Madonna: Third Way icon

[/ dave /]

Nathan Newman wrote:

> Have to admit that I had Madonna in the mix of music I'm listening to now.
> I don't think she is any kind of musical innovator, but she is a good
> craftsperson- doing all the technical details to put together appealing pop.
> Unlike a lot of bubblegum pop on the charts, which no one wants to listen to
> after their initial time on the charts, Madonna's music holds up with its
> basic pop skill.

I was going to jump in and mention this the last time Madonna was talked
about on this list, but I guess it matters not that I missed the
opportunity, as the thread inevitably re-asserts itself every few months
or so...

In our loosely-knit DJ collective of eight or ten individuals there are
currently five women, and they play all manner of things at our gigs -
Icebreaker International, White Stripes, Zero 7, Nina Simone, Boredoms,
Rufus Wainwright, Tarwater, Lewis Taylor, Simian, Young Marble Giants,
The Faint, Gospel Swingers, Burnt Friedman, Eno, The Creation, Sloan,
Hrvatski, Mildred Bailey, Muse, The Animalhouse, ad infinitum - but each
and every one of them contributes to an ongoing project wherein Madonna
is played at least once at every single gig we have (and then all five
of them get up and dance like there's no tomorrow). I asked one of my
cohorts about it and she wasn't able to offer any explanation except
that Madonna has some unique, ineffable quality that makes her special.
She just "is." Of course this Madonna-phenom is by no means confined to
female-gendered humans. And one could argue that the _Sex_ book was,
notwithstanding the abundant, perhaps well-deserved criticisms (and once
one cuts through the clutter and gloss), not a little bit didactic -
which is not at all a bad thing. I think I made this point 6 or 7 years
ago on the Bad list. It's a small one, but worth noting nonetheless. 

> Nothing wrong with well designed ear candy.

It's all candy, and meat too. And "This World" by Zero 7 is the most
beautiful song I've heard all year.

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/  dave  /