This week it's time for me to vent a little bit. Why? Because I need to say something about one of our biggest pop icons. No, it's not Michael Jackson (but I still love his music...) Not Britney, not Christina, not Janet or Whitney, not Justin. It's Madonna. And I'm mad about it...
Madonna's "Reinvention" tour opened with mixed reviews. The die-hards naturally loved it, but people have been speaking up about her being too political. Several people have also said that the good energy has left Madonna.
There is no doubt she'll put on a visually spectacular show. But the salad days of Madonna are over. She's gone from a hip and fresh performer to an overblown political and religious fountain of useless information.
Save the war protests and religious messages for another person, I'm not havin' it. And have you noticed how supremely ironic "Nothing Fails" is? Quote: "I'm not religious, but it makes me want to pray..." If she's not religious, why is the Kabbalah being forced down all of our throats?
A pivotal point in my own personal gay history was when "Vogue" was popular. It was all about self-expression. You could lay down your worries at the edge of the dance floor and release yourself, only to pick them back up when you walked off. It was THAT Madonna and THAT message of positive energy that many of us still hold close to our hearts. Sadly, these days Madonna has turned from a beautiful individual into a preachy loudmouth who "makes me want to pray". Pray she'll shut up.
Diabolique, a ferociously vociferous writer in NYC I read religiously on www.houseofdiabolique.com has pretty much said it best. To paraphrase, she likened the fans of Madonna to the fans of Star Wars; insult the Phantom Menace (which come ON ... it WAS a bad movie) and to the fans, you're insulting all of Star Wars. Insult Madonna right now, and to her fanatical fans you're insulting all of Madonna. That is simply not the case, as Diabolique points out.
I feel that while many people enjoy Madonna right now, they are enjoying her just because she is Madonna. That's not enough for me. Star power never wins me over. I need more. And I suspect her tour will confirm that in a lot of people.
I'm sad to say that for the first time I dislike the latest incarnation of Madonna, and I'm not the only one. Let's hope the next one, and there will surely be a next one, emerges with a happier outlook on the world AND brings us better energy on the dance floor.