Weekly Wisdom April 20, 2016

he passing of Prince didn’t affect me personally as much as the deaths of T other musicians in the last few months. Last Thursday, I was travelling to and fro from WSU in Pullman with HR colleagues when the news broke. I listened in on the conversations about times where Prince’s music provided the background…Prince was the first live concert for some. It made me want to do some Internet noodling to learn more about him.

From The Guardian: www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/22/prince-obituary Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis. His father, John Nelson, was leader of the Prince Rogers jazz trio, and met his wife-to-be, Mattie Shaw, when playing at community dances on Minneapolis’s North Side. The couple named their son after John’s stage name, though the boy was nicknamed “Skipper” when he was growing up. His parents’ musical leanings rubbed off on him, and at the age of seven he wrote his first song, Funk Machine, on his father’s piano. His parents separated when Prince was 10, and he would alternate between living with his father and with his mother and her new husband, Hayward Baker. It was Baker who took the boy to see James Brown perform, an event that profoundly influenced Prince’s approach to writing and performing. From CNN: www.cnn.com/2016/04/21/entertainment/prince- dead-obit/ Prince's music transcended genres and Wisdom from Prince: generations. There were songs you could sing every word to, “I don’t really care so much what ditties that drove you to dance and ballads so poignant in people say about me because it their descriptions of love and life that anyone could relate. usually is a reflection of who they Simply put, not that anything with the mercurial musician are.” was simple, Prince had more hits than most musicians have songs in their catalogs. Writing and producing music in five “A strong spirit transcends rules.” decades, he touched and inspired artists all along the musical spectrum, from to Beyonce, from Stevie “Despite everything, no one can Nicks to , from Public Enemy to and dictate who you are to other from George Clinton to The Time. people.” He stood out in other ways. In 1993, Prince changed his name to an “As long as I do not take myself unpronounceable symbol, which was also the title of his latest album. He became known as "The Artist Formerly too seriously, I should not be too Known as Prince," which he shortened to "The Artist," and badly off.” his career underwent a setback after Warner Brothers dropped its distribution deal with Paisley Park Records. “Compassion is an action word According to Eric Deggans, NPR media critic, “He could talk with no boundaries.” very knowledgeably about the music business. And was very witty. Also a little shy. Had two twin assistants dressed exactly the same who trailed after him. And we met in a conference room that had doves in it, so it was quite an interesting experience."

For me, it’s another life ended too soon…another talent gone. It makes me sad to think about celebrity and isolation, about our culture and how those we idolize sometimes die alone. I hope he’s at peace. I write Weekly Wisdom as the Executive Director of Human Resources at Central University. Having an eye for meaningful things, I include my own observations and thoughts, ideas I’ve recently encountered, and/or topics that are of current importance. I like to think that others will find reading Weekly Wisdom worth their time. Staci Sleigh-Layman