What a character. Copied and plagiarised by such as Michael Jackson and Prince, for me he was the wildest of the rock n rollers and definitely the one who most outraged 1950s parents. Black, as obviously gay as french windows AND shrieking rock n roll? No wonder they smashed his records! Being a religious nutty gentleman (off and on), meant he struggled with his sexuality. He often renounced the devil's music for periods of time and became a preacher before straying (thankfully for us) back into the arms of Satan once more. One born again moment apparently happened on a ferry crossing, causing him to lob thousands of dollars of jewellery, all the rings etc he was wearing, into the water. He also preached against being gay: "Gard made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!" was one of his notable catchphrases. But more fun was when he was not being religious, which was most of the time. I remember him being interviewed by the BBC radio in front of a live studio audience. You could never describe him as shy and he started getting a bit too detailed in his description of the debauchery that had led him astray from God's path. The BBC interviewer was getting very uncomfortable as he went on describing in detail how Satan had made him lick cocaine from naked bodies at various orgies. There was more or less silence from the shocked audience when he finished his revelations and realising they weren't quite with him, he half turned to them, spread his hands wide, gave a cheesy grin and said "Oh come on, EVERYONE likes orgies...." What a man! RIP and I hope the disappointment of finding out neither god or Satan actually exists is not too bad.
Agree with much of the sentiment, but accusing Prince of plagiarising him is to do a disservice to the Purple, Pint Sized Nutcase. He was obviously influenced by a lot of artists, but I don't see anyone before, or since, who quite encapsulates Prince's unique style and talent. In fact, he belongs in the great guitarists thread too. Regarded by many as one of the best rock guitarists. I say this as someone who is not altogether a massive Prince fan, but who respects the talent, creativity and talent he possessed. Michael Jackson was probably talented too.
