259. the mother of reinvention and her heirs

i like this article taken from http://rhapsody.com.


Madonna has built an entire career on reinventing herself so often, so ingeniously and so convincingly that we're never quite sure where the persona ends and the "real" Madonna begins -- and that's the point. Her Madgesty straddles and subverts the line between authenticity and artificiality, constantly compelling us to question our assumptions. A side effect of her self-induced stylistic schizophrenia, however, is that Madonna's titanic influence on pop music has been multifaceted. In other words, the Mother of Reinvention didn't just inspire a few followers; she spawned a new heir to match every persona. In honor of her new single "Celebration,” we present this field guide to the various and sundry Madonnas, complete with our pick for the Madonna follower who's most closely followed in each persona's footsteps.



Madonna Persona: Boy Toy (Origin: circa 1984. See: Like a Virgin)
In Her Footsteps: Britney Spears
Madonna made her first strong mark on our cultural memory as the provocative sugar-pop starlet who writhed around in her "Boy Toy" buckle to the tune of "Like a Virgin." Similarly, Brit-Brit introduced herself as an addictive blend of sugar, spice and shocking sexuality with "...Baby One More Time." Madonna's influence on Britney has always been explicit, to say the least. But while Madonna orchestrated her next move with an iron fist, Britney has never been quite able to extract herself from the grip of the "Boy Toy" image.


Madonna Persona: Material Girl (Origin: circa 1984. See: her entire career)
In Her Footsteps: Gwen Stefani
One of the constants in Madonna's career has been her status as a fashion icon, though the trends she's set have varied wildly, from the lace and crosses that launched a thousand mall boutiques to the glam Marilyn Monroe look, from her cross-cultural borrowings (see: her geisha and Hindu goddess phases) to that ubiquitous, semi-ironic cowboy hat. The only other artist who even comes close to turning pop stardom into so many varied fashion statements is Ms. Gwen, who not only copped Madge's Marilyn look but even went through her own Japanese and Hindu phases!


Madonna Persona: Dominatrix Diva (Origin: circa 1991. See: Blonde Ambition tour, Erotica, "Human Nature")
In Her Footsteps: Janet Jackson
Janet may seem like a slightly unlikely heir to Madonna's fierce, sex-subverts/sex-sells persona. After all, the sweet-voiced Ms. Jackson (if you're nasty) has never seemed quite as, well, dominant as Lady Madonna's dominatrixes. But when we're talking about toeing (and toying with) the line female artists are forced to walk between sexual independence and allegedly "selling oneself" (not to mention sheer tons of leather costumes), Janet's got this one all tied up.


Madonna Persona: Media Provocateur (Origin: circa birth. See: "Like a Virgin" performance at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, "Like a Prayer" video, the Sex book and documentary, the performance of "Live to Tell" on her 2006 Confessions tour. Basically, everything she does.)
In Her Footsteps: Tie: Christina Aguilera, Lily Allen
Even if you think her singing's about as good as her acting, Madonna has two undeniable talents: making headlines and pushing buttons. Whether she's crucifying herself, making out with Britney, masturbating onstage or burning crosses, she's got our full attention. Many pop stars since have similarly provoked the flesh-hungry media (some tragically and unintentionally). And while none have done it quite as well or as consistently as Madge, we think Christina Aguilera (for her excessively pierced Xtina stage) and Lily Allen (for her sweet-tart songs, barbed comments and celebrity brawling) best embody this Madonna.


Madonna Persona: Camp Queen (Origin: circa 1990. See: "Vogue," Evita, anytime she's wearing Gaultier)
In Her Foosteps: Lady Gaga
With a name like Madonna, you're pretty much destined to be flamboyantly theatrical and oh-honey-so-campy, right? Though she pretty much always had the flamboyant part nailed down, Ms. Ciconne really embraced her inner drag queen (and acknowledged/appropriated the culture of her legions of gay fans) with the extravagantly bewigged "Vogue." One of the most Madonna-esque artists to grace us with her presence since Britney's heyday, Lady Gaga's whole fabulous, over-the-top, regularly pants-less shtick could accurately be described as an impression of a drag queen impersonation of Madonna's take on camp.


Madonna Persona: Post-Disco Diva (Origin: circa 1980, then again circa 1998, then again circa 2005. See: Ray of Light, Confessions on a Dance Floor
In Her Footsteps: Kylie Minogue
The Post-Disco Diva is a recurring character for Madonna, which makes sense since it's the one she began her career with back in the early '80s when she was schlepping around various New York dance clubs, trying to catch a break. Once a decade or so, she heads back home to some permutation of groove-oriented club dance music, whether it's sleek pop-house or gay disco. When Madonna goes gallivanting in other directions, her contemporary Kylie Minogue keeps the dance floors (and the bridge between the club and pop worlds) warm for her.


Madonna Persona: Hip-Pop Eye Candy (Origin: circa 2008. See: Hard Candy)
In (/Anticipating?) Her Foosteps: Nelly Furtado nelly furtado.jpg
In 2008, the fifty-year-old icon surprised the world yet again with a makeover that extended from a body more toned and sculpted than most twenty-somethings' to her new, hip-hop-infused sound. Her collaborations with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake were firsts for Madge, who usually works with highly respected but behind-the-scenes, less big-name talent. Even more shocking, however, was that this time around, the Mother of Reinvention appeared to have been inspired by another hot mama: Two years earlier Nelly Furtado had enlisted Timba-lake to aid in her own transition from a boho alt-popper to a glam hip-hop diva.

posted by datf @ 8/03/2009 09:27:00 pm