Prince might be the only artist with such control over his image that even unauthorised biographies can shed little-to-no light on his most closely guarded secrets. With employees old and current bound by contractual gagging orders, Brian Morton isn’t the first Prince biographer left relying on paraphrasing off-the-record statements. As such, this is essentially a barely 200-page extended essay aiming to prove why Prince is relevant today.
Morton often chooses to compare and contrast various events in Prince’s life to make points, as opposed to providing a linear narrative. Come the early 90s and Diamonds & Pearls/‘Love Sign’ albums, however, there’s a mad dash to Emancipation, then the end, in just 40 pages. It’s as if he feels ‘point made: Prince broke incredible ground, the repercussions can still be felt, can we go home now?’ A few lyrical misquotes heighten the sense of good ideas slightly rushed out.
As A Thief In The Temple is a Morton monologue, the wholly evidenced and proven facts aren’t on the page, but a good deal of considered estimation is. His insights, well written though they are, won’t win over any ‘Fams’ that detested Alex Hahn’s Possessed, nor is this the book to ensnare the curious newcomer.
