, Cyndi Lauper, and Stevie Nicks have all put out songs that were ghostwritten by Prince. He loved creating, and would constantly write and compose new music. So much so, that he would end up giving away a good portion of the music he created. He is rarely given credit, as he used various pseudonyms like "Christopher" or "Jamie Starr" when writing for other artists.
2. Seriously, the man could play guitar.
Here is a video of Prince playing guitar. Go ahead, watch it. Joining him are legends Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and Jeff Lynne. Look at their expressions when Prince starts his solo, they are in shock. When you think "Prince" you don't generally think of the pop-icon ripping out such an amazing solo, but his talent was top-tier. In an interview with Eric Clapton, the interviewer asked "What is it like to be the greatest living guitar player?" to which Clapton said "I don't know, ask Prince." Need I say more?
1. The Basketball story is true.
Yes, that basketball story. As told by Charlie Murphy, the story goes that Eddie Murphy and his brother Charlie ran into Prince at a club, and Prince invited them back to his play to play some basketball. Charlie, being a much larger guy, figured the 5'2" Prince must be joking. When they arrived at his home and got on they court, Charlie and his crew quickly discovered that Prince had another hidden talent: In the words of Charlie Murphy, "The cat could ball." Such a ridiculous story must be made up, right? Wrong. It turns out, Prince himself has talked about the clip and has verified that yes, he did invite them to play and yes, he did win.
Prince was an extremely unique figure who managed to stay out of the tabloids while simultaneously living as the biggest star in the world. He was humble, soft spoken, and one of the most charismatic performers of his generation. He crossed lines and broke boundaries that others hadn't touched, he was somehow the ultimate form of masculinity and femininity. Again, in the words of Charlie Murphy, Prince could "steal your girl, and her wardrobe."
Recently, a childhood friend described Prince as a man that "Inspired us to be ourselves." and that he showed everyone that it was okay to be different. In this world, no one is unique anymore. Every star, every song, every film is nearly a cookie-cutter copy of an act that preceded it. Prince broke that mold by being himself and forming a legendary career by doing exactly what he loved, and doing it better than anyone else could.
