At long last we come to the epic conclusion of our Prince mini-series! (We recommend listening to the previous two episodes if you haven't already.)

Picking up where we left off in the last episode, we follow Prince's quixotic quest to become a movie star, see how Prince was almost replaced in his own movie, track the unlikely success of the film and album Purple Rain, learn how Prince gave us that 'Parental Advisory' sticker on explicit albums, witness the building of a 65,000 square foot compound with microphones in every room, find out how Prince became a symbol (literally), and so much more.

(Content Warning: strong language, sexual content and innuendo.)

For detailed shownotes, links to related content, and a list of sources cited, head here.

In 1977, an 18-year-old Prince arrived in New York city with a demo tape and dreams of becoming a star, determined to leave Minnesota behind forever. As fate would have it, Prince would indeed become a star, but only once he returned to his hometown, and the road to fame and fortune would include many bumps and hurdles to overcome.

In this second part of our three-part series on the life and career of Prince, we follow his trajectory from his first attempts to break into the music business up until he emerges as one of the biggest stars of the 1980s.

Along the way, we'll visit the quietest room in the world, follow Prince through some disastrous early performances, find out how the coat room of a former bus depot fostered a thriving punk scene, and learn why the 1980 disco hit "Funkytown" filled Prince with a white hot rage that ended up fueling his rise to stardom.

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(Content Warning: brief strong language, sexual content and innuendo, discussions of racism and homophobia.)

You can detailed shownotes, related images and links, and a list of sources cited here.

Prince’s legend looms so large that it often feels as if he simply descended from another realm. However, behind the Symbol was a flesh-and-blood human being who was greatly shaped by the city he grew up in. In this episode, we’ll look at Prince’s early life and the start of his career, digging into his family history, his first bands and musical experimentation, and exploring the way his Minneapolis upbringing shaped Prince as a person and influenced his music.

This is the first part of a three part series. Next episode, we’ll pick up where this one left off and follow Prince’s life and career as it takes off.

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Here is the footage of 12-year old Prince, in 1970, we reference during the episode.

For more on racial housing covenants and segregation in the Twin Cities, check out Mapping Prejudice.

You can find detailed shownotes, related images, sources cited, and more here.