Prince, "Gold."

Work

I finished a big job last night (my column) and though I still have other things to do, I plan to take it easy. Kawate Seed Shop closes tomorrow so I hope to go there later today, depending on the lines.

The big news that broke last night: Peter Boy's parents charged in his death.

A glance at the headlines: I see a weasel has caused a shutdown of the Large Hadron Collider.

"Crazy hack" (Nancy Nall's term) Armond White on Prince here and here.

Prince and the other great pop musicians of the 1980s — Michael Jackson, The Smiths, Public Enemy, Pet Shop Boys, Scritti Politti, Kate Bush, the Au Pairs, sometimes Madonna — were part of the texture of Reagan and Thatcher realities. They responded to the policies of that era in ways that Prince mourners now ignore by trading the thought-provoking complexities of yesterday’s cultural arguments for the non-thinking conformity of today’s politically naïve pop culture. It’s as if personal politics (the only politics a pop artist can honestly proclaim) didn’t matter.

Prince

Never forget that after Dave Chappelle did his famous Prince sketch, PRINCE PUT HIM ON HIS ACTUAL SINGLE COVER. pic.twitter.com/yxbevRpLrm

— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) April 21, 2016

Named after the Prince Roger Trio, a jazz band his father performed with, Prince was signed to WB Records as a teenager. #RIPurple

— The Crisis Magazine (@thecrisismag) April 22, 2016

What could have been.

Madonna's manager Guy Oseary recalls:

I called him a few years back with the idea of @Madonna and Prince going on tour together. I pitched it to Madonna and within a second she said "I like it, we can call it the Royalty Tour... The Queen and The Prince".... I love the way she thinks... When I told Prince the idea he said: "the world isn't ready for this, it's too big".. I always felt like one day I would pull it off..

Michael Jackson didn't like Prince.

Mark Ames swipes at his former colleague Matt Taibbi:

Seriously, if the gonzo gig dries up there's a big future in Hallmark cards. Fucking hell pic.twitter.com/A9xSw39l40

— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) April 23, 2016

And Nancy Nall gnashes her teeth (again) at Mitch Albom for his column on Prince.