Let's Go Crazy

Sometimes I just don't understand the winds of change.

All the VH-1 shows in the world couldn't make me understand why the '80s were such a weird time for music. Boy George was a superstar. Robert Smith of The Cure made it socially acceptable for sad teenagers to wear make-up. And Prince was an icon.

Growing up, I never understood the mystique of Prince. I wondered who this weirdo with the symbol for a name was, and how he ever got to be famous. When I actually listened to his music, I wondered how he had so many hit songs. But I guess the '80s was just a weird time to be alive.

In recent years, I've warmed up to Prince. He's still weird, but he writes some awesome pop songs and he's one of the best guitar players since Jimi Hendrix. But it seems like my peers, many of whom genuinely enjoy plenty of '80s music, give Prince mixed reviews. Immediately after the Super Bowl Halftime Show, I got a few texts that demonstrated this perfectly:

• "This is such a train wreck."
• "Someone should tell him he's not a pop star anymore."
• "That was awesome...They have no taste or appreciation."

I can understand why people would doubt Prince's relevance at this point, since he hasn't had a hit in what seems like forever. But for me, the proof is in the pudding. Two of his singles from 3121, his most recent album, are fantastic. "Black Sweat" is the 48-year-old Prince beating J-Tim at his own game, and on "Fury," Prince plays guitar better than most of his contemporaries could dream of. In the halftime show, he did things the Foo Fighters wish they were capable of doing on his cover of "Best of You."

It's a shame, really. If Prince had done this show 20 years ago, it would've gone down as one of the best ever. But now his star has faded, and much like Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones in the past couple years, he's seemed over-the-hill to younger generations. To me, though, he showed he can still shred like a beast.