Mad About Madonna
After a great movie last night (Ang Lee's 'Wedding Banquet' - if you haven't seen it, it's wonderful, one of the few videos you return to again and again) - we were bedtime channel hopping and came across 50 best Madonna tracks on one of the music channels. How can Madonna be 50? I recently bit the bullet and sold my vinyl collection, and there were several early singles - Like a Virgin, Crazy for You, Like a Prayer. I dyed my hair dark aged 17 after the 'Like a Prayer' video - and for one summer only was a dusky Italian wannabe. I lost the plot around Erotica, but for every subsequent generation over the last twenty or so years there is probably a Madonna track to go with their significant memories, such is her longevity.
Every record in the boxes had a similar story - 80's new romantic, punk, indie, Floyd, Dylan, Velvet Underground, Prince and masses of rare jazz. The dealer could see I was sad to let the records go. 'Everyone's the same,' he said. 'CDs mean nothing, but I've had grown men in tears selling their vinyl.' I know what he meant - it was like saying goodbye to a piece of history - but we haven't had a turntable for years, and with a probable overseas move it was time to offload the boxes and let someone else enjoy the music.
Every record in the boxes had a similar story - 80's new romantic, punk, indie, Floyd, Dylan, Velvet Underground, Prince and masses of rare jazz. The dealer could see I was sad to let the records go. 'Everyone's the same,' he said. 'CDs mean nothing, but I've had grown men in tears selling their vinyl.' I know what he meant - it was like saying goodbye to a piece of history - but we haven't had a turntable for years, and with a probable overseas move it was time to offload the boxes and let someone else enjoy the music.
Watching Madonna's transformations last night I wondered what keeps someone going for so long? Is this like seeing all the superpowers - ambition, talent, drive, a chameleon like sense of reinvention and adaption - coming together in one person? It is this talent for reinvention that really sets her apart I think - who else does or did that? Only Bowie springs to mind.
I bought our daughter the first of Madonna's children's books 'The English Roses', and it's often chosen as a bedtime story. There's a new book out too - an expose written by Madonna's brother, that seems to prove our continuing fascination with her. I can't even imagine what it's like to be that closely observed and picked apart even by your family. When I worked in Chelsea you'd occasionally see Madonna riding around on her bike in a flat cap, shades and tracksuit. Everyone ignored her - but that's London. There is a strange sense of disconnection when you glimpse someone whose music you have grown up with in the flesh. Just for a moment you think you've seen not a superstar but an old friend.
TODAY'S PROMPT: Whether you ever loved the music or not, Madonna is an icon for our generation - artist, performer, parent. Imagine a day in the life of a superstar - what would it take to be that person? What drives you, where do you find the discipline - the desire? Are you a pop star, rock star, torch singer? What are the conflicts you face? How do you switch between being a 'normal' spouse, parent, and the public superstar? Write a monologue if you feel like it, create a character - who is the person on the inside?
