Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with.

Fact: I know almost every single song Prince has ever recorded up until 'Musicology'.*

Romain-the-rock-music-critic told me something last week at the bar; something about Prince I did not know about. I remembered it tonight while walking back home with my headphones on.

I was listenning to 2 many djs' mix of Prince's medley. The best part of the track is 'Kiss'.

I always thought it was a shitty Prince song.

Until someone as gifted as Romain was able to point out why it's genius.

Circa 1986 Prince sat in a limousine with a major music producer, a funk legend producer, and made him listen to it.

Producer said: 'Well, it's great. You just have to add some synth and bass line yeah?'

Prince said: 'Well. No'

Producer: 'What the fuck you mean 'no?' It's FUNK ?'

Prince: 'Because'.

..And Kiss became the first funk classic to hit number one on the billboard charts, without any bass. It's just poor synth and poor drum machine and falsetto voice and a cool split dance move, a shitty outfit, a good mysterious dancer, and a really ugly woman guitar player in the video.

And when you know that funk can't thrive nor survive without bass.....It becomes genius. Thank you Romain for making me like this song.

This is exactly why rock music critics are important (you fucking heard me) in my eyes. To spot where the beauty or strangeness of something is...

...And to share it all with enthusiasm, even at the bar with friends, even at midnight when Jessica has been yelling Prince music all night long with too much verve - while the rest of her friends are ready to commit Prince-Suicide, even if all you do all day long is write and talk and argue about music already.

Thank you, Romain! B. is lucky to have you.

Plus: the most profound respect for Prince for having the balls to have a savagely brilliant all-girls band back in the day. Post modern unconscious male feminism is sexy.

Plus1: To the bartender who spins Prince and the NPG cds and dvds as soon as I walk into the bar. Thank you. But just because you went to Paisley Park and I did not does not mean you're a bigger fan than I am. I listenned to prince when I was 10 years old, and could barely count 2+2! (not that I can now)...

Plus 2: I wonder if this cd cover was inspired by Bowie's Heroes one?

* Faith, Eloise and Antony might argue they know more about Prince than I do. Fine, whatev.