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David Bowie died and I immediately felt sad then Prince passes away and I pretend I don’t’ care. My relationship with Prince was much more complicated – decades long, he unsettled me, pushed me, guided me and over the days I remember and reclaim what he meant.  Here are few of my Prince moments:

• Summer 1884: 12 years old listening to Purple rain on my silver cassette player feeling unsettled and aroused: “Wendy . . . is the water warm enough?   Yes, Lisa. Shall we begin? Yes Lisa . . “

• Fall 1984: 7^th grade, laying back in the orthodontist chair, my mouth strapped open, listening to the assistants gush about the skinny new movie star Prince.

• 1987: Germany my sister andI playing “If I was your girlfriend” like we are the first to discover it –  especially the last part. “And would U, would U let me kiss there, you know down there where it counts . . . and together we’ll stare into silence.”

• Spring 1988: driving to school making everyone listen to “Sometimes it snows in April”, the mom making sarcastic weather comments and me wondering who Tracy was.

• 1995: working at a black gay bar, the crowd always goes wild when they play “Pussy Control” so I tell the DJ to play it nightly.

• 1996: I take my sister to visit university of Chicago to visit and they tell us repeatedly not to walk into Chicago’s South Side and so that night we head out on foot and end up in a cinema watching Girl 6 with an all Prince sound track.

• 1997 :“In France a skinny man died of a big disease with a little name . . . “

• 1998: Gold Experience CD: “Desperate is the day that is tomorrow . . . the only love there is is the love we make . . . “

• 2007: I rediscover Graffiti Bridge living in Johannesburg. I put , “Round and Round” on repeat and wonder what happened to Tevin after his arrest.

• March 2016: a month before his death, my older sister and I spend hours listening to Little Red Corvette covers on you youtube , she always liked that song. I like the lesbian one the best.

• April 2016: A bunch of us gather in the park in South Africa, almost spontaneously, to remember Prince – I DJ, drinking, laughing, remembering (pics below).

Prince our chronicler, our raconteur, our guide . . . rest in peace.

In Durban, my favorite get away. I’ve spent most of the weekend floating in the sea.  It’s fun, the waves are so huge, you only go in certain areas, all crowded together, the life guards watching, the waves smashing against you.

I learn, yet again, the only thing you can do when a massive wave is barreling down on you is to duck.  I know there’s a life lesson in here.

My Johannesburg neighborhood.  Trash strike last week and so folks resorting to their own solutions.

Joburg is my love and my heartbreak .  .  .

Still recovering form my end of the year party.  I must be old.  But love that I’ve found my people. A glimpse for those that weren’t there . . .

 

So I watched Umlilo Season 3, Ep 1. At first, I could only see the problems and the terrible disjuncture between what I saw in my head when I wrote it and what was on screen (even if it was better on screen.) But then I relaxed and enjoyed it . . .

In any case, in case you missed it, here are the top 5 best moments. (I love the shit these marketing people come up with.)  Check it out.

 

Two TV shows I’ve written on – “Umlilo” and “Doubt” are both being shot as we speak and go to air soon.

Umlilo: Premiering the 21st March: Mondays, eTv 21:30 – 22:30

Doubt: Premiering the 4th of April: Mondays, Mzansi Magic 20:00 – 20:30

I’ve been on a set a few times – still amazes me that all these ideas we just dreamt up in the writers’ room, hundreds of people now run around making happen.  So one day we said  “oh, let’s put Sanele in jail and have him try to escape” or “why don’t we create a fourth wife for Mnqobi?”  Now suddenly hundreds of people – actors, set designers, producers, directors, all mobilize to make this happen – each adding their own flair.

My students from the Market Lab visited the Doubt set last week, and they got a great education.  Fun, fun.