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| Marc |
 Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 1:04 am |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
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Quote: many think she is a phony self promoting bitch
Who? I know Madonna. My former girlfriend Katrina was her stylist. Her one-time lover and producer Jelly Bean Benitez is a friend of mine. Remember I was on a major label in the 1980s. I knew plenty of people who worked with Madonna and not a single one of them has anything nasty to say about her. The few times that I spent with Madonna, I found her to be sweet, intelligent and very straightforward. Plus, she was a real pro at what she was doing. Still is. |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 1:47 am |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
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A Madonna story:
My girlfriend at the time, Katrina, was styling Madonna for a photo shoot. It was 1984 and Madonna's second album, "Like A Virgin", was about to be released. Katrina spent several days working with Madonna on various shoots. One morning as Katrina was leaving our apartment to go to her styling gig, I blurted out, with all the sensitivity of a human lug wrench, "man, I'd love to fuck Madonna." Katrina shined me on and went off to work. Later that afternoon, Katrina came home with a brand spanking new demo copy of "Like A Virgin." On the cover of the album Madonna had written me a message. Katrina had told Madonna what I had said that morning and how much it hurt her. Madonna's message to me was short and to the point: "love the one you're with." Signed, Madonna. A simple but wise statement from a woman who has always been true to the people she loves. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 6:21 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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| I liked Lauper in Vibes, a cute, ephemeral movie. She's got an appealing, spunky presence generally, but in terms of music she was a one-hit wonder. I can't remember ever liking Madonna in a movie, but she's pretty clearly a musical phenomenon, one of the most staggeringly successful pop artists ever, with a giant string of hits and best selling albums. Comparing the two is kinda apples and oranges. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 6:49 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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Joe Vitus wrote: ...in terms of music she was a one-hit wonder.
I'm not going to research a whole discography, but just off the top of my head there are Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time, and True Colors, all of which are iconic and as good or better than the best of Madonna. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 6:53 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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| I have my own "personal experience" Madonna stories, which are markedly different from the sweetness and light described above. In fairness, she was married to Sean Penn at the time, and his rep is one of the worst, so maybe he did to her what she later did to Guy Ritchie. In fact, maybe Ritchie was standing in for Penn in Madonna's revenge fantasy. And for the record, I'm kidding about this last point. |
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| grace |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:09 am |
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Joined: 11 Nov 2005
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billyweeds wrote: Joe Vitus wrote: ...in terms of music she was a one-hit wonder.
I'm not going to research a whole discography, but just off the top of my head there are Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time, and True Colors, all of which are iconic and as good or better than the best of Madonna.
And .... She-Bop. And Money Changes Everything.
I'm sure Madonna is nice, and mean, and a freakin' angel, and a real bitch. She's a human being. I'm not a fan of her music at all and usually flip it off when it comes on the radio - yes, I listen to radio - but have to respect her career longevity and work ethic. If one attributes her success to shameless self-promotion, so be it; but I see shameless self-promotion on this site all the time (not pointing the finger at any one in particular, have more than one poster in mind) and nobody bats an eye. So shameless self-promotion is okay for some (people we know?) - and I won't go into whether it's less acceptable when done by Madonna because she's a woman because that's a huge can of worms - but not for others? |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:46 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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grace wrote: billyweeds wrote: Joe Vitus wrote: ...in terms of music she was a one-hit wonder.
I'm not going to research a whole discography, but just off the top of my head there are Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time, and True Colors, all of which are iconic and as good or better than the best of Madonna.
And .... She-Bop. And Money Changes Everything.
Okay, I'll amend my comment to the extent that I was only thinking of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." "Time After Time" was pretty inescapable when it was released, so it should be counted. But "True Colors"? It did poorly in the States. "She Bop" never got higher than the 10th spot on the Top Ten. "Money Changes Everything" got no further than 27th. And importantly, all of these are early songs. Lauper exploded on the scene with her first album, but she didn't really sustain herself after her debut. Only recently has she returned to public attention via the adult-contemporary market.
Madonna was the voice on the 80's and 90's, with hit after hit after hit on the Billboard chart, while maintaining her position as both the arbiter of cool and the arbiter of fashion. She was a phenomenon (then came Sex, Warren Beatty dumping her, and her relegation to cult gay icon status). Lauper, despite her early appeal, just didn't have that impact.
Comparing her accomplishment to Lauper's is just kinda odd. And I'm not saying this to diss Lauper, just to put things in perspective. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 7:50 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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Joe--There is no question that Madonna became a superstar and Lauper remains a more cultish item. But that does not mean Madonna is more talented. Lauper has infinitely more vocal power, and infinitely more uniqueness, than M.
What I mean is that Lauper is genuinely unusual, as opposed to Madonna's almost totally manufactured persona.
Also important to Lauper's resume, though not her "hit list," was her focus-grabbing solo on "We Are the World."
Some day I would love to see Lauper take on the role of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Wish Tim Burton would have used her in that role. But what can you do? Helena Bonham Carter is to Tim Burton as Madonna was to Guy Ritchie. Or Yoko to John. (Kidding, folks.) |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 8:56 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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| I agree with everything you said. The Mrs. Lovett suggestion is inspired. Helena Bonham Carter is to Tim Burton what Marion Davies was the William Randolph Hearst (and in both cases, the ladies have genuine talent). |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 9:01 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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| Man, I'd love to fuck Madonna. |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 10:35 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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Marc wrote: [ After being dumped by his wife, Ritchie, the highly regarded auteur, regained his artistic chops and made the masterpiece Sherlock Holmes.
Quote: Regarding Madonna's voice: it doesn't fucking matter. It doesn't matter for Dylan, Jagger, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and countless other music performers. What matters is whether or not their music moves people, makes them feel something, excites them, entertains them. And what the fuck is wrong with being a successful self-promoter. No one attacks Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart (a total hack) or David Bowie for being successful business men. Madonna is a success and it didn't happen by accident or good luck. She worked at it, puts on a great show and millions of people love her. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 10:54 am |
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| I liked Richie's Sherlock Holmes. |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 11:27 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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marantzo wrote: I liked Richie's Sherlock Holmes. |
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I ask you, Velvel, as a rational man, which of us is possessed? |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 11:50 am |
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I knew it was a very different version of Holmes etc. going in. That didn't bother me.
I'm sure Marc was being sarcastic, though. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 12:22 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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whiskeypriest wrote: marantzo wrote: I liked Richie's Sherlock Holmes. Loathed. But it is possible I am too wedded to the original stories and characters, and had it been about, oh, Marantz and Vitus as two Edwardian Englishment using intellect and brawn to solve crimes instead of raping the ghost of AC Doyle and skull fucking the characters he created, I might have found it more enjoyable..
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