I ran across a very interesting piece the other day. It’s LA Times pop critic Ann Powers’ blog post about her five-hour personal interview with none other than Prince.

This piece was interesting for two reasons.

First, it was interesting on a journalistic level. The piece is a great example of how a reporter can humanize him or herself by consciously being present in the narrative. Instead of “this reporter” doublespeak, we get a great opening salvo:

Tuesday morning, I received the Golden Ticket of journalistic invitations: a summons to Prince’s mansion, high atop Mulholland Drive, to hear the new music he’ll be releasing sometime after the holidays. At 8 p.m. that evening, I drove my dirty Mazda past the fountain in his courtyard, parked by the limo in the back, and entered his manse. The man himself greeted me in a candelit study, where he was laboring over a laptop with his Web designers . . . .

Man, I want to be there.

The other reason the piece is interesting is the window it gives on Prince, one of the most interesting performers out there. The big P has plans to release three records in 2009, without the help of a record label. Yes, there will be digital downloads and whatnot, but more interesting is that there is evidently a direct deal with a retailer to carry physical product.

Prince evidently said repeatedly in the interview “the gatekeepers have to change” when it comes to the music business.

Great news from a deep thinker in the music business. I look forward to reading Powers’ full piece on January 11.