King Cal follows aspiring musician Calvin, who loses his girlfriend, band, and best friend in one day. As he struggles to balance art and survival, this coming-of-age story explores the devotion, creativity, and sacrifice required to build a life in music.
Learn moreAfter I wrote about Parade, I had friends who each claimed a different side of that album as their favorite Prince side.
And then came Dirty Mind, which is what I have always thought of as the first great Prince album.
I know I have mentioned this before, but we really need to note the pace of production from our purple friend in the eighties.
Maybe you’re tired of listening to, and/or hearing about Purple Rain.
Okay, imagine you’re Prince. You just released an album that is that rarest of all creative projects, an artistic and a commercial triumph.
Prince's second album starts with one of my favorite drum fills: a flam on the four.
The first words on 1999 are intoned by a deep and heavily processed voice: “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” it says, “I only want you to have some fun.” And with that, ladies and gentlemen, our Purple Boy begins the strongest stretch of his career.
I went through a Richard Brautigan phase in my late teens and early twenties, right around the same time as my Kurt Vonnegut phase.
I have been thinking a lot about second novels.
While The Black Album was not officially released until 1994, and even then perhaps only so Prince could collect a million dollar check from Warner Bros., it was originally scheduled for December of 1987—just nine months after Sign O’ the Times.
My second novel came out two months ago.
Turning the novel in to my publisher freed up a lot of time.
Explore stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes updates from Peter.
As drummer for the rock band Uncle Green, Peter McDade spent fifteen years traveling the highways of America in a series of Ford vans. While the band searched for fame and a safe place to eat before a gig, he began writing short stories and novels. Uncle Green went into semi-retirement after four labels, seven records, and one name change; Peter went to Georgia State University and majored in History and English, eventually earning an MA in History. He teaches history to college undergrads, records with Paul Melançon and Eytan Mirsky, and lives in Atlanta with his family.
