In this podcast I talk about how a genius, someone with a higher level of awareness, can make a positive difference in the life of those around him. (Read some information on the circumstance of this performance below.)
Some facts
One of the most widely-circulated links after Prince’s death was a video of his induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
It sees Prince joining an all-star version of the Beatles’ While My Guitar Gently Weeps, backed by Tom Petty, Steve Winwood and George Harrison’s son, Dhani. He keeps to the sidelines until the final two minutes, when he steps forward to deliver one of the most breathtaking guitar solos you’ve ever seen, full of fluttering high notes and ringing harmonics.
Amazingly, Prince never rehearsed this moment with the band. At a run-through the night before it was Jeff Lynne’s guitarist, Marc Mann, who took the solo.
“Prince doesn’t say anything, just starts strumming, plays a few leads here and there, but for the most part, nothing memorable,” recalled Joel Gallen, who directed the ceremony.
But when the big moment came, Prince stole the show. At one point, he turned to face Petty and Harrison, then fell backwards into the audience – while still playing – before strutting off stage, throwing his guitar into the air before the song ended.
“You see me nodding at him, to say, ‘Go on, go on,'” Petty told the New York Times. “I remember I leaned out at him at one point and gave him a ‘This is going great!’ kind of look.
“He just burned it up. You could feel the electricity of ‘something really big’s going down here.'”
Prince later claimed he had never even heard the song before it was sent to him to learn for the performance.
