Read Let's Go Crazy Online

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 ­Zemler, Rob Johnson, Charlene Benson, Brant Louck, ­Johanna ­Schlegel,
Anji Chandra, Sam Kramer, Elysa Gardner, Anthony ­DeCurtis, 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

SimonandSchuster.com

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

A&M Records,
29
,
213
,
228
,
229

Academy Award Oscars,
7
,
62
,
226

Ali, Muhammad,
43
,
246

Amendolia, Don,
83
,
85

“America,”
222
,
237

American Bandstand
(television show),
33

American Music Awards,
227
–29

Amos, Tori,
16
,
36
,
183
,
272

Anderson, Linda,
27

Anderson family,
26
–27

“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
–09

Aradillas, Aaron,
193
–94

“Around the World in a Day,”
221

Around the World in a Day

Fink on,
221
,
253

inspiration for,
221

Leeds on,
244

Prince on making of,
222

Purple Rain
album compared with,
253
–54

reception for,
242

release of,
164
,
242
–43,
247
,
249
,
254

solo focus of,
222

songs on,
221
,
231
,
241

success of,
249
,
253

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
–26,
56
,
147
,
174
,
220

Beals, Jennifer,
107

Beastie Boys,
138
,
207

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
–17,
140
,
196
,
219

Benton, Jerome,
86
,
123
,
125
,
130
–31,
132
,
143
,
180
,
213
,
224
,
239
,
258

Beyoncé,
12
,
270

Bilal,
35

Billboard
magazine,
7
,
44
–45,
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
–96,
198
,
210

exploitation movies in,
180

Madonna's targeting of,
205

Minneapolis and,
24
–25,
138

pop music in,
36

Prince's background in,
24
–25

Prince's vision of,
37
,
51
,
65

Purple Rain
album and,
170
–71

Purple Rain
movie and,
9
,
155
–56,
176
–77,
183
–84,
210

radio stations in,
39
,
41
,
42
,
205

reaction to Prince's work in,
39
,
72
,
183
–84,
217

sexual behavior and,
36
,
122

black identity

characters in
Purple Rain
and,
177
,
180

Coleman on,
61
,
64

“Controversy” lyrics on,
40
,
41

Prince's parents and,
24

Prince's interview responses on,
24
–25

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
–70

black music

Bloom on,
57

cultural context of 1984 and,
195
–96,
198
,
210

difficulties of promoting,
44

impact of Jackson work in,
196
,
200

MTV's resistance to airtime for,
48
,
195

popularity of,
44
–45,
57
,
195
–96

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
–71,
200

rap and hip-hop in,
207
,
269

Revolution band and,
4

rise of black artists in,
199
,
269
–70

white audiences' acceptance of,
43
,
49
,
170
–71,
195
,
210
,
217

Blinn, William

on Prince,
66
,
67

as writer for
Purple Rain
,
66
–67,
70
,
106

Bloom, Howard

genesis of
Purple Rain
and,
57
–58

on Prince's personality,
25
,
27
,
28
,
241

on Prince's relationship with Jackson,
196
–97

on Prince's success and teamwork,
257

publicity for Purple Rain by,
134
,
154
–55,
159
–60,
165
,
178
,
182

Bobby Z (Rivkin),
4
,
29
,
33
,
50
,
54
,
63
–64,
77
,
138
,
167
,
215
,
260
,
261
,
262

Bogle, Donald,
177

Bon Jovi,
201

Born in the USA
(Springsteen),
167
,
171
,
189
,
193
,
202
–04,
248
,
254

Bowie, David,
186
,
204

Branca, John,
197
–98

“Breakdown, The,”
276

Brown, James,
5
,
26
,
48
,
56
,
170
,
205
,
218
,
224
,
274
–75

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
–76

Canton, Mark,
104
,
105
,
160

Cardenas, Mark,
213

Carey, Mariah,
269

“Case of You, A,”
4

Cavallo, Bob

Blinn as writer for
Purple Rain
and,
66
,
67

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