When a great artist dies, Slate goes to work. Carl Wilson wrote this obituary for Prince, and Jack Hamilton paid tribute to one of his greatest singles. Katy Waldman dug into his surreal lyrics. Chris Molanphy traced his incredible dominance of the ’80s pop charts. Christina Cauterucci paid tribute to his pioneering gender fluidity, and Jesse Dorris remembered how he championed female musicians.
We also ran some stories that were not about Prince:
- Seth Stevenson reported back from the Wendelstedt School for Umpires
- Will Saletan defended the undemocratic primary system
- Julia Turner was profoundly, historically wrong about the relative merits of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul
Not From Slate
“In Cramped and Costly Bay Area, Cries to Build, Baby, Build” by Conor Dougherty, New York Times
The Times dives into the divisive fight over housing in San Francisco. The piece holds lessons for other growing cities, and it gets to questions of values: Who are our cities for? What do we owe their future residents? —Jamelle Bouie, chief political correspondent
“Conor McGregor’s Last Night in the Octagon” by Chris Jones, Esquire
Jones writes grandly about a primal sport:
… lying limp on her side on the wet canvas, somehow still throwing punches without her blood reaching her brain, like a machine that’s designed to run for a time without oil.
That is just a wonderful combination of words. And beyond the craftsmanship, he made me realize something I’d never thought of before. I always knew that dropping weight was a thing fighters had to do, but he brought home how much of a skill it really is, like reach, or footwork. —Mike Pesca, host of The Gist
“Your Hitler Analogy Is Wrong, and Other Complaints From a History Professor” by Linford D. Fisher, Vox
A funny and impassioned but fair argument for a more nuanced use of historical parallels: Trump is not Hitler, telegrams aren’t Twitter, and Scalia was not Robert E. Lee. The alternative Fisher proposes—a more sensitive exploration of history’s “rhymes” with the present—is difficult to pull off, but much more rewarding. —Rebecca Onion, history writer
Also: Dan Kois knows you’re reading lots of great things about Prince, but nonetheless recommends Anil Dash on the making of “Purple Rain” and this “extremely delightful” college newspaper review of a 1983 show. Laura Miller thinks Ann Powers’ take is the one to read. Aisha Harris enjoyed the Onion’s, and I liked Tom Ewing’s.
Very Short Q-and-A
This week’s personal question is addressed to Laura Miller, the host of our Slate Academy series A Year of Great Books.
Slate Plus: I am told that you submitted a quote that’s in the current edition of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. What is it?
Laura Miller: It’s by Trollope, from Phineas Finn: “Who is there that abstains from reading that which is printed in abuse of himself?” I argued that it had great relevance in the internet era. I laughed out loud when I read it in the novel but never would have appreciated it before the internet.
Thanks, Laura! And thank you for your Slate Plus membership, which makes our journalism possible. See you next week!
Gabriel Roth
Editorial director, Slate Plus
