"Our life evokes our character. You find out more about yourself as you go on. That's why it's good to be able to put yourself in situations that will evoke your higher nature rather than your lower. 'Lead us not into temptation.'" Joseph Campbell
We often talk about fashion like it's this thing that enslaves
people--the drive to be cool, to look "in", to be accepted. And that does happen. But high
fashion isn't like that--it stands out, it's outrageous, it's different. The people who wear the crazy clothes help provide a variety to society, some kitsch, some eccentricity. John Stuart Mill lamented the decline of eccentricity in his time because he believed weird people kept society vibrant, and imaginative, and innovative:
"The amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional
to the amount of genius, mental vigour, and moral courage which it
contained."
Today's Eccentric Dresser is Freddie Mercury. He was a shy and very private man, but an extrovert on stage (much like Prince). In public he sometimes denied being bisexual (homosexuality had only been made legal in 1960s in Britain), but on stage he really did personify a sort of Gay Outrageousosity. And tricked all the straight or conservative or anti-gay rockers into playing along.
I watched a rather sad bio of George Michael, how he really struggled with hiding his homosexuality ( though he humorously commented that one only had to watch the Wham! videos); how he struggled with depression; and how he thought he was so ugly he wouldn't look in the mirror. And watching some behind the scenes videos of the Freddie Mercury Tribute you could see him singing along, obviously a fan and very moved--which all came out in his "Somebody to Love" that blew everyone away. (I can actually remember where I was when I first heard it on the radio.) Freddie's stage persona must have given some young men the courage to wear their tight pants and open-chested shirts in public and Be Themselves.
So of course Song of the Day must be from Queen (the Freddie photos follow). I'm choosing "Under Pressure" cause I think it's how a lot of my buddies in the United States are feeling these days:
Usually after the Oscars I like to post the best eccentric dresses, normally drawn from the "Worst" lists. But the dresses I just scanned were all so drab, I think we'll all take much more inspiration from the works of Viktor & Rolf...
Eccentric doesn't bother me. 'Eccentric' being a
poetic interpretation of a mathematical term meaning something that
doesn't follow the lines - that's okay. (Crispin Glover)
I got my first Prince album from my brother. I was too young to see Purple Rain in the theatre, he saw it with my mum, and he had the cassette. I listened to it so much, he finally let me keep it. I was in grade 6.
So I spent my formative years listening to Prince. I think he's one of the reasons I continued to find the chutzpah each day to keep dressing and acting how I wanted to, though it drew a lot of sh*t from my peers.
Therefore, in honor of our upcoming Fated Meeting, here are my Life Lessons from Prince.
#1 Sex, love, and spiritual matters should all be held in reverence ...usually within the same verse.
Lovesexy: Prince's most religious album... pre-JW that is ;-)
#2 Don't be afraid to express yourself, even if you'll stand out from the crowd. Even if people will make fun of you because you're a straight guy in chick's clothes.
For the best jokes on this, see the video at the end of the post.
#3 No matter how physically different you are... OWN IT.
"Y'all is taller 'n me, but how many a you can carry off a pimp cane?"
#4 Partying is funner when you include everyone. (His JW-ness these days is surely less inclusive, but growing up it was all about the gender bending and bicuriosity and "black white Puerto Rican everybody justa freakin'".)
#5 Follow your heart, including your artist's heart, even if people don't understand where you're going. I was 12 when Prince followed up Purple Rain with Around the World in a Day, and I think that's when I learned what integrity meant. (...Not the actual word. Aretha Franklin had a B-side called "Integrity" and I didn't know what the f--- the word meant.)
#6 Eccentrics are good for society. (John Stuart Mill thought so too.)
Not only are they occasionally geniuses, but sometimes while making fools out of themselves they raise important questions like...
? Do artists have to be available at all times for the public (such as for interviews)? Or is it enough that they, you know, produce art?
? How far do we let corporations go in the exchange of labor and pay? Prince got fed up with Warner owning his music and since the general public didn't understand the full extent of the f**ckwaddery of the music industry, and since he went about it in his usual oddball manner, peeples made fun of him. But there are other crapitudinous companies in retail and in service... and not always a Prince to use an unpronounceable name for them.
#7When the old ways don't work anymore, you have to experiment with new ones. Even if you fail a few times.
#8 Even geniuses fail a few times.
#9 A good swear word is a balm to the soul. He'd be sad to know I learned this from him now that he's got religion. But no one delivered a motherf***er or a "Good God!" like he did. Sigh.
And finally...
#10 Don't let the boys hog all the fun toys.
Wendy Melvoin
Sheila E.
Candy Dulfer
New bassist Ida Nielsen
Rhonda Smith
DJ Rashida
Now if you really want a treat, this is from the Chappelle Show, where Eddie Murphy's brother told these crazy stories from the 80s when he would hang out with Eddie in Hollywood. (This is where "I'm Rick James bitch!" comes from.) They're SO funny. In this one Prince challenges Eddie and Charlie and their gang to a game of basketball. Prince really did play basketball in high school, all 5'2'' of him.
"I dare you to challenge Prince to a game of ball one on one! ...After it was all over he took us in the house and served us pancakes."
