Sælok Kit grew up so close to Prince’s house in Minneapolis that she got to stalk him with her grandparents. I’ve never met her in person, but in a few online exchanges we bonded over our teenage Prince stories. My favorite line is, “He was specific and He was respected for it.” 

“Prince was very influential in my Life growing up, just as a media figure. I never met Him, just saw Him from a distance. He was like a presence at the dinner table in my Grandparents’ Home. Ha.

I grew up in a little city south of Minneapolis about 2 1/2 hours. My Grandparents would go for Sunday drives there in Minnesota. That was considered such a short drive with the scenery, and Prince’s House in Chanhassen was always on the itinerary. We would loop and study it, admire it. That was in the 80’s as He demolished it in 1984, I believe (and later built Paisley Park there—EF).

For me, His music always had that energy and depth. True talent and for the music scene, He really brought everything with his talent and perfectionism. It was well-known: He was specific and He was respected for it, knowing what He wanted and accepting nothing less.

I remember sitting on the cold linoleum floor with the Purple Rain vinyl spread out, listening to the record on the wood console wall stereo. Blasting it and everything vibrating. My petite Grandmother gently dancing. She always said He made Her want to move and He had such style. Any MTV special of Him or a video shown and She was there, watching and drinking it up. No conversation until it was done.

As a teenager I also would go up to the Twin Cities with Friends to shows and club nights at First Avenue. Everyone was on the lookout to spot Prince, who was rumoured to sometimes come and watch, very low-key, to discover someone. Ha. I do not know if He did but it was a main vein to go to for club nights then—and after Purple Rain, even more so. He really did a lot locally in that way, marking a place and thus promoting it with Himself.

One of my close best friends (who lived just up the street so We were always at one another’s Houses) was obsessed with Prince. She was convinced He was going to discover Her one day in that small town and fall for Her. She dressed to attract Him, furnished Her room in what she deemed His style and listened constantly to all his music on Her Walkman and vinyls on the stereo. She of course had a risqué poster of Him along Her bed. She would speak about Him and Her as an irrefutable fact, and would date no one. Prince was all She needed. Sadly, despite Her best efforts to cross paths with Him, He never did fall for Her and take Her out that town.

So, I was surrounded by people in my Life growing up that were very moved by Prince, as was I. As such, He held power and was always paid attention to. I still stop when a Prince song comes on and Listen or Sing. Ha. I still watch Purple Rain and any interviews I can find online to see where He is and has been.”