Friday, August 04, 2006

Don't Cross Madonna


Once again, the Material Girl is causing an uproar, which no one could deny she relishes. She plans to stage a mock (hopefully) crucifixion during a Sunday concert in Rome as part of her "Confessions" world tour in which she appears wearing a crown of thorns while hanging from a mirrored cross.

Imagine how officials of the nearby Vatican feel about this charming bit of stage business! In fact, she seems to have hit the trifecta in that officials of Catholicism, Judaism and Islam are all highly offended at this latest evidence of bad taste from the diva.

True. Her taste is calculatedly execrable. But her endurance in this most fickle line of work should be admired, as no one else has consistently reinvented herself over so many years. The Rolling Stones are still around, but they're doing the same act they did in the 60's, while Madonna has given us dozens of personae over her long career.

If we choose to be shocked, or if we don't, it makes no difference to her. (Although I suspect she prefers that we do.) She does what she does, regardless of whether anyone likes it, or her, or not. Madonna goes where others fear to tread. And that takes a very special kind of guts.

I don't usually relish what she does, but I respect her for doing it.

Meanwhile, the Elvis sightings continue.

10 comments:

jali said...

I've been a Madonna fan for ages. As a former Catholic I can understand the use of the symbolism as a form of protest - or just the crass commercialism of controversy - either way, I like the chick's style.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Yeah. Whether she wants to make people think, or whether she just wants them to think about HER, she's very effective. Talent and moxie = !!!

Madonna's attitude as much as her talent have made her an enduring star.

Nikki said...

Elvis sightings?!!

I have a lady on my blogroll that does that.

"Now what the hell do I do?" also named Nikki

She has Elvis sighting wed.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

We all see what we want to see. We are a species with the unique and limitless ability to delude ourselves.

Unless, of course, he really IS in all those trailer parks as reported.

Christina_the_wench said...

I gotta disagree with you on some of this. I can only compare her to Paris Skank Hilton in the fact that she uses the shock factor to remain in the limelight. Her songs have sucked since the early 1990's. Why do we still care about her??

heartinsanfrancisco said...

Guess it's time for my own confession... I haven't listened to her music since the late 80's. When she published "Sex," I was disgusted, but now I find her antics amusing. (I'm older and more tolerant.) I admire her tenacity even as I wonder why she doesn't stay home with her children more. Her greatest talent is probably for self-promotion.

Anonyme. said...

hey. you gotta respect her business skills... you may not like her, but she's managed to stay relevant for nigh-on 3 decades now. That alone demands respect!

heartinsanfrancisco said...

My point exactly, Mary.

urban-urchin said...

I don't know that I would agree she's relevant so much as she's just capable of jumping up and down and screaming 'look at me'. It's sad really.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

It's a tough job but somebody's got to do it.