This Thing Called Life
Prince's Odyssey, On and Off the Record
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Narrated by:
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Neal Karlen
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By:
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Neal Karlen
About this listen
This program is read by the author, and includes archival recordings of conversations between the author and Prince. A warm and surprisingly real-life biography of one of rock’s greatest talents: Prince.
Neal Karlen was the only journalist Prince granted in-depth press interviews to for over a dozen years, from before Purple Rain to when the artist changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph. Karlen interviewed Prince for three Rolling Stone cover stories, wrote “3 Chains o’ Gold", Prince’s “rock video opera”, as well as the star’s last testament, which may be buried with Prince’s will underneath Prince’s vast and private compound, Paisley Park.
According to Prince's former fiancée Susannah Melvoin, Karlen was “the only reporter who made Prince sound like what he really sounded like”. Karlen quit writing about Prince a quarter-century before the mega-star died, but he never quit Prince, and the two remained friends for the last 31 years of the superstar’s life.
Well before they met as writer and subject, Prince and Karlen knew each other as two of the gang of kids who biked around Minneapolis’s mostly-segregated Northside. (They played basketball at the Dairy Queen next door to Karlen’s grandparents, two blocks from the budding musician.) He asserts that Prince can’t be understood without first understanding ‘70s Minneapolis, and that even Prince’s best friends knew only 15 percent of him: That was all he was willing and able to give, no matter how much he cared for them.
Going back to Prince Rogers Nelson's roots, especially his contradictory, often tortured, and sometimes violent relationship with his father, This Thing Called Life profoundly changes what we know about Prince, and explains him as no biography has: a superstar who calls in the middle of the night to talk, who loved The Wire and could quote from every episode of The Office, who frequented libraries and jammed spontaneously for local crowds (and fed everyone pancakes afterward), who was lonely but craved being alone. Listeners will drive around Minneapolis with Prince in a convertible, talk about movies and music and life, and watch as he tries not to curse, instead dishing a healthy dose of “mamma jammas”.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press
©2020 Neal Karlen (P)2020 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Trite!
- By michael mckone on 08-04-22
By: David Buckley
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Tammy Wynette
- Tragic Country Queen
- By: Jimmy McDonough
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 15 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Best-selling biographer Jimmy McDonough tells the story of the small-town girl who grew up to be the woman behind the microphone, whose meteoric rise led to a decades-long career full of tragedy and triumph. Through a high-profile marriage and divorce, her dreadful battle with addiction and illness, and the struggle to compete in a rapidly evolving Nashville, Tammy Wynette turned a brave smile toward the world and churned out masterful hit songs though her life resembled the most heartbreaking among them.
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Loved It!
- By Eileen on 03-19-10
By: Jimmy McDonough
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Black Is the New White
- By: Paul Mooney, Dave Chappelle - foreword
- Narrated by: Tony Isabella
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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For more than 40 years—whether writing for Richard Pryor and Saturday Night Live or performing stand-up to sold-out crowds around the country—Paul Mooney has been provocative, incisive...and absolutely hilarious. His comedy has always been indisputably real and raw, reflecting race issues in America, and this fascinating, fearless new memoir continues that unapologetically candid tradition.
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Master Piece!! I loved every moment.
- By Amazon Customer on 04-27-21
By: Paul Mooney, and others
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The Ballad of Bob Dylan
- A Portrait
- By: Daniel Mark Epstein
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a vivid, full-bodied portrait of one of the most influential artists of the 20th-century - a man widely regarded as the most important lyricist America has ever produced. Acclaimed poet and biographer Daniel Mark Epstein frames Dylan against the backdrop of four seminal concerts - all of which he attended. Beautifully written, The Ballad of Bob Dylan is a unique, eye-opening portrait of an artist who has transformed generations and continues to inspire and surprise today.
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Excellent book, excellent narration
- By L chandler on 12-22-11
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Walk This Way
- Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song That Changed American Music Forever
- By: Geoff Edgers
- Narrated by: Geoff Edgers
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Washington Post staff writer Geoff Edgers takes a deep dive into the story behind "Walk This Way", Aerosmith and Run-DMC's legendary, groundbreaking mashup that forever changed music.
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A MUST LISTEN/READ
- By Aron Teo Lee on 05-17-19
By: Geoff Edgers
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The Never-Ending Present
- The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip
- By: Michael Barclay
- Narrated by: George Stroumboulopoulos
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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From our talent-rich neighbor to the north comes this biography of one of the most successful Canadian rock bands, The Tragically Hip, which announced a year-long tour after sharing the news of lead singer Gord Downie’s inoperable cancer. Now available to US listeners, The Never-Ending Present details what led up to the memorable night when music fans all over the world watched Downie’s heroic final performance.
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Hometown Heroes
- By Tommy Garou on 12-13-18
By: Michael Barclay
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Broken Horses
- A Memoir
- By: Brandi Carlile
- Narrated by: Brandi Carlile
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Brandi Carlile was born into a musically gifted, impoverished family on the outskirts of Seattle and grew up in a constant state of change, moving from house to house, trailer to trailer, 14 times in as many years. Though imperfect in every way, her dysfunctional childhood was as beautiful as it was strange, and as nurturing as it was difficult. At the age of five, Brandi contracted bacterial meningitis, which almost took her life, leaving an indelible mark on her formative years and altering her journey into young adulthood.
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I have almost 2000 audible books and ...
- By M. Lynn on 04-22-21
By: Brandi Carlile
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We Had a Little Real Estate Problem
- The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy
- By: Kliph Nesteroff
- Narrated by: Kliph Nesteroff
- Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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It was one of the most reliable jokes in Charlie Hill’s stand-up routine: “My people are from Wisconsin. We used to be from New York. We had a little real estate problem.” In We Had a Little Real Estate Problem, acclaimed comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff focuses on one of comedy’s most significant and little-known stories: how, despite having been denied representation in the entertainment industry, Native Americans have influenced and advanced the art form.
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Amazing book!
- By Gregg Anderson on 03-22-21
By: Kliph Nesteroff
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The Gospel According to Luke
- By: Steve Lukather
- Narrated by: Steve Lukather
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
In this incisive memoir, Steve Lukather tells the complete Toto story. He also lifts the lid on what went on behind the closed studio doors, shedding light on the unique creative processes of some of the most legendary names in music: from Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, and Elton John to Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Aretha Franklin. Lukather’s extraordinary tale also encompasses the dark side of stardom and the American Dream. Frank, engaging, and often hilarious, The Gospel According to Luke is no ordinary rock memoir.
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Wow Best Rock Biography Ever
- By Hercules on 09-29-18
By: Steve Lukather
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Johnny Cash
- The Redemption of an American Icon
- By: Greg Laurie, Marshall Terrill
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon dives deep into the singer’s inner demons, triumphs, and gradual return to faith. Laurie interviews Cash’s family, friends, and business associates to reveal how the singer’s true success came through finding the only Person whose star was bigger than his own.
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Best Cash biography by far
- By C. W. Walker on 08-27-19
By: Greg Laurie, and others
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All These Things That I've Done
- My Insane, Improbable Rock Life
- By: Matt Pinfield, Mitchell Cohen
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Matt Pinfield is the ultimate music fan. He's the guy who knows every song, artist, and musical riff ever recorded, down to the most obscure band's B-side single on its vinyl-only EP import. As a child, music helped Pinfield make sense of the world. Later he would approach his music idols after concerts and explain why he loved their music. As an adult, rock music inspired his career, fueled relationships, and, at times, became a life raft.
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great listen
- By nilda v. on 08-28-20
By: Matt Pinfield, and others
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Relentless
- The Memoir
- By: Yngwie J. Malmsteen
- Narrated by: Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Fred Berman
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Yngwie Malmsteen's revolutionary guitar style - combining elements of classical music with the speed and volume of heavy metal - made him a staple of the 80s rock scene. Decades later, he's still a legend among guitarists, having sold 11 million albums and influenced generations of rockers since. In Relentless, Malmsteen shares his personal story, from the moment he burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere in the early 80s to become a household name in the annals of heavy metal.
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Bloviations
- By David A. Kaplowitz on 12-29-19
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Keith Richards
- The Unauthorised Biography
- By: Victor Bockris
- Narrated by: Adrian Mulraney
- Length: 20 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
In 1992, Victor Bockris' celebrated biography was the first to recognize Richards' pivotal role in the legend of the Rolling Stones. Now that book on rock's most incredible survivor has been expanded. Here are the true facts behind Richards' battles with his demons: the women, the drugs and the love-hate relationship with Jagger. His struggle with heroin and his status as the rock star most likely to die in the 1970s. His scarcely believable rebirth as a family man in the 1980s. Illuminated with revealing quotes and thoughtful insights into the man behind the band that goes on forever.
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doesn't comapre to LIFE
- By A. Garofalo on 02-20-14
By: Victor Bockris
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Catch a Wave
- The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson
- By: Peter Ames Carlin
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In Catch a Wave, Peter Ames Carlin pulls back the curtain on Brian Wilson, one of popular music's most revered luminaries, as well as its biggest mystery. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before heard studio recordings, Carlin follows the Beach Boys from their earliest days through Brian's deepening emotional problems to his triumphant re-emergence with the release of Smile, the legendarily unreleased album he had originally shelved.
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Not great
- By J. Barker on 08-08-16
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Prince was a musical genius, one of the most beloved, accomplished, and acclaimed musicians of our time. 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. 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.
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Prince and the Parade and Sign O' the Times Era Studio Sessions
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My favorite era broken down perfectly
- By DeAnna & Brandon on 07-01-22
By: Duane Tudahl, and others
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Prince
- Inside the Music and the Masks
- By: Ronin Ro
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
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In his three decades of recording, Prince has had nearly thirty albums hit the Billboard Top 100. He is the only artist since the Beatles to have a number one Album movie, and single at the same time. Prince’s trajectory - from a teenage unknown in Minneapolis to an idol and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer - has won him millions of adoring fans. Prince is the first book to give full treatment to this thirty-year career of epic proportions. Acclaimed music journalist Ronin Ro traces Prince’s rise from anonymity in the late 70s, to his leap to stardom in the 80s, to his 21st-century reemergence....
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The word is ALBUM not alblum
- By Autodidact on 02-26-16
By: Ronin Ro
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I Would Die 4 U
- Why Prince Became an Icon
- By: Touré
- Narrated by: Touré
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Drawing on new research and enlivened by Touré's unique pop-cultural fluency, I Would Die 4 U relies on surprising and in-depth interviews with Prince's band members, former girlfriends, musicologists, and even Bible scholars to deconstruct the artist's life and work. Prince's baby boomer status allowed him to play a wise older brother to the latchkey kids of Generation X. Defying traditional categories of race, gender, and sexuality, he nonetheless presented a very traditional conception of religion and God in his music.
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Wonderful! Surpassed expectations
- By Tanya on 11-12-16
By: Touré
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The Most Beautiful
- My Life with Prince
- By: Mayte Garcia
- Narrated by: Mayte Garcia
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
At the one-year anniversary of his death, legendary musician Prince's first wife shares a uniquely intimate, candid, and revelatory look inside the personal and professional life of one of the world's most beloved icons. In The Most Beautiful, a title inspired by the hit song Prince wrote about their legendary love story, Mayte Garcia for the first time shares the deeply personal story of their relationship and offers a singular perspective on the music icon and their world together.
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BOTH HEART WRENCHING AND WARMING! LOVED IT!!!!!
- By Annie The Audible Addict!!! on 04-07-17
By: Mayte Garcia
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Nothing Compares 2 U
- An Oral History of Prince
- By: Touré
- Narrated by: Touré
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Nothing Compares 2 U is an oral history built from years of interviews with dozens of people who were in Prince's inner circle - from childhood friends to band members to girlfriends to managers to engineers to photographers, and more - all providing unique insights into the man and the musician. This revelatory book is a deeply personal and candid discussion of who Prince really was emotionally, professionally, and romantically.
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So much insight!!!
- By Anonymous User on 11-21-24
By: Touré
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The Beautiful Ones
- By: Prince
- Narrated by: Esperanza Spalding, Adepero Oduye, Dan Piepenbring
- Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Prince was a musical genius, one of the most beloved, accomplished, and acclaimed musicians of our time. 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. 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.
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Reminiscing
- By Bodyguard Careers on 10-29-19
By: Prince
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Prince and the Parade and Sign O' the Times Era Studio Sessions
- 1985 and 1986
- By: Duane Tudahl, Sir Elton John - foreword
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 23 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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From Prince's superstardom to studio seclusion, this second book in the award-winning Prince Studio Sessions series spotlights how Prince, the biggest rock star on the planet at the time, risked everything to create some of the most introspective music of his four-decade career. Duane Tudahl takes us on an emotional and intimate journey of love, loss, rivalry, and renewal revealed through unprecedented access to dozens of musicians, singers, studio engineers, and others who worked with him and knew him best.
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My favorite era broken down perfectly
- By DeAnna & Brandon on 07-01-22
By: Duane Tudahl, and others
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Prince
- Inside the Music and the Masks
- By: Ronin Ro
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
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In his three decades of recording, Prince has had nearly thirty albums hit the Billboard Top 100. He is the only artist since the Beatles to have a number one Album movie, and single at the same time. Prince’s trajectory - from a teenage unknown in Minneapolis to an idol and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer - has won him millions of adoring fans. Prince is the first book to give full treatment to this thirty-year career of epic proportions. Acclaimed music journalist Ronin Ro traces Prince’s rise from anonymity in the late 70s, to his leap to stardom in the 80s, to his 21st-century reemergence....
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The word is ALBUM not alblum
- By Autodidact on 02-26-16
By: Ronin Ro
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I Would Die 4 U
- Why Prince Became an Icon
- By: Touré
- Narrated by: Touré
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Drawing on new research and enlivened by Touré's unique pop-cultural fluency, I Would Die 4 U relies on surprising and in-depth interviews with Prince's band members, former girlfriends, musicologists, and even Bible scholars to deconstruct the artist's life and work. Prince's baby boomer status allowed him to play a wise older brother to the latchkey kids of Generation X. Defying traditional categories of race, gender, and sexuality, he nonetheless presented a very traditional conception of religion and God in his music.
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Wonderful! Surpassed expectations
- By Tanya on 11-12-16
By: Touré
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The Most Beautiful
- My Life with Prince
- By: Mayte Garcia
- Narrated by: Mayte Garcia
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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At the one-year anniversary of his death, legendary musician Prince's first wife shares a uniquely intimate, candid, and revelatory look inside the personal and professional life of one of the world's most beloved icons. In The Most Beautiful, a title inspired by the hit song Prince wrote about their legendary love story, Mayte Garcia for the first time shares the deeply personal story of their relationship and offers a singular perspective on the music icon and their world together.
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BOTH HEART WRENCHING AND WARMING! LOVED IT!!!!!
- By Annie The Audible Addict!!! on 04-07-17
By: Mayte Garcia
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Nothing Compares 2 U
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So much insight!!!
- By Anonymous User on 11-21-24
By: Touré
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Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions
- 1983 and 1984
- By: Duane Tudahl, Ahmir Thompson - Foreword
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 19 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
His journey is meticulously documented through detailed accounts of his time secluded behind the doors of the recording studio as well as his days on tour. With unprecedented access to the musicians, singers, and studio engineers who knew Prince best, including members of the Revolution and the Time, Duane Tudahl weaves an intimate saga of an eccentric genius and the people and events who helped shape the groundbreaking music he created. From Sunset Sound Studios' daily recording logs and the Warner Bros. vault of information, Tudahl uncovers hidden truths and reveals details about Prince's unreleased outtakes.
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Incredible oral history
- By Francis on 05-06-18
By: Duane Tudahl, and others
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The Rise of Prince: 1958-1988
- By: Alex Hahn, Laura Tiebert
- Narrated by: Rob Saladino
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Rise of Prince: 1958-1988 is the definitive account of the formative years of this iconic artist. More so than any previous book, this volume provides a dramatic, compelling narrative of Prince's rise to fame. The prologue provides a gripping, day-to-day account of the events that unfolded between November 2015 and April 21, 2016, when Prince tragically died at Paisley Park. The Rise of Prince provides a complete reordering of what is known about Prince's formative years based on previously unavailable documents and persons never before interviewed.
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Strange and expected.
- By Bighead on 01-07-19
By: Alex Hahn, and others
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Let’s Go Crazy
- Prince and the Making of Purple Rain
- By: Alan Light
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Purple Rain is a song, an album, and a film - each one a commercial success and cultural milestone. How did this semiautobiographical musical masterpiece that blurred R&B, pop, dance, and rock sounds come to alter the recording landscape and become an enduring touchstone for successive generations of fans?
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A Must-Read For Any PRINCE Fan
- By Bryan K. Chavez on 05-06-16
By: Alan Light
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The Death of Prince Rogers Nelson: An Investigation
- By: Jay Corn
- Narrated by: Greg Young
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Follow law enforcement's two-year inquest into Prince's death, from the first 911 call through present day. Authored by an independent observer with extensive journalism experience, the book includes interviews with family, friends, current and former staffers, doctors, and fellow musicians. The research involved browsing through thousands of official documents, images, videos, audio recordings and lab reports.
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A very telling story.
- By Rodney Nash on 11-12-20
By: Jay Corn
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After the Dance
- My Life with Marvin Gaye
- By: Jan Gaye
- Narrated by: Robin Eller
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
On her 17th birthday in 1973, Janice Hunter met Marvin Gaye - the soulful prince of Motown with the seductive liquid voice whose chart-topping, socially conscious album What's Going On made him a superstar two years earlier. Despite a 16-year-age difference and Marvin's marriage to the sister of Berry Gordy, Motown's founder, the star-struck teenager and the emotionally volatile singer began a scorching relationship.
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Answered A Lot of questions and raised even more
- By T. Brunson on 07-22-15
By: Jan Gaye
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Luther
- The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross
- By: Craig Seymour
- Narrated by: David Sadzin
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Take a journey inside the private world of Luther Vandross, one of the world greatest R&B vocalists of all time and a notoriously secretive star, and listen to this audiobook as it chronicles his journey from the projects of New York City's Lower East Side to the top of the charts.
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Perfect title..Life and Longing
- By Tiasdolls on 08-02-18
By: Craig Seymour
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Dig If You Will the Picture
- Funk, Sex, God and Genius in the Music of Prince
- By: Ben Greenman
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Story
Ben Greenman, New York Times best-selling author, contributing writer to The New Yorker, and owner of thousands of recordings of Prince and Prince-related songs, knows intimately that there has never been a rock star as vibrant, mercurial, willfully contrary, experimental, or prolific as Prince. Uniting a diverse audience while remaining singularly himself, Prince was a tireless artist, a musical virtuoso and chameleon, and a pop-culture prophet.
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Reads like a indepth career review & analysis
- By herb on 05-18-17
By: Ben Greenman
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My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire
- By: Maurice White, Herb Powell
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The late Grammy-winning founder of the legendary pop/R&B/soul/funk/disco group tells his story and charts the rise of his legendary band in this sincere memoir that captures the heart and soul of an artist whose groundbreaking sound continues to influence music today. With a foreword by David Foster.
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Maurice--Earth, Wind and Fire
- By Linda Ealey on 02-28-17
By: Maurice White, and others
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Divided Soul
- The Life of Marvin Gaye
- By: David Ritz
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Abridged
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Story
In this intimate biography of the Prince of Soul, David Ritz provides a candid look at a star and a friend. Ritz had been collaborating with Marvin Gaye on his story for several years before the singer's tragic death and had conducted a series of extraordinary interviews in which Gaye discussed his deepest secrets. What emerges is a full-scale portrait of a charming but tortured artist, a brilliant singer with a divided soul.
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Wow made for the big screen
- By Adé Ngeno on 08-12-16
By: David Ritz
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Karma
- My Autobiography
- By: Boy George
- Narrated by: Boy George
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Boy George's compelling storytelling shines a light on his encounters with legendary figures like David Bowie, Prince, and Madonna, providing an intimate peek into the music industry's glittering world. Humor, sarcasm, and signature style are brought to this explosive and honest account of Boy George's life as a child growing up in sixties London and coming out to his Irish Catholic family. Hear his account of his exploration of his sexuality through the hedonism of the seventies (the glam rock and punk rock revolution that birthed Culture Club) and his ultimately embracing who he is today.
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Humble and Honest
- By Sue Reed on 02-10-24
By: Boy George
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Face It
- A Memoir
- By: Debbie Harry
- Narrated by: Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Clem Burke, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Musician, actor, activist, and the iconic face of New York City cool, Debbie Harry is the front woman of Blondie, a band that forged a new sound that brought together the worlds of rock, punk, disco, reggae, and hip-hop to create some of the most beloved pop songs of all time. As a muse, she collaborated with some of the boldest artists of the past four decades. The scope of Debbie Harry’s impact on our culture has been matched only by her reticence to reveal her rich inner life - until now.
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Disappointed
- By Jessica Eastman on 12-23-19
By: Debbie Harry
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Bits and Pieces
- My Mother, My Brother, and Me
- By: Whoopi Goldberg
- Narrated by: Whoopi Goldberg
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
If it weren’t for Emma Johnson, Caryn Johnson would have never become Whoopi Goldberg. Emma gave her children the loving care and wisdom they needed to succeed in life, always encouraging them to be true to themselves. When Whoopi lost her mother in 2010—and then her older brother, Clyde, five years later—she felt deeply alone; the only people who truly knew her were gone. Emma raised her children not just to survive, but to thrive. In this intimate and heartfelt memoir, Whoopi shares many of the deeply personal stories of their lives together for the first time.
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Outstanding, funny heartfelt, and toughing. life lessons
- By auntduke on 05-07-24
By: Whoopi Goldberg
What listeners say about This Thing Called Life
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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- Hebern
- 05-18-21
An interesting story
Everyone thinks the music of their high school years is the best. In my case, I’m right. Or at least a strong argument can be made that I am. While I was in high school Thriller by Michael Jackson, Born In The USA by Bruce Springsteen, Like A Virgin by Madonna and Purple Rain by Prince all came out. Talk about iconic albums by iconic performers.
This book is about Prince. The older I get, the more nostalgic I get. I hadn’t heard much about this particular book, but I was interested in learning more about Prince so I got it on the recent Audible sale.
I did learn a lot of things about Prince that I didn’t know. The author was a one time writer for Rolling Stone, who had become close to Prince. Or at least as close as Prince would allow someone in that position to become. They were in contact regularly for the last 30 years of Prince’s life. Prince even had the author to write something for his time capsule. A time capsule the author is convinced also contains Prince’s missing will. The book does give a behind the scenes look at Prince and includes the tape from an interview that the author conducted with Prince. In many of the reviews of the book I saw two complaints. First, that he showed too many bad things about Prince. I discount this. Any biography about anyone that only discusses the positives of the person is a work of fiction. All humans have flaws. The second main complaint is the author publishes “off the record” interviews. Prince has been gone 5 years now. I’m ok with him releasing it now to give an accurate picture of the man for history.
I do have some complaints with the book, however. First, the author interjects himself into the story way too much. In telling about Prince’s basketball ability for example, the author goes into detail about his own failed high school basketball career. There was a lot of that. I hate to tell him but the readers are here for Prince stories, not Neal stories. Second, the book is a non-linear one that is basically just a lot of Prince stories from the author’s perspective and experience. Since this was my first Prince book, a traditional biography would have been better for me. Finally, the author repeats himself. A lot. Some quotes make 3 or more appearances.
Overall, the picture of Prince that emerges is one of huge musical talent. A guy who played all the instruments and wrote all the songs on most of the albums. A guy, who like wrestlers adopted a persona as an entertainer and never dropped the act in public. The author discussed Prince’s kayfabe a lot. A guy who was depressed and lonely while living a life that so many of us would think is ideal. A guy who like many I’ve read about as having reached the absolute pinnacle of their field is better to watch from afar than to be in a personal relationship with.
With all the faults of the book, it did make me want to get another Prince book at some time in the future to get another perspective. Prince was obviously hugely talented and also a very interesting person.
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2 people found this helpful
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- amber
- 08-08-21
Learned ALOT...
I thought a different perspective on Princes life by a long time friend was super interesting. I believe its a truthful honest read on what the writer went through while knowing Prince. I enjoyed it so much. Only thing that personally bothered me was the tone of the writers voice but after I got over that I did enjoy it comming from his look on their life knowing one another. Thank you for writing this BOOK!
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- Pro Female Bodybuilder
- 06-11-22
Heartfelt Reminiscence
I found Neal Karlen’s book to be the most honest telling of a “friendship” as backed by his evidence of tapes from years covering Prince for Rolling Stone.
He gives the most eye opening revelations into one of the most secretive personalities that had ever been a part of pop culture, and he does it from a place of genuine respect for Prince and admiration for his talent.
Ultimately, he allows the reader to see Prince as HUMAN & not just some untouchable, perfect, unfathomable musical genius. This book should be listened to simply because the author wrote about the subject as he really was, not as this mythological character.
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- luv2shop62
- 11-07-23
Very Insightful
I learned so much about Prince. I loved hearing the recordings of his voice. I loved hearing all the stories. Some sad & some funny. Every minute was interesting. Highly recommend.
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- C. Bournea
- 02-20-21
A Must Read for Prince Fans
Fascinating insights into the genius who can never be fully understood. Neal Karlen explains why so many who knew and worked with Prince have widely varying perceptions of him: socially awkward loner or a social butterfly who hosted star-studded parties and late night jam sessions for fans? Perfectionist or a virtuoso who was more concerned with getting his music on tape than making it sound pristine? Tyrant or philanthropist? Yes.
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- Torrance W.
- 10-29-20
This thing called life
Like many Prince fans I have read or listened to many of the fascinating stories about Prince. What has become very clear is the people who knew Prince from his younger days in Minneapolis or worked with Prince have a much more intimate story of him as a person than someone on the outside. This is very good audiobook but not for typical Prince fans who may get offended by some of the personal stories or audio recordings of Prince talking.
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- Kindle Customer
- 05-02-23
Wow
This is the first biography I have read about Prince. I read it while listening to the amazing Audible version, containing actual recordings of interviews with Prince. I admit, I was not a big Prince fan when I was growing up in the 80s, but my best friend was, and I read this when, in our 50s, she convinced a group of us to go to Minneapolis and visit Paisley Park (and other places). This book gave me a unique insight into the person known as Prince and the city of Minneapolis as I took the VIP Paisley Park Tour, contrasted with a visit to George Floyd Square. Thank you, Neal.
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- Johnathan Szymborski
- 05-07-21
If you’re more interested in the life of Prince over a deep musical study, this is the title for you
Quite a bit of repetition in regards to certain stories or references throughout parts of the book, but nonetheless a very fascinating and somewhat bittersweet look into the life of Prince by someone who had direct access and could even be considered a friend.
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- MICHELLE KING
- 01-04-21
Wonderfully sad and amazing
Wonderfully sad and amazing story from the inside out. Love is in the details! Thank u Neal!!!
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- H. F. Sr.
- 10-13-22
Dope!
I truly think Prince would’ve liked it this raw and uncut. It was definitely“BAD”!
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