The Beautiful Ones
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST MUSIC BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST AND THE GUARDIAN • NOMINATED FOR THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD
Prince was a musical genius, one of the most beloved, accomplished, and acclaimed musicians of our time. He was a startlingly original visionary with an imagination deep enough to whip up whole worlds, from the sexy, gritty funk paradise of “Uptown” to the mythical landscape of Purple Rain to the psychedelia of “Paisley Park.” But his most ambitious creative act was turning Prince Rogers Nelson, born in Minnesota, into Prince, one of the greatest pop stars of any era.
The Beautiful Ones is the story of how Prince became Prince—a first-person account of a kid absorbing the world around him and then creating a persona, an artistic vision, and a life, before the hits and fame that would come to define him. The book is told in four parts. The first is the memoir Prince was writing before his tragic death, pages that bring us into his childhood world through his own lyrical prose. The second part takes us through Prince’s early years as a musician, before his first album was released, via an evocative scrapbook of writing and photos. The third section shows us Prince’s evolution through candid images that go up to the cusp of his greatest achievement, which we see in the book’s fourth section: his original handwritten treatment for Purple Rain—the final stage in Prince’s self-creation, where he retells the autobiography of the first three parts as a heroic journey.
The book is framed by editor Dan Piepenbring’s riveting and moving introduction about his profound collaboration with Prince in his final months—a time when Prince was thinking deeply about how to reveal more of himself and his ideas to the world, while retaining the mystery and mystique he’d so carefully cultivated—and annotations that provide context to the book’s images.
This work is not just a tribute to an icon, but an original and energizing literary work in its own right, full of Prince’s ideas and vision, his voice and image—his undying gift to the world.
Reviews (170)
Prince had just begun this idea. It wasn't finished.
I was excited about this book. I wanted to like it. I didn't. Not only was it not finished, but the writing had barely begun when Prince passed away. This isn't what Prince wanted. He wanted to make an impact with his truth, transparency and creativity. The estate and the publisher wanted to make money. That's all this book is- a contract. The writer did a good job with the limited material he had and it's clear he cared about Prince. However, a few handwritten pages by Prince on a legal pad is not the achievement Prince was aiming for. It was the beginning of a conversation. I wept the day Prince died. I'm just a fan. Had I realized how incomplete Prince's contributions to this work were I wouldn't have bought it. I miss this man and his music. I could have kept my $20 and still honored his legacy as I always will- by listening to and appreciating his music.
Gorgeous book - Prince seeps through every page
The book arrived shrink-wrapped in plastic, preserving its gorgeous, high quality, textured cover and thick glossy pages. It's packed with photos including pages of his diary and songs in his own hand. Easy to flip through or read cover-to-cover, it's clear that between the frank honesty, humor, and style, Prince seeps through every page. You're gonna know and love him even more after you pour over this richly annotated, curious exploration of Prince's life, thoughts, and images. A unique and very artistic book, as you'd expect and hope for, given, you know... Prince.
Compelling memoirs ...
It is so interesting to read Prince’s reflections on his life. The family photos are my favorite. So inspiring to look at those pictures knowing that the little boy grew up to become the globally renowned and respected musician that he was. So relatable to read about the love and admiration he had for his parents.
An Inspiring, Yet Painful Read
This is a quick read, but you won't quickly forget how it makes you feel. As a fan, it was amazing to see Prince's handwritten notes, lyrics, and memories. But, also as a fan, it is painful to imagine how amazing this memoir would have been if he had lived long enough to complete it. The vision he had for everything was on a whole other level than us mere mortals and I wished we had been able to see the finished product. Any lover of music, creativity or Prince will love this book.
Create Your Day, Then Create Your Life
Prince Rogers Nelson was one of the most creative musical geniuses. He was known far and wide. I got to know him through his film, ‘Purple Rain’, and, then, of course, all of his music. Difficult to find anyone who didn’t listen to his music. His death felt unreal, a calamity out of proportion, and then, to know he was addicted to drugs was a cruel blow. Too young, too much for him to do, but that’s how it is in our lives, now. This book, started as an autobiography by Prince, he knew what he wanted to say, and let others know. "Try to create," he told one person. "I want to tell people to create. Just start by creating your day. Then create your life." This book is an attempt to do just that. But, it feels strange, we go from photos of prince to the written word, and then the second half is told through photos of his writings, photos of his life, and photos of everyone in his growing years. I read his book on a kindle, and it was difficult to read the writings on a kindle. In the beginning of the book, we get to meet the author, and an explanation of how writer Dan Piepenbring, was chosen to finish the book on Prince. This is his first published book, and it is well done. How to finish a book that was begun by the genius, Prince. We learn of Prince’s life growing up and into adulthood, but most of the book is about the music, the writing of his music. And, then, the people Prince met and liked. He had an unusually eclectic group of people who would gather at his Paisley Park. Prince loved music and his music, his fashion, the layers, and his relationships to people. Prince was creative in his life in many ways, and this was one of his greatest achievements. Recommended. prisrob 10-29-19
A brilliant and haunting memoir into the mind of a musical genius...
I was FLOORED by the book, a weird and endlessly interesting pastiche of many different elements, all as creative and unique and dazzling as the person they are about. We have highly engrossing accounts of Prince by friends and associates, handwritten biographic information by the man himself, unseen photos from his life and career, handwritten lyrics of classic songs, even the original story of what became his seminal mid 80s classic movie (and album and single) PURPLE RAIN. It's also a truly haunting piece of work in that as you consume the pages you slowly realize that THERE WILL NEVER BE ANYONE ELSE ON THIS EARTH LIKE PRINCE. A super HIGH FIVE also to the young writer who helped put his book together too - Mr. Dan Piepenbring. Buy this book and learn more about one of the True All Time Greats.
Heart breaking
HUGE Prince fan..grew up & am a Minnesota girl..was in Purple Rain..but,like so much since his death..especially having seen him as a local..I was heartbroken by this book..hard to read, does not flow and doesnt really tell a story from his point of view..😥💜💔
Longer than it seems if you read it like a jigsaw puzzle to put together
This book, had he been able to finish it and allow some of the same rawness, memorabilia, and pictures, would have been massive in size...volumes... so its tempting to give the book less than five stars, but I can't fault a memoir for an unfortunate and tragic death that curtailed its completion. Its brilliant what they were able to do in spite of his death though. Plus, had he lived he might have chucked it anyhow. A two hundred page journal discovered after he died would have probably been brilliantly raw...the fact we get 28 pages of that is still a treat. Some have said this is a quick read, but really its not. It is surprisingly dense with tidbits and offers new insights when you re-read it. The article (with his conversations and thoughts throughout), the captions in the back, his memoir and its notes, the pictures and things he kept (his dad's wallet with his mom's picture in it--speaks volumes) , the original darker PR script--all make up a puzzle... When you assess all this stuff and organize it a bit by theme, its got a lot to say about Prince's core dilemma and the way in which he filtered his personal experiences (how he attempted to use humor, imagination, self invention, and optimism to combat despair and often succeeded) . You discover a man tormented by insecurities/an identity crisis, religious guilt, and a longing for unity due to polar-opposite parents who drug him into their drama (not intentionally but still) leaving him feeling divided and unclear of how loved he was. He is consumed with imagination and a brilliant savant-like mind and as a result, he decides to use art, music, fame and re-invention (maybe a bit too soon after the 'traumatic" divorce) as a way to create a happy harmonious life, and when he was up on that stage soaking up the audience's love , I believe it worked.. But, it must have been exhausting to be Prince though (and this might have helped lead to his death) and I am not sure he ever found that harmony on a regular basis, but his life had wonderful moments through out. The Beautiful Ones hurt you the most and sometimes you love them but don't trust them but there is still love, forgiveness, beauty, and humor in the little moments. And even if one is warring with oneself a lot of the time, there is still moments of harmony and joy to be had in the expression of that duality. Do we learn about what Prince thought about his mistakes later in life or his behavior with others and some of his narcissistic defenses? .NO. (But there is a point when he alludes to his tendency to self-protect by bailing out of relationships when he figures they are heading into the pits..to guard his heart) But we are given a motivation for his need to create himself and control that creation...we get his motivation for making his art his life. (Very few artists do I find to be misunderstand and "tortured" artists to the extent I see in him.) But his warm attention to detail in terms of describing others and his love of people like Bernadette Anderson, his parents, the musicians who inspired him, and his community overall indicate a heart more caring than he might have wanted people to believe in the past. Plus, the book has got cool pictures and is damn funny at times.
book great- shrink wrap smell not so much.
The book itself is fascinating- worth every penny- BUT- it comes sealed in shrinkwrap and when opened, the fumes are strong- sortof like formaldehyde. So I've been reading it at arm's length and will probably put it away so it can air out for awhile. Having said that- its full of photos, and very personal to Prince, so the smell is worth it, even to me with asthma. UPDATE: It's actually the shrinkwrap plastic that smells- so some of it sticks to the book, but this morning the book is fine- while my trashcan smells like a chemical factory.
Analytical memoir for Prince fans
Who knew Prince was so beautiful inside and out? His handwriting was also beautiful. Such a thoughtfully made memoir in memory of Prince. This book offered me so much insight to what made Prince Prince! If you like to analyze handwriting, drawings, fiction writing, songs, and rough drafts, this book got it. It also has childhood photos of Prince young teenage/ young adult and chubby baby photos that make you want to pinch the photos. I love his photo book that Prince personally made too! He was so creative and had a great sense of humor. The most interesting thing to me was seeing photos of his young mother and his description of her through his eyes. It’s mysterious and revealing at the same time. A must read for Prince fans!
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