On Sunday Barack Obama completed his sweep of the most recent primaries with a devastating win in Maine. At the same time, 3,000 miles away across the country at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, Morris Day and the Time took the stage at this years Grammys for a blistering performance. This cannot be a coincidence. It occurred to me today the narrative of 2008s primary campaign is beginning to eerily resemble Purple Rain.
Barack Obama is like Prince, a somewhat racially ambiguous psychedelic composite of multiple different kinds of awesome; his prodigous showmanship and seemingly boundless natural ability could make him a legend, and yet he remains … an enigma. The club owners want him to play the type of music they think the people want to hear, but The Kid’s got other ideas.
Hilary Clinton is like Apollonia (D-NY), a glorified back-up singer desperate for the spotlight who doesn’t really care who she sings for; she just wants to get put on. “Put me on! Please! Put me on! I’ll do anything! What do I have to do?” Well, for starters, you have to purify yourself in the waters of LakeMinnetonka. Wait! That ain’t LakeMinnetonka. Sorry, now we’ve lost all respect for you. Oh well.
Let’s Have Some Asses Wigglin’….I Wanna See Some Perfection!
John McCain is like Morris Day and America is like First Avenue. First Avenue is his club, he is the headliner and only he is gonna give the people what they neeeeeeeeed, baby. But he’s got to check himself in the mirror to make sure he looks good before he does it.
Morris Day (McCain) isn’t feeling The Kid’s (Obama’s) style and he will stop at nothing to defeat him. Both of their interests in Apollonia (Clinton) will fall by the wayside, until in the weeks leading up to Ohio and Texas, she reveals her all-girl-super group. Eventually there will be a big show at First Avenue where the people will decide who they love more.
The only question that remains is this: has Barack Obama reached the level of Purple Rain- era Prince, peaking at the perfect time to seize the moment? Or is he more like Prince’s eponymous second album: kicks ass, but he’s flying on a unicorn.
Time will tell if this revolution will make way for a new power generation. One thing is certain: In this life things are much harder than in the afterworld; in this life you’re on your own. But where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words – Let’s Go Crazy!
Download:
MP3: Prince (Obama)-“Let’s Go Crazy”
