MTV UK Interview in Milan, Italy 1992
MTV UK Interview in Milan, Italy 1992
November 1992:
Steve: Welcome to Milan. It's a particularly moralistic time in America at the moment. So why have you decided to release such a risky video now?
Madonna: Because it's a particularly moralistic time in America it didn't made
me sit back and say 'Oh, I'd better not do this now, people are going to be very excepting of this.'
Actually, a lot of things I deal with in my music and in the book is in particu
lar with the repression that is going on in America right now so I think the time for it is very good.
Steve: So in what extent to you think a video like this promoted tolerance to sexual diversity?
Madonna: To what extent? I really don't know, I mean... there's a lot of really
narrow minded people so if I can change the way 1 of 100 of them thinks then I
've accomplished something and I really can't predict how far-reaching that can
be and how many people I can change and how much tolerance will grow of the messages I put in my music.
Steve: Do you notice any differences in the way America reacts on the things yo
u do than Europe does? Because in my opinion, we are much more tolerant as a society.
Madonna: In England... or, or in Europe?
Steve: In Europe, I think particularly Europe...
Madonna: Europe... is absolutely more tolerant. In fact, I feel like in Europe,
people actually deal with the actual music and the artistic value of things wh
ereas in America they are so obsessed with scandal and so uptight about certain
things and they can't get pass their own hangups to have a discussion about... you know, the music, the movie, the book or whatever it is what people do.
Steve: So you think that your sexual morals are more European than American?
Madonna: Yeah, I guess I have to say that.
Steve: Much of your work contains the display of your own body. So, do you agre
e with Camille Paglie, who is certain that female beauty is a certain form of power.
Madonna: Absolutely.
Steve: So, in what way are you using your power?
Madonna: You mean I have to tell you? How am I using my power? By doing what I do.
Steve: But she's saying that female beauty is used in a much more socially and politically way, and she thinks you're on the forefront.
Madonna: It depends on what you do. I mean, you could be a beautiful girl and c
ould sit around in your house all day long filing your nails or you could be a
beautiful girl outthere saying something, taking risks and trying to change peo
ple's ways of thinking - which I think is what I am. But beauty is in the eye o
f the beholder. There are plenty of people who don't think I'm beautiful so in that case, Camille's ideas are out of the window.
Steve: Do you think you've changed the sexual morality in America?
Madonna: I had an affect in changing them, but lots of other people have too.
Steve: Is it an affect in closer terms of relationships or in wider terms?
Madonna: Wider! Just overall generall acceptance of other people's differences and sexual preferences.
Steve: The video ['Erotica'] is seen on MTV around the world and since it is a
video it is seen as glamourous. So, to what extent to you glamourize sex without giving a safe sex message?
Madonna: Well, once again I'm not really sure what you mean by glamour, but I t
hink there's gonna be lots of people who don't think it's glamourous at all. Th
ey will think it's repulsive or revolting or something... I don't know. And...
in the video, I never show, display any sort of unsafe sex. So, I'm not promoti
ng unsafe sex. If someone puts a harness on me and riding around on me like I'm
a farm animal I don't consider that as unsafe sex. So, if I'm sharing a lilli-
pop with someone I don't consider that as unsafe sex. But as far as my work goe
s, I have said so many things about practising safe sex that I just think it's
a given that people know that that's something I believe in. And one more thing
: It's a fantasy! The whole video is a fantasy, my book is a fantasy, so I'm no
t actually saying: This is what you should go out and do, I'm presenting a fant
asy. Not something that actually happened in reality. If you watch the video an
d you get off on it or you get excited that is absolutely the safest form of sex for everyone.
Steve: Is the book and the video your fantasy or general sexual fantasies?
Madonna: Well, I think it's a combination of many things, I think. If anyone wr
ites anyting, there's something of the writer in their work, in their fiction.
So, there are some of my ideas in it, there are some other people's ideas in it
. And I think it would be impossible to find the line of where's the fiction. I think it's an absolute combination of it all.
Steve: How did you get people to appear on the photos?
Madonna: Well, most of the people in the book are friends of mine, or Stevel Meisel's, the photographer.
Steve: A lot of the footage in the video seems like this home-material type. Was that shot at the same time and did the people know about it?
Madonna: Absolutely. Everybody knew about it. All the people who participated i
n the book and in the video knew that they were taking part in both of it. We a
bsolutely got their permission and told them about. I mean, of course they knew
about it. We shot the film on Super 8 and everything was hand held. So, it has
that homevideo kind of feel about it. It has a more intimate, personal feel ab
out it, a voyeuristic feel. You know, Super 8 has really grainy films, it's scratchy and it very antique looking.
Steve: There's humour in the video which I like and it also has one of the shot
s from the book in which you are hitch-hiking in Miami Beach. What did the motorists do when they passed you?
Madonna: I think they all thought they are having halluzinations or something.
Most of them slowed down a little bit, took a look at me and kept on driving. I
believe they thought they were'nt seeing correctly, the probably were seeing an eye-doctor the other day. I don't know.
Steve: What was going through your own mind?
Madonna: I was laughing my head off. I couldn't stop laughing... it was very li
berating! I was giggeling the whole time because of what I was doing. It was th
e ultimate taboo because you're not allowed in public without your clothes on.
Only children are allowed in public without their clothes on. It was very freeing in a way, I felt like a child again. Just running in the streets, naked.
Steve: ...with a handbag!
Madonna: Well, of course. A girl can't go anywhere without shoes and a handbag. Or a pocket-book [smiled broadly].
Steve: Were there any pictures in the book where you came up in your mind and you thought I will never publish this?
Madonna: No, I did everythng I wanted to do. Absolutely.
Steve: So, the publisher didn't came to you and laid down any laws?
Madonna: In the very beginning when we all made the agreement to do the book, W
arner Books gave me their rules. They said we don't want you showing pictures w
ith... depicting sex with children, no depicting with animals and no disgracion
of religious objects. But none of those things happened to be in my sexual fantasies so it wasn't a problem for me. I did not have to censor anything.
Steve: We've been talking about image a lot. And sometimes the music is overloo
ked, especially by the press. Now, I listened to the album today and it has a l
ot of good music on it. For you: What is the primary importance? Is it the music?
Madonna: The most important thing is that I say the things I want to say. In my
music or whatever expression that may be. Wether that's writing a book or writ
ing songs or acting or whatever... the important thing is that I feel fulfilled
as an artist and ultimately what the world gets out of it and what they chose
to see. I can't control it or predict it and of course I always hope that peopl
e see that and get passed what they consider the scandal or the image. That's s
omething the media's create. I have absolutely no control over the media. I onl
y have control over what I do as an artist and if I say what I wanna say than I have fulfilled myself. Did I answer your question?
Steve: Yeah, I think so. How therapeutic is writing a song?
Madonna: Extremely!
Steve: There's a song on the album you've written about people you knew who died of AIDS. So, the writing process is also a way of letting out emotions?
Madonna: That's not to say that everything I write has happened exactly to me.
I think that, you know, all kind of artistic expression can be a cathortic expe
rience for you, emotionally. Wether you take a brush and start painting smears
of red and blue or you write a poem or a piece of music. It's absolutely therapeutic.
Steve: When you work on a song: What's the actual process?
Madonna: It's different every time. It's really different every time. Sometimes
I have an idea musically in my head and since I'm not playing any instruments
and I work with several different songwriters and I go to one of them and I say
'I hear this, play it on the piano - whatever - and record it'. Sometimes people present me their music and it inspires me to write words to it.
Steve: The sound is quite rough on the album. How did you get that?
Madonna: By not producing it too much. I've worked with Shep Pettibone and Andr
e Betts, two different guys, on that album. We did all on 8-track demos and we
basically kept them very true to what our original inspiration was. Instead of
taking these songs and taking them to a 24-track level. We said 'That's it, it's good enough'.
We did a few minor over-dubs but other than that, pretty much what you hear on
the album is what the original demo of each song was. That's probably why it has that rough feeling to it.
Steve: Being an artist that was successful during the whole MTV-period, how important to you feel is MTV in your success?
Madonna: I think it's extremely important because MTV is so much about image an
d the visual presentation. And since I love film, for me, its given me a great
chance to express myself and make movies out of each of my songs. So, it's expremely important.
Steve: Recently, it has become difficult to show your videos, like the present
one. Do you feel that MTV doesn't matter anymore? Or that you can just express what you want and not worry about having it?
Madonna: Accepted by MTV? Well, MTV - I'm not going to deny how instrumental th
ey were in the beginning of my career. But, you know, MTV plays to a huge audie
nce and a lot of them are children and a lot of themes that I'm exploring in my
work aren't meant for children. I understand that they say they can't show it
and I accept it. But that's where I am right now in my life. It's not that I'm
saying 'I don't need you anymore, screw off', you know what I mean. It's not li
ke that at all. It's just that these are adult themes, children watch the shows so of course you can't play it on the show. I accept it.
Steve: With what you are expressing now, how much have you thought about going on tour and expressing that on stage?
Madonna: I think about touring but really, I haven't got a specific date in min
d. It probably would be next year and I have absolutely no idea how, what, when
, where, anything?how I would do it. But?I'm sure it's gonna come up sooner or later.
Steve: You said that you like to control everything around you. But when you're an actor, you can't control the film.
Madonna: That's why I'd like to be a director.
Steve: And also direct yourself?
Madonna: No.
Steve: Why not?
Madonna: Cause that's too complicated. I don't wanna run back and forth. Becaus
e, being a director is being in control, and being an actress is being let go. And it's asking too much to play both roles.
Steve: Is that also why you sorted Maverick, the record label. Because you wanted to be in control of that area?
Madonna: Well, you know, control is a word that is thrown around very often and
I think it has a negative meaning to it. When I say I wanna be in control I me
an I have a dream, I have a vision and I wanna execute it. When you're a musici
an, when you're a singer and much of the work I've done I had an idea, or a dre
am and I've seen it from beginning to end. And it's my vision. And as an actres
s, you are servicing someone else's dream. The only person's vision that is exe
cuted ist the directors. So, there's the difference there. As far as Maverick g
oes, the company?I have a company because I am interested in exploring, nurturi
ng and developing others people talents, other musicians, other singers, others
actors, other directors - everything. I like to think of it as an artistic thi
nk tank where I go out and find young, raw talent and put people together and c
ome up with stuff. It's kind of an experiment. And it has less to do with control and more to do with nurturing people.
Steve: Is it also a good way of actually, for you to get new ideas? You're surrounded by so many different people doing different things?
Madonna: But I always gotten ideas from different people. I think that's the be
st way to be inspired as an artist, to be around humanity. Wether you're walkin
g down the street, or you're standing in the middle of a shopping mall, or you'
re hanging around with a lot of brilliant people. I mean?the more brilliant peo
ple you hang around with, the more inspired you get. So, I just like to be around with talented people.
Steve: One of the first singles what will be released by Maverick is "Queen's English", is that right, by the two dancers you?/b>
Madonna: Yeah, Jose & Luis.
Steve: What happened to that? Is it going to get released?
Madonna: Yeah, it's going to be on a compilation record of different artists, a
ll New York artists, that's sort of that chambre. House-music. So, right now we're compiling these artists for this release that will come out next year.
Steve: And on that track, you are involved vocally as well?
Madonna: Yeah, I sing backup. Yeah! [Smiles]
Steve: How do you feel about the fans, outside the hotel window?
Madonna: Here?
Steve: Yeah.
Madonna: Well, they are very annoying at night when I'm trying to sleep. That's
how I feel. I mean, I'm very flattered by it, but after midnight they should have to go home. [Smiles]
Steve: What do you say to them? Do you actually give them advice, 'Why don't you get out of here??
Madonna: No, because if I would walk outside of my hotel I would be ambushed. S
o, I don't think there's really a chance for discussion. Or what would I say to them now on TV?
Steve: No, I mean, the people that are waiting in front of your house. Why don'
t you go and tell them to go away. Because, basically, what they do isn't very creative?
Madonna: Absolutely. I really don't understand it. It's sort of an absurd behav
iour. I can't imagine anyone having?I always thought young people have short at
tention spans, but you can't imagine how long people sit in front of my appartm
ent building in New York for days. From 7 o'clock in the morning to 2 o'clock i
n the morning and it's never ending. And they just stare up my building. I mean?how insane is that!
Steve: And they probably are still there while you're in Milan?/b>
Madonna: Yeah, they wait for me to come back [Smiles].
Steve: You have an official fanclub magazine called "Icon". What's you're involvement with that?
Madonna: Well, you know, I get tons of fanmail and instead of having my secreta
ry reading it and send them autographed pictures and stuff - this woman and thi
s man approached me and said that they would like to be in charge of my fanclub
. They'd publish a magazine every couple of months and I would have to write a
message to the fans. My publicist is talking to them on a regular basis and upd
ates them on what I'm doing. We're pretty involved with it and I like the people that are in charge of it.
Steve: So, this is sort of, keeping your fans?/b>
Madonna: 进otified!
Steve: And make them happy?
Madonna: Absolutely, yeah!
Steve: Do you think you're too famous and too open to have a successful relationship? Madonna: No.
Steve: Is that just private?
Madonna: What is just private? Well, first of all I am not open about everythin
g and you didn't asked me absolutely everything. I was open about the things yo
u've asked me. If you'd asked me a question I didn't wanna talk about I'd say I
don't wanna talk about. And my honesty has nothing to do with having a successful relationship.
Steve: But the fact that you're so well known can be very intimidating to men.
Madonna: That's their problem.
Steve: Many people say to me: Where does Madonna go from here?
Madonna: What difference does it make? Everyone said that a year ago about me.
They're too obsessed with where I'm going to go. I don't think about that. It's
sort of a trivial idea and people who say where I'm gonna go from here are peo
ple that are sort of hung up on the scandalous aspect of everything that I do a
nd not actually what I'm saying?the message of what I'm saying. I think it's a silly question.
Steve: Is this what you want? The respect of the people? The kids resepct you b
ecause they know your songs, they know your music. But the press just knows the
publicity's angle?the upfrontnes and not really what's behind it. Would you like to have the resepct of an artist?
Madonna: I think everyone wants respect and understanding.
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