Today the world lost Prince, a true (and quite uncommon) musical genius, and I am shocked and devastated.
Prince’s artistic courage, his integrity, his fucking ALIEN skill on every instrument he ever looked at, his undeniably ultimate mastery of funk and every other genre he ever bent/combined/invented… these things are permanent, unforgettable, and quite possibly unsurpassable forever. He was the very pinnacle of musical achievement. Nobody who has ever listened to him play any instrument in any style could ever deny that he was literally The Best at it.
As a musician and songwriter who plays a variety of rock instruments in a variety of genres, his importance to me personally cannot be overstated. People like him, Stevie Wonder, and Todd Rundgren convinced me that it is totally possible for one person to play every instrument and make music of any style one might fancy undertaking. As a hero, he will always be the single most UNDER-rated musician I could ever name, no matter how legendary his status may grow. Prince was the True DIY King.
Go back and listen closely to his early records today. Then continue until his most recent work. You will find a thick thread of pure, unadulterated GENIUS.
You could do that, too, you know. Oh, none of us will ever be nearly as good – that’s just reality. But *practise* and *imagine* and *put it down* (DO IT!) on record, and keep on doing it. We can all create anything we can envision in our heads if we only try.