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Madame X Junket Interviews


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8 hours ago, Nikki said:

I love how people are so intrigued by this woman. even those who shade her.. I know.. part of them love her

her mother 's funeral 😞 Im very interested to read this..

 

Same here

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I bought the Zeit newspaper with her interview today 🙂 Saw it by coincidence on a news stand, made my morning commute haha

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Excuse my cluttered desk

I can translate the main gist of the interview if you guys want me to! It's quite a lengthy article, including M sharing the back story to the album cover (the Frida one). They also ask her about Eurovision but again, she deflects from the question lol

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48 minutes ago, Nonoka said:

I bought the Zeit newspaper with her interview today 🙂 Saw it by coincidence on a news stand, made my morning commute haha

P1220963.jpg

P1220966 (1).jpg

Excuse my cluttered desk

I can translate the main gist of the interview if you guys want me to! It's quite a lengthy article, including M sharing the back story to the album cover (the Frida one). They also ask her about Eurovision but again, she deflects from the question lol

I bought it too. Was a little underwhelmed, the way they presented it, it felt stiff, controlled and self indulgent on Madonna’s hand. Later on I was shocked to see the atmosphere of the interview seemed very different judging from their insta video post where M was cute and funny and ironic. I don’t know what it is with some of these journalists who just can’t write. They should have just made a video interview instead. 

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8 hours ago, Nonoka said:

I bought the Zeit newspaper with her interview today 🙂 Saw it by coincidence on a news stand, made my morning commute haha

P1220963.jpg

P1220966 (1).jpg

Excuse my cluttered desk

I can translate the main gist of the interview if you guys want me to! It's quite a lengthy article, including M sharing the back story to the album cover (the Frida one). They also ask her about Eurovision but again, she deflects from the question lol

 

I love it!

Yes please, it would be lovely to read your translation

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6 hours ago, Gus said:

Love "Madame X-ing" @0:43!

This was fun to watch, wish more of her interviews were like this as I feel like it would attract more young ppl to watch them!

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On 6/27/2019 at 9:13 PM, Nonoka said:

I bought the Zeit newspaper with her interview today 🙂 Saw it by coincidence on a news stand, made my morning commute haha

P1220963.jpg

P1220966 (1).jpg

Excuse my cluttered desk

I can translate the main gist of the interview if you guys want me to! It's quite a lengthy article, including M sharing the back story to the album cover (the Frida one). They also ask her about Eurovision but again, she deflects from the question lol

Thank you very much!!!

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Ok, so here's the first part of the ZEIT interview. It's not a Q&A-kind of thing, but a lengthier article spread out over several pages with her answers incorporated 🙂

The first page is just about the authors' experience waiting for the interview, mentioning how tightly controlled the access to her is etc. basically saying that interviewing M is treated by the organizers as a very exclusive event and they make everyone who's attending feel this exclusivity. (you don't say)

Imma skip to the part where they start the actual interview with her, again this is abbreviated at some parts so excuse me if it sounds a bit clunky lol

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We enter a dimly lit room. In the center is a table with four chairs, spotlights directed at one of them. There she is. She stands up - "Hi". Madonna's manager is sitting down at the side, pulls out the mobile and starts the timer - 15 minutes.

We tell Madonna that we would like to pass on greetings from Willem Dafoe (for the flop fans, BOE actor) whom we met several days ago. She thanks us. "I love him, he is wonderful. I haven't seen him in a long time". Madonna tells us that she used to attend performances by the Wooster Group in her early days in New York, with Dafoe being a member of them. We had asked him if he's got any question for her - "How is she doing", he wanted to know. 

"Oh, I'm doing fine!", she replies, her voice slightly pitched.

They introduce Martha Graham, tell the backstory of the Madame X moniker as we already know etc.

"Martha Graham is present on Madame X 100 percent", Madonna tells us. Already in our last interview 2007, Madonna named Martha Graham and Frida Kahlo as her biggest role models. "When did that happen? 2007?" - She appears surprised. "I've stayed true to myself!", she exclaims, laughing.

Why is Martha Graham so important for her to this day?  - "She changed the Modern Dance forever, as well as the role of women in dance. She was one of the first female choreographs, she founded her own company, she changed the way people thought about dance, she was very defiant, her thinking was revolutionary, her whole approach towards dancing was revolutionary. She worked with fantastic composers, and she dressed up the women who worked with her in a very unconventional style. She let them dance in their bare feet, she caused controversies back then. The first time she went on tour through America, many people tried preventing the shows from happening. The girls were dancing without bras! She was a freedom fighter - and an artist." 

Listening to Madonna's monologue, we can't help thinking she's also speaking about her own career. "Like you?", we ask her. - "Yes, she inspired me. She had already surpassed 80 when I got to know her, and she was still dancing..." - Suddenly, Madonna interrupts herself. "My nose is running, and I'm sweating" she says. She looks towards her manager, who immediately gets up and brings her tissues. We do not see any sweat on Madonna's face. Her nose isn't running either. Apparently, the make-up is holding up better than she thinks. (I know, this is cringey)

Madonna takes the tissue, and dabs the invisible sweat off her forehead. Then she continues talking about Martha Graham.

"She was still very strong at that point, she was living the life of an independent woman, she never married, she never had children, she was living alone. She always went on. She had to take a lot of criticism for what she did. But she continues to inspire many modern-dance companies and choreographs to this day. I've just been to Israel, where I visited the Batsheva Dance Company from Tel Aviv - one of the founders, Bethsabée, was a student of Martha Graham as well. The Batsheva is one of the best dance-companies in the world. Do you know the current choreograph, Ohad Naharin? You should see his work!"

And what about her other idol, the painter Frida Kahlo? - Madonna tells us that back in her early days in New York, her first flat used to be completely empty except for a postcard with a Kahlo painting - the famous self-portrait with monkeys. "That's all I had - in my tiny shoebox-sized room, with a view on a brick wall." Frida Kahlo, too, fought against conventions, as she tells us. "This is what motivated me - a starving woman struggling to survive in New York City - to hang in there". She says she doesn't have the postcard anymore. "I don't know what happened to it, but back then I used to wake up with it every morning, with her mustache and the monkeys on her shoulder." Of course, Madonna would not be Madonna if she didn't add: "Now I have the painting hanging in my office" - she smiles.

Why does that painting fascinate her? "I like her stubborn gaze towards the viewer. And I like what it stands for. As we know, Frida Kahlo had to suffer a lot in her life. She used the monkeys to find out when her husband brought his models home and had sex with them. When Frida came home, and the monkeys acted crazy, she knew that he's had sex with them. The monkeys reacted to their scent. They were her protectors." She stops talking for a moment, and lets out a deep sigh - "Yeah"

To be continued soon, have to grab sth to eat haha

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On 6/24/2019 at 7:44 AM, Animal Instinct said:

vanity fair italia interview

 

 

That was so tender when she took off her sunglasses and said, "yes, I can." :dramatic: It really took my breath away - you rarely see her like that.

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Here's part 2 of the ZEIT Interview (going to be three in total), this is where she talks about the album cover

Quote

We start talking about the artwork of her new album, and ask why her lips are sewn in that picture. - "Oh, that's a long story!" - "We have time", we reply. - "No you don't!" Everyone at the table starts laughing. Meanwhile, on the mobile phone of her manager, the timer keeps running. And then, after all, Madonna tells us her story.

"After I finished the production of this picture, I sent it to my sister. And her reaction was: 'Oh my god, you look like Mum.' And it's true: this is the last image of my mother that I have in my mind - when I kissed her for the last time, at her open casket. We formed a line, everyone of us, to kiss the dead body of my mother - my father, my brothers and sisters, my grandmother, my aunts and uncles. We all went round the casket one last time and had a look at my mother, this wonderful embalmed being. She was beautiful. When I bowed down to kiss her lips, I noticed they had been sewn together. I never got this image out of my mind."

"It's quite an odd habit that people have one last look at the deceased in an open casket", she goes on. "It's not a happy way of remembering your mother. But that's just how it's done in Catholicism."

Madonna also decided to use this image as the cover to point out how people always wanted to silence her. "Other people have told me my entire life to shut my mouth, or I would get burnt" (hello Dark Ballet lol)

They then shortly address her father, but they only use quotes from older interviews

What does Madonna think of her childhood today? - "When I was growing up, I wasn't anything special. I wasn't particularly pretty. My father used to live beyond his means, so I never had pretty clothes either, no matter where we went. I wasn't popular. I didn't fit into any group. People said, I am....unusual." - In what terms, we want to know. - "I didn't shave my armpits or my legs. I didn't wear make-up. I hated all these things that society was striving for. I also used to question everything, I always went to other people and bugged them with questions - Why? Why? Why?"

She didn't have it easy with this kind of attitude on life, as Madonna tells us. "My father used to say it all the time when growing up, my teachers in school said it all the time too: Your big mouth is going to get you in trouble!" Already back then, this kind of resistance tempted her, and it's noticeable to this day when she's talking about it. "I always resisted my dad. Especially when it came to the strict rules of the Catholic Church. I just considered them sexist and misogynist. My manner of questioning everything absolutely did get me into a lot of trouble back then."

How precisely can we imagine the rebellious teenager in Michigan? - "I used to say No a lot of times. No, I'm not doing this - unless you can tell me a reason that makes sense to me." - Did your father react upon that? - Madonna shakes her head. "I was always sent to my room". - And what did you do there? - "I read books and got smarter", she laughs.

And how does Madonna react today if she gets told no? - "I slam the door in their face and never speak to them again. I'm an absolute one-way street." - She laughs again, and adds, with some self-irony: "Double standards!" (Rest of the reply is in the IG clip on the last page)

Will add the last part #soon (prolly tomorrow, not the Madame X version of soon)

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20 hours ago, Gus said:

Love "Madame X-ing" @0:43!

Wow I love her story.. she has balls 🙂

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On 6/27/2019 at 5:42 PM, mr_boogiewoogie said:

There was magic during this interview. The ending was very moving and you could tell that she was moved by how sincere and heartfelt his words were. She must have enjoyed this conversation. The interesting thing to me is that at the beginning she told him that he would have to talk her out of wearing sunglasses, but in the end she decided to take them out because he surprised her with one of the best questions ever, at least during this press junket. It was very touching when she took her sunglasses out. You could see something special in her eyes. She is such an amazing woman! Words cannot express how much she is! I loved the interview and I appreciated his kindness, his intelligence and how respectful he was towards her. Bravo!

:thumbsup: also loved that she said "prego" to him in the end after he thanked her. One of the very best interviews this era.

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You're welcome everyone! 


Here's the last part of the interview, they briefly brush feminism (watch what she says), Catholic church again and a rather awkward talk about Eurovision :laugh:

Quote

She's lived in Lisbon, in London, in New York. Is there a place that she calls home? - "I live everywhere. Home is your where your heart is", Madonna replies. 

Have her views on America changed since she's living in Europe? - "Living abroad gives you a different perspective on the world. You should leave the surrondings that you grew up in. Living in other places is the best education that you can get". As she continues, Madonna admits she does miss America. "There are so many things that I love about America. I still live there after all, my house is waiting for me."

They briefly refer to the Trump / Miami photoshoot story, but no direct talk with M

What does Madonna think of Angela Merkel? We ask in response. For the first time in our conversation, a longer silence emerges. Madonna is pondering. "I like her. She's a good head of state." - Another silence - "You guys are lucky".

They change to her fight for the LGBT community, some quotes from older interviews

Despite her being the role model for several generations of women, Madonna was initially subjected to heavy criticism by some feminists. She was turning herself into a sex object, they used to say. "Better myself than some dirty old men", she replies in a dry tone. "There are feminists out there who hate women, that's just how it is." She does not want to comment further on this topic.

The biggest debates Madonna has been fighting since decades are with the Catholic Church. What is her view on the Church today, currently in the deepest crisis since its foundation? - "We are all in a crisis. I'm in a crisis now too." - She sights theatrically, ponders, then objects to her own reply: "That was irony, okay! You know what that is? Okay, good."

We try again: Is she surprised about the current crisis of the Catholic Church? - "What precisely do you mean? The priests who were abusing children? I think this is something that has been going on for centuries, it's nothing new." - Especially for Madonna, who has been criticizing the double standards of the church for decades. "A man can not live in a world without having sex. That's when things like that happen. Sex is a gift from God. If two consenting people have sex, with noble intentions and in the right context, then it's a beautiful spiritual experience."

Her manager looks down at the timer, our 15 minutes are almost over. 

Even though Madonna's last two albums weren't huge successes anymore, she is still here. Or, simply put, she has survived - which is not something that should be taken for granted. Prince, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, George Michael - all the other superstars from her generation are now dead. Does it make her feel lonely sometimes to be Madonna, since there's nobody anymore who can remotely relate to her fame?

"They weren't my only friends", Madonna promptly interrupts. However, then she answers: "Yes, it can be lonely, when your life is regarded by people under a microscope, when you get judged by so many people who think they know who you are, even though they have no idea at all." - So who is Madonna? - She shakes her head. "Who are you?", she asks back. "I don't have any answer to that question".

 

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And here comes the ESC talk

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We are now approaching minute 17. "The last question, please", her manager tells us. So, let's do it: "Madonna, what happened in Israel?" - She takes a deep breath. "Um", she replies. Madonna is silent. "You mean what happened between Palestine and Israel? What are you referring to?" - Later, when listening to our interview tape, we can hear a slight trembling in her voice.

We ask again. What happened during her live performance at the ESC, we obviously want to know. Another "Um", as if she wants to buy some time. Finally, she starts talking - not about the sound issues, but rather about her dancers displaying the flags of Palestine and Israel during the performance. "I wanted to emphasize my wish for unity between both countries, both religions. I did not tell the producers beforehand. I was disobedient, as always."

When we had asked Madonna what her strongest weapon is, she replied: "My mind". So why won't she simply give a short explanation? Maybe her answers show how hurt she's still feeling about the reactions, about the bashful articles in some media outlets which started questioning her whole career.

Then she stands up, shakes our hands. "I'm retracting from this room", she replies with a wink. She doesn't turn around, but trips towards the door, backwards, smiling, her eyes towards us. Is it her tight dress? One thing is clear, she wants to keep control, even when leaving. (Ugh this article)

As for our question who Madonna is, she did give us an answer after all: "At the end of the day, I'm not different to all the other people", she had told us. "All people are lonely. Me too."

That's it 🙂 I take no responsibility for some of the shoddy remarks by the journalists haha

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7 hours ago, Nikki said:

lovely interview and I love that they added the footage of what they talked about

Yes they did a good job. The interviewer is sweet. 

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