Every day, Madonna crucifies herself
Madonna's new tour has launched, and with it comes, of course, a new look. She combines a Fosse-ization of a horse riding uniform with sleeves inspired by Glenda the good witch of the North--only with the poof at the wrists rather than the shoulders. Add to the mix a half-dead facial expression, and voila.
What is perhaps slightly more interesting is that she "crucifies herself" at one point in the show...on a cross covered in disco ball style mirrors.
Does that offend you? Probably not, since we're so used to the idea of Madonna trying to offend us. It might have caused more of an outcry if she performed on a crucifix submerged in piss, but that would make it awfully hard to sing. And where would you get that much urine?
In Madonna's defense, what appears to be a shameless attempt at getting media attention is really nothing but a subtle tribute to the lyrics of Tori Amos, the best singer-songwriter of the last twenty years. Now, that I have respect for.
What is perhaps slightly more interesting is that she "crucifies herself" at one point in the show...on a cross covered in disco ball style mirrors.
Does that offend you? Probably not, since we're so used to the idea of Madonna trying to offend us. It might have caused more of an outcry if she performed on a crucifix submerged in piss, but that would make it awfully hard to sing. And where would you get that much urine?
In Madonna's defense, what appears to be a shameless attempt at getting media attention is really nothing but a subtle tribute to the lyrics of Tori Amos, the best singer-songwriter of the last twenty years. Now, that I have respect for.
posted by Chris Althouse Cohen at 5:09 PM
3 Comments:
She really has to try harder to be shocking, the bar is set far higher than it used to be.
Poor thing, not like she can rely on her singing to entertain folks.
And if you really want to talk about best singer-songwriters of relatively recent vintage, I suggest that Me'Shell NdegeOcello is superior. (better musician, better song writer, maybe not a better lyricist or singer than Tori, but funky always trumps folky, all other things being nearly equal)
Though organizing any best list is a matter of personal and idiosyncratic taste.
I thought this was pretty amusing: On Sunday, Madonna's rehearsal left several people steamed at the curb. They were upset not about being left outside but because Madonna was inside after crossing picket lines. The stagehands are in a dispute with the venue's management. Actually, it's a wonder the scandalized singer got in at all. The Forum is owned by The Faithful Central Bible Church.
xwl: I haven't heard of the woman with the unpronounceable name before, but I just went and listened to a fair amount of her stuff. She has a great sound, definitely, and it certainly seems worth buying. But it's an uphill battle trying to get me to honor any Tori / someone else comparison. It took me years to get to the point where I could really listen to Kate Bush and forget the amount people compared the two; now, Kate Bush regularly takes up two or three of the six CD slots in my car.
I'm not yet convinced, however, that the woman with the weird name can write songs anywhere near Amos's level, but I'll listen more to it.
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