Prince
'Gett Off'
Acrylic, acryla gouache, colored pencil
on illustration board
8" by 8"
2022
In 1991, Prince was already one of the most legendary superstars in the world. When 'Diamonds and Pearls' was released in October of that year, it was the 13th album of a recording career begun in 1978 and reaching stratospheric heights in 1984 with the release of the feature film and hit soundtrack album 'Purple Rain.'
'Gett Off' was the debut single and the video presents the maestro in his nineties embodiment, a funky high priest of a profane disco/temple. Fires blaze, bodies writhe, and the groove never stops. Two dancers, Diamond and Pearl, they call themselves, enter for a 'audition' but it becomes more than that, as Prince takes them each by turn and Man, Woman, and Guitar begin moving as one organism.
The complete apotheosis was still to come in the following two years. Look at the medallion hanging from his neck, symbols of male and female combined. The sigil, it is to be announced, is the artist's true name.
It is not be spoken aloud.
It is unpronounceable.