Madonna In Vanity Fair: Disses New York In Profanity-Laced Interview

Madonna graces the cover of the May issue of Vanity Fair, on newsstands in New York and LA on Wednesday. She is busy promoting her new album "Hard Candy," which comes out April 29. Here are highlights, including her thoughts on New York, fame, and your soul's ability to choose the sex of your child:

Madonna spoke of New York, how it's changed: "It's not the exciting place it used to be. It still has great energy; I still put my finger in the socket. But it doesn't feel alive, cracking with that synergy between the art world and music world and fashion world that was happening in the 80s. A lot of people died."

...

madonna: Do you have a daughter?
me: No, three sons.
[Madonna looks at me accusingly.]
me: I didn't choose it--it just happened.
madonna: Do you believe that? You think things just happen?
me: I think that just happened.
madonna: Mm-hmm.
me: So who's making the decision?
madonna: You are, you and your missus.
me: About what kind of kids we want?
madonna: You chose it. Your soul chose it.
me: No. Do you believe that? That my insides wanted boys?
madonna: Unconsciously. Yes.
me: I kind of like the idea, three sons--it's like having a little army out in the woods.
madonna: And all the work they can do, and you can teach them carpentry and then build houses for you in Old Greenwich, or wherever you live.

...
"You have to get to a point where you care as little about getting smoke blown up your ass as you do when you become a whipping boy in the press," Madonna said, "because ultimately they both add up to shit. You just have to keep doing your work, and hope and pray somebody's dialing into your frequency."

She then said, "If your joy is derived from what society thinks of you, you're always going to be disappointed."

Whole article here.

Comments

[AdamWykle]

I had to bow down to the cover. April 29th couldn't come any sooner.

[lacasarosada]

Madonna is right and she's not the only artist with a love/hate relationship with New York. Read Fran Lebowitz's Metropolitan Life book about NYC in the 1970's. Or read Andy Warhols Diary about the art drugs and night life scene of NYC. And compare that to Bloomberg's nanny state of NYC today, where trans-fat is illegal. Or Guillani who sold Times Square to The Walt Disney Co. And shut down art exhibitions if he found the works in poor taste.

I think the LCD Soundsystem's "New York I Love you But you're Freaking me Out" says it best

New York, I Love You
But you're bringing me down
New York, you're safer
And you're wasting my time
Our records all show
You are filthy but fine

But they shuttered your stores
When you opened the doors
To the cops who were bored
Once they'd run out of crime

New York, you're perfect
Don't please don't change a thing
Your mild billionaire mayor's
Now convinced he's a king

So the boring collect
I mean all disrespect
In the neighborhood bars
I'd once dreamt I would drink

New York, I Love You
But you're bringing me down
Like a death of the heart
Jesus, where do I start?
But you're still the one pool
Where I'd happily drown

And oh.. Take me off your mailing list
For kids that think it still exists
Yes, for those who think it still exists
Maybe I'm wrong
And maybe you're right

[UnknownSoldier]

Actually it was Dinkins who sold Time Square to Disney.

[JumpinJ]

Isn't she also a hypocrate? Lyrics from her last album, her song, "I Love New York":

I don't like cities, but I like New York
Other places make me feel like a dork
Los Angeles is for people who sleep
Paris and London, baby you can keep

Baby you can keep (repeat 8x)

[Chorus:]
Other cities always make me mad
Other places always make me sad
No other city ever made me glad
Except New York
I love New York
I love New York
I love New York

If you don't like my attitude, then you can F-off
Just go to Texas, isn't that where they golf?
New York is not for little pussies who scream
If you can't stand the heat, then get off my street

[luckyoldson]

She said she still liked New York, but that it was different than it was during the 80's...bec­ause..."A lot of people died."

What is it about that that you don't understand or find hypocritical??

[Ragga]

She did not DISS NYC. Geez can you people read?????? What she said was true. EOD.

[Freehugger]

Wow. I had to Google "Madonna lyrics I love new york" because I thought you made those up. She really wrote that song? Did she give Rocco credit? She actually rhymed "mad" "sad" and "glad" which most special needs 2nd graders would consider cliche. Dork? she used the word dork in a song? and F-off? Did someone among these posts claim that she was a talented songwriter? That might be the worst writing, period, that I've ever read, child or adult. It's kind of hard to believe she got a way with it.

[JumpinJ]

She says New York isn't what it was 20 years ago. Water calling kettle, old bag.

[luckyoldson]

Yeah, like you know plenty of men who would pass on that "old bag."

What a hoot.

[JumpinJ]

Yeah, but they're all in their 50's. She can only make herself by doing a weak duet with Justin Timberlake about "4 minutes to save the world". She's not important.

[AmericaIsATerroist]

She's right. New York is BORING now. It's like everyone grew up and there was no generation behind to keep things exciting.

[UnknownSoldier]

Agreed, but NYC is like any other place, it is all about what you make of it, and not what it makes of you.

[zannamar]

though not a fan or a lot of her current music, I do admire her longevity in the music industry and her ability to experiment with different sounds and still have people clamoring for her next CD. People love to dis the successful to make themselves feel better.

[Ragga]

All the greats have major detractors. Its so amusing to see how much energy people will expend on dissing her here. Shows she still has it.

[MajorKong]

Guy Ritchie, is that you?

[gadfly55]

As can be expected of a creative person at the latter end of their career who lives on hundreds of acres behind walls and trees beyond sight in England. She now has London, Milan, Barcelona, Berlin for comparison. Twenty years ago there was a wall through Berlin, swings and roundabouts of history, the circle game, turn, turn, turn. Wall Street down, Dax Up.

[triceydicey]

Madonna is correct in that New York "is not the same place it used to be". New York City is now a visual and virtual reality show where one can be in Disney World (Times Square) or Upper Crusting on fine food and culture (Lincoln Center, Met. museum of Art,etc). And each sight is just a mouse "click" (a few blocks) away from the other. Interestingly, Madonna has made use of this same Virtual Tour since about 1982 (via MTV) and has been reaping the profits thereof ever since. Hence, the latest reinvention of her wheel in Vanity Fair. Seems like NYC and Madonna have a lot more in common than she thinks.

[duckcrackers]

Nice photo shopped cover.

[AurigaRa]

REALLY! and we all know it.

[luckyoldson]

Geeeeeeeee­eeeeeeeeee­, you think they actually used some kind of software to create a cover for Vanity Fair?

What will they think of next?

Duh.

[javaman]

ghouliani gutted new york. it's now disneyland on crack.

[JScott]

So...Mando­nna are you selling your apartment in NYC (probably for millions).

[Stanley]

NYC is expensive more than artsy. The reason it was so great was because alphabet city had cheap apartments to live in. It was like a city in a city filled with artists, drugs, and low expectations. Some managed to be so out there as to make contributions. Others became second grade teachers and moved to Jersey.

[Billie]

I agree with her about New York City's current lack of artistic guts, vibrancy and edginess. Incredibly expensive rents and corporate republican politicians have pretty much forced out too many artists. Where once there was a vibrant downtown art scene, now there are strollers and chain stores and way too many ugly soulless luxury condo buildings.

However, quite recently Madonna put out a song called I Love New York where she sang that "all other cities make her feel like a dork." (take that Paris, London, Berlin, Barcelona, etc.!) LOL!

[johnpherson]

She's right, NYC is not nearly as "electric" or as eclectic artistically as it used to be. Not at all. But why? Because it is too expensive to live here. It is too expensive to live here because "haves" continue drive up prices/rents. Artists of all types struggle to get by and have much less time to explore, examine, expand; the emphasis can ultimately only be on bankable production. The success of "artists" like Madonna is a constant reminder that this culture handsomely rewards mediocrity.

[luckyoldson]

Since you obviously consider Madonna to me "mediocre," exactly who are you including in the "super" category of musical artists and pop stars?

[MizJ]

She is still the overrated undertalented celeb to ever grace the planet. She is 50 yrs old and still acting like a "pop star". What a waste of time.

[luckyoldson]

Yeah, those millions upon millions of albums/CD's etc. she's sold are obviously indicative of her lack of musical credibility.

[Knowbetter]

"Billion and Billions Sold."

-McDonald's