when was the last time you heard that one? hehehheh. I have always been a fan - in fact, I consider my self to be incredibly madonna damaged - so heavily influenced by her earlier work - that I cant really criticize her without turning the mirror on myself (you know - affecting personas, trying to sing, attempting to bare your soul and finding only a sheet of ice under there). Having said that, I saw Cher's farwell tour the night before and, as a stage performer, Cher really carries the day. Madonna is simply not the open, giving entertainer (some might say the"rocker") Cher continues to be. Madonna seems still to be so unbelievably unable to just GIVE IT UP on stage. Only when she lapses into that babyvoice "friend of Rosie" act does anything genuine really resonate with me. It might just be a new perspective from me (and I used to absolutely ADORE anything she did), but everything she does looks like so much WORK. I know it must be nerveracking to present new songs to such a small crowd (remember - this is super-mega-uber-stadium rocking MADONNA!) but how long has she been doing this? When was the last time you saw her having fun onstage? I see glimpses of it, and those are the times when I think she's just brilliant.
Funny, when I m talking about Madonna I can feel like both critic and artist. I truely love so much of her music. She has at least 30 amazing songs. Each one more fun and interesting than the next. Whats shocking to me(re: what Zazoo/Satori said)is that she is so unbelievabley hard on herself. Can you imagine putting so many wonderful songs out there, so many hot videos, so many diverse showcases - and STILL pooh pooh it as representing a "less evolved version of myself". UNREAL! How jaded and completely self-judging and critical. No wonder she's not having any fun up there anymore.
on the art crit side, Madonna has used "pop culture" so brilliantly - she actually is art - having attained dizzying heights of self-objectification. As a drag queen, I always felt connected to her on that level. I also feel that its a fine line you walk when you turn yourself into a "thing". Only the most fabulous (and committed) of queens objectify themselves and still remember where they are, who they are and why they're there.
I think what Cintra Wilson calls the "grotesque crippling disease" of celebrity has taken a terrible toll on Madonna. I saw how visibly uncomfortable she was exposing her famous underbelly to such an intimate crowd. But I also admire her bravery for challenging herself to do just that - Also, hit or no, I think the new work is pretty cool.