Subject: alt.music.prince Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 3.08
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 1995 18:43:45 +0100
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Version: 3.08
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                 ============================================
                 alt.music.prince  Frequently Asked Questions
                 ============================================

                                Version 3.08

               Maintained by Raymond Meyll <raymondm@xs4all.nl>


This FAQ will be posted periodically to socialize the existence of other
Prince-related materials that are readily available on and off the net. It
also tries to provide an answer to other questions which often show up on the
alt.music.prince newsgroup. Please read this information so you don't repeat
often-heard questions, and provide feedback if you read any misinformation or
just like to be involved.

As of this version the late PML FAQL, which was created by Jon Brode to
support his (also late) PML, has been merged, in consultation with Jon, into
the AMP FAQ.

Besides being posted to alt.music.prince, alt.answers and news.answers, the
FAQ can also be obtained through the following channels:

[E-Mail] Send a message to ampfaq@ray.xs4all.nl with as body: GETAMP
[Finger] finger raymondm@xs4all.nl
[FTP]    <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/music/prince-faq/part1>
[WWW]    <http://huizen.dds.nl/~nmarrale/ampfaq.html>

Extraordinarily helpful individuals:

  Tim Buck                   <tim@rrinc.com>
  Bret Gorsline              <bretg@ctt.bellcore.com>
  Christopher Prince Reayoul <chrisk@scsn.net>
  Norbert Rembrandt Marrale  <nmarrale@capaccess.org>
  Jon Brode                  <brode@icpsr.umich.edu>
  Richie B.                  <richie@morra.et.tudelft.nl>
  Michael Glazier            <lovesexy@umich.edu>
  Gerry Vermeulen            <vermeulg@ce.philips.nl>

------------------------------

Questions covered in this FAQ:

INTERNET RESOURCES

1)  When did all of this start?
2)  What other discussion forums are there on the 'Net?
3)  Are there any other resources on the Internet?
4)  How do I use Internet services like FTP, IRC and World Wide Web (WWW)?
4.1) How do I FTP?
4.2) How do I IRC?
4.3) How do I use WWW/http?
4.4) That's all very nice, but I only have e-mail access to The Net...

NON-INTERNET RESOURCES

5)  What fanclubs/fanzines are there?
6)  Are there any Prince books?
7)  What are the NPG shops? How can I reach them?
8)  What are bootlegs?
8.1) Where/how do I get bootlegs?
8.2) Which bootlegs are the best?

WHAT'S IN A NAME...

9)  WHY did Prince change his name to O(+> ?
10) How do I pronounce that symbol-thinggie?
11) How do I type the symbolic name for TAFKAP?
12) Why don't we rename the newsgroup to reflect the name change?
13) Who/what is Camille?
14) What are Prince's pen-names/alter-ego's?

BLACK GOLD & SILVER SAUCERS

15) What is the story behind the Black Album?
16) Why is the Lovesexy CD all one track?
17) Tell me about the "O(+> Interactive" CD-ROM?
18) What does the Spanish on TGE mean?
19) Hey, Why doesn't he release ______?
20) Doesn't he pick the wrong songs to release as singles?
21) How can you tell when Prince has written a song?

CONTROVERSY?!?

22) Is Prince bi/homosexual?

MISCELLANEOUS

23) What about all the other questions I have?

------------------------------

1) When did all of this start?

   The alt.music.prince newsgroup was started by Tim Buck when he sent out the
   charter for creation on the 8th of may 1993.

   Somewhere in 1994 Bret Gorsline started the AMP FAQ. Chris Reayoul took the
   FAQ over in march 1995 and I took over from Chris on 23th of june 1995.
   
------------------------------

2) What other discussion forums are there on the 'Net?

   Unfortunately, on the 9th of november 1995 the Prince Mailing List (PML)
   ceased to exist at a peak audience of almost 1750 members.

   However, a new initiave called the Paisley Park Mailing List (PPML) is
   started by Mark Church and Kevin Smith. You can subscribe yourself to the
   PPML by sending e-mail to:  cckevin@stem.indstate.edu 
        with as subject line:  subscribe ppml
   Back issues of the PPML are available at the New Power Network (NPN):
        http://morra.et.tudelft.nl/npn/library/ppml

   Also, on the IRC (Internet Relay Chat), the #prince channel remains to be
   a happening place. (see question 4.2)

   German fans may want to take a look at the de.alt.fan.prince newsgroup.

------------------------------

3) Are there any other resources on the Internet?

   Yes, besides forums there are also lots of other places holding Prince/O(+>
   related information. Tour information, lyrics, pictures, sound clips, you  
   name it.

   GENERAL

     The New Power Network is a comprehensive collection of references,
     articles, and pointers on Prince-and-related-artists. It contains just
     about everything you might be looking for, including most of the items
     mentioned below, and can be reached through the World Wide Web at:
       Europe:  http://morra.et.tudelft.nl/npn/
       USA   :  http://156.98.98.36:8001/npn/ 

   LYRICS

     The Prince Lyric Transcription Team (PLTT) has an FTP site with lyrics to
     all of Prince's released work available. FTP to:      
       ftp://math.montana.math.edu/pub/carlson/pltt

     Images, sounds, the PLTT lyrics, and other goodies are available from
     RichieB's FTP site at:
       ftp://morra.et.tudelft.nl/pub/prince

     Richie makes the PLTT lyrics available through an IRC 'robot' as well.
     (See question 4.2)

     PLTT lyrics are also available from an email server provided by RichieB.
     Mail with the subject "lyrics" and the word "HELP" as the body to:
       prince@morra.et.tudelft.nl

     The Databank Transcription Team (DTT), founded by Ted Daniel, transcibes
     the lyrics of unreleased Prince/O(+> songs. Their output is available at:
       http://www.cs.odu.edu/~daniel/daniel.html

     The Royal Court Transcription Team (RCTT) transcribes the lyrics of
     related artists:
       http://www.cs.odu.edu/~daniel/RCTT/home.html

     The Prince Live Lyrics Transcription Team (LLT) was formed by Charles
     Battle to transcribe lyrics to concert versions of his songs. Their
     accomplishments can be viewed on:       
       http://clever.net/charles/livelyrics.html

   DISCOGRAPHIES

     Lonnie Hanekamp has taken over Jon Brode's Prince discography, which
     includes covers, samples, outtakes, and songs written for other artists.
     Lonnie is currently busy updating the discography. The next version (2.0)
     will be ready near the end of 1995. Until that time version 1.9 will be
     available at the New Power Network.

     Jeff Charboneau maintains a WWW Prince discography, spiced up with
     pictures at:
       http://www.winternet.com/~charbone/prince.html

     Marius Hansen is maintaining a WWW site of reviews for Prince/O(+>
     bootlegs. These reviews were collected from this newsgroup, the PML and
     the PPML. You'd better check this invaluable source of information
     before you buy!
       http://www.unik.no/~mariush/bootlegs.html

     Steffen Bieker is collecting information on unreleased recordings by O(+>
     on his webpage:
       http://wwwstud.uni-giessen.de/~s1788/

     Warner Brothers has a WWW page which is devoted to the "Come" album:
       http://www.iuma.com/Warner/html/Prince.html

     Another Warner Brothers WWW page covers "The Gold Experience". This time
     they've obviously put some effort in it to finally get it right:
       http://www.wbr.com/goldexperience

     Fredrik Andersson wasn't very happy with the available Gold Experience
     information on the net. You can visit his own Gold Experience page at:
       http://www.mil.lu.se/Fredrik_/TAFKAP.html

   SURVEYS

     If you're interested in what other fans think about your favourite albums
     and songs by the man, check out the "Prince/O(+> Internet Community
     Statistics Archive" (PICSA) survey. Bret Gorsline maintained PICSA for
     two years and closed it in may 1995. The final results are available in:
       http://morra.et.tudelft.nl/npn/living_room/picsa/

     Jose Cabezas has started the Prince Top 5 Survey in which people can
     enter their favourite song, love song, lyrics, music, record and song for
     another artist by our man. The results and rules to enter are regularly
     posted to alt.music.prince and available through:       
       http://bipv02.bi.ehu.es/~josec
     To participate in the survey, e-mail to:
       josec@bipv02.bi.ehu.es

   PICTURES / SOUND SAMPLES / ESSAYS

     April DornBrook's home page has some slick graphics and sound files at:
       http://www.uwm.edu/~aprild/prince.html

     Kenneth Coats' Prince WWW site is a collection of notes and pictures:
       http://orathost.cfa.ilstu.edu/public/oratGallery/artsExhibits/
                                                        coatsExhibit/home.html

     Maxime Burzlaff's home page has some cool Prince sound samples and the
     interviews from Q magazine and NME:
       http://www710.univ-lyon1.fr/~burzlaff

     Steve Hammer's site contains some of his own writings on O(+> :
       http://www.inetdirect.net/hammer/prince.html

     Vibe Magazine published an interview with O(+> in their august 1994
     edition. The interview (including pictures) can be read at:
       http://www.vibe.com/archive/august94/docs/TAFKAP1.html

   MISCELLANEOUS

     The Prince Swap List (PSL) is a database of Prince fans and their trading
     list offered to Prince fans so that they can trade Prince stuff! If
     you're not already a member send email with subject "SUB PSL" to:
       spth0001@frank.mtsu.edu
     Or try the WWW site at:
       http://www.mtsu.edu/~spth0001

     Norbert Marrale's Paisley Pages are the home of the HTML version of
     this FAQ: 
       http://huizen.dds.nl/~nmarrale/tafkap.html

     The Chicago O(+> Nation is mainly directed at people from the Chicago
     area, but their pages contain interesting stuff for every fan:
       http://www.mcs.net/~nation/home/cpn.htm

     The NPG store in Minneapolis can be reached through e-mail at:
       NewPwrGen@aol.com

   PRINCE RELATED ARTISTS

     Note that the NPN has homepages for several (ex-)Prince proteges at:
       Europe:  http://morra.et.tudelft.nl/npn/music
       USA   :  http://156.98.98.36:8001/npn/music

     Paisley Park Studios have their own webpage on which you can find
     information on the available facilities and their price:
       http://bitstream.mpls.mn.us/paisleypark

     The Hornheads is the name of a five-piece horn section better known as
     the (former) NPG Hornz. Besides info on the Hornheads their WWW site also
     contains info on Kirk Johnson, Paul (St. Paul) and Ricky Peterson:
       http://www.bitstream.net/hornheads

     Dr Mambo's Combo is a Minneapolis-based band who have cooperated
     regularly with Prince/O(+> and his band members. Their drummer is in fact
     Michael Bland, who also happens to be O(+>'s drummer. Their very
     interesting homepage provides info on the band and the Minneapolis music
     scene in general:
       http://www.skypoint.com/members/drmambo

     Trush is another band in which Michael Bland drums:
       http://www.designstein.com/~strawb/trush.html

     Mayte has a whole WWW site dedicated to her at:
       http://www.mcs.net/~nation/home/cpn/mayte

     Rosie Gaines' current album is promoted by Polygram at:
       http://www.polygram.com/polygram/rosie.html

     TKO is a sensational Contemporary, Urban Jazz, Funk group in Minneapolis
     organized by Kirk A. Johnson, former member of Prince and the NPG. Kirk
     is presently working as a producer and remixer for Paisley Park and NPG
     Records:
       http://www.bitstream.net/TKO

   FANCLUBS / FANZINES (also see question 5)

     NewPowerSoul's homepage can be found at:
       http://www.pi.net/~nps/npshome.html

     Uptown magazine resides at:
       http://www710.univ-lyon1.fr/~burzlaff/uptown.html

     The Continental has it's homepage at:
       http://morra.et.tudelft.nl/TheContinental

     The Voice's WWW pages are available at:
       http://www.club.innet.be/~tfoubert/voicexp

     7 Magazine has opened its own WWW site on december the 7th:
       http://www.ozmail.com.au/~sevenmag

------------------------------

4) How do I use Internet services like FTP, IRC and World Wide Web (WWW)?

   This is only entered here because many Prince fans find out about lyrics
   and other cool stuff without a counselor in yelling distance, so they post
   to the newsgroup. The chapter provides some very basic instuctions only. If
   you want to find out more, check the docs, read the *.answers newsgroups or
   ask your counselor. Also, usage depends on what kind of machine you're on. 

   Throughout this chapter anything surrounded by asteriks is a comment from
   me to you. The provided examples assume you're using a UNIX machine.

4.1) How do I FTP?

   Change to the directory where you want to store the files and type the
   command:

     ftp math.montana.edu

     Connected to 131.210.1.4.
     220 cs.uwp.edu FTP server (Version 6.15 Wed Jan 15 22:34:26 CST 1992)
     Name (131.210.1.4:bg1f):
   *** enter 'ftp' or 'anonymous' as the user name ***
     331 Guest login ok, send e-mail address as password.
     Password:
   *** enter your full email address as the password ***
     230-Welcome, archive user!  This is an experimental FTP server.
     [...]
     230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply.
     ftp>

   Now that you're at the FTP prompt, there are some useful commands to know:
     ls    list files that are in the remote directory
     cd    change to another remote directory
     get   bring a file from the remote site to your site
     bye   exit

   In general: you have to "cd" (change directory) into the place you want to
   go (e.g. /pub/carlson/pltt) and then "ls" (list) to see the files that are
   available. Then you can "get" a file. If you have problems understanding
   this, please see a local counselor for help.

4.2) How do I IRC?

   To see if your site has the Internet Relay Chat, simply type 'irc'. Once
   there, try the following commands to get started.

     /HELP INTRO
     /HELP NEWUSER

   To join the talk on the Prince channel:

     /channel #prince

   Richie B. made this description on how to get Prince lyrics on IRC:

     From:  (Richie B.)
     Subject: Lyrics on IRC
     Date: Sat, 16 Jan 93 14:06:24 MET

     [...] how to get the Prince lyrics on IRC, so here it is:

     The (ro)bot on IRC serving the lyrics is called Uptown.
     You can send the bot commands using "/msg" so this is what you can do:

     /msg uptown files        - gives an explanation of the feature
     /msg uptown list         - lists available files
     /msg uptown mail         - mails  to your address
     /msg uptown dirty.mind   - mails dirty.mind (example)

     Be sure that you are on from your own account. Not from any
     daemon.  You can check this by typing "/whois" and see if the
     address listed is your own. if your not sure, e-mail a test
     messages to that address. If you get it, it's okay.

     Have fun!

4.3) How do I use WWW/http?

     From: prince@morra.et.tudelft.nl
     Subject: Getting onto the NPN

     > I am trying to get onto the new power network.
     > Can anyone tell me how to do this and what http is?

     You'll have to use a WWW broser like Mosaic, NetScape, or lynx.
     If you don't have one of those, ask your site administrator how
     to get one.

     Once in one of these applications, point the browser to:

     http://morra.et.tudelft.nl/npn/

     http://   just means it's a WWW site,
     ftp://    means ftp,
     gopher:// means gopher,
     etc.

     [Note: WWW access for Prodigy users will be different.]

4.4) That's all very nice, but I only have e-mail access to The Net...

   Fortunately this doesn't limit your possibilities as much as you might
   think. For almost any of the online internet services there is an offline
   pendant in the form of an e-mail server. These servers generally can be
   used by sending them e-mail with some command in the subject or body,
   after which they reply with the desired file, information or webpage.

   Bob Rankin has written an excellent guide to offline internet access. It's
   posted on a monthly basis in the alt.answers newsgroup, but it can also be
   obtained by sending an e-mail message to:
     listserv@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
   With _only_ this line in the body of the note:
     GET INTERNET BY-EMAIL NETTRAIN F=MAIL       

------------------------------

5) What fanclubs/fanzines are there?

 *** If your magazine of fanclub is missing from this section, or if ***
 *** there is anything wrong with the description, please e-mail me. ***

   The only official fanclub/magazine which exists nowadays is the "New Power
   Generation", which was founded by Paisley Park. They have published three
   issues of their magazine so far and their publishing schedule has been
   erratic, at best.
     E-mail     : NewPwrGen@aol.com
     Snail-mail : Paisley Park Enterprises
                  7801 Audbon Road
                  Chanhassen, MN 55317
                  USA
     Phone (US) : 1-800-NEW-FUNK

   "Uptown" is a quarterly Prince magazine that comes from Sweden and is
   published in the English language. A fifth special issue is published
   yearly. The A4-size magazine (8.5" x 11") is 28 glossy pages and has four
   full color pages (including the cover). Contact Uptown for prices in your
   country's currency and information on back issues.
     E-mail     : editorial@uptown.se (Lars O. Einarsson)
                  uptownusa@aol.com (Harold Lewis)
     WWW site   : http://www710.univ-lyon1.fr/~burzlaff/uptown.html
     Snail-mail : Uptown Magazine
                  P.O. Box 142
                  S-453 23 LYSEKIL87
                  Sweden

   "NewPowerSoul" is a glossy bi-monthly published magazine in the German
   language. Every issue consists out of 16 A4-size pages full of news,
   pictures, concert reviews, lyrics, releases and information on O(+> and
   related artists.
     E-mail     : nps@pi.net (Frank van Dun)
     WWW site   : http://www.pi.net/~nps/npshome.html
     Snail-mail : Ralf Guelpen
                  Hankepank 9
                  52134 Herzogenrath
                  Germany

   "The O(+> Family" is a bi-weekly newsletter, which usually consists out of
   3 or 4 stapled pages. Their strong suit is information and timeliness. The
   few pictures they have are blurry photocopies. It costs $1.25 an issue for
   US subscribers and $2.00 an issue for non-US subscribers.
     E-mail     : PrinceFam@aol.com (Diane Dawkins and Edwena Brunell)
     Snail-mail : The O(+> Family
                  P.O. Box 2007
                  So. Hamilton, MA 01982-0007
                  USA

   "The Continental"
     E-mail     : TheContinental@cindy.et.tudelft.nl
     WWW site   : http://morra.et.tudelft.nl/TheContinental
     Snail-mail : The Continental
                  P.O. Box 21268
                  3001 AG Rotterdam
                  The Netherlands

   "The Voice" is a magazine from Belgium in the English language.
     E-mail     : tfoubert@innet.be (Tamara Foubert)
     WWW site   : http://www.club.innet.be/~tfoubert/voicexp
     Snail-mail : The Voice
                  Kloosterstraat 50
                  9150 Rupelmonde
                  Belgium

   "7 Magazine" is the O(+> magazine from Down Under.
     E-mail     : sevenmag@ozemail.com.au (Vicki Shuttleworth)
     WWW site   : http://www.ozemail.au/~sevenmag
     Snail-mail : 7 Magazine
                  P.O. Box 363
                  Chadstone Centre, VIC 3148
                  Australia

   "O(+> Network" is another German magazine.
     E-mail     : axela@pop-frankfurt.com (Axel Aberle)
     Snail-mail : Axel Aberle
                  Geierskopfweg 11
                  65931 Frankfurt
                  Germany

   "O(+>" is an Italian magazine.
     Snail-mail : O(+>
                  c/o Christian Loschi
                  Via Mengoni 9
                  41012 Carpi (MO)
                  Italy

   "Scandalous Magazine" is a Danish magazine.
     E-mail     : Klaus.egelund@djh.dk (Klaus Egerlund Pedersen)
                  Tholor@imv.aau.dk
     Snail-mail : Scandalous Magazine
                  Silkeborgvej 286
                  8230 Abyhoj
                  Denmark

   "Purple Kiss" is a French magazine.
     Snail-mail : Purple Kiss
                  143/D Rue Denfert Rochereau
                  02100 Saint Quentin
                  France

   "The Interactive Experience" is an English magazine.
     Snail-mail : The Interactive Experience
                  P.O. Box 541
                  Sheffield S9 4YN
                  England

   "Elephants and Flowers" is the glossy magazine of the Dutch fanclub
   Principality.
     Snail-mail : Stichting Principality
                  P.O. Box 12026
                  3501 AA Utrecht
                  The Netherlands

   "Dream Nation" is an English magazine.
     E-mail     : dreamnation@newpower.demon.co.uk
     Snail-mail : Dream Nation
                  P.O. Box 106
                  Walsall
                  West Midlands WS1 3HJ
                  England

   "Divinity" is the Spanish magazine of The Shockadelica Club.
     Snail-mail : The Shockadelica Club
                  Apdo. Correos 117
                  28921 Alcorcon (Madrid)
                  Spain

   "Diamond Factory" is a Japanese magazine.
     Snail Mail : Global Namiki #401
                  10-10 Nakamachi
                  Naka-ku
                  Hiroshima 730
                  Japan

------------------------------

6) Are there any Prince books?

   [Review by Jon Brode]
   There are many books available about Prince. A few are good, but many of
   them are fan fodder which were poorly researched and hastily slapped
   together to make a quick profit during the Purple Rain era. This isn't to
   say that they are completely without value, as they generally have some
   nice photos, but I won't dignify them by placing them in my literary
   review.

   Hill, Dave; Prince: a pop life; 242 pages; Harmony books; 0-517-57282-6
     This is the definitive Prince biography. It suffers the same problem that
     most books do: its coverage of events that happened after the book was
     published are rather spotty. In this case, the book only goes through
     Lovesexy.

   Nilsen, Per; Prince: a documentary; 127 pages; Omnibus Press; 0-7119-1547-4
   Nilsen, Per; Prince: a documentary; 160 pages; Omnibus Press; 0-7119-3179-8
     This is more of a reference book than a biography. It goes through
     Prince's life day by day and tells what happened. The first edition
     covers through 1989 and has an excellent discography that covers both
     released and unreleased material. An updated version was released in 1993
     and it covers through the release of the O(+> album.

   Controversy; Prince; 64 pages; Controversy Ltd.; 1-873003-00-5

     This book has some beautiful pictures, but the text is skimpy. It's been
     years since I've read it, but I seem to recall some factual errors and
     poor editing in places.

   Bream, Jon; Prince: inside the Purple Reign; 112 pages; Macmillan;
                                                                 0-02-060410-6
     This is one of the better Purple Rain era books. Many people think it is
     the best of the bunch. It has many pictures and a discography.

   Ivory, Steven; Prince; 175 pages; Perigee Books; 0-399-51141-5
     This is a Purple Rain era book that was a bit late in coming. It covers
     up to "Around the World in a Day" and contains a joke of a discography.

   Feldman, Jim; Prince; 146 pages; Ballantine Books; 0-345-32325-4
     I think this is the best of the Purple Rain books. There's a picture
     section in the middle, but the book is otherwise all text. It has a
     discography, but it's pretty weak by today's standards.

   Hoskyns, Barney; Prince: Imp of the Perverse; 120 pages; Virgin Books;
                                                                 0-86369-254-0
     This is a decent book, but not as good as the Dave Hill book. It covers
     through "Sign '0' the Times" and has a small UK discography in the back.
     Then again, he nicked the title from an Edgar Allen Poe short story, that
     should count for something.

------------------------------

7) What are the NPG shops? How can I reach them?

   The New Power Generation stores are Prince's attempt to give fans a place
   to buy merchandise. They sell posters, music, clothing, perfumes, cloud
   guitars and other things of interest.

   The original store is in the Uptown district of Minneapolis near the corner
   of Hennepin and Lake. They can be reached at (612) 341-9825. Alternately,
   you can call (US only) 1-800-NEW-FUNK to put yourself on the mailing list
   and/or place catalog orders.

   In april 1994 a second store was opened in London, England. They can be
   reached at +44 (0)171-267 7951. A description on how to get there is
   available at the NPN's Library. Their address is:
     The New Power Generation Store
     Camden Lock
     21 Chalk Farm Road
     London NW1 8AG
     England
   
------------------------------

8) What are bootlegs?

   [By Jon Brode]
   A bootleg is an unauthorized recording created without the consent of the
   artist and his/her record company. You can find all sorts of things on
   bootlegs: demos, rehearsals, outtakes, concerts and interviews. Prince fans
   are pretty lucky when it comes to bootlegs. There are hundreds of bootlegs
   available on record, tape and CD.

   Unfortunately, bootlegs are illegal. Here are some details on the US laws:
   (NB: These are likely to change with GATT and NAFTA) 

     Criminal copyright infringements, such as the manufacture, distribution,
     or sale of bootlegs, are punishable by up to five years in prison and/or
     $250,000 in fines. Possession and purchase are punishable by up to 5
     years in prison and/or $50,000 in fines.

   You should check on the details in your country before getting involved
   with bootlegs.  You will probably find those laws similarly unpleasant. So,
   why would people risk it?  Well, on a purely pragmatic level, law
   enforcement agencies have more important things to do than bust people who
   own a bootleg or two. It's not legal, but it's fairly "safe". You will
   never get arrested for owning a bootleg. Probably.

   There used to be bizarre legal loopholes in some European countries that
   made some bootlegs legal in those countries. I believe that those holes
   have been closed.

   Beyond the legal aspects, there are moral arguments against bootlegs. These
   are unauthorized releases. Prince did not choose to release them, thus they
   don't necessarily reflect his artistic vision. The concerts lack the
   inevitable overdubs he puts into his "live" releases. The outtakes are
   often rough demos from the studio and lack the mixing and production work
   that would go into a released product. Another point to consider is that
   since these are unauthorized, Prince doesn't get royalties for their sale.

8.1) Where/how do I get bootlegs?

   If you're still interested, here are the 4 main ways to acquire bootlegs:

   First, know thy local "wrecka stows". Avoid the large chains, they
   generally only carry legitimate items. The small, independently run stores
   are good places to look, but used record stores are your best bet. Get a
   phone book and visit all the stores listed. Bigger cities usually have
   better stores. Go to your nearest metropolis and comb the stores. Some
   stores like to call them imports, but they are still bootlegs and still
   illegal.

   Second, go to record shows and conventions. Even the ones that have a "no
   bootleg" policy can be rewarding as they often don't enforce the rule very
   well. Check in area newspapers and with local record stores (any one will
   do) for dates and locations. Goldmine and Discoveries magazines print
   record show listings, but they may not list all of the ones in your area.

   Third, buy bootlegs through mail order places. Record collector magazines
   abound with ads offering Prince merchandise. Of course, there's always an
   extra risk involved when dealing with mail-order places, but most that
   advertise in major magazines are reputable. If you're unsure, start small
   and work up to larger purchases. Start with buying one item from a vendor.
   If they are prompt and accurate with that order then send a larger one next
   time.

   Fourth, trade with friends. This is the cheapest way to build a collection
   of bootlegs. Buy a few and trade tapes to get other things.

8.2) Which bootlegs are the best?

   Uptown magazine often prints reviews of bootlegs. Issues #4 and #15 were
   dedicated to bootleg reviews. That's a good place to start.

   There is a WWW site with a collection of reviews culled from the net. Check
   out http://www.unik.no/~mariush/bootlegs.html .

   There are a few bootlegs that have garnered high praise from many people.
   "Jewel Box" and "Jewel Box 2" are reknown as outstanding overviews of the
   circulating pool of outtakes. Each is a 3 CD set.

   As far as live performances go, "Small Club - 2nd Show That Night" is
   legendary. It's a soundboard recording of one of his legendary aftershows
   he did in 1988 in The Hague, The Netherlands.

   The City Lights 11 CD box set gives a soundboard quality overview of his
   performances from the Rick James tour through the Parade tour.

------------------------------

9) WHY did Prince change his name to a symbol?

   There are several possible reasons, each equally valid, and each likely to
   be part of the whole truth. Since the man himself will probably not say,
   we're left only with theories:

   - it's a ploy to get lots of media attention

     Prince had arguably lost some of his clout with critics and the music
     buying public. The name change may be the artist's latest attempt to
     reinvent himself as he desperately tries to step back into the limelight.

   - it's a genuine artistic/spiritual rebirth

     O(+> is a new spiritual incarnation of Prince. After "6 periods of
     involution" [O(+> 's own words], he finds on his 35th birthday (6/7/93)
     that his personality has changed so dramatically since the beginning of
     his musical career that it has become time for him to close the circle by
     adopting the name O(+> .

     Hints he's dropped in speeches over the last year indicate that he had
     some type of mystic vision, implying that the name change is part of a
     larger message that he is trying to spread. Given his obession with the
     year 1999, the change may be a preparation for that "purple sky".

   - it's an attempt to find a loophole in his contract with WB

     The major contract he signed in 1992, may be more restrictive than he had
     expected. Out of frustration with the contract's impediment of his
     creative drive, and perhaps because of the unresponsiveness of WB, he
     decided to adopt a new name in order to gain more control over the
     release of his music. The idea is that he wanted to release music under
     both the names Prince and O(+> .

   - there's no good reason; he's finally gone overboard with ego and
     insensitivity to others, all in the name of art

     Prince can be seen as a capricious egomaniacal artist, who considers
     himself the center of the universe. He built Paisley Park in 1987 as his
     private Taj Mahal, his personal playground. He's generated an insensitive
     image for some people through behaviors such as: the firing of close
     associates, iron-fisted artistic control, extreme reclusiveness, snide
     comments, and a generally unapproachable nature.

   - a symbolic name is one that better fits his personality

     Prince has never liked to be categorized. Sure he has noticed that his
     normal name has gathered connotations over time... different things to
     different people. Because "normal" names are used by the analytical side
     of our minds, and always spelled the same way, once an image sticks, it's
     stuck. A symbolic name, Prince may hope, appeals to our intuitive side
     and is thus less likely to collect connotations because people must pause
     and consider in a manner they never do for concrete names.

   - the name change is an attempt to avoid death

     The_Beat@bitstream.mpls.mn.us reports:
       An "insider" has stated that Prince had a fear of dying in his 36th
       year and changed his name to avoid death. Maybe strange and
       superstitious to us, but hey, we're talking about him.

   Norbert Marrale has written an article covering the history of the name
   change. For the full text of his article, see his Paisley pages.

   [FAQ entry by: BAG/NM]

------------------------------

10) How do I pronounce that symbol-thinggie?

   Officially, there is no pronounciation for the symbol. The man allows
   (forces) the media to use the phrase:

     "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince"

   Fans still call him "Prince" in verbal conversation, but some may use a
   take on "Symbol-dude" or "TAFKAP". Many of the old nicknames like
   "Minneapolis Genius" or "His Royal Badness" still apply.

   His band members have several times stated in interviews that they don't
   call him anything... because they don't have to: he always around.

   It's worthwhile to note that all work done before June 7th, 1993 was done
   as "Prince". Thus, O(+> did not do Parade... Prince did.

------------------------------

11) How do I type the symbolic name for TAFKAP?

   There are many ways to type Prince's new name in ASCII. Unfortunately, we
   don't have an "Official" way to represent it, but the Prince Lyrics
   Transcription Team settled on the symbol:

                        O(+>

     (cap-oh left-paren plus greater-than)

   The alt.music.prince newsgroup FAQ suggests that this should be the defacto
   Internet standard way of typing the symbol. Regional dialects may vary.

   An opinion poll was done by CleanSoul@aol.com with results that helps
   establish this notation as a defacto-standard:

     #1      O(+>    47 'Votes'      48%
     #2      O{+>    18 'Votes'      18.5%
     #3      O+>      6 'Votes'

------------------------------

12) Why don't we rename the newsgroup to reflect the name change?

   [From: tim@access.rrinc.com.blacksburg.va.us (Tim Buck)]
     alt.music.prince was started as an unfettered, unmoderated, uncensored
     newsgroup for the discussion of Prince, his music, his proteges, and
     anything else related to him.

     Now that he's changed his name, it would make sense to change the name of
     the newsgroup. Unfortunately, he chose a name that has no ASCII
     representation, and Usenet is still an ASCII world.

     [...]

     There are other reasons for leaving alt.music.prince as is, one of them
     has also been mentioned by others:  how would new fans/Usenet newbies
     find alt.music.O{+> or whatever (or alt.music.tafkap, as has also been
     suggested) ?

     And probably the most overlooked reason for leaving alt.music.prince
     alone is purely technical:  overwhelmingly, most systems carrying Usenet
     news are UNIX systems; some of the characters often used to represent the
     symbol have special meaning to UNIX (or DOS or MacOS or VMS) and should
     never be used as part of a newsgroup name (or any other file/directory
     name).

------------------------------

13) Who/what is Camille?

   [By Jon Brode]
   At one time, Camille was supposed to be the female side of Prince. Before
   SOTT, Prince was considering releasing an album under the name Camille. The
   "Camille" songs featured Prince's sped up voice which, to the uninitiated,
   was supposed to sound female. The album has made the rounds on bootleg, and
   most of the tracks wound up being released eventually. ("Rock Hard In A
   Funky Place" and "Rebirth of the Flesh" are the exceptions) Check the album
   writing credits on SOTT and flipsides for Camille's name. You can also read
   the Lovesexy tourbook and listen to "Shockadelica" for more on Camille.

   Spooky Electric is Prince's euphemism for "the devil". Spooky has never
   written a song, but he influences Camille to make the "dark and evil"
   music. I'm not sure I'd characterize Camille's output as "good, religious
   and pure", but probably more on the love side of lovesexy than not. As far
   as I can recall, Camille hasn't been credited as the author of any of
   Prince's explicitly religious songs.

------------------------------

14) What are Prince's pen-names/alter-egos?

   [By Jon Brode]
   Prince often uses a pseudonym when composing material for other artists.
   In fact, he occasionally uses a pseudonym when composing his own material.
   Here is a list of the pen names he has used in roughly chronological order.

   Jamie Starr - Jamie never actually took credit for writing anything, but he
                 did produce (as himself or the Starr Company) the early Time,
                 Sheila E, Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6 albums. He is listed as an
                 engineer on Dirty Mind, and Prince calls him a thief in
                 "D.M.S.R.".

   Alexander Nevermind - Alexander clocks in at one song: "Sugar Walls".

   Christopher - Presumably, this is short for 'Christopher Tracy', from
                 "Under the Cherry Moon". Chris clocks in at one song: "Manic
                 Monday".

   Joey Coco    - Joey clocks in at 6 songs: "Neon Telephone", "Telepathy",
                  "101", "Cool Love", "Baby Go-Go" and "You're My Love". 

   Camille      - Camille has written one song thus far: "Scarlett Pussy".

   Paisley Park - This Prince's latest pseudo, responsible for "U" and "I Hear
                  Your Voice". Paisley Park also directed the movie "Graffiti
                  Bridge".

   Here is a list of Prince's various alter-egos and characters that he plays.

   The Kid           - Of all the characters, this is probably closest to
                       being Prince. Although he disputes that "Purple Rain"
                       was based (loosely) on his life, I think it is pretty
                       clear that this character is supposed to be him in
                       "Graffiti Bridge".

   Christopher Tracy - His character from "Under the Cherry Moon".

   Camille           - Camille, the character, as opposed to Camille, the
                       song-writer, is covered in question 13.

   Gemini            - In addition to being Prince's zodiac sign, Gemini is
                       the character he plays in the "Batdance" video. He is
                       supposed to represent the good/evil dichotomy.
                       Although, it is represented by Batman/Joker in this
                       particular instance, it is a theme that recurs
                       throughout his work.

   Spooky Electric   - Spooky is Prince's euphemism for 'the devil', not one
                       of Prince's alter-egos. But, since he's a character in
                       Prince's pantheon, he gets an honorable mention here.

   O(+>              - On June 7, 1993, Prince changed his name to that
                       symbol. See questions 9 thru 12.

   Tora Tora         - Wearing a veil Tora Tora does the 'double bass, vox and
                       other shit' on the 2nd NPG album "Exodus" and
                       associated productions/performances. Interviews
                       indicated that Tora Tora is a way to find a loophole
                       in O(+>'s contract with WB. On the other hand: O(+>
                       appears courtesy of WB on "Exodus"...

------------------------------

15) What is the story behind the Black Album?

   [By Jon Brode]
   Prince recorded most of the Black Album in 1987. It was supposed to be
   released with a minimum of publicity. It was named "The Black Album"
   because the cover was to be completely black. There was not going to be an
   actual title printed on the album.

   Most people speculate (and the parable in the Lovesexy tourbook confirms
   this) that he recorded the album to prove a point. The album was intended
   to be a rejoinder to the critics who had claimed that he had lost his hard,
   funky edge. At one time, the album was rumored to be titled "Funk Bible".

   Prince had a change of heart (as documented in the 1990 Rolling Stone
   interview and in the Lovesexy tourbook parable) and decided the album was
   too "dark". He thought that an artist is remembered by the last thing he
   released before his death and he didn't want to take the chance that he
   would die before he released a follow-up.

   On December 1st, 1987, Prince changed his mind and decided not to release
   it. Lovesexy replaced it. It became the most bootlegged album to date. It
   is rumored to have sold between 250,000 and 6 million copies as a bootleg.
   On November 22, 1994, it was officially released on a limited basis.

------------------------------

16) Why is the Lovesexy CD all one track?

   The straight artistic answer is "for artistic reasons". Prince wanted you
   to sit down and hear the album as one continuous experience.

   Perhaps he believed that the tracks flowed into one religious experience.

   Other answers could include:
     - he hadn't done _that_ yet
     - he wanted to be annoying

   There is a very small number of limited editions of tracked Lovesexy CDs
   that were sent to radio stations, but you won't find any for less than
   $100, and that will be a long hunt.

------------------------------

17) Tell me about the "O(+> Interactive" CD-ROM

   O(+> Interactive was released on June 7th, 1994. It is a pseudo-game that
   has a computer user point-and-click his/her way through a virtual
   environment that is a museum for Prince material. There are lots of song
   and video snippets, along with full-length versions of Interactive,
   Endorphinmachine, Diamonds & Pearls, and Gett Off. Interactive is also
   included as a seperate track (track 2) on the disc, so it can be played on
   a regular CD player as well.

   The software is available at many major software chains, and also through
   the NPG store (1-800-NEW-FUNK). Sirius have included Interactive in their
   5ft-10pak Collector's Edition CD pack, which might be the most economical
   solution to obtain it.

   Interactive comes on a single disc that runs on these platforms:

     MPC Level 2:
        486SX 25 MHz or faster
        4 MB Ram (8 reccomended)
        640x480 resolution with 65,536 colors (16 bit)
        Double speed CD-ROM
        15 MB Hard disk space
        16 bit sound blaster or Windows compatible sound card
        Windows 3.1
        Mouse

     Macintosh:
        Color Macintosh capable of displaying thousands of colors
        System 7.01 or higher
        Double Speed CD ROM
        8 MB RAM
        10 MB Hard Disk space
        Sound Manager 3.0 (included)

   Note that setting the graphical resolution higher than 640x480 can result
   in problems with opening the safe as well as with putting CD's in the
   player in the DJ booth.

   The graphics are quite nice (stunning, in fact), but the "game" itself only
   takes about 5 hours, and is not considered interesting or challenging by
   many people.

   Is it worth your $40-$50?  Some people say "yes!", and some say "nahhh."
   It all depends on how big a fan you are, and how much you like to play with
   new technology.

   This thing is not likely to create any new Prince converts, but it is a
   hopeful forray into a new media.

------------------------------

18) What does the Spanish on TGE mean?

   [Posted to alt.music.prince by Spicy]
   At the beginning of "Pussy Control":

     Nuestra presentacion especial comenzara en breve, pero antes un mensaje
     de nuestros auspiciadores.

     Our special presentation will start shortly, but first a message from
     our sponsors.
   
   "Endorphinmachine" (3:56):

     Prince esta muerto, Prince esta muerto.
     Que viva para siempre el Poder de la Nueva Generacion.

     Prince is dead, Prince is Dead.
     For ever (always) live the New Power Generation.

   At the beginning of "We March":

     Uno para todos y todos para uno.

     One for all and all for one.

------------------------------

19) Hey, Why doesn't he release ______?

   [By Jon Brode]
   Just about every Prince fan has something on their wish list that they
   would like Prince to release. The most common requests are for boxed sets,
   maxi-single collections, live albums, and quality versions of songs that
   are floating around on bootlegs. The greatest hits boxed set has done some
   to quell some of these requests, but there is still much more that could
   be released.

   So, why doesn't he? They're cheap to produce and could make a lot of
   money, right?

   Well, yes. But the constraint has traditionally been much product is
   'healthy' to have on the market. According to Warner Brothers, Prince
   releases too much material. WB gets annoyed because he perpetually
   inundates the market. In years past, he probably didn't want to put off
   the release of a new album in order to release old material. Perhaps his
   'retirement' and ensuing spats with Warner Brothers has opened up new
   possibilities.

------------------------------

20) Doesn't he pick the wrong songs to release as singles?

   [By Jon Brode]
   Yes. Absolutely. Every time this is discussed on the list, we all agree
   that he often makes 'wrong' choices for single releases.

   However, we can never come to a concordance on their replacements. Which
   leads one to believe that Prince's pick is just as good as anyone else's.

------------------------------

21) How can you tell when Prince has written a song?

   [By Jon Brode]
   Knowing the pseudonyms that he uses is a big help. If you spot one of the
   names listed above, you know Prince wrote the song. However, if he starts
   using new pseudos, you have to be a bit more clever.

   The best thing to do is check the copyright credits and see who the
   published the song. Prince has used 6 publishing companies, and if you see
   one of them listed in the credits, he probably had a hand in the writing.
   His pre-Controversy work was all published by Ecnirp Music. His post-Dirty
   Mind work has all been published by Controversy Music. When writing for
   other people, he will sometimes use Controversy Music, but often tries to
   disguise his involvement by using one of his other publishing companies. He
   owns the following publishing companies:  Parissongs (Family & Madhouse),
   Girlsongs (Vanity, Apollonia 6, and Sheila E.), and Tionna Music (The
   Time). He owns some (if not all of) NPG Music.

   You can also check with the US Library of Congress. Telnet to locis.loc.gov
   to access their databases. There is help on-line.

------------------------------

22) Is Prince bi/homosexual?

   Whenever this question comes up, a common answer is "Who cares?". Most
   Prince fans are entranced by the music, not the sexual orientation.

   If one gives the matter some serious thought, though, the vast majority of
   his work is unmistakeably about heterosexual relationships (except where he
   plays with double meaning), and there have been no sightings of him with
   another man. His women, on the otherhand, are known to be world-class
   beauties.

   The man obviously doesn't mind if people think he's bisexual, and it's
   possible he is or was, but he's very much in the closet about it if so.
   Even if he's perfectly straight, his lyrics indicate that he would welcome
   any sexual orientation into the utopian "Uptown". Most fans tend to
   believe he's simply androgynous: displaying characteristics of both
   genders.

------------------------------

23) What about all the other questions I have?

   If you have any questions left, you might try one of the books on Prince
   (see question 6).

   The NPN seems to be the best starting point to search for answers
   (see question 2).

   If your question is still not answered, ask about it on alt.music.prince .

[RM 12/15/95]
