I still remember and think about Prince often. It's a weird void that you just learn to live with when your heroes die. Even in his later album and songs, which I didn't listen to often, I always looked forward to seeing what he was gonna do next. It's always special when an artist that you like reaches that personal level of loyalty that you will always follow them, no matter what artistic direction they go in. It was that way with Bowie. It's that way with Beck and Jill Scott. And it was definitely that way with Prince. I always rooted for Prince to make a big comeback. I think a lot of people did. He was a hero and idol to many. And he was disliked by many. He wrote a lot of people's favorite music. He wrote a lot of music that wasn't people's favorite. He was an enigma and iconic in a way that few artists can be. He was awkward. He was bold. He wrote a lot of experimental, cheesy songs, and put them out there in the world, and then moved on to the next project. He helped a lot of people like me be ok with being courageous enough to try with their own music and art, and be experimental, cheesy, etc., and then move on. He was a really diverse and underrated songwriter. He wrote 'I Wanna Be Your Lover' and 'Let's Go Crazy' and 'Musicology'. He wrote good, radio friendly songs that will be around for a long time like 'Kiss', 'Little Red Corvette', and 'Raspberry Beret'. He wrote some great, memorable lyrics like 'Darling Nikki', and some bad, forgettable lyrics like 'My Name is Prince'. He wrote 'When Doves Cry' which opened a lot of people's eyes, like myself. And his guitar solos were really, really special like on 'Joy In Repetition'. His death came as a shock. No one was ready for it. It was a reminder that even though we live our routine and mostly predictable lives every day for years and years, it's still unpredictable and what seems important and crucial to get done today may not be tomorrow. So pick a favorite song by one of your favorite artist today, and enjoy it for all that it is. I'm picking "Condition Of The Heart" by Prince. He was bold, fearless, and fallible. He was Prince. 0(+>

Music has been an incredibly important part of my life. Throughout my life, I have always had trouble connecting with and understanding people. It's hard to be understood the way you feel inside, and it doesn't happen often. Maybe you can relate. But, music is able to do that for me. It comforts me when I'm hurting. It lifts me up when I'm down. It adds to my happiness when things are going good, and it's a lifelong friend that's got my back. It is the background to my dreams of what I wish life could be, and sometimes is. I don't know if we are anything other than science and physics and neurons and cells, but if there's anything about life that's unworldly and magical, it's gotta be music. There's 2 kinds of music experiences in particular that really stick out, to me anyways. One, is finding that new song that just stops everything in your world, because it's that good. A friend of mine once put it as "finding the holy grail of music", and I think that's a good description. It doesn't happen that often. Sure you might find a song that's catchy or that you really like, and those are good too. But I'm talking about a song that seems to stop time. It gets your full attention. Kind of like falling in love. That kind of feeling. One example was the first time I heard "Sometimes It Snows In April" by Prince. If you don't know that song, and you're a Prince fan, oh man, you're gonna be surprised. It is beautiful beyond words. And, bittersweet now that he is gone. The second kind of music experience is when you're writing music, and you write that one hook or idea or passage that you just know is something really special. And you play it over and over. Just the right chord progression, or shape of the melody. Maybe just the right vocal and accompaniment, or the right instrumentation. Or maybe just the perfect lyric that says exactly how you feel. And you hope that others like it, but even if they don't, it's still your creation and you're proud of it. And you'll always have it. That's why music.