In this final Night FYP event of 2024–25, Dr. Eli Diamond of the Dalhousie Classics department presents a dynamic lecture on the musical artist Prince.
Prince is one of the most prolific, versatile, and idiosyncratic musical artists of the 20th century. His worldview is a strange combination of extreme carnal hedonism, intense Christian spirituality, anti-institutional and largely apolitical cosmopolitanism; it is a Dionysian call to meet God in a place beyond traditional binaries and political or institutional conventions. He calls for and embodies the questioning of these oppositions, between the holy and the mundane, the spirit and the flesh, female and male, among racial differences, among distinct musical genres. This lecture will explore what makes Prince distinctive as a songwriter, musician, lyricist, and cultural icon, and will heavily feature clips from his most important recordings and performances. The presentation should be of interest to Prince fanatics and skeptics alike.
