To some, Madonna is a divine creation — an otherworldly gift to the masses in the form of an incessantly morphing entity who’s been steering fashion, music, cosmetic, production, lifestyle, sex and religious trends for the last 25 years, ever since the release of her self-titled breakthrough album.
Even her critics can’t deny the scope of the 50-year-old pop goddess’ influence. That’s why it was front-page news in this paper and others when she announced her first-ever Denver shows, at the Pepsi Center, set for Tuesday and Wednesday. The first show sold out instantly, but there are still close-in seats tickets available for the second performance.
To celebrate Madonna’s 25-year recording career — a quarter-century that positioned her as the biggest-selling female artist in the world — here are 25 probing inquiries into the power of Madonna’s magnetic personality.
1. Remember how we first met Madonna?
Fans met Madonna via debut album “Madonna,” home to hits “Lucky Star,” “Borderline,” “Holiday” and “Burning Up.” She even had writing credits on most of the album’s songs. Sure enough, the record went gold in May of 1984, platinum that August, double- platinum that December, triple-platinum in 1985 and quadruple-platinum in 1988.
2. So “Madonna” was a popular record. But was it a good record?
It really was. It paid homage to the ’70s with its disco leanings, but looked to the future with smart pop production. Together with Michael Jackson, Prince and a small cadre of others, Madonna laid out ground rules for pop still being followed by Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani and others.
3. What is the difference between the books “The English Roses” and “Sex?”
“The English Roses” is a sassy children’s book about a group of British friends that Madonna wrote in 2007. “Sex” was a controversial coffee-table book of arty, sometimes soft-porn photos of Madonna and her friends released in 1992.
4. Was there actual sex in “Sex?”
It depends on your definition of sex. The out-of-print book regularly sells for more than $200 on eBay, if you want to find out for yourself.
5. It seems like Madonna is drawn to controversy.
Well, duh. She’s always been a smart businesswoman. Controversy equals publicity, and therefore there is no such thing as bad controversy, right? Not exactly. She’s had her ups and downs, but for the most part, her feisty personality — whether she’s acting out S&M on a crucifix or tongue- kissing Britney Spears on international television — has served her well.
6. Does Madonna govern fashion trends as much as she does music styles?
At one point, she did. Remember her use of the rosary on the “Like a Virgin” tour? The bleached-blond hair, conical bras and take-charge attitude of the “Blonde Ambition” Tour? She was the most-imitated woman in the world. But now fans are more impressed with how athletic she looks as a 50-year-old woman pulling off dance routines in heels.
7. Who are some of Madonna’s most obvious fashion icons?
It depends on the era, but here are a few obvious ones: Marilyn Monroe, Veronica Lake, Dita Parlo, Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich and, to an extent, the actual Madonna and the Virgin of Guadalupe as portrayed in fine art over the years.
8. How revealing was Madonna’s outfit at the “Sex” release party in New York in ’92?
She dressed as Little Bo Peep — complete with a stuffed lamb.
9. Have you ever heard of “Madonna Studies?”
Probably not, unless you were an academic in the ’90s. So much was being written in the academic world about Madonna’s influence on pop culture (sex, religion, spectacle and her popularity among gay men) that some categorized the writings under the header “Madonna Studies,” a subfield of media studies.
10. Madonna’s always been popular with the boys, right?
Pope John Paul II wasn’t a big fan. (He urged fans to not attend her concerts, because of her liberal, suggestive use of Catholic iconography.) But countless other men have had a thing for the Material Girl. On one side you have gay men, some of whom are drawn to Madonna’s flash. Straight men love her too. She’s had multiple high-profile relationships — with artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, actor Warren Beatty, actor Sean Penn, rapper Tupac Shakur, basketball bad boy Dennis Rodman, rapper Vanilla Ice and trainer Carlos Leon, who fathered her first child, Lourdes.
11. And she and Guy Ritchie are now splitsville, right?
Yes. Madonna met filmmaker Ritchie through mutual friend Sting, and they were married for eight years and had two children. Madonna and Ritchie are now getting a divorce and she’s making headlines by sneaking away with baseball star Alex Rodriguez to the Hamptons.
12. Wait … she really dated Vanilla Ice?
That’s what they say. He even appears in “Sex.”
13. Which of Madonna’s albums was the counterpart to “Sex?”
“Erotica,” of course. A version of the lead single, “Erotica,” was included in the book.
14. Is “Madonna” her finest record to date?
No. “Like a Prayer” remains her defining masterpiece. The 1989 record — home to “Express Yourself,” “Cherish” and the still-excellent title track — stands out as her finest moment.
15. There’s concern that Madonna hasn’t produced a solid, listenable album since 1998’s “Ray of Light.” Thoughts?
There have been shining moments on some of her records since, but no, she hasn’t released a cogent full- length record since “Ray.”
16. That statement will make a lot of people mad — especially those who paid more than $350 (face value) for their tickets for this week’s shows in support of the new “Hard Candy” record.
Please. Have you heard “I Love New York?”
17. What’s so bad about “I Love New York?”
The lyrics should have never left the rehearsal room. Samples? “I don’t like cities, but I like New York/Other cities make me feel like a dork” . . . “If you don’t like my attitude, then you can F off/Just go to Texas. Isn’t that where they golf?”
18. What are her best songs from the last decade, then?
“Don’t Tell Me” (from “Music”), “Die Another Day” (the title track from the 2002 James Bond movie) and “Hung Up” (from “Confessions on a Dance Floor”).
19. MTV loves Madonna, right?
A: While it’s true the cable channel has been one of her biggest supporters, it also banned one of her videos, for “Justify My Love” — a move that made international headlines. VHS tapes of “Justify My Love” (with its images of S&M, homosexuality, bondage and nudity) were collector’s items in the pre-YouTube era.
20. She’s great on the small screen, but is Madonna cursed when it comes to the big screen?
Pretty much. She was truly great in “Evita,” entertaining in “A League of Their Own” and oddly watchable in the documentary “Truth or Dare.” But most of her other outings have been critical and commercial failures.
21. You really liked her in “Evita?”
Golden Globe award for best actress in a musical or comedy, baby.
22. What were Madonna’s favorite books as a child?
There’s nothing controversial about this list: “The Giving Tree,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Winnie the Pooh,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The Secret Garden.”
23. What inspired her to venture into writing children’s literature?
“The idea first came about through my Kabbalah teacher, who suggested that I share the spiritual wisdom I’ve learned studying the Kabbalah by writing children’s stories,” Madonna wrote on her books’ website. “And then there’s my own children. Raising kids makes most people, including myself, grow up at least a little.”
24. There’s always something weird in the news regarding Madonna and her faith. What’s the most recent scoop?
Well, Cynthia Rodriguez (A-Rod’s ex-wife) claims that Madonna used Kabbalah to brainwash the baseball stud into believing that they are “soul mates,” according to the New York Daily News’ gossip pages.
25. Will A-Rod convert for the Material Girl?
That’s what people are saying. There have been reports that he attended services at the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles, which is Madonna’s main place of worship in the U.S.
Like we said, she has a certain power over men.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1294 or rbaca@denverpost.com
