Why Madonna still matters
Madonna IS, for better or worse, regarded (both high and low) as the Queen of Pop, and, contrary to popular belief, the title does mimic the sound her veiny arms make when stuffed in cheerleading garb, flailing left to right. One gets the very real sense when looking at Madonna in 2k12 that we have in every way reached the endpoint of the 1980s. Where once one was speechless looking at ol’ Madge, a single phrase comes to mind when seeing her now: It has literally come to this.
She is, however, still Madonna, and she’s still coming to San Jose for a two-night stand at HP Pavilion, Oct. 6-7, and in the same way that parental advice may not hold the same weight it once did but nevertheless remains at least peripherally relevant, Madonna endures, cementing her place as pop-culture’s slightly enjoyable mosquito bite.
In honor of the queen’s arrival, a moment must be spared (just one) to truly digest what exactly it is that Madonna represents in the vacuum of contemporary culture. Because, as you’re likely to be reminded – often by Madonna herself – she has opened doors for many young people with vaginas and a desire to sing.
The door is also often left ajar for spores of the sincere flattery of imitation (valid or not – here’s looking at you, Lady Gaga, also coming to San Jose, on Jan. 17), but any comparisons seem moot: There will never be a “new Madonna”, because there will never again be a moment like the one when Madonna came into prominence. She is so purely the byproduct of her era that discussions of originality are almost wholly aimless.
For instance, believe it or not, Gen Zers, there was a time in which the ironic appropriation of religious imagery was actually a big deal. As in people actually cared. As in affiliates of the Catholic Church actually protested. Now it’s just this side of yawn-inducing (at least in the West), with everyone flipping a cross upside-down as a way of making a statement.
Click here to continue reading this article by Rod Bastanmeh on Metro Active.