In a feature just published today, Rolling Stone declares 2014 the 30th anniversary of “pop’s greatest year.” 1984 was “the year that pop stood tallest,” according to several collaborators on a feature listing the 100 best songs of that year. And who stood tallest in 1984? Well, Madonna was pretty good—her “Borderline” comes in at #2. Michael Jackson? […]
This weekend marked the 30th anniversary of the release of Purple Rain, and we’ve been celebrating the iconic rock ‘n’ roll film in a big way. And while we’ve talked a lot about the actors that appear of the film—Prince, his leading lady Apollonia, his band the Revolution, and cast members like Morris Day and the Time—there’s another […]
As part of our big celebration of the 30th anniversary of Prince’s Purple Rain, I got a chance to sit down for a rare interview with Prince’s co-star in the film, Apollonia Kotero. Apollonia was back in town for the first time since filming Purple Rain to perform at Revolution drummer Bobby Z’s annual Benefit […]
“30 years ago today,” acknowledged Prince with a sly smile as the artist who’s previously downplayed the occasion’s significance segued from “Let’s Go Crazy” into “Take Me with U” on Saturday night at Paisley Park. Just a week after making my first-ever visit to Paisley Park, I was again invited out to Chanhassen last night—along with 176,000 […]
Looking back at July 1984, it’s hard to believe just how many musical events shook up Minneapolis and continue to inspire and mystify us 30 years later. In just the span of a few short months Hüsker Dü would release their revered album Zen Arcade, the Replacements would drop Let It Be, and Prince would […]
It’s hard to believe three decades have already passed, but on July 27, 2014, Prince’s iconic Minneapolis-based film Purple Rain will turn 30 years old. We’re celebrating the rock ‘n’ roll movie with an audio documentary that will air on the Current on Sunday night, July 27, at 6 p.m., and we need your help. […]
When you live in Minnesota, trying to understand the magnitude of Prince’s accomplishment is kind of like trying to talk about the sun when you’re standing on it. Here’s a story that helped me get my mind around the extent of Prince’s musical celebrity. When Michael Jackson agreed to play a set of wildly-anticipated comeback […]
Prince is funny. That may sound like too basic a descriptor for one of the most iconic, eccentric, and enigmatic pop artists of our time, but after spending several hours with him last night at Paisley Park I was left thinking that he is really, really funny. It’s rare that more than five minutes goes by without Prince […]
It was 30 years ago today that Prince and his band the Revolution released Purple Rain, still the best-selling album to come out of Minnesota. The record came out just over a month before the film of the same name would hit theaters, and the singles “When Doves Cry and “Let’s Go Crazy” quickly climbed […]
Apollonia Kotero is no stranger to the Twin Cities. As Prince’s on-screen romantic interest in Purple Rain, she spent many months here filming the 1984 movie—and June 28 will mark her first time back in Minneapolis since the shooting of the film over 30 years ago. Kotero will participate in the third annual Benefit 2 […]
