My Name Is Prince exhibition

I went to see the new Prince exhibition today after I got tickets as a birthday gift. It's being held at the O2, the same place (although different venue) where I saw Prince live ten years ago at his famous sold out 21 night-run at the O2 Arena. The two shows I saw there were incredible and made me appreciate just what an amazing performer Prince was.

Like any music fan, I was absolutely gutted when I heard the news the Purple One had died. I would have loved to have seen him live again but hearing about this new exhibition I was excited by the chance to see some of his unique costumes up close and maybe get an insight into just what made Prince so special.

A few years back The O2 also held an excellent Elvis exhibition (which I also wrote about on this blog) - and actually is holding another one at the moment - so I was expecting something between that and the David Bowie Is exhibition held at the V&A. Sadly though it failed to live up to both of those excellent shows.

The problem with the My Name Is Prince exhibition is that is doesn't try to give any insight into

Prince as a man or even his creative process. There are no photos of him as a youth and not even pictures of him in the many costumes displayed to give some context. There's even one case showcasing the vest, cane and sunglasses he wore on a magazine cover but the actual cover isn't even displayed alongside it. 

There are just a couple of cases containing handwritten lyrics, notebooks and even the handwritten script to Purple Rain (written in purple ink!). Some more exhibits like this, rare photos and even concert footage (the videos on display were mostly his music videos which pretty much everyone there was probably well acquainted with) would have made things more interesting.The David Bowie Is exhibition had concerts playing on huge screens which made things feel more spectacular and a movie room with clips from his films, something My Name Is Prince could have definitely done, which felt like a hugely wasted opportunity.

That said seeing those famous costumes from stage and screen was absolutely amazing. I was most excited about seeing the blue and white cloud suit from the Raspberry Beret video, the painted on clouds sadly fading on the sky blue material. There was also his metallic purple coat from Purple Rain, his half Batman, half Joker suit from the Batdance video and that black glittery cape he wore when he won his Academy Award. It was amazing to see them up close and all the little frilly details and bright colours and matching high heeled boots (he and Stevie Nicks are without a doubt soulmates clothes-wise). 

But more than anything the costumes made me realise just how tiny Prince was! The clothes were like tiny children's costumes and the boots for tiny little feet: they were just adorable. I knew Prince was small but he really was petite in every way. It felt incredible that such amazingly huge talent, who felt larger-than-life as a performer, came from one so small. 

There were more costumes of course, like some of the things he wore being his O2 Arena concerts, the 1999 long coat, his lacey suit from Under The Cherry Moon and the shirt he wore in the Alphabet Street video, among many others. All were a thrill to see so close up and imagine the man himself creating magic in them.

There were also a variety of guitars, many custom made or painted with his designs. A few it was surprising to see that they were fairly cheap guitars, such as his Hohner telecaster copy, which he used throughout his career. It was also exciting to see Wendy Melvoin's acoustic guitar that she played in Raspberry Beret video and Prince's uniquely shaped Batdance bass.

Aside from the costumes and guitars, there were a lot of his awards on display from his MTV "moonman" to his Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame award. There was also his special microphone stand adorned with his special symbol and even his hat with the chains that covered his face.

So while there were certainly disappointing aspects to the exhibition there was also some pretty damn cool stuff to see too and I have to say I really enjoyed it on that count. 

I came away admiring this tiny amazing man named Prince all the more.

(Photo from Planet Slop)