Authors: Alan Light
Let's Go Crazy (32 page)
Love and gratitude to Alice Bezanson, who did all the dirty work as researcher, transcriber, fact-checker, and provider of whatever editorial services were needed. I'm so glad you are in my life, and you will remain so wherever your latest adventures take you.
Sarah Lazin, as always, is a wise agent, friend, and sounding board. Thanks also to Sarah's associates Manuela Jessel and Anna Qu.
At Atria, once again, Peter Borland took a leap of faith and then offered support, enthusiasm, and direction. It's great to have you in my corner on these oddball ideas, as well as Judith Curr, Daniel Loedel, Daniella Wexler, David Brown, and freelance copy editor Polly Watson.
Over the years, I've had the chance to write about Prince for such outlets as
Rolling Stone
,
Spin
,
Vibe
,
Tracks
, Amazon, and msn.com. Thank you to my colleagues at all of these publications for the opportunities, and for making my writing better.
Thanks to my classmates in the CCDS class of 1984 and the Yale class of 1988 for sharing the
Purple Rain
obsession in real time.
For so very many things: Hal Brooks, Mike Errico, Keith Hammond, Mike Paranzino, Dick Schumacher, Dan Carey, Jennifer Goldsmith Adams, Sia Michel, Emily ÂZemler, Rob Johnson, Charlene Benson, Brant Louck, ÂJohanna ÂSchlegel,
Anji Chandra, Sam Kramer, Elysa Gardner, Anthony ÂDeCurtis, and Joe Angio.
Irwin, Janet, and Sharon Light are the most loving, encouraging family on earth.
Suzanne McElfresh and Adam Light, I love you more each day. And you, too, are just so damn funky.
May U Live 2 See the Dawn.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo credit: Mary Ellen Matthews
Alan Light has been one of America's leading music journalists for the past twenty years. Light was a senior editor at
Rolling Stone
, founding music editor and editor in chief of
Vibe
, and editor in chief of
Spin
magazine. He has been a contributor for
The New Yorker
,
GQ
,
Entertainment Weekly
,
Elle
,
Mother Jones
, and the
Oxford American
,
and is the author of
The Skills to Pay the Bills
, an oral history of the Beastie Boys;
The Holy or the Broken
: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of “Hallelujah”
; and cowriter of the
New York Times
bestselling memoir by Greg Allman,
My Cross to Bear
.
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
authors.simonandschuster.com/Alan-Light
ALSO BY ALAN LIGHT
The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the Unlikely Ascent of
“Hallelujah”
The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys
My Cross to Bear
by Gregg Allman (co-writer)
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INDEX
A note about the index:
The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system's search function.
A
American Bandstand
(television show),
33
American Music Awards,
227
â29
Anderson, Linda,
27
Anderson family,
26
â27
“Annie Christian,”
40
“Another Lonely Christmas,”
218
,
220
Ansen, David,
160
Apollonia 6; 84,
110
,
112
,
122
,
123
,
131
,
132
,
146
,
148
,
150
,
163
,
212
Apple Computer,
208
â09
Aradillas, Aaron,
193
â94
“Around the World in a Day,”
221
Around the World in a Day
inspiration for,
221
Leeds on,
244
Prince on making of,
222
Purple Rain
album compared with,
253
â54
reception for,
242
release of,
164
,
242
â43,
247
,
249
,
254
solo focus of,
222
Warner Bros. and,
242
Arsenio Hall Show
(television show),
15
,
28
Ayeroff, Jeff,
243
B
“Baby,”
30
“Baby I'm a Star,”
6
,
75
,
76
,
137
,
140
,
151
,
157
,
214
,
219
,
226
,
227
,
237
,
242
,
274
Baker, Hayward (stepfather),
26
,
174
Baker, Mattie Shaw Nelson (mother),
24
â26,
56
,
147
,
174
,
220
Beals, Jennifer,
107
Beatles,
8
,
18
,
39
,
56
,
57
,
137
,
146
,
155
,
159
,
163
,
189
,
202
,
205
,
206
,
218
,
221
,
246
“Beautiful Ones, The,”
96
,
102
,
137
,
150
,
151
Bennett, LeRoy,
116
â17,
140
,
196
,
219
Benton, Jerome,
86
,
123
,
125
,
130
â31,
132
,
143
,
180
,
213
,
224
,
239
,
258
Bilal,
35
Billboard
magazine,
7
,
44
â45,
48
,
195
,
217
“Bird, The” (the Time),
16
,
212
,
259
Black Album, The
,
217
black community
black directors and movies in,
269
candidates in elections from,
199
cultural context of 1984 and changes in,
21
,
195
â96,
198
,
210
exploitation movies in,
180
Madonna's targeting of,
205
pop music in,
36
Prince's background in,
24
â25
Purple Rain
album and,
170
â71
Purple Rain
movie and,
9
,
155
â56,
176
â77,
183
â84,
210
radio stations in,
39
,
41
,
42
,
205
reaction to Prince's work in,
39
,
72
,
183
â84,
217
black identity
characters in
Purple Rain
and,
177
,
180
Prince's parents and,
24
Prince's interview responses on,
24
â25
Prince's multiracial vision of,
65
,
138
,
171
,
206
Prince's performance in
Purple Rain
and,
177
Purple Rain
's multiracial approach to,
138
rap and,
207
rise of black artists with,
199
,
269
â70
black music
Bloom on,
57
cultural context of 1984 and,
195
â96,
198
,
210
difficulties of promoting,
44
impact of Jackson work in,
196
,
200
MTV's resistance to airtime for,
48
,
195
popularity of,
44
â45,
57
,
195
â96
Prince seen as black artist in,
24
,
29
,
39
,
42
,
156
,
189
Prince's vision of mixing race and genders in,
51
,
65
,
138
,
171
,
206
Purple Rain
album as,
170
â71,
200
Revolution band and,
4
rise of black artists in,
199
,
269
â70
white audiences' acceptance of,
43
,
49
,
170
â71,
195
,
210
,
217
Blinn, William
as writer for
Purple Rain
,
66
â67,
70
,
106
Bloom, Howard
genesis of
Purple Rain
and,
57
â58
on Prince's personality,
25
,
27
,
28
,
241
on Prince's relationship with Jackson,
196
â97
on Prince's success and teamwork,
257
publicity for Purple Rain by,
134
,
154
â55,
159
â60,
165
,
178
,
182
Bobby Z (Rivkin),
4
,
29
,
33
,
50
,
54
,
63
â64,
77
,
138
,
167
,
215
,
260
,
261
,
262
Bogle, Donald,
177
Bon Jovi,
201
Born in the USA
(Springsteen),
167
,
171
,
189
,
193
,
202
â04,
248
,
254
Branca, John,
197
â98
“Breakdown, The,”
276
Brown, James,
5
,
26
,
48
,
56
,
170
,
205
,
218
,
224
,
274
â75
Brown, Jim,
103
Brown, Mark,
42
,
63
,
77
,
129
,
174
,
240
,
248
,
260
,
261
,
262
C
Cabaret
(film),
140
Calder, Clive,
161
Callahan, Maureen,
47
Camille
,
255
Canby, Vincent,
175
â76
Cardenas, Mark,
213
Carey, Mariah,
269
“Case of You, A,”
4
Cavallo, Bob