When I first came up, the whole AIDS epidemic was starting, and the gay community that I experienced from the beginning of my career was mostly — and overwhelmingly — concerned with staying alive. And, also, I felt really aware of the preciousness of life and time. The gay community and people who were HIV-positive were treated so badly, and I was very disturbed by things. But I also saw a lot of love and connection in the gay community at that time.
Like all progress that is made in all marginalized communities or groups, I think after time goes by and you earn certain rights or you break through certain barriers, you could sometimes, maybe, take it for granted what you have now that you didn’t have before. And then that would lead to a certain lack of community, in a way, caring in a way, that I saw before.”
— Madonna in a wide-ranging interview with NewNowNext
Captain Obvious
Struggling to remain relevant, clinging to anything possible for attention.
jake234
@Captain Obvious: Madonna is the biggest female star in music history therefore she will always be relevant. Everyone that has come after her will ALWAYS be compared to her bc nobody will ever top her. If you don’t like her music or actions why take the time to comment? To many of use she has and will always be a beloved and fearless trailblazing goddess.
MarionPaige
@jake234: “Madonna is the biggest female star in music history therefore she will always be relevant.”
See, I thought Madonna was in fact still relevant enough that she wouldn’t have to Appear on a gay dating app and on “a gay blog that reads more like Tiger Beat than a gay blog”.
Giancarlo85
@Captain Obvious: I thought this article was about Madonna, and not Rihanna or Gaga?
Low Country Boy
@Captain Obvious: I tend to agree. Madonna needs to stop being so desperate for attention. Unfortunately, she does not have the pipes like Gaga (Academy Awards) to do anything other than what she has done for 30 years. Love her, but even a diva knows when it is time to leave a party, and that time is almost upon her.
Giancarlo85
@Low Country Boy: Lol. Yet she still sells her tickets and so forth. Seems like Gaga is closer to done. And believe me, I was once a huge Gaga fan… just looking at the truth. Madonna has staying power. Like Springsteen. Like Jagger. Etc.
Low Country Boy
@Giancarlo85: I hope not! I think Gaga is a true artist — writes, plays instruments, sings and dances. Madonna came into her artistic impulses a little too late in life for my tastes, but acts entitled.
lykeitiz
There can’t even be a quote of Madonna reminiscing over lost friends and the impact on our community without sad, tired, bitchy queens running their usual “irrelevant” comments from behind their keyboards. Pathetic losers….get a life…..before a plague comes after you!
Low Country Boy
@lykeitiz: Wow! That was harsh.
Low Country Boy
@lykeitiz: Let me guess . . . you are about 20-years-old and have never lost someone to HIV. Guess what? That is a terrible insult to those of us who have. What an a-hole!!! Take your hate speech elsewhere, Douche!
Captain Obvious
She’s so relevant half the comments became about my post than the article. Nice way to prove your point, girls. Keep up the hard work defending your mummy on the internet. I’m sure she cares, oh wait no she doesn’t. You’ll never get anywhere near here and that’s the way she likes it. Pathetic celebrity worshippers.
Giancarlo85
@Low Country Boy: I like Gaga, but that’s a total stretch. Madonna has written her own music and der her own stuff. And I’m not even a Madonna fan. Gaga has no staying power at all… she said she loves Bruce Springsteen, Queen and the Stones… if she knew anything about staying power, she would have took lessons from those groups.
Gaga is already in decline. And that jazz album with Tony Bennett was terrible.
Giancarlo85
@Captain Obvious: Lulz. I’m not even a Madonna fan nor have I ever been to any of her concerts. I’ve actually been to two Gaga concerts. I just recognize reality. That’s all. Madonna makes money, sells out concerts (and yes recently too)… this is just a fact. She’s doing well in her business. What about you? What about your favorite artists?
Madonna, Springsteen, Jagger… these are business successes. Gaga, Rihanna, Swift… not so much.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_concert_tours#2010s
Madonna made $305 Million in 2012 in ticket sales in 88 shows. Gaga made $227 tickets in 201 shows. Lol. Business is Business.
Low Country Boy
@Giancarlo85: Let’s see what happens. I think Gaga is better than that. Let’s be honest. Madonna’s voice is not that great, nor has it ever been. Gaga’s is far better, and more versatile (Lol!). I was also underwhelmed with the Bennett album, but I thought it was more because of him. Sorry.
Giancarlo85
*$227 million in ticket sales
Giancarlo85
@Low Country Boy: Gaga has gone down the gutter business wise and has been in a steep decline. The whole thing with Bennett was almost desperate. What is she versatile about? And is her voice really that great?
71 year old Mick Jagger runs more on stage and he doesn’t break his hip. Jagger’s voice isn’t awesome, but he’s an entertainer and has been one for over 50 years. That’s what Madonna does too… a frontperson… an entertainer. They don’t claim to have the voice of Pavarotti.
Gaga was horrid in that Bennett album. I’m glad I went to a store where I could listen to the album first before buying it (Amoeba Records – Best music store in the world).
Giancarlo85
@Giancarlo85: Oh and I certainly did not buy that turd of an album. Sorry Gaga, but the last good album she did was Born This Way. Artpop was mediocre (maybe decent at times).
Low Country Boy
@Giancarlo85: I think you are being a little too harsh with Gaga. Let’s agree to disagree on this one. Time will tell.
Giancarlo85
@Low Country Boy: Time will tell? Yeah not looking good so far for her. Past few years have been poor at best.
jason smeds
Madonna is trying to sound gay-friendly but comes across as quite homophobic.
Listen, Madge, we realize you have a new album coming out but you’re trying too hard to win back the gays you’ve lost.
Giancarlo85
@jason smeds: Says the guy who does gay bashing on this website.
Realitycheck
No bad Madge!!! iTunes has your new album at #4 and iTunes cater to the
younger and techno savy…………. You still got it Madge!
To the vitriol queens, enough with those ridiculous claims of exploiting the gay
community, at the contrary any artists that seek gay crowd approval validate
us, we matter that is why many artist cater to us, NOT exploit.
Realitycheck
@Low Country Boy:
I like them both, they are two great artists in their own right, Madonna clearly
has staying power and she the queen, and a great entertainer, her new album
is already at the top of iTunes digital chart.
Lady Gaga, has a great voice and she is working hard in many media, if anyone
has seen her Oscar performance, well that was off the scale great singing.
Gaga new album is a collaboration with the guy that did the Monster Ball
and there is rumors of collaboration with Adele…… Not bad I say.
lykeitiz
@Low Country Boy: No, I am much, much older than 20, and yes I have lost more to HIV than I care to remember. My anger is real.
I lived through the era where people were dropping at alarming rates, and I CLEARLY remember Madonna being one of the very few voices of support during that time.
Criticizing her talent (or lack thereof) is all fine & well and part of the game, but the relentless attacks on her relevance despite her past AND current successes is nothing short of ageism, and claims of her never being an ally are untrue & offensive.
So, if you want to know real hate speech, or a see an actual a-hole or douche (names you called me), then I suggest you look in the mirror.
SnakeyJ
She continues to USE the gay community to pump herself up. She has not done anything for the gay community other than pander to them. Elizabeth Taylor stood up and was very vocal when it was not cool to do so. Madonna just uses. That’s why I don’t understand the manic devotion some people have toward her. She had some good songs. She did some cool things. She did some shocking things… all in the past, and all for herself, no one else.
Cam
She certainly talks about gays more and more as the rest of her audience goes away.
Nice interview, and I like her music, but it would have meant more if she had said more when she was more relevent.
Cam
@SnakeyJ: @SnakeyJ:
Your comment, Yes.
Realitycheck
@SnakeyJ:
How is she using the gay community? Did she send you a bill ?
Madonna was out there in the old days when there were no medication for
HIV and she did speak out when it was not popular to do so, next time before you talk, take the time to do a little google search vs just repeating some
uneducated queen remarks made out of viscousness.
from http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/9604-pop-sovereign-a-conversation-with-madonna/
She was one of the first celebrities of her time to advocate on behalf of gay people and speak openly about AIDS. She was a provocateur of the highest order, even when it wasn’t necessarily in her best interest.
About the Album Erotica:
“other songs also take on a more confessional tone, influenced by the loss of Madonna’s two close friends to AIDS.”
About Madonna paying for her friend dying of AIDS:
http://madonnasait.ru/my_sister_madonna_3.html
google and you will find many more…….
Realitycheck
@Cam:
She did educate yourself, you are embarrassing…………
Realitycheck
From Rolling Stone Magazine:
Madonna became one of the first stars to talk about HIV
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/madonna/biography
Read people, educate yourself on who your friends are:
Madonna was out there when no one else was.
http://gaytoday.com/people/041403pe.asp
She also took full responsibility for Burgoyne’s expenses, providing more than $100,000 to cover his medical bills and paying the rent on the new apartment where she moved him so he could be closer to St. Vincent’s Hospital where he was being treated.
Madonna’s commitment soon shifted from the private support of a friend to the public role of one of the country’s most dedicated AIDS educators.
Her initial step was to become one of the first stars who was willing to talk with reporters about having a relationship with a victim of the disease.
“I cried like a baby when Martin told me,” one newspaper story quoted her as saying. “I still cry when I think about it.”
But, in her next breath, she went on to insist that-fear and stigma be damned-friends of AIDS patients should stand by them.
“I’ll stick by Martin no matter what happens,” she told the newspaper. “He was there for me when I needed him, and I’m going to be there for him now that he needs me.”
Madonna’s unflagging support was particularly challenging because of another man who had ascended into a major role in her life: Sean Penn.
Realitycheck
more…………..
“Sean is scared I might pick up the virus. He keeps insisting that it’s possible because not that much is known about AIDS. I tell him to grow up.”
On several occasions, Madonna’s AIDS activism led to conflicts with her husband. When she modeled in a fund-raising auction at Barney’s department store and again when she attended another benefit specifically for Burgoyne, Penn refused to accompany her-both incidents were reported in the National Enquirer.
One very public confrontation played out on the lot of Universal Studios. According to published accounts, Penn screamed at his wife, “You’re more concerned about your damn friends than you are about me. You spend more time worrying about your friends with AIDS!”
lykeitiz
@Realitycheck: Thanks for living up to your name regarding this topic. I get so enraged on these blogs by ignorant keyboard commandos who ignore factual history, that I wind up spewing BS just like them, rather than doing what you did….provide sources. I had forgotten the one you mentioned about Sean Penn screaming her down @ Universal. Thanks for the memory! And yes, she did move from privately supporting friends to an international platform, but hey…..who needs facts?
And @Cam: Your comment “She certainly talks about gays more and more as the rest of her audience goes away.” Don’t you think that goes AGAINST the point you’re trying to make? Rather than pander & chase the highest dollar, she’s reflecting on her origins.
Cam
@Realitycheck:
So she had one friend with it, and paid for him. Nice, but again, let’s not pretend she was out there holding the flag for gay rights.
Cam
Madonna is now saying that women have it harder than blacks or gays.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/madonna-says-that-women-have-it-harder-than-black-people-and-gay-community-as-theyre-still-trading-on-their-ass-10101292.html
The woman’s self centered nature is apparently unending.
Giancarlo85
@lykeitiz: You can’t help people who like to tear down others. Nobody is claiming Madonna was holding the flag for gay rights, but one thing for sure is she has done a lot more than some of the armchair activists on here.
robho3
who cares what she has to say about anything–go away Madonna
SnakeyJ
@Cam: Exactly Cam. She was a good to her friends with AIDS, that’s great. But she never did anything other than lip service for the gay community as a whole. Realitycheck’s facts only reference her talking about it and helping a couple friends, but she was never an advocate or personally raised millions for AIDS research/awareness like other celebrities, such as Liz Taylor, Elton John, even Annie Lennox.
Her staunch supporters don’t seem to understand that someone can talk and talk about something, and still do nothing to help… which is all Madonna ever did. So her talking about the early days of AIDS is extremely self serving and kinda pisses me off.
Giancarlo85
@SnakeyJ: Incorrect.
https://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/madonna
Here is a list of organizations she supported financially. Several AIDS awareness organizations have been supported financially by her, both domestically and internationally. So to say she doesn’t do anything… utter nonsense.
And I’m not even a fan of her music nor am I a “staunch supporter”. These are just the facts.
Paco
@Giancarlo85: I do remember her contributions to amfAR years ago and remember being grateful that she was contributing something to the fight against AIDS.
Madonna will always be an icon for many gay men of a certain generation. I guess it is just fashionable now to rag about her every time an article is posted about her.
lykeitiz
@SnakeyJ: Wrong. Her personal contributions to various AIDS organizations are conservatively estimated at $5 million, and that’s not including fundraising. One recent one was $250,000 to Mobilization Against AIDS. Even Fox News reported on that one.
@Giancarlo85: These people are exhausting. Facts don’t really matter to them.
Cam
@lykeitiz:
You seem to be misunderstanding. Nobody is saying Madonna is awful blah blah blah.
What is being said is that there is no way you can say she was out there leading the charge for gay rights.
Additionally I notice you haven’t responded at ALL to her comments that women (Meaning herself) have it much harder than gays or blacks. Once again, all things revolve around Madonna.
Realitycheck
@Cam the obtsuse wrote:
>>So she had one friend with it, and paid for him. Nice, but again,
>> let’s not pretend she was out there holding the flag for gay rights.
What are you talking about? She was out there bringing attention to HIV to the general public BEFORE many other stars, why don’t you do some reading, you know for real, not just the head lines? wink wink…..
Realitycheck
According to Billboard Madonna new album is going right for #1 e so is Empire,
will find out next week who will do it, if Madonna get the #1 spot it will be her
ninth #1.
http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/6495233/madonna-vs-empire-for-no-1-on-billboard-200-albums-chart
jason smeds
When Madonna kissed Britney at the MTV Music Awards in 2002, it proved she wasn’t serious about gay rights. It was a stunt designed to prop up the sleazy straight guy fantasy, and to draw attention to herself.
I think that was the point of realization for many of her now-ex fans.
Charlie in Charge
Step 1: Celebrity says something nice about gay people.
Step 2: Queerty commenters appear in droves to complain that the celebrity is desperate, irrelevent, and/or untalented.
Realitycheck
@jason smeds:
Did you think it all by yourself? Flash news not everything is about you
or gay rights, Madonna did the kiss because……..she wanted to.
But please feel free to post evidence of fans actually leaving Madonna after
the kiss because they (according to you LOL) realized she was not serious about gay rights…..
People buy what they like, it is all about a good product, good songs sell
no matter who does them and the opposite is also true.
Realitycheck
@Charlie in Charge:
Well said Charlie! And lets not forget Step 3: Bitchy queens
screaming exploitation.
Cam
@Realitycheck: And you STILL never responded to her latest comments saying women (meaning herself) have it much harder than gays or African Americans. Oh yeah, she’s really out there for gay rights isn’t she?
By the way, your obsession is creepy.
Giancarlo85
@Cam: Which person has led gay rights? From what I recall it’s been a community and group effort done by many individuals and personalities. The movement for equal treatment has been spearheaded by many.
And Jason smeds is spewing more bullshit.
-patioblog-
I CANNOT STOP LISTENING TO #REBELFART, seriously SO GOOD from like “Iconic” till the end, brilliant!
Realitycheck
@Cam:
Madonna is a woman, according to you she is not supposed to talk about women rights?
Seriously, do some reading and see what she has done, beyond taking care of
her friend, at a time when ambulances will arrive to take a sick person and
they would, for real leave them on the street floor and run away when they
find out it was AIDS.
As far as creepy I am totally enjoying a moment of truth when all the vitriol queens screaming Madonna is over, are proved wrong, and still don’t understand all the vitriol, she has a spectacular career, and she is a great
entertainer, I would like to see all the vitriol queens trying to do even 2% of what Madonna has achieved LOL
Realitycheck
@Giancarlo85:
True, many people have worked together toward gay rights, and it was needed,
it was a different time, with a different culture, and about HIV, it was lucky that Elisabeth Taylor was friend with conservative President Ronald Regan and convinced him to take action on HIV.
And It was the effort of many rock stars to educate young people about the danger of HIV, and PBS took a great role with documentaries and town hall
meetings, something the major networks did not do.
And many other stars and even athletst took part in fund raising.
But even when a famous person simply said “I love my gay fans” at a time when it would have caused backlash to do so, it did help, by simply acknowledging the gay community, when many would do their worse to bury and persecute gay people.
lykeitiz
@Cam: If you think globally, gay men in western cultures DO have it much better than women in Middle Eastern ones. And even though Middle Eastern gay men have to live in secrecy for the most part, if they are able to do that successfully, then they still live every other part of their lives with male privilege.
But more importantly, as @Realitycheck: beat me in saying, as far as I know Madonna IS a woman, and if she wants to champion women’s rights, then so be it!
You obviously enjoy arguing for the fun of it, but when you’re not factually correct and when you bash an ally, there’s nothing cute about it.
SnakeyJ
@Realitycheck: Again, you neglected to properly reply to @Cam’s question. She’s saying, that in the US, gays and blacks have it better than women. Not only is that statement ridiculous, it’s a copy/paste of Patricia Arquette’s statement at the Oscars. Madonna can’t even come up with an original thought.
Madonna talked about gays, AIDS, but did very little else when she was in a position to do much much more. Contributing a few million dollars over 30 years is great, and it’s a large sum, but not really impressive considering how she baits the gay community and uses them for her own benefit. As others have said, she never lead the charge, just followed the train.
Enjoy her music, love her persona, that’s fine, just don’t turn her into something she’s not.
Cam
@Realitycheck: said…
“@Cam:
Madonna is a woman, according to you she is not supposed to talk about women rights?”
____________________________
This is how you can tell one of these crazy fangurls. See, my comment was about Madonna saying that women have it worse than gay men or blacks.
Notice how instead of responding, the fangurl will pretend that something else was said? Here they try to avoid commenting by claiming that I said Madonna can’t talk about women’s rights. Since that was not said, it is obviously just another attempt to prop up their hero and deny reality.
That has been today’s After School Special “Fangurls, Why they’re crazy and how to Spot them.” Brought to you by the committee to claim Clay Aiken and Ricky Martin are straight.
Cam
@lykeitiz: said..
“as far as I know Madonna IS a woman, and if she wants to champion women’s rights, then so be it!”
______________________
How interesting that you claim that attacking other groups marginalization status is championing women’s rights. THAT is exactly what right wingers would love to see. Nice of you to buy into the entire right wing mantra in a desperate attempt to lie about what was said.
lykeitiz
@Cam: Now I’m aligned with right-wingers? Yeah, OK. I’m done.
@Realitycheck: @Giancarlo85: Have fun with the crazy. I’m out.
Cam
@lykeitiz:
In other words, you can’t answer any of they comments. Three times it was pointed out to you what Madonna’s actual words were, twice it was tried to pretend she said something else, and the third time you gave up.
I get it, you like her music, you know, it can end there, you don’t have to build your life around her.
Giancarlo85
Who on here is building their life around her?
When people post false statements about her not doing anything for HIV/AIDS that will get disputed. I’m not even that big of a fan of Madonna. I own only one of her albums. I’m just seeing this from a different perspective.
Madonna isn’t perfect and she has said somethings that are a bit off… but lets not lie about actual intentions.
jesuisleprince
She’s absolutely right. Do you know who the biggest enemy to gay rights are, ourselves. We are hardly a community that reaches out and loves one another. We tear each other down at any given opportunity and love to bring down allies as well.
In regards to people attacking her for voicing her opinions, this was an interview and she responded to the questions accordingly. This happens to be the absolute truth and perhaps the negative reaction is just denial to the actuality.
Cam
@Giancarlo85:
Actually everybody keeps trying to pretend that is what people are saying, what has been said is that her complaints are self centered, and that she has recently commented about gays blacks and women, and yet nobody will remark on that.
@jesuisleprince:
Well we certainly don’t need other people to attack us, when the trolls, desperate to defend their idol do it for the right wing.
Your comment also makes no sense, her comment was that women have it harder than blacks or gays, so what is she right about? Your rant was all about the gay community and didn’t reference her actual comment.
Oh, that’s right you really didn’t have a point, just needed to put down a rant because somebody said something you didn’t like about your idol.
Realitycheck
@Giancarlo85:
Giancarlo the haters are building their lives around people like Madonna, why?
It is a futile attempt to feel better about themselves, it is the kind of people that
use wooden mirrors so to speak, they always complain and laugh at everybody
else with out taking a good look at themselves.
By the way Madonna new Album open at #2 on Billboard 200 with out counting
over 400K presales orders.
I wanna see a loser like Cam on stage trying to sell just one copy of anything…..