Lessons learned from Madonna and Vampiric Pop

When someone mentions Madonna, the word 'reinvented' is never far away. Personally, I don't buy. Madonna never reinvented herself. Sure, she got a hair-cut some time, and sure, when her pop-stock was at an all-time low (for her at least, which equates to 'merely' selling a coupla million) she made sure she stayed in everyone's minds by literally giving her pound of flesh in a steel-bound, wipe-easy book where she had a ball fuckin' a whole buncha models and celebs. It's the kinda crisis I'd like to wallow in, y'know?

But reinvention?

Madonna is just a gal who seriously digs pop. She knows that the kids dig pop too. And probably gay men. Gay men seem to like her a lot. The thing is, all Madonna ever did was made catchy pop records that were current. There's no genius in that.

If you were expecting a Madonna kicking, walk away now. Thing is, while Madonna ain't no genius, she sure is smart. People say things like 'Madonna, is totally, uh, like a smart business woman'. I think she's a gal who knows that, if you stick to what you do best, people are gonna hoover it up. When folks point at the 'Ray of Light' LP like it was some kinda experimental LP, it wasn't. People sniffed at the whole project saying things like 'that dumb broad is ripping off Bjork!' Go back and listen to the title track... it's pure pop. Go back and listen to 'Frozen'. That wasn't no Madonna Decides To Make A Country Rock 45 in 7/8 Timing With A Choir Of Throat Singers cut. Man, it was a pop-record in the seam of The Pearly Days Of Spencer or hell, any indie-pop band that gets the cellos out for The Song We're Obviously Wheeling Out To Be Taken Seriously.

Except Madonna never wanted to be taken seriously. She jus' wanted to make pop rekkids. And that she did. For ages. She still is. Fact is, there's nuthin' wrong with makin' pop records. Sure, you might hate 'em when you hear 'em... but sometimes they just get under your skin. 'Into The Groove' and 'Borderline' still kill me. There was one from the mid-90s that I can't remember the name of where she wore a PVC cat suit, tied to a chair. I remember liking that a lot. However, I liked those tracks because they sound great coming out of a radio. Not because of any reinvention. Not because Madonna is cool in the board room.

Fact is, sometimes, pop music offers you a glamorous promise that listening to a rock band jus' doesn't give. Seeing a Madonna gig on some Freeview channel last night again reminded me how much fun pop music is. I mean, I saw The Stones a while ago, and they were cool an' all... but even their grandiose stage-show was wracked with self analytical cool. 'Let's not overdo it eh lads... let's keep it tasteful'. Madonna didn't think that. She's strutted around in some jump suit with a whole loada dancers and some rotating merry-go-round that shot lasers outta the top while Madonna got down dirty with some huge Nigerian and sang 'I Feel Love'. Yep. The Donna Summer tune. See, if The Stones, who are supposedly cool can sing Chuck Berry because he was an inspiration, then why can't Madge vamp up a seminal disco hit?

This is the rub. Madonna is a pop culture vampire. She sucks up all these records she likes and spits 'em back out with her own stamp. Coz she still digs pop like that hairy armed New Yorker back in the late '70s she was, she still keeps having hits. She doesn't stick to some bozo producer outta some misguided loyalty or faux-cred. She keeps hearin' new stuff that she thinks is cool and demands some. Ain't that what happened throughout the '60s? People heard the latest sound and wanted in? Then they all got lazy and wanted to prove how real they were by doing longer, slower, louder blues covers. Madonna sidestepped the need for cred' with rock critics and kept on making the pop she loved... and who can really argue with that?

So, what lesson have I learned? Well, the first one was that I like repeats of The League of Gentlemen more than Madonna gigs as I switched over during the broadcast. The second is that I like more Madonna tracks than David Bowie ones, than Doors records, than Oasis anythings.

[mof]

Comments

[James Courtney]

I think some people may have an aversion to pop phenomena like Madonna because they take the music they listen to ever-so-seriously whereas anything dubbed (or pigeon holed) as pop gets the tag of disposable, glitzy, rubbish. If I'm right then that all seems a little too black and white.

[Michael]

I was at a tindersticks gig recently.. good.. but not as good as their incredible level of die hard support would suggest. Perhaps it was more to do with credibility coming out of their ears.. which has a lot to do with never reaching mainstream status.
Everyone likes to be obsessed with a band that most of their friends havent heard of.

A lot of people have genre issues, because for a lot of people what music they listen to depends on how they want to define themselves.