Prince....and the tingle factor

So, what defines our individual connection to artists? I guess it could be many things, almost anything really. But for me, it's all about the tingle. This little feeling that starts in my gut, and travels to my brain at the same speed that it journeys a bit farther south. It is in this southern region that the tingle resounds, constantly drawing me back, always leaving me wanting more, never ceasing to produce that magical wave of excitement and intrigue that captivates, inspires and engages me to the point of complete awe. The power of the tingle is all encompassing, and once you discover an artist that can summon it, you will always be a loyal and devoted admirer of whatever they create. But, like most of life's spendid gifts, there is a down side. For once the tingle dies.....it never comes back. Get a girl tingly, keep her tingly, and she will be yours forever. Snuff the tingle....and you've lost her for good.
Which brings me to Prince - and the fucking superbowl halftime show. The idea of a musical genius like Prince performing at the most commercial television event of the year repulses me to a degree of which no words can describe. Every fiber in my being is revolted by the vision of this truly amazing musician lowering himself to perform for the ungrateful, unenlightened, and uninteresting televison viewing masses. Whatever his motivation may be for making this decision, no justification will satisfy this long time fan. And no understanding will resurrect the tingle. It's gone, so I am too.
I don't understand artists that don't understand their audience. Prince performing the half time show is like Monet selling his paintings in a mall, or Steinbeck writing a weekly column for the Enquirer. It's gross, disappointing, and wrong. Prince playing the superbowl obviously doesn't make him less talented, it just makes him less real. The Prince tingle was one of a kind - and I will miss it.....alot!