The author was 11 years old when he developed a passion for Prince but his parents threw away his records, which did not deter him: he remained a lifelong Prince obsessive. His engrossing new book is a portrait of the artist as a young man and a fully fledged star, as well as a portrait of how it feels to be a fan.
Beginning at the end, with hearing the news of Prince’s death, Greenman explores Prince’s musical journey from childhood (“Early on, he took solace in music”) to fame, tackling topics such as racial, cultural and sexual identity. It’s not the whole picture but vivid parts of it.
I saw Prince live during his last UK hit-and-run tour and his extraordinary energy lingers in the memory, a life force so well captured in this book. Greenman writes of the “frustration” of trying to pin Prince down in words – the enigmatic artist remains elusive – but Greenman’s brilliant writing on the power of music will inspire readers to listen anew.
• Dig If You Will the Picture by Ben Greenman is published by Faber (£17.99). To order a copy for £13.49 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99
