Rock music icon Prince’s odyssey on and off the record

Biographer Neal Karlen and 107.7 The End DJ Gregr to discuss music legend in conversation hosted by Everett Public Library

Prince remains one of the most mysterious rock icons of all time. In “This Thing Called Life: Prince’s Odyssey, On and Off the Record,” journalist and author Neal Karlen explores his unique, decades-long relationship with Prince. Karlen will be joined by 107.7 The End DJ Gregr for a conversation about Prince and Karlen’s new book. The free program is hosted by Everett Public Library and takes place online on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. [insert event link]

Neal Karlen was the only journalist Prince granted in-depth press interviews to for over a dozen years, from before “Purple Rain” to when the artist changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph. Karlen quit writing about Prince decades before the mega-star died, but he never quit Prince, and the two remained friends for the last 31 years of the superstar’s life. Well before they met as writer and subject, Prince and Karlen knew each other as two of the gang of kids who biked around Minneapolis’s mostly-segregated Northside.

Neal Karlen is a former contributing editor for “Rolling Stone,” “Newsweek” staff writer, and regular contributor to “The New York Times.” He is the author of several books about a range of topics from music, sports, religion, and linguistics. A graduate of Brown University, he lives in his hometown of Minneapolis.

Karlen will be joined in conversation with Gregr, the morning host on Seattle’s 107.7 The End alternative music radio station. The audience will be given an unusually intimate peek into superstar Prince’s life, going back to his earliest days.

“This Thing Called Life” is available to borrow from Everett Public Library and for sale from Third Place Books.

This program is free and open to the public. For more information about library programs and services, visit www.epls.org or call 425-257-8000.

This Thing Called Life: Prince's Odyssey On + Off the Record