Prince And His Perfume

As it says in The Book of Fate, in 1985, I did want my first car to be a purple motorcycle. And so, Prince launches his perfume line.

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Prince: Perfumer. Macy's Shopper. Verizon Subscriber.

Also happens to write songs once in awhile

There's been so much afoot in the purple-hued parade of Prince lately, one never knows where to start. The new record? Residencies in London and L.A.? A fragrance line? A breakthrough in wireless technology? The Michael Jackson rumor? The department store gig? The miniature rock legend stays on his grind.

First, the new record. Though the details, at this point, are a bit scant, we know it's called Planet Earth, and we know that the lead single, "Guitar", is now available for exclusive download through Verizon Wireless. But get this: to get the song, you've gotta hold your phone (which must be V-Cast enabled, which translates, roughly, to "fancy") up to your computer speakers while the "Guitar" video is playing. On some Tron-ass shit, your phone will not only recognize the track, but ask if you'd like to download it for free.

For the rest of us still trying to figure out how to get that New Radicals song off our first gen iPods, this all seems like a scary glimpse into the future.

As for the perfume, Prince will make the world just a little more funky July 7, when he launches 3121, his very own fragrance collection. (Sadly, the perfume is not called Purple Rain or Black Sweat.) According to his website, the fragrance is comprised of "a refreshing sparkle of crisp bergamot, opulent jasmine and gardenia." Alas, "opulent jasmine" isn't exactly "sex and sin," but it could be the jump-off.

Prince's longterm residency Las Vegas' 3121 Club may be heading west for another seven week stint, as he'll reportedly move his regular gig to the 250-seat Blossom Room of Los Angeles' Roosevelt Hotel starting June 15. According to NME.com, Prince will invite a special guest onstage for each of the seven shows, as well as sit in with a jazz ensemble until the early hours. He'll definitely bring the party to London's O2 Arena for 21 nonconsecutive nights (the last of which haven't been firmed up yet) in August and September.

Also, there's a rumor going around that Michael Jackson asked Prince to tour with him and Prince said no. Good call, man!

Oh yeah, and he's playing at the Macy's in Minneapolis on the day his perfume comes out. I dunno, it's Prince. Dude can do whatever he wants.