This Thing Called Life: Prince’s Odyssey, On and Off the Record

This book is probably one of the best books written about Prince. Very well documented and thoughtfully put together. Understanding Prince, the man, is such an elusive story and Neal is very forthright in saying that all anyone knew of Prince was 15%. Neal, who interviewed and wrote about Prince for Rolling Stone Magazine, forged an unlikely and unique friendship through the years. Putting this book together from all of his notes and tapes through the years gives us a glimpse into Prince\’s life. The audio book has the recordings of the interviews with Prince and you hear, in Prince\’s own voice, the message he wanted to convey about himself…..someday. Since Prince passed before he could complete his own biography, Neal has helped complete this story in a way that does Prince proud. I highly recommend this book. Thank you Neal for keepin\’ it real.

For over 30 years, I was a rabid Prince fan. It was a funky time, and what I knew about Prince was what everyone else knew: the wunderkind who came from an abusive home, and whose mother and sister were the muses of his most sordid songs and sexual repertoire. The royal badness who swayed the ladies and laid with the ladies, who were the most beautiful ones in the world. The multi-instrumental genus who blew the world away at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A legend of all time, or was he just a legend of his own gimmick, which hid his true, authentic self? Neal Karlen was Prince’s “acquaintance” for over 30 years, and even calling Prince that was reaching. Even so, Prince felt a kinship with the fellow Northsider from MPLS, and was the one journalist who Prince felt comfortable with going on and off the record to. In confiding in Prince, Karlen saw a man who was painfully human, yet so caught up in his own hype that he never allowed himself to BE human. Prince was the king of pain…Physically and emotionally. And “This thing called life” is a sad, painful read. I enjoyed the read, despite some flaws. I do believe the book could have been edited some, and cut down by some pages. Despite being a convoluted read, there’s something about “This thing called life” that makes it the most honest, believable Prince book I’ve read (and I’ve read my share of them), hence four stars. One can see the parallels and contradictions of Prince, which resulted from Prince’s own need to recreate his “image,” at the expense of his humanity. He writes about him as Prince Nelson from North MPLS, because at the core of Prince’s being, he wasn’t a demigod: He was Prince Nelson from the Northside. Prince too saw Karlen as the real deal because he didn’t fall for the Prince Kayfabe, which was why he was so honest with him. What Karlen leaves for us readers to think about is that Prince gave us way more than what us fans paid for, and it was a steep cost to his physical, mental, and emotional well-being. But then again, that too was part of the act. Sadly, the gimmick hid all the things that made Prince human, which is what ultimately killed him. Note: some of the harshest reviewers here are Stan’s who believe that Prince was murdered by WB’s and the Illuminati. I know who they are. Never mind them

I don\’t like this book. The author rambles too much about nothing. Just get the book from the library and I hope you don\’t get a headache like i have now.

Neal Karlen’s story takes you on a journey of his professional interactions and personal relationship with Prince. Although he doesn’t get into much of Prince’s stellar music making and brilliant songs – 39+ exemplary albums plus live concert bootlegs, he does offer up a view from his perspective of a relationship with a musical genius of our times. Parts of this book are not easy to read. I laughed, I cried. What I found interesting here was to see so many facets of Prince’s personality and shades of emotion. Although Neal\’s story takes you on a deep dive some of it sounds like fiction. If you are looking for a story that’s warm and fuzzy or complimentary, this is not it. What you will find is the heart and mind of a complex genius and many of the obstacles he overcame as he took us all on his wild ride through “this thing called life”. Does Neal have respect for his subjects? That\’s for you to decide…

Whoever edited this book should be fired – there are so many places where Karlen repeats the same information multiple times as if it were being introduced for the first time and that it takes away from the slivers of good content that this book has. There just wasn\’t enough content for a full-length book. There are a few good Prince stories which are offset by some very stretched metaphors (which are often repeated). It would have been better if Karlen had just transcribed the best parts of his full-length interviews (at least those he taped) with Prince and called it a day.

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