"I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon" is apparently, among other things, a racy read.
Among those interviewed for the book by Touré — a music journalist, culture critic and author who is a co-host of MSNBC's "The Cycle" — is a woman who claims to have been Prince's former lover.
In a recent New York magazine article, Touré noted that Prince's "gender bending wasn't just for the stage. Those who know about Prince in bed know he was not afraid of a gender twoness. He loved women so much he sometimes mirrored femininity.
"A woman who had sex with Prince said: 'He was the most patient man I've ever been with. The most sensitive, the most androgynous, the most balanced of male-female energy. He was the closest thing that I've had to having a woman.' "
Oh, my. Maybe it's just the men I know, but I don't know any guys who'd find that disclosure complimentary.
After reading it I fired off an e-mail to Touré to make sure I had correctly interpreted his information. He said I had.
Despite being a gender bender from way back, Prince has lately been saying and singing songs with homophobic overtones. So Symbolina is as perplexing as ever to me, although not so interesting as to make me buy a copy of the book, which came out in March. (And I get the idea that Touré — who seems to have no plans to have a Minnesota book-signing — might be a tad miffed by my lack of curiosity.)
Touré's piece in New York mag includes a couple of photos of Prince from the early days, when he wore a pretty awesome Afro. These days there are those who suspect that the Afro Symbolina's wearing is a wig.
