As promised/threatened, we’re back to a monthly schedule on the D / M / S / R podcast! For this month’s episode, it was my pleasure to speak to music writer Jack Riedy (Pitchfork, GQ, VIBE) about his new book Electric Word Life: Writing on Prince 2016-2021. It was a really fun conversation, running through each of the pieces collected in his book and covering everything from Prince’s influence on Chicago house to the degree to which the Batman album goes (spoiler: it’s hard). Check it out, and if you’re so inclined, get yourself a copy of Jack’s book! It’s a great read and highly recommended.

00:00:00 “The Future” (from Batman, 1989)

00:14:59 “We All Wanna Be Prince” by Felix da Housecat (2009 single)

00:17:09 Michaelangelo Matos: “We All Wanna Be Prince: Exploring The Purple One’s Impact on Dance Music”

00:18:22 “Music is the Key (House Key)” by J.M. Silk (1985 single)

00:19:29 Cat Glover recycles the “Music is the Key” rap on “Cindy C” (from The Black Album, 1987)

00:21:29 “Gett Off (Houstyle Remix)” by Steve “Silk” Hurley (1991 single)

00:23:56 Chuck Zwicky’s Keynote at the Batdance30ATL Symposium

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00:25:31 “All the Critics Love U in New York” (from 1999, 1982)

00:29:23 Ethan Hawke explains the “Black Album” in Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014)

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00:31:32 Zach’s Take on Purple Rain as a Double Album

00:36:09 “Nothing Compares 2 U” (from Originals, 2019)

00:38:01 Chris Stapleton’s 2016 cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U”

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00:39:01 Girl Talk samples Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” on “Play Your Part (Pt. 1)” (from Feed the Animals, 2008)

00:41:33 “Four” by Madhouse (from 8, 1987)

00:45:26 “Batdance” (from Batman)

00:50:41 Simon Pegg and Nick Frost use Batman as a projectile in Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)

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00:52:17 “Batdance” in Tom Breihan’s The Number Ones

00:54:43 “Dance with the Devil” (1989 recording)

00:57:48 The mysterious bubbling noise in “Lady Cab Driver” (from 1999)

01:00:39 “F.U.N.K.” (2007 single)

01:10:24 “Sometimes It Snows in April” by D’Angelo featuring Princess (Live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, 2016)

01:17:24 Scott Woods’ Prince and Little Weird Black Boy Gods

01:18:35 Mary Gring (who illustrated Jack’s book)

01:19:10 Cereal Box Studio (who designed it)

01:20:30 “Welcome 2 America” (from Welcome 2 America, 2021)

01:20:40 Daniel Bromfield’s Pitchfork review of Welcome 2 America

01:21:53 Zach also wasn’t a huge fan of “Hot Summer”

01:26:12 Buy Jack’s Book

01:26:52 “The Dance Electric” (from Purple Rain: Deluxe Expanded Edition, 2017)