I'm not one to get choked up about the passing of celebrities. The bottom line is: I don't know them. I don't feel that I do because I've listened to their music, or seen their movies--or, in the case of Prince, both.
But the passing of Robin Williams and of Prince have jolted me a bit, and I don't know why. Yes, I was a big fan of both at a critical time. I was aware of both when I was about 12, which I guess is when you consciously become a fan of somebody's, and when you decide to stick with them.
Maybe I connected to both of them in ways that I still don't quite get. I don't know. But I've been saddened a bit by the passing of both; I didn't know them, but somehow I guess I felt I did. I've been a bigger fan of others who've died, and I haven't felt the same about it. Inexplicable and depressing.
Much like you said in your previous blog, I think the death of artists like Prince signify the loss of our youth. When I hear "Raspberry Baret" I imagine myself coming out of school wearing my uniform or doing homework. I can hear it playing on the radio as my family would go to the mall. It stirs up reminiscent feelings of my childhood. I think that's why most people mourn celebrity deaths because with the death of that artist comes the end of that youthful time. Sure you got the old records and the old movies to watch, but knowing that person is no longer alive makes it more all the more distant. The harsh truth of knowing that time will never and can never come back is hard to accept.
ReplyDeleteI liked Prince, but was never a huge fan. I certainly acknowledge his talent and recognize his role in music and pop culture history. He was one of kind without a doubt and there will never be another like him.
All true. Both came as a surprise to me, especially Robin Williams, who I didn't realize I thought of as much. I'm listening to my Purple Rain LP (who everyone my age probably has) and I'm surprised to see how worn the cover and slipcase are, and how sharp the edges of the record. I remember playing this album, and Around the World in A Day, a lot.
DeleteI just told someone today that what I've always liked about Prince is that he made eccentricity okay. He was very eclectic and eccentric--even for the 80s--and I would unashamedly repeat his lyrics out loud, from Little Red Corvette to The Cross, after which I stepped off the Purple Train for awhile.
Now, like everyone else my age, I'm back. I am a bit ashamed and self-disgusted by this, since true fans never leave, and so why am I hit so hard since I did let the purple train pass throughout the 2000s?