Prince may be gone, but he is a legend, and legends never die.

Prince wasn't a guy who was out there a lot, but every so often he would pop up and do something to show us how much of a badass he was. He never overstayed his welcome in the public eye, and would often stick around just long enough to remind us that we might be cool -- but we'll never be Prince cool. Below are some of those moments.


That Time He Melted Everyone's Face at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Many people have no idea that Prince was a shredder. Screaming, Hendrix-esque guitar solos weren't always the star of Prince's music, but when he did decide to let one rip -- he held nothing back.


Every Time He Performed Purple Rain

You'd be hard-pressed to find a song as timeless and universally beloved as 'Purple Rain,' and every time I've ever seen him play it -- he played it like it might be the last time.


That Time He Turned Radiohead's 'Creep' into a God Damn Shred-Fest

Radiohead's 'Creep' is awesome. Prince's 'Creep' is awesome.  However, Prince's comes with a showstopping guitar solo.


That Time He Casually Took Over Someone's Set at a Jazz Club

"Sit down, Cheryl! Don't you know that's PRINCE who just got on stage?"


That Time He Hired Kevin Smith to Make a Documentary About Religion, Knowing No One Would Ever See It

Kevin Smith has some hilarious stories about his time with Prince. If you don't have a half hour to sit through this one -- here's the greatest hits: Prince hired Kevin Smith to make a documentary about religion. After putting bunch of time into it, Kevin was told that it was going in "the vault" and it was likely no one would ever see it. That's a f***ing power move if I've ever heard of one.


Pretty Much Everything He Did in 'Purple Rain'

'Purple Rain' was one of the most brilliant music marketing endeavors of all time. Not only was the music incredible, but the movie was a huge hit that made Prince look like a total badass in almost every scene. The Purple One had so many cool moments in the movie, like when he told that chick to purify herself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka, or when he shreds his ass off for these basic 80s bitches. I get so mad at how underwhelmed they are by his performance here. Years later, Eminem did a less entertaining remake of this movie called '8 Mile.'


That Time I Realized He Could Shred

This one is more of a personal item, but I slept on Prince's music for a long time. It was always a thing I was more "vaguely aware of" than "a thing I was into." That was until I saw this performance of 'Fury' on SNL, and I was like, "Holy S***! Why didn't you guys tell me Prince could rip solos like that?" Anytime he did anything after that -- he had my attention.


That Time He Hung Out with Charlie Murphy

Charlie Murphy's retelling of his unusual adventures with Prince confirmed everything we suspected about what hanging out with Prince was like -- weird, hilarious, unbelievable, and the coolest story you'll ever have to tell other people.


That Time He Actually Made it Rain Before Playing Purple Rain at the Super Bowl

This one speaks for itself, but the fact that he pulled a mega-power move like covering a Foo Fighters song during the most watched event on television after denying them the rights to release their cover of his song 'Darling Nikki' gets an honorable mention.

Rest in peace, Prince.


 

Honorable Mention: That Time He Kicked Kim Kardashian Off the Stage

 

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