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I'll just double down on the ladder between "involvement" and "control."
I have significant experience doing biographical writing on subjects who either wrote autobiographies or had a lot of control over an authorized bio. Even with the intent to be honest and tell all and so forth, they can't help steering it the way they saw it, which often leads to distortion, omission and even complete (honest?) fabrication.
As the fabulous "Radio Flyer" begins... "This may not be the way it happened, but it's the way I remember it."
I can't see this project being anything but the way she saw it... which could be fabulous, but it's not going to be accurate. Another wonderful fabulation like both her and Bowie's iterations of character.
That's a good point about historical objectivity. A lot of us 80s teens were fans of Madonna back in her heyday of the mid 80s. For those who criticize her "voice" just know that Madonna excelled on vocals in the era before computerized AutoTune software was developed (unlike many of today's "singers").
One thing that surprised me about Madonna was that she apparently dated many black men - not just light-skinned like Prince but much darker men. In the 80s, that was an ultra-severe social taboo. I literally saw a couple of klansmen assault a black-white couple in a midwestern mall around 1987. There had to be racial tension, resentment, perhaps even fights when she went out interracially - especially in the early to mid 80s. I wonder if the biopic would show realism on that part? On one dimension, racist white men back then would have resented it. On the other side, black women often resented it too. Sociologically, such white men were blatantly racist against black male/white female couples. But the black women complained about colorism - black men rejecting black women to be with white women. I can't imagine Madonna not receiving backlash at that time, especially in the segregated neighborhoods of those East Coast cities. Her black boyfriends no doubt also got complaints from black women about colorism.
For example, she dated this guy from the "Blondie" video who played Fab Five Freddy. He was a Jamaican by the name of Jean-Michel Basquiat - RIP.
The indigenous teens I knew in Northern NM didn't care she had dated interracially. Like me, they just enjoyed her music. But for many young white males at the time it would have been an ultimate blasphemy to see them out in public - especially with Jean-Michel having a much darker Jamaican complexion. Some Generation X people often dayfream about going back to the "great 1980s". But as a real 80s teen, I can attest to the fact that racial tension against interracial couples was much worse back then.
Some Generation X people often dayfream about going back to the "great 1980s". But as a real 80s teen, I can attest to the fact that racial tension against interracial couples was much worse back then.
Dayfream. Heh. That definitely sounds like something from the '80s. "And now, with new and improved DAYFREAM!"
While it's certainly true people were less afraid of being openly racist back in the '80s, my experience wasn't quite as bleak as yours. I grew up in a tiny town in eastern New Mexico, where the population was about half white and half Hispanic, with a healthy flavoring of other folks thanks to the university.
In my generation, no one really cared about inter-racial dating. My peers did it all the time, and no one batted an eye at it. What you rarely saw was mingling of the classes. Rich kids never dated poor kids and vice versa. In terms of class, everyone "stuck with their own," but in terms of skin color or whether your last name ended in a vowel or a consonant ... no one cared.
That's a good point about historical objectivity. A lot of us 80s teens were fans of Madonna back in her heyday of the mid 80s. For those who criticize her "voice" just know that Madonna excelled on vocals in the era before computerized AutoTune software was developed (unlike many of today's "singers").
One thing that surprised me about Madonna was that she apparently dated many black men - not just light-skinned like Prince but much darker men. In the 80s, that was an ultra-severe social taboo. I literally saw a couple of klansmen assault a black-white couple in a midwestern mall around 1987. There had to be racial tension, resentment, perhaps even fights when she went out interracially - especially in the early to mid 80s. I wonder if the biopic would show realism on that part? On one dimension, racist white men back then would have resented it. On the other side, black women often resented it too. Sociologically, such white men were blatantly racist against black male/white female couples. But the black women complained about colorism - black men rejecting black women to be with white women. I can't imagine Madonna not receiving backlash at that time, especially in the segregated neighborhoods of those East Coast cities. Her black boyfriends no doubt also got complaints from black women about colorism.
For example, she dated this guy from the "Blondie" video who played Fab Five Freddy. He was a Jamaican by the name of Jean-Michel Basquiat - RIP.
The indigenous teens I knew in Northern NM didn't care she had dated interracially. Like me, they just enjoyed her music. But for many young white males at the time it would have been an ultimate blasphemy to see them out in public - especially with Jean-Michel having a much darker Jamaican complexion. Some Generation X people often dayfream about going back to the "great 1980s". But as a real 80s teen, I can attest to the fact that racial tension against interracial couples was much worse back then.
The artist? Wow! Never knew the 2 of them dated. He's a brilliantly famous artist, so I guess I'm not surprised they crossed paths, esp both of them being in the NYC art/music scene.
He's Haitian & Puerto Rican, tho. Born in the USA. lol
I love her music from the 80s/90s... (Ray Of Light was her last hit song, imo. It was a wrap after '98.)
You mean the last good song she had? I know, I know...maybe I am nitcpicking, but technically, her last hit song was 2012's Give Me All Your Luvin', which actually hit the top ten of Billboard's Hot 100. That was literally Madonna's last time in the top ten (and the song gave her the lead as the artist with the most top ten hits in the history of Billboard. 38 top ten hits. And yes, that is more top ten hits than Elvis and the Beatles.
As for the rest of your post, I absolutely agree: Madonna used to make enjoyable music, and her image, though abrasive and in-your-face still had a playful, wink-wink quality to it.
Now she is just too much with her try-hard "I am an artist" bull**** and her insufferable diva crap.
Her last album, Madame X, was the very first Madonna album I have actively HATED. It was so bad, so ridiculously devoid of joy, so full of itself. It was just a vanity project in which she decided to create the most "politically conscious" music ever, but an album in which she forgot to add any great melodies, hooks, or beats. It was just horrible.
Her last album, Madame X, was the very first Madonna album I have actively HATED. It was so bad, so ridiculously devoid of joy, so full of itself. It was just a vanity project in which she decided to create the most "politically conscious" music ever, but an album in which she forgot to add any great melodies, hooks, or beats. It was just horrible.
My takeaway here is that you hated her politics so much you couldn't hear the music.
Not that I can name three Madonna songs, and none from the last two-plus decades.
I'll just double down on the ladder between "involvement" and "control."
I have significant experience doing biographical writing on subjects who either wrote autobiographies or had a lot of control over an authorized bio. Even with the intent to be honest and tell all and so forth, they can't help steering it the way they saw it, which often leads to distortion, omission and even complete (honest?) fabrication.
As the fabulous "Radio Flyer" begins... "This may not be the way it happened, but it's the way I remember it."
I can't see this project being anything but the way she saw it... which could be fabulous, but it's not going to be accurate. Another wonderful fabulation like both her and Bowie's iterations of character.
A friend of mine graduated from the same high school (Rochester Adams High School) and dated Madonna’s sister when they were in high school. I’ll be interested to see how much the finished movie jives with what my friend told me.
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"And now, with new and improved DAYFREAM!"
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