Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press, Wired, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Call it a sign o' the times or just another miscalculated controversy, but Prince is strumming up headlines and a flood of blog posts again -- this time for allegedly speaking out against the sexual freedoms he used to champion.

In particular, fans and critics alike took issue with the Purple One's comment about gay marriage: "God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was, like, 'Enough.'"

Minneapolis' most famous (and famously scandal-prone) musical son reportedly tapped on a Bible as he said that.

The reaction from mega-blogger Joe.My.God:

The irony, it burns. The pop star who made his name on his effete, androgynous "Is he GAY or not?" persona - now he hates us. Here's a guy who made zillions on some of the most deliciously filthy music in history (Head, Sexy Motherfucker, Erotic City, Darling Nikki) who now says that "people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever" were justifiably wiped out by God. I guess it's time for US to justifiably wipe out Prince from our computers. And the next time your local gay DJ drops a Prince tune, make sure to let him know THIS story.

The interview with the New Yorker magazine reflects on the musician's life as a Jehovah's Witness.

The interview, Minneapolis Star Tribune points out, was conducted at Prince's new mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., where marriage equality has been an omnipresent topic surrounding the newly passed Proposition 8 ban.

Prince has maintained a Los Angeles-area residence for decades and has mostly lived there full time since his divorce in 2006, according to the Star Tribune.

Here, according to the New Yorker's Claire Hoffman is Prince as political analyst:

So here's how it is: You've got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to [the Bible]," the article quotes him as saying. "But there's the problem of interpretation, and you've got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here, but it doesn't. And then on the opposite end of the spectrum you've got blue, you've got the Democrats, and they're, like, 'You can do whatever you want.' Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right.

By the afternoon, a "Prince insider" reportedly told gossip blogger Perez Hilton that Prince was "grossly misquoted and misinterpreted" by the New Yorker's reporter, St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The PerezHilton post:

Contrary to what a recent interview with the New Yorker is reporting, a source close to the rocker tells us that Prince was grossly misquoted and misinterpreted as not down with gay rights. Apparently, the interviewer did not even use a recorder... What His Purpleness actually did was gesture to the Bible and said he follows what it teaches, referring mainly to the parts about loving everyone and refraining from judgment. 'We're very angry he was misquoted,' says our Prince insider.

New Yorker maintains that its story is accurate, Wired News reports.

The Pioneer Press points out, concerning the source's complaint about recording the interview, that Prince has long banned recording devices from the few interviews he grants.

Source: Purple One riffs on reining in sexual freedom | St. Paul Pioneer Press
Sorry, Perez - The New Yorker Stands By Its Prince Story | Wired.com
Purple One riffs on reining in sexual freedom | Minneapolis Star Tribune