Purple prose
How about a PhD in Prince studies?
HE has been lauded as one of the most influential artists of all time. And soon, academics from around the globe are to gather for the first-ever conference devoted to all things Prince. The life and legacy of the pop genius, who died last year at the age of 57, is the subject of a two-day event this week attended by speakers from the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The conference, taking place at the University of Salford in Manchester, will include talks from Dez Dickerson, Prince’s guitarist from The Revolution and former Stone Roses guitarist Aziz Ibrahim, who was influenced by the “Purple One”. Academic speakers will cover a wide range of topics ranging from the artist’s impact on millennial attitudes to gender expression and his relationship with his fans to his role as a “transcendent poet” and as an artist who sought to transgress boundaries. Conference organiser Dr Kirsty Fairclough, senior lecturer in media and performance at Salford University, said it had attracted huge interest with more than 120 papers submitted by academics, out of which 67 have been selected for presentation.
She said: “We have papers on all different aspects of Prince’s career, looking at his performance style, his religious identity, gender and sexuality, and how he negotiated being a black man working in mainstream pop.
“His music is obviously the key aspect of the whole conference. There hasn’t been a lot of academic research on Prince – yet he has been in the cultural consciousness for so many years.”
During the conference, which takes place from Wednesday to Friday, build-
Prince’s music is obviously the key aspect of the whole conference
ings in Salford will be lit up in purple – Prince’s signature colour – in tribute to the artist. Fairclough said some people had questioned why it was being held in the city and its connection to Prince, who was born in Minneapolis, USA.
But she said: “We just thought why not – no-one else has done it. We have tried to make sure it is not just an academic conference, there are public elements – the fan base is enormous.”
Fairclough added that Eric Leeds, the saxophonist who worked with Prince for years, has said he believed the artist would have felt “honoured and humbled” that a conference is being held on his musical legacy.
Prince died on April 21, 2016 at his Paisley Park studios near Minneapolis, from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl. He died without a will and as many as 45 people have filed claims to his £150 million estate, saying they were his wife, children, siblings or other relatives.