And then the guitar took on a different tone, became closer, realer. Into view stepped a man playing a guitar that was covered in thick black fur, wearing a mask of chiseled black stone, a vest of human foreskins, a winged speedo like the one Sting wore in Dune, thigh-high leather boots, and nothing else. He played out the guitar and vocalizations from “Purple Rain” for several minutes after the song ended, fading it out as he slowly backed away from the camp, the music easing gently into the distance like a mother’s hands withdrawn from an infant that has finally surrendered to sleep.
