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Liam.k. View member profile	14th August 2018, 04:41 PM Post #1
BuzzJack Idol Joined: 8 December 2010 Posts: 51,008 User: 12,472	. Madonna at 60: The 20 best quotes from the Queen of Pop This week sees pop's definitive icon Madonna turn 60. Throughout her career spanning four decades, the multi-instrumentalist – the best-selling female artist of all time – has earned plaudits for her impressive feats: 300m records sold globally, roles in numerous films (some successful, some not so) and the biggest-selling tourist artist in the world. Having released 75 singles and 13 albums, Madonna is one artist who has never been short of things to say. With that in mind, we compiled the 20 best quotes spoken by the Queen of Pop. “Now that I got everyone's attention, what do I have to say?” “I have the same goal I've had ever since I was a girl: I want to rule the world.” “I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.” “I think of myself as a performance artist. I hate being called a pop star. I hate that.” “Listen, everyone is entitled to my opinion.” “I love horses. I think I may have been one of Henry VIII’s knights in another life, riding through a great forest.” “I used to draw people naked all the time in my art class and my nun teachers used to tell me I had to put clothes on them. So I just drew lines around their bodies. See-through clothes.“ “I hate polite conversation. I hate it when people stand around and go, 'Hi, how are you?' I hate words that don't have any reason or meaning. Also I hate it when people smoke in elevators and closed in places. It's just so rude.” “A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.” “I went to New York. I had a dream. I wanted to be a big star. I didn’t know anybody. I wanted to dance. I wanted to sing. I wanted to do all those things. I wanted to make people happy. I wanted to be famous. I wanted everybody to love me. I wanted to be a star. I worked really hard and my dream came true.” “When in doubt, act like God” “I became an overachiever to get approval from the world.” “When I'm hungry, I eat. When I'm thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it.” “I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.” “I'm encouraging other people, whether they're professionals or not, to use their creativity to express themselves, to get a conversation going, to get the party started, really.” “I sometimes think I was born to live up to my name. How could I be anything else but what I am having been named Madonna? I would either have ended up a nun or this.” “To me, the whole process of being a brush stroke in someone else’s painting is a little difficult.” “I always thought I should be treated like a star.” “I want to be like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and John Lennon... but I want to stay alive.” “If I was a girl again, I would like to be like my fans, I would like to be like Madonna.”


Liam.k. View member profile	14th August 2018, 04:44 PM Post #2
BuzzJack Idol Joined: 8 December 2010 Posts: 51,008 User: 12,472	MADONNA AT 60: HOW THE ‘QUEEN OF POP’ CONTINUES TO REDEFINE STEREOTYPES ABOUT OLDER WOMEN The influence that Madonna has had in the entertainment industry, in the media and on society as a whole has remained strong over the course of her 36-year career. Despite her numerous accolades and record-breaking music sales - she's the best-selling female recording artist of all time - the “Queen of Pop” has had to face persistent sexism and ageism throughout the years. But Madonna has redefined the widespread stereotypes often attributed to older women time and time again, challenging hackneyed notions that people have about older women by being open with their sexuality, dating younger men and continuing to succeed in her career. When receiving her Woman of the Year award at Billboard Women in Music 2016, the "Like a Virgin" singer spoke about the rules that she had learnt that she was expected to abide by as a female performer. “Do not age, because to age is a sin,” she said. “You will be criticised, you will be vilified, and you will definitely not be played on the radio.” Earlier this year, Madonna told The Cut that she would never stop calling the supposed social norms that older women are frequently expected to adhere to into question. “I mean, who made those rules? Who says? I’m going to keep fighting it,” she said. “10 to 20 years from now, it’s going to be normal. People are going to shut up.” From her approach to sexuality, her body image and the immeasurable impact of her career, here’s how Madonna continues to redefine stereotypes concerning older women: Career Since the release of her debut single “Everybody” in 1982, Madonna quickly became a global phenomenon. The singer is showing no signs of slowing down as she turns 60, having appeared at this year’s Met Gala as part of a surprise performance. As she said in her Billboard speech, “People say that I’m so controversial, but I think the most controversial thing I have ever done is to stick around.” One would think that Madonna’s extraordinary success would ensure that any new music that she puts out immediately makes its way onto the radio. However, as she told Harper’s Bazaar in 2017, this isn’t always the case, which is why she relishes in performing live. “Whenever I do my live shows, I feel artistically inspired and excited because I get to do and say a lot of things that I can’t if I just make a record,” she stated. “A lot of times, it’s the only way people are going to hear my music because you don’t get to have your music played on Top 40 if you’re above the age of 35.” Sexuality Madonna’s openness with her sexuality has been well-documented, with some praising her for her demonstrations of sexual freedom and others condemning her as a “sexual provocateur”. The Times once stated that Madonna’s “attitudes and opinions on sex, nudity, style and sexuality forced the public to sit up and take notice.” She’s commonly perceived as a sex icon, as emphasised by author Chuck Klosterman in his book Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs. “Whenever I hear intellectuals talk about sexual icons of the present day, the name mentioned most is Madonna,” he wrote. In Madonna’s opinion, there’s no reason why the older generation should stop embracing their sexuality simply because they’ve reached a certain age, especially when it comes to women. “It’s an outdated, patriarchal idea that a woman has to stop being fun, curious, adventurous, beautiful, or sexy past the age of 40. It’s ridiculous,” she told The Cut. “Why should only men be allowed to be adventurous, sexual, curious, and get to have all the fun until the day they leave this earth?” Body image One of the most recurrent themes of the judgemental remarks made against Madonna touch upon her body image. In 2009, TMZ published an article in which it described Madonna’s arms as “her grotesquely sexy 50-year-old appendages”. The author then continued, writing: “Nothing says ageing gracefully like an overly worked out pair of monstrously sculpted and bloodcurdling veiny corpse arms.” In 2015, Madonna appeared on the red carpet at the Grammys wearing a bodysuit designed by Givenchy. She repeatedly lifted the back of the outfit to show her bare bottom, which she claims she did in order to take a stand against the ageist naysayers. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Madonna explained that at the Grammys she had wanted to make the point that: “This is what a 56-year-old looks like.” Madonna redefining stereotypes about older women at Billboard Women in Music 2016 When then asked for her thoughts on the claim that her physique “isn’t exactly average,” she then stated: “You know what? It could be the average some day! That’s the thing.” In 2014, Madonna spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the insecurities that she sometimes feels about her body, describing it as a “love/hate relationship.” Relationships There’s an evident double standard when it comes to age gaps in heterosexual relationships. When older men date younger woman, very few people usually bat an eyelid, let alone criticise it publicly. There’s a 17-year age difference between 40-year-old Amal Clooney and her husband, 57-year-old George Clooney. Furthermore, in the 2015 James Bond film Quantum of Solace, 50-year-old Daniel Craig was paired with 32-year-old Léa Seydoux as his romantic interest. However, when the tables are turned and an older woman dates a younger man, the woman is often ridiculed for doing so, as Madonna has experienced on multiple occasions. “What I am going through now is ageism, with people putting me down or giving me a hard time because I date younger men or do things that are considered to be only the domain of younger women,” she told The Cut. However, as Madonna told The New York Daily News, she often finds herself more romantically suited to younger men. “Most men my age are married with children,” she said. “They’re not dateable. “I’m a single mother. I have four children. I mean, you have to be pretty open-minded and adventurous to want to step into my world. “People who are older and more set in their ways, are probably not as adventurous as someone younger. The shame associated with an older woman dating a younger man highlights the extent to which sexism and ageism is still rife in today’s day and age, as eharmony relationship expert Verity Hogan explains. “The stigma is really a symptom of society’s misogyny,” Hogan tells The Independent. “Why else would older women be nicknamed predatory ‘cougars’ while older men are deemed desirable ‘silver foxes’?”


Liam.k. View member profile	14th August 2018, 04:45 PM Post #3
BuzzJack Idol Joined: 8 December 2010 Posts: 51,008 User: 12,472	Madonna at 60: The ten best music videos from the Queen of Pop A key part of Madonna’s wide-ranging career has been her eye-catching, conversation-sparking music videos, which have been as impactful and memorable as the hit songs themselves. A master of reinvention, these videos serve as a reminder of her famous array of looks, always referencing the latest trends while staying true to central themes of sex, religion and female empowerment. ‘Like A Virgin’ (1984) The first example of the kind of strong imagery Madonna could present in her videos came with ‘Like A Virgin’. The clip cuts between her dancing on a Venetian gondola in her original punk-style look – already being copied at that point by young girls across America – and a more demure scene where she dons a full wedding dress (albeit a more demure choice than the one she would sport on the album cover). Her ambition is on full display. As the camera cuts between her eyes and those of a lion, it’s hard to tell who looks hungrier. Best bit: 2.26 – A handful of tourists watching her pass under the bridge unwittingly earn a cameo in one of pop’s most famous music videos. ‘Material Girl’ (1985) Madonna began a recurring theme of Marilyn Monroe tributes with this full-blown homage to her performance of ‘Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend’ in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. At the dawn of the 1980s, Madonna’s career was born alongside the arrival of MTV, and this marked the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship which set the bar for her contemporaries. She delivered the goods, and MTV broadcast it on heavy rotation around the world. It was on the set of this video that Madonna met Sean Penn, whom she married later that year. Best bit: 3.55 – When she throws herself backwards onto the army of adoring, suited backing dancers. ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ (1986) Tackling the subject of an unplanned pregnancy, this video was heavy on storyline, and set Madonna out as an artist who could do serious as well as sexy and fun. It is a testament to her stardom at this point that the video brought much excitement simply because she had dyed her hair blonde. The look she cultivated here paid equal tribute to her Italian roots, and the girl groups of the 1950s. She showed her marketing savvy by threading it through the entire True Blue album campaign. Best bit: 1.07 – When she catches sight of her love interest while wearing the ‘Italians Do It Better’ t-shirt. ‘Like A Prayer’ (1989) Most people remember this controversial video for Madonna’s steamy kiss with a black Jesus – but he was in fact supposed to be Martin de Porres, the patron saint of mixed-race people. This was fitting as race was a major theme explored in the video alongside sex and religion, all climaxing in a blistering scene where she dances in a field of burning crosses. The video angered the Vatican, and more importantly Pepsi, who immediately pulled a major $5 million ad campaign with Madonna which was to feature the song. Her response? “I do what I want.” Best Bit: 2.15 – Surely the first and last appearance of stigmata in a pop video? ‘Express Yourself’ (1989) At the time of release, this was the most expensive music video ever made, with its $5 million budget being spent on an extensive homage to the influential 1927 silent film Metropolis. In another theme she has explored widely through her career, Madonna presents herself simultaneously as feminine and masculine, appearing as a sex symbol to factory workers before donning a man’s suit and appearing to exert power over them. Her then-boyfriend Warren Beatty turned down the offer to play her love interest in the video. Best bit: 1.58 – A brilliant solo dance routine with just a hint of Michael Jackson. ‘Vogue’ (1990) Arguably her most iconic moment, Madonna took the Vogue dance that emerged in the African-American LGBT community in 1980s New York, packaged it up, and made it a worldwide phenomenon in the summer of 1990. From the famous dance routine to the appearance of that cone bra, it is laden with memorable moments. Shot in black and white by acclaimed Fight Club director David Fincher, it pays homage to the classic era of Hollywood but in turn its own imagery is now firmly embedded in pop culture history. Best Bit: 0.34 – That very first ‘Strike a pose’ will never get old. ‘Justify My Love’ (1990) If Marilyn Monroe had ever starred in some French noir porn, it might have looked something like this. Madonna sparked perhaps her biggest controversy with this steamy video in which she visits a hotel corridor filled with half-naked women, cross-dressers, BDSM participants and a gimp, before quite naturally getting stuck in for a bit of fun herself. Outright banned by her friends at MTV, Madonna responded by releasing it on VHS as the first ever ‘video single’, turning it into a major commercial success. Still NSFW to this day. Best bit: 4.43 – She runs off down the hallway, giggling at what she’s just been up to – but it’s almost anticipating the scandal of the video itself too. ‘Take A Bow’ (1994) One of her most beautifully shot videos, Madonna appears as the neglected lover of a matador, with traditional themes of religion and female sexuality being explored. Cinematic bullfighting scenes and stunning close-ups complement the orchestrated track by Babyface. At this time, Madonna was lobbying for the title role in Evita and wanted a Spanish themed, period style video that would portray her in the correct fashion. She sent a copy of the video to director Alan Parker as part of her campaign to win the role – and it worked. Best bit: 1.55 – When the door to the arena opens up revealing Madonna on one side and the gathered crowd on the other. ‘Ray Of Light’ (1998) A major comeback moment for Madonna, ‘Ray of Light’ presented the new mum with a Mother Earth look, as she approached her 40th birthday. The album presented a mature style, with a contemporary 90s sound that reaffirmed her relevance, and the video once again got her on heavy TV rotation. Shot in Los Angeles, New York, London, Las Vegas and Stockholm by Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund, it was a major technical feat. The time lapse effect was the result of weeks of meticulous filming, taking half an hour to get just five seconds of footage. Best bit: 3.16 – When the breakdown ends and she throws her head at the camera: “And I feel!” ‘Hung Up’ (2005) Arguably the last Madonna video that had everyone talking, this enjoyed its own prime-time premiere slot on Channel 4. Serving up a glorious mixture of Saturday Night Fever imagery with contemporary street dancing and freerunning, the video was as instantly attention-grabbing as the ABBA sample that pulsed through the song. Filmed just two months after she broke three ribs and a collarbone in a horse riding accident, there’s no sign of the pain as she demonstrates her famous flexibility. And who could forget that pink leotard? Best Bit: 1.50 – Her entire solo routine in the ballet studio is brilliant but this impressive high kick is a highlight.


Liam.k. View member profile	14th August 2018, 04:47 PM Post #4
BuzzJack Idol Joined: 8 December 2010 Posts: 51,008 User: 12,472	Madonna at 60: Ten greatest songs from the Queen of Pop Madonna, the most successful recording female artist of all time, turns 60 on 16 August. She’s been making music for 36 years now, and is one of the great survivors of a notoriously fickle business, staying vital and relevant by endlessly reinventing her persona and music and constantly pushing the boundaries of pop culture. A trendsetter and also a trend enhancer, with an unmatched ability for capturing the zeitgeist with her music, Madonna has long been a figurehead for female empowerment, fearless in the themes she tackles in her songs, and as she has recently proved with her outspoken speech about ageism, still willing and able to spark debate on uncomfortable subjects. Crucially too, she has always been in control of her music. When she arrived on the scene in the first half of the Eighties with a nascent talent and a wealth of raw ambition and attitude, there was a vacancy for a strong female pop icon – a position that Madonna was happy to fill. The video age was perfect for Madonna – perhaps no other artist personifies the MTV age more, and it’s undeniable that her videography played a huge role in the success of her music. To celebrate her 60th, this playlist consists of just 10 Madonna classics, all of them singles – because that’s what she has always done best, and all of them inexorably linked to memorable videos. With so many classics to pick from, everyone will have their own ideas of a perfect 10 from the queen of pop, but this is my list of the 10 greatest Madonna songs. 10. Like a Virgin (1984) Although she had previously hit number two in the UK with both “Holiday” and “Borderline”, it was with her second album that Madonna really found her groove, with the title track in particular and its accompanying provocative video planting her image of coy sexuality firmly in the public consciousness. Produced by Nile Rodgers and composed by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, the songwriting duo responsible for “True Colours” and “Eternal Flame”, “Like a Virgin’s” meaning was taken the wrong way, according to Madonna, who rejected the controversial sexual element attached to the song, explaining that she was singing about how something made her feel brand new and fresh. Whatever the meaning of the lyrics, “Like a Virgin” became an early signature song and Madonna was on her way to becoming a global superstar. 9. Hung Up (2005) For the most recent song on this playlist, Madonna sought permission from Abba’s Benny and Bjorn for the sample of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)”, which along with the incessant thumping rhythm track gives the song its hypnotic, danceable quality. The result was one of Madonna’s biggest ever floorfillers, defiantly turning back the clock to the disco pop sound of the 1970s that inspired early dance classics like “Holiday” and “Into the Groove”. There’s some highly personal lyrics in there as well but the overall feeling about a record that has now sold an incredible 9 million copies and topped the charts in 41 countries, was that after the disappointing American Life album, the queen of pop had found her groove again. 8. Frozen (1998) The mid-Nineties saw Madonna exploring other avenues like her own Maverick record label and a film career which at last won her deserved critical acclaim for her performance in Evita. She then stepped away from the limelight following the birth of her first child, but as the decade drew to a close, she was ripe for a new challenge. She found it with her reputation enhancing collaboration with William Orbit in what amounted to an artistic rebirth. The resulting album Ray of Light is viewed by many critics and fans as Madonna’s finest album, with haunting ballad “Frozen” a particular highlight. Featuring an icily atmospheric vocal from Madonna as she sings of being “frozen” out by cold and unemotional people and greatly enhanced by Craig Armstrong’s string arrangement incorporating eastern musical elements, “Frozen” was released as the lead-off single from Ray of Light and returned Madonna to the top of the charts on the back of a typically memorable video. 7. Music (2000) There was no resting on laurels for Madonna after her dazzling reinvention with Ray of Light as she entered the new millennium with a glance back to the dance pop that made her with this monster clubland hit, the title track from the album that heralded her “urban cowboy” phase. Like the majority of the album, the anthemic “Music” was a collaboration with French electronica maestro Mirwais Ahmadzai, with Madonna’s lyrics celebrating the unifying power of music regardless of creed, colour or sexual orientation. 6. Into the Groove (1985) A cowrite with sometime boyfriend and frequent collaborator Stephen Bray, “Into the Groove” was originally recorded for the soundtrack for Desperately Seeking Susan, Madonna’s first major film. The lyrics and the irresistible beat of Madonna’s first number one say it all really. A song about the sheer joy of dancing and fittingly the pinnacle of the classic run of Madonna dance singles of the 1980s. For an alternate take, check out the version on 1987’s You Can Dance compilation, which will keep you dancing for a full eight and a half minutes. 5. Vogue (1989) A muscular club groove propels this irresistible homage to old-style Hollywood glamour, which also brought voguing – the “strike a pose” dance style mentioned in the song’s lyrics that was popular in the New York gay club scene of the era – into the pop mainstream. “Vogue” also celebrated the liberating effect of dancing, and as you would expect from the queen of the promo film, the video is a classic, with Madonna striking the pose of the icons – Garbo, Monroe, Dietrich et al – she namechecks in the song. 4. Ray of Light (1998) “Magic happens when we get into a recording studio together,” Madonna has said of her relationship with electronica svengali William Orbit, and the swirling title track of her first studio album in over three years is some kind of magic. With lyrics reflecting Madonna’s new-found spiritual enlightenment, “Ray of Light” is a dizzying amalgam of trance, disco and Euro-pop that perfectly demonstrates her magpie type gift for taking an established genre and enhancing it. 3. Papa Don’t Preach (1986) Controversial at the time for its teen pregnancy theme, which outraged the self-appointed guardians of morality and the widely held belief that it was an anti-abortion statement, “Papa Don’t Preach“ proved that Madonna could provoke debate over far weightier subjects than her risque videos. The artist herself foresaw the ensuing fallout, predicting in a prerelease interview that “‘Papa Don’t Preach’ is a message song that everyone is going to take the wrong way”. For Madonna herself, in life and in her art, that message may just be that a woman is entitled to make her own decisions and be willing to take responsibility for her own actions. 2. Live to Tell (1986) A huge leap in vocal and compositional maturity, “Live to Tell” is one of Madonna’s most personal songs as she describes the painful burden of living with (unspecified) secrets from her past and having the strength and fortitude to survive. Singing in a lower register, Madonna invests “Live to Tell” with a naked emotion, while the unconventional structure and moody synth hook add to the haunting power of one of the great soul-baring ballads. 1. Like a Prayer (1989) For her greatest song, Madonna fearlessly drew on two of her favourite subjects, sex and religion, for a seamless and beautiful fusion of pop, dance and gospel, with a strong anti-racist theme that inevitably provoked huge debate and furore. Much of that was down to the notorious video featuring Madonna kissing a black saint, making love on a church altar, experiencing stigmata and dancing in a field of burning crosses. The fallout over the video led to Pepsi cancelling a recently inked contract with the artist as she was assailed from all sides by outraged moralists. But Madonna triumphed in the end, with the video being aired constantly on MTV and the anthemic and inspirational “Like a Prayer” single topping charts around the world. She had also proved herself as an ace manipulator of huge conglomerates like MTV and Pepsi, but more importantly was now accepted by the critics as a serious and important artist.


Liam.k. View member profile	14th August 2018, 04:48 PM Post #5
BuzzJack Idol Joined: 8 December 2010 Posts: 51,008 User: 12,472	MADONNA AT 60: HOW THE 'MATERIAL GIRL' HAS SHAPED MODERN FASHION TRENDS Madonna’s career as an internationally renowned superstar has spanned the best part of four decades, cementing her status as one of history’s most celebrated artists. While her musical talents have been critically acclaimed the world over, the singer has also had a significant influence on global fashion trends ever since she first took her place in the spotlight on the world stage. When one thinks of Madonna’s most iconic looks, perhaps they picture the wedding dress that she wore for her performance of 'Like a Virgin' at the 1984 MTV Awards, the cone bra that she donned during her Blonde Ambition Tour in Japan in 1990 or her multiple tributes to Marilyn Monroe. However, Madonna has done far more in the world of fashion than simply stir conversation due to her choice of apparel or spark a few fashion fads here and there. The way in which the singer used her style to represent her identity was a fresh concept when she first came onto the music scene. This became even more apparent following Madonna’s first major film role in the 1985 Desperately Seeking Susan, which saw people all around the world attempt to replicate her leather jacket, large hair bow, abundance of jewellery and loose-fitting trousers. Madonna’s former publicist Liz Rosenberg has previously spoken about her first meeting with the young star, where she oozed confidence while wearing a signature “black outfit with a hundred rubber bracelets on each wrist.” It’s evident that the singer had a clear understanding both of who she was and who she wanted to become from the very beginning of her career. “I think Madonna was one of the very first brands in her own right,” celebrity fashion stylist Alex Longmore tells The Independent. “She had her own identity and she stuck to it. “She has always represented rebellion, reinvention and change. She has been on the cutting edge of style, continually evolving and telling a story with her outfit choices and expressing herself with fashion since the 1980s.” The coalescence between Madonna’s fashion choices and her identity set her apart from the crowd and inspired her fans to explore their own evolving identities in the process. The effect that she’s had over the years, and will undoubtedly continue to have in the future, can aptly be described as a “phenomenon”, as stated by academic Douglas Kellner in his book Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity and Politics between the Modern and the Post-Modern. “Madonna’s constant change of image and identity promoted experimentation and the creation of one’s own fashion and style,” he wrote. “Her sometimes dramatic shifts in image and style suggested that identity was a construct, that it was something that one produced, and that it could be modified at will. “The way that Madonna deployed fashion in the construction of her identity made it clear that one’s appearance and image helps to produce what one is, or at least how one is perceived to be.” It’s not just Madonna’s bold sense of style that impacted fashion trends, but also her tendency to transform her look over time. The singer has gone from spearheading the punk pop look of the 1980s to bringing old-school Hollywood glamour to the 1991 Oscars, going for a more casual look for her rendition of 'American Pie' and showing off her regality in haute couture designs for her record-breaking Super Bowl half-time show six years ago. She’s made her fans feel as though they have more freedom to test out different versions of themselves, just like their idol. “By exploding boundaries established by dominant gender, sexual and fashion codes, she encourages experimentation, change, and production of one’s individual identity,” wrote Kellner. With more than two million followers on Twitter, 11 million followers on Instagram and 18 million on Facebook, Madonna has continued to reign as one of the most influential individuals in fashion in the modern age of social media.


Liam.k. View member profile	14th August 2018, 04:50 PM Post #6
BuzzJack Idol Joined: 8 December 2010 Posts: 51,008 User: 12,472	Madonna at 60: Female pop stars entering their seventh decade are not just rocking – they're snarling It’s a truism that older women have had their visibility problems. City boardrooms are short of women in general, and women over 60 are certainly thin on the ground. Most notably, broadcasting has been notoriously shy of giving older women screen time. It was less than two years ago that the head of the regulator Ofcom accused the BBC of “not doing as good a job as it should be” in its treatment of older women, after many complaints from viewers about a lack of mature female presenters. The corporation had long faced criticism for its treatment of older women, and lost an age discrimination case brought by Countryfile presenter Miriam O’Reilly, who was sacked in 2009, to make way for younger presenters. But there is one area where the older woman is suddenly and somewhat unexpectedly thriving – rock music. Madonna celebrates her 60th birthday on Saturday. Kate Bush has just celebrated hers. In fact, they are the spring chickens. Suzi Quatro, 68, and Patti Smith, 71, are not just still rocking, they are still snarling. Cher at 72 pops up with a delightful cameo in the Mamma Mia! movie. The queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, is still recording at 76. Who’d have thought it? Look back to the 1960s and there were precious few women at all in pop music, let alone older ones. In the UK, Sandie Shaw, Dusty Springfield, Marianne Faithfull and a handful of others carried the fight to the mass of male groups (the word boyband had yet to be invented). No one thought then about whether the stars would still be recording and performing in old age. Indeed the concept was unthinkable – for men as well as women, for stars as well as fans. When I put it to Paul McCartney that he must be surprised to be still going, he replied: “I do rub my eyes. I didn’t foresee it. In The Beatles we always said 10 years. But it kept on and kept on and it kept being good and we seemed to be the people who could do it. Now there is a great young generation of people who can also do it, but it tends to be that the people packing them in are the people who have the material, have hits, songs people know, and I think that’s important. I think they have stagecraft, they have an ability with an audience.” There’s no doubting that the likes of Madonna and Kate Bush have stagecraft in spades. Even in an industry that ostensibly prizes youthfulness and a certain amount of athleticism on stage, the female superstars, like the male, are now gliding into pensionable age, with fan bases, voices, charisma and downright sexiness still intact. Though, when it comes to longevity, the women themselves didn’t always think it would be the case. Joni Mitchell once remarked, all too despondently: “Record companies want the look. And if you’re over 50, however well preserved, you just don’t have the look.” Maybe the look, or audience perception of the look, has changed. No one remotely cared that Kate Bush looked older than they remembered her (quelle surprise) when she made her stage comeback after 35 years in 2014. And tickets were inevitably like gold dust. I was there to note that she sounded the same, and she still exuded charisma and stage presence. She did a staggering run of 22 performances. Two things perhaps attested to the more mature Kate. The show was only part rock concert, it was also part theatre with video and dance, and even the odd comedy sketch starring her son. Also, she gave all her audiences an instruction on her website, which bore witness to the fact that she comes from an earlier generation than today’s performers. She wrote: “I very much want to have contact with you as an audience, not with iPhones, iPads or cameras.” Earlier this year I witnessed the return to live performance of Annie Lennox, at the age of 63. To raise funds for her charity she did a one-off show which was largely a chat show, interspersed with the odd song at the piano, going through her life and career. The self-deprecating humour was diverting: “When I was studying at the Royal Academy of Music, I lived on £3 a week.” Pause. “Scottish people can do that.” Pause. “And we like it.” Perhaps she had stumbled across the format for the older star, a chat show setting interspersed with the odd song. Except, at the end that she knocked everyone there for six with a breathtaking 30 minute performance of Eurythmics and solo hits that showed she retained all her talent. She was the epitome of soul as she belted out Eurythmics anthems, sometimes crawling sensuously across the floor as she did so. The only surprise was that she had (lamentably) eschewed live performance for 10 years. For some female legends, the routine can be tiring. I was at Marianne Faithfull’s most recent London appearance, an intimate show at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club. Plagued by a variety of physical problems over the years, she had a walking stick and performed most of the show sitting down. It was nevertheless a beguiling evening. But notably at one point she actually pleaded with her fans to allow her to retire. “Please let me go,” she said, “I can’t go on for ever. I’m not Keith,” referring to her long-time friend Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, definitely not one of life’s quitters. Madonna, too, is not one of life’s quitters. Her fitness routine keeps her more than show-ready, even for a show as heavy on breathless choreography as hers. But I think there is another clue to her longevity in what she said to the audience at one of her shows that I attended 15 years ago. Just before her final encore, she said in idiosyncratic style: “When I was a girl I always thought ‘grown-ups can fk off’. But now I’m 45 years old, I have children of my own, and you know what, grown-ups can still fk off!” As I say, it was a piece of philosophy delivered in her personal style. But it perhaps partly explains her longevity and continuing appeal. She retains the anarchic spirit she had when she burst on the scene. Female rock stars, just like their male counterparts, and possibly more so, have no intention of growing old gracefully. They haven’t just retained their vocal prowess and stage presence, they have retained the hint of adolescent rebelliousness that has always been an intrinsic part of rock’s appeal. And having met both Madonna and Suzi Quatro, I can attest that in both cases the aggressive, in yer face attitude is not just a stage technique. But rock-star rebelliousness is not the only reason that rock and pop’s biggest female stars go on and on or come back after long absences. Kate Bush was never keen on playing live and before her comeback had only done one tour of the country. But she was persuaded to perform again by her teenage son. As she had a song on one album about watching his clothes go round and round in the washing machine, it was clear that a request from him would, fortunately, carry weight. Victoria Beckham is, of course, far from the vintage of Bush, Madonna and the other older stars. But when the Spice Girls had their reunion tour, it’s interesting that she said the key reason she wanted to do it was that her children had seen Dad play football and knew all about his skills. Now was a chance for them “to see what Mummy did” before they were born. Performing for a global audience is important. But performing for the family clearly also is a factor in keeping the career going. Jonathan Morrish, a long-time senior executive at Sony record company, and now a music industry PR consultant, says: “Women generally live longer than men, so it should come as no surprise that so many as they get older seem to flourish creatively with their music and on stage. None of this is easy. I know from the many artists that I have worked with you need tenacity. So perhaps it’s the staying power they had to show at the beginning of their careers, perhaps a savvy emotional intelligence – whatever it is, I admire and welcome it. And applaud them.” And even for those female rock and pop stars who have decided to call it a day, a new avenue has opened up: the stage musical. Right now in London, audiences can see Tina Turner on stage at one theatre, and The Supremes and all the other Motown stars at another. Or at least, one can enjoy their music and life stories, delivered by lookalikes and sound-alikes. It’s possible not just to go on into old age, but literally forever. Meanwhile, there is a core of 60- and 70- something female rock stars, who thankfully show no signs of even thinking about stopping and relying on musicals to seal their immortality. No one puts it better than Suzi Quatro, celebrating 54 years in the business, who states: “I will retire when I go on stage, shake my ass and there is silence.”


Liam.k. View member profile	15th August 2018, 01:24 PM Post #7
BuzzJack Idol Joined: 8 December 2010 Posts: 51,008 User: 12,472	Madonna at 60: How one woman turned herself into an icon She should never have been extraordinary. Born in Michigan in 1958, Madonna Louise Ciccone was the third of six children in a working-class Italian-American family. No one could have guessed that this little girl would become renowned the world over by a single name. But the history books will say that she did. Perhaps it was the death of her mother when she was just five years old which lit the fuse of her determination, or a desire to break out of a provincial town and a big family. Maybe she was simply a born show-off. Whatever the motivation, after 60 years, Madonna is the wealthiest woman in the music business and one of its most radical icons. Madonna’s journey from the American suburbs to the American Dream began in 1978, when she arrived in New York with nothing but a winter coat and $35 – “The bravest thing,” she once said, “I have ever done.” In 1983, after years of hard grit, she appeared before the world fully formed. As unmistakably 80s as the shell suit and the Walkman, she was also keenly aware of the lineage of immortal stars in whose mould she hoped to be cast. Before evolving into one of history’s most famous blondes herself, she paid tongue-in-cheek homage to Marilyn Monroe. Female stars are too often beset by tragedy. From Judy Garland to Amy Winehouse, inevitably, a crack appears in the vanity table mirror. But Madonna navigated her own publicity with genius, always speeding off unscathed. When she did expose her personal life to the world, it was on her terms. Following her divorce from Sean Penn in 1989, she took her traumas and spun them into gold with the Like a Prayer album, a series of totemic hits tackling difficult family relationships, domestic violence and the AIDS epidemic. The sentiment was raw, but the execution was slick. At the end of a decade in which she was revered as a figure of youth, sex and fun, she delivered a work that demanded to be taken seriously. In this reinvention she was not just a poster girl, but a true artist, representing female empowerment in a male-dominated industry. On her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, Madonna had a startling gender-defying image: the hair and makeup of Monroe more explicit than ever, but with the famous Gaultier conical bra exerting a confident, aggressive sexuality. Not unintentionally, she was wearing the trousers. In her lyrics too, she is never the victim, breaking away from a tradition of disco divas lamenting their broken hearts on the dancefloor. As she was self-created, she remained self-sustained. Through boyfriends and marriages, males were mere appendages – her grandeur could never be matched. By the time she got to the hyper-sexualisation of the 'Justify My Love' video and the Erotica era, Madonna was still channeling Monroe, but with more artistic purpose. She was borrowing the physical imagery of the ultimate sex symbol of the 20th century, but where Monroe was demure, coquettish and naive, Madonna was expressing her own sexuality explicitly. People were suddenly uncomfortable. When topless photos from Madonna’s younger years leaked in 1985, they quickly found themselves in sell-out issues of Penthouse and Playboy. But in 1992, when she photographed herself completely naked for her own coffee table book, opprobrium rained down on her from all sides. Here, she proved a crucial double standard around women’s bodies and sexuality. It was all fun and games for men to enjoy, so long as they were in control. Once women took charge themselves, their sexuality was deemed unacceptable. In her defiance of the patriarchy, Madonna also garnered adoration from millions of gay men, who saw her reaching out a hand to them through her music, her imagery, and her vocal activism. For many, she was the accepting mother they never had. When I first became a fan in my mid teens, it was not just a case of enjoying the infectious camp of Confessions on a Dancefloor – in her, I saw a remarkable, powerful advocate. As I delved back through her career, I discovered that in showcasing her gay dancers, in her ability to enjoy a sexuality that others sought to oppress, and through lyrics of hope and redemption on albums like Ray Of Light, she had also been there for generations of young gay men before me, most of whom faced far greater struggles. The Madonna of Catholicism is a melancholic figure, imploring people to pray for the state of the world and repent for their sins. But the Madonna of Pop tells her faithful followers to rebel, to be who they are, to survive at all costs. She is the hero of her own story, and of many others’ too. There is no weeping. Just as the 21st century nears its third decade, so Madonna continues to push the boundaries of what is expected of older women in her industry, and in society. Her world tours remain athletic, stadium-filling affairs. She's still collaborating with contemporary talent while relishing the spoils of being a heritage act. As ever, she dresses (and undresses) as she pleases. Critics are waiting for an end to Madonna that will never come, because her legacy is secure. She had the good fortune to come of age in an era that allowed the average star to present themselves as superhuman, and that is how she remains. While technology and globalisation have made it easier for people to become well known, there has been a dramatic dilution of quality. Of the people who do become household names, few are in any way remarkable. Madonna remains as discussed in 2018 as she ever was, with her every move still commanding mainstream attention. As she has indulged in social media and demonstrated a greater sense of humour, we have seen more of her ‘real’ side. But no matter how much she playfully allows the mask to slip, her facade remains untarnished. When she posts a makeup free selfie, or is photographed flying budget to Lisbon, for a moment she seems a little more human, a little more like us – and yet the unshakeable fact is that she is not. She is an icon. She is Madonna


Liam.k. View member profile	16th August 2018, 12:16 AM Post #8
BuzzJack Idol Joined: 8 December 2010 Posts: 51,008 User: 12,472	Madonna at 60: How she became the queen of all queens Never afraid of talking about sex, Madonna changed the way people perceived gay sex and vastly improved the lives of those having it by campaigning to publicise preventative measures for Aids. Darren Scott shows how she became a gay icon, without even trying There are many scents that transport me to another place and time. But there’s one that’s so important that its message has stuck with me for almost 30 years. In 1989, Madonna ruled the world. Her rise to fame had been fairly rapid since her first single, Everybody, in 1982. By 1985, she had released True Blue, which went on to become one of the biggest selling albums by a female artist. But in March of 1989, she released the album Like A Prayer and it seemed as though Madonna-mania had gripped the planet. While that masterpiece – with its relentless stream of coming-of-age anthems and dramas – evokes many memories, it’s the smell of the packaging that, to paraphrase HRH, “takes me there”. Doused in patchouli oil, it was intended to simulate church incense. But in my mind, it’s forever associated with a card insert that came with every copy. It was called “The Facts About Aids”. Now, in those days – in fact, pretty much as in 2018 – sex education at school wasn’t that great for a baby gay like myself. But that was probably fine, because by this point I had been put off it for life after being terrified by government adverts with icebergs, and subsequently school contemporaries telling me I was going to die of Aids – and this was before I even knew I was gay, let alone having bleached my hair or had anything pierced. Madonna – who I had inexplicably been drawn to since offerings such as Gambler and Dress You Up, those contemporaries seeing the signs before I did – was now changing my life in a different way, by teaching me a lesson I would never forget. The leaflet referred to Aids as “an equal opportunity disease”. It went on to explain: “People with Aids – regardless of their sexual orientation – deserve compassion and support, not violence and bigotry”. Three simple facts followed, explaining how you could get Aids, and then an equally simple message telling you to wear a condom. Never mind that at that age, and in that different time, sex with a condom was precisely that – sex with a condom. There wasn’t anyone else involved for years. But it always, always stuck with me. And it was just the beginning, as Madonna would ultimately teach me more about sex than I ever learned at school. “Aids is no party!” the leaflet signed off with, and Madonna was only too aware. She had already lost her good friend Martin Burgoyne – who also designed the sleeve to her Burning Up single – to the epidemic by this point. The Madison Square Garden show of her Who’s That Girl Tour in 1987 became an Aids benefit, with money raised going to the American Foundation for Aids Research (amfAR). By 1989, her ballet teacher and mentor, Christopher Flynn, had been diagnosed and would die of Aids the following year. Speaking about Christopher with Interview magazine in 2010 she said: “Growing up in Michigan, I didn’t really know what a gay man was. He was the first man – the first human being – who made me feel good about myself and special. He was the first person who told me that I was beautiful or that I had something to offer the world, and he encouraged me to believe in my dreams, to go to New York. He was such an important person in my life. He died of Aids, but he went blind toward the end of his life.” Just over a year after the release of that life-changing album, Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour – arguably the greatest pop concert ever – would open on 13 April, racking up 57 shows before it finished on 5 August. But she was to lose another friend to Aids before the tour began. Artist Keith Haring was just 31 years old. Madonna dedicated the final US date of Blond Ambition to him, and once again the proceeds were donated to amfAR. The safe-sex message played throughout the show. “Hey, you, don’t be silly, put a rubber on your willy,” she would sing, before performing Into The Groove. She knew. Three of the dancers who performed in Blond Ambition were living with HIV during the tour (Rex) It’s a tragic irony that some of the dancers on that tour – as seen in the 2016 documentary, Strike A Pose – would later disclose they were HIV positive. One of them, Gabriel Turpin, is sadly no longer with us due to an Aids-related illness. In 1991, a handwritten letter from Madonna about the effects of Aids was published in Billboard’s December issue. It listed organisations that people could donate to at a time of goodwill, and declaring it a war, it went global. We just didn’t have “celebrities” – as they weren’t called then – let alone global superstars, speaking out against Aids in those days. Arguably, you still don’t hear enough in 2018. Madonna has been fighting that cause very vocally, relentlessly, for three decades. We shouldn’t be talking about Madonna just because she’s turned 60. We should be talking about Madonna every single day, because she’s a living legend – and there really aren’t many of those, despite what children on Twitter might have you believe. Listen to the lyrics of Express Yourself. Go on, I’ll wait. Now apply them. Madonna is empowering. Sex back then could be frightening. Madonna wasn’t having any of that. She reclaimed sex and the perceived promiscuous sex life of gay men. She championed sex and sexuality at a time when people were terrified of sex because of the pandemic. But she preached to be safe with it. And the world listened. She released the coffee table photo publication, Sex, in 1992 – a book so closely associated with toilet parts that it should’ve had a “Now wash your hands” sign at the end. Heavily criticised at the time, it is now considered to be a work of art. ‘Sex’ was heavily criticised when it was released in October 1992 (Rex ) The album that accompanied Sex, Erotica, saw her shed another skin. She was talking about sex in a post-Aids epidemic landscape, embracing what many might perceive as a sleazy, darker side of sex, but reminding us that it wasn’t shameful, and it was OK to enjoy sex. It was a bold thing to do. Even though there were songs on the album about dying – In This Life, with lyrics about her lost friends Christopher and Martin – there was still a message about celebrating the enjoyment of sex. But always safely. Darren Scott lives his life the way Madonna taught him (WireImages) It was also about celebrating life, with the song Deeper and Deeper telling the coming out story of a young man with the lyrics: “This feeling inside, I can’t explain, but my love is alive, and I’m never gonna hide it again…” Madonna took us all under her wing, right from the very start, long before our pounds were pink or even ours to give. Madonna has never proclaimed herself a gay icon. She just simply is. She knows, but arguably she doesn’t play on it. There’s little as tacky as someone acknowledging such a status, let alone declaring themself to be so. In the early Nineties, when it still wasn’t “cool” to do so, she would publicly lay into homophobic people in interviews. Straight people horrified at the depiction, or possibly even just inclusion, of gay people in Truth or Dare (aka In Bed With Madonna) got short shrift. She’s a gay icon that doesn’t really do “camp” and rarely accidentally falls into that field. She doesn’t “play up” to her gay fan base – she doesn’t need to, and she also realises they’re much smarter than that. She doesn’t need to condescend, as many since have. She hasn’t, for example, ever needed to write a song that was intended to be a “gay anthem” from the outset, nor one listing sexual preferences in order to find favour with the community. She’s previously said that she gets turned on by two men kissing. Not that it’s ever been up for debate that she has good taste. Arguably – and this is just my take on it, don’t write in – she’s a gay icon because at the time we needed a fk you attitude, with a healthy dose of “I’ll do what I f*ing want” approach to life. Given what the community – and the world – had gone through in the late Eighties and early Nineties, the timing was perfect. Her relentless insistence on treating us like the equals that we actually are meant that gay culture became part of the mainstream. She did that. Others followed. Madonna’s Raising Malawi organisation supports orphans and vulnerable children in the East African country (AFP/Getty) To this day she continues to battle for HIV awareness – she recently partnered with Ripple to raise funds for children in Malawi orphaned because of the disease. She never fails to acknowledge World Aids Day (even if people wildly misunderstand her posts on social media – we’re looking at you, Britney). I’ll continue to live my life the way Madonna taught me, with a mantra that’s always stuck when I knew I needed to be myself: “Dance and sing, get up and do your thing.” But the final word should be hers – as you imagine it quite rightly would always be so. Taking to Reddit for her one and only question and answer session, a fan asked: “If you were a gay man, would you be a top or a bottom?” Madonna’s reply? “I am a gay man.” And she’s so obviously a top.