That Prince Rogers Nelson didn't debut on this earth from inside a puff of purple smoke, with a laser light show and parade announcing his arrival was news to me. The fact that the man wasn't born drenched in awesome, drawing envious stares from other babies in the nursery is also a new discovery. I'd simply assumed that he has always been awesomely fantastic. I'd never given thought to the time period before Prince was PRINCE.

But every so-called gifted artist has a journey to brilliance. In his case, Prince's was marked by rocky relationships with his parents, an awkward adolescence, and numerous poorly received bold musical declarations before striking creative gold several albums in. I can admit that I am not exactly a Prince historian. I can't name all of his albums. I don't know his first number one, the story of The Time, nor every member of his first band, Grand Central. The mystique and air of large-scale eccentricity surrounding the man in recent years combined with the fact that I wasn't old enough to fully enjoy his biggest hits in real time with older Purple One enthusiasts, all resulted in a genuine but shallow admiration for his body of work. Sure, he's great, but in my time, his quirks and oddities have seen more press than his groundbreaking musical endeavors.

The man's road to greatness is thoroughly documented by Jason Draper in Prince: Chaos, Disorder, and Revolution (Backbeat Books, 2011). Clocking in at under 300 pages, the biography lays out the life of the often reclusive pop and funk giant. Draper takes a decidedly straightforward look into the numerous failures, ego-driven chaos, and well-intentioned drama that plagued his early years and leads readers through to later works like 20Ten. It recounts his many loves and losses, his insecurities and his triumphs. Obviously coming from a place of praise and respect, the writing style is unwaveringly journalistic. None of the flowery creative acrobats found in celebrity memoirs appear here. Yes, Draper obviously knows his subject -- this is his second Prince book -- but without any new, earth-shattering revelations how many different ways can this story be told? The only new interviews were with people like Dez Dickerson of The Revolution and Rosie Gaines of The New Power Generation, and not Prince, himself. How many different spins can one writer put on this tale?

For myself, the admittedly casual fan, the tale gripped my interest from the onset. To see the makings of a genius and the numerous stumbles before he soared was endearing. For the diehard fan who has devoured every interview, profile, and piece of concert footage I don't suspect any new ground is covered here. Did I learn alot? Absolutely. Newer (younger) fans will find great value in this book. It holds no punches when detailing his vicious battle against Warner, the label that discovered him and helped make him a household name. It humanizes the ageless, smooth-skinned, panty-moistening petite unicorn that our older sisters fantasize(d) about. It goes beyond the at once shy and powerful performer, introducing new generations to the man, not the myth.

Jason Draper Prince: Chaos, Disorder, and Revolution [Amazon]