Looking back on it, how well did Madonna handle the Gaga situation?

[SkyHigh76]

Lady Gaga is the most successful Madonna clone of all time

[VogueMusic]

It was hilarious!!! Classic Madonna moment.... the whole thing felt like Blond Ambition era 2.0.

Felt like that moment that Madonna was getting her spunk back in that old school way.

It was perfect.

The MDNA mash-up was brilliant as well. Now she took that message all around the world. Genius.

And as said above...the media looked over the backdrop, which really said it all.

Madonna is brilliant.

[Guest]

I think Madonna deliberately waited until just the right time to say something negative about Gaga. Saying it at the peak of her popularity would have been a mistake.

Also, she never said anything negative about her as a person or as a talent and she didn't go on and on about it. She was actually quite complimentary. The only thing was the Express Yourself copying. And the inclusion of Born This Way on tour wasn't an obvious dig, it was left open to interpretation.

I think Madonna is far more powerful than people realise and I feel Gaga pissed her off by deliberately trying to steal her slot and Madonna basically crushed her like a bug. Don't fuck with Madonna. She's very respected and connected in the industry and I'm sure most people will bow to her.

I think Madonna truly detests the BEHAVIOUR of this fuckwit but Madonna is mature and reasonable and therefore doesn't spend her time hating the sinner. She used her brain to make some really worthwhile and true comments and that's why I love Madonna. As mentioned, the backdrop to EY was about commercial zombie behaviour and it's somewhat ironic considering Gaga's next project was focused on POP ART. Madonna is a genius and that's the end of that.

[Nessie]

The Gaga situation is not over yet until Madonna comes with another worldwide sucessful album (like COAD). That will be the final nail on Joanne's coffin. The gorgon career is stumbling and it will take just one little kick to fall in the abyss of oblivion forever.

[Nessie]

Oh good grief, you can't really be serious and tell me that you were worried for Madonna's career after her "Reductive" comment? She said nothing bad about Lady Gaga. Her comment was simply in reference to the song sounding similar. It certainly was played up by the network, airing that interview and some of the media as if it was a personal dig at Gaga. Of course, some of the fans on both sides, tried to insist the same. In fact, some still believe that Madonna was sayiing it about her. The media and the fans are still trying to insist there is some huge feud between them. In the end, I don't think anyone gave a shit what Madonna really said in that interview, but most of the hard core fans. I'm not saying other people didn't have a thought about it, but I think any negativity regarding the whole situation is far more embellished. The hardcore fans are making a bigger deal of it than anyone else. Shame on the media and fans that are trying to insist that Madonna is taking part of this nonsense. It's all one sided. Madonna has pretty much ignored all this negative Gaga vs. Madonna nonsense. Very much like how she ignore Elton's outbursts over the years.

Madonna isn't perfect. But she's been quite careful by getting involved in these pissing matches that people are trying to drag her in. I'm happy she doesn't respond to them. I'm happy she ignores the fans who try to get her to respond to the nonsense. She seems to ignore it and keeps beating to her own drum. She's far too smart to let this nonsense get to her or respond to it. She knows it accomplishes nothing and people will think of her what they want, no matter what she says.

I know, since Madonna never really said a bad word about Joanne the media took the "reductive" as if it was directly aimed for Joanne herself. But of course for anyone who watches the entire interview Madonna actually praises that bitch and just when she was asked about specifically BTW/EY she said "it felt reductive". The media spinned that statement all over the news painting Madonna as the bully witch attacking the poor victim, but that's entertainment. I'm sure that 99% of Gaga's fanbase never took their time to watch the whole interview, their attention span is very limited and they took that word personaly which is even more bizarre. But i love it all, the meltdown was epic and it really marked the beggining of the end of the gorgon.

[Narendra Sen]

She handled it the best way possible. She didn't broach the subject, and was FAR more diplomatic about it than I could ever muster. Sometimes the best strategy is to let the other side talk to the point that they hang themselves. People (more or less) eventually do catch on. Witness what's happening now.

I wouldn't suggest that Madonna broke Gaga with one word (Gaga did FAR more damage to herself), but I can imagine it happening that way...and it brings a smile to my face.

This

[Pink Matter]

We give way too much attention to Gags, anyway yeah, Madonna grilled her with one word, ArtReductive.

[BrokenButterfly]

I think Gaga had other issues prior and I don't think her downfall is because of Madonna's shade sling at all. ArtPop is the modern version of Glitter and the popcicle strip session.

[dollhouse]

The Gaga situation is not over yet until Madonna comes with another worldwide sucessful album (like COAD). That will be the final nail on Joanne's coffin. The gorgon career is stumbling and it will take just one little kick to fall in the abyss of oblivion forever.

This would be lovely but dont be shocked it Madges next album will sell less than ArtPlop. There wont be another SuperBowl and times are bad.

[ryan]

It's funny, months before reductive, gags was saying how much she really liked GMAYL when it leaked. Yet had nothing to say about the superbiwl, tour, and album.

[Nessie]

This would be lovely but dont be shocked it Madges next album will sell less than ArtPlop. There wont be another SuperBowl and times are bad.

You may be right but if there is a singer who could stand out in difficult times, that would be only Madonna, she's the cockroach of pop after all

[Kurt420]

I'm racking my brain here, trying to figure what the actual fuck you're talking about.

What the actual fuck moment 1: Madonna fans didn't get the vapors after this interview -- that's just straight bullshit that you're making up here. Fans were rolling on the floors after she dropped the R-bomb. Just look through the archives of this forum, for Christ's sake.

What the actual fuck moment 2: Let's be honest here -- Commercially, Madonna is at the lowest point in her career by most any measure. In fact, she's probably at the lowest point in her career by every commercial measure, other than tour receipts. So, even if this interview was a PR disaster, exactly how much lower do you think she can go?

What the actual fuck moment 3: Gaga's fanbase is hateful? I'm sorry, hateful? You were worried that Madonna was going to get a sad because some teenagers were talking shit about her on the internet?

What the actual fuck moment 4: The media is on Gaga's side? What world are you living in, honey?

Of all the things that people compare Gaga and Madonna for, the similarities with which the media treats Gaga and Madonna is the one that deserves the most attention.

Has Gaga ripped off Madonna's look? Yes. Has she ripped off Madonna's playbook? Yes. Has she ripped off Madonna's songs? You betcha. But despite all similarities -- and there's a lot that's been ripped off to go by -- the thing that seems most similar between the two is the media's obsession with them.

The media obsessively pursues -- professionally and personally -- because they want them to fail. They want them to fail because they know that if it happens, it will be spectacular -- it will make Britney's meltdown look downright quaint -- and it will sell a lot of magazines, drive a lot of web traffic, and make them a shit ton of money.

The media is pissed that they never managed to force the Madonna meltdown they so desperately wanted -- not ever after "Sex" -- and now they want to build a "new Madonna" so they can try again. That'll give them the celebrity story of the decade they've wanted for 20 years now.

You want an example of a fawning media "always taking" someone's side, take a look at Katy Perry. Gaysplotation? Here's a number one single. Shat out a frankenstein single that cobbled together by 16 hack producers? Here's a number one single. Put on a blue wig and a bra that shoots our whipped cream? Here's a glowing review AND a number one single. BLATANTLY rip off a song that's been out since April and still make a bullshit claim that yours was produced first? Here's a number one single without a scrap of bad press.

I'm sorry, but adirondak does have a point, it's only since the release of Artpop that SOME of the media is finally calling Gaga out on her shit. I'm not talking stupid ass bloggers.....I'm talking official media. She has been treated with kid gloves until recently and even now the "backlash" is more indifference than bonafide hate (ala Madonna's Sex backlash). There is no outrage amongst the general public about Artpop as there was LAP, JML or Sex and why should there be? She's not breaking new ground, she's not pushing the envelope Gaga gains 40lbs on tour, does drugs on stage in front of her predominately teenage audience, shows were getting downsized in a major way (come on.....she was playing in parking lots) and more recently, she went completely stark naked on stage. The AWFUL result of these things is Glamour magazine naming her woman of the year.

Now, let's talk Madonna recently.....despite being in tip-top physical condition, before the MDNA tour even kicked off, media outlets were trying to give the impression that she wasn't selling concert tickets (Live Nation had to release a statement refuting the claims). This is despite having second dates added in nearly EVERY location she played, including selling out Yankee Stadium twice AND selling out MSG twice. Madonna tells a fan to put out a cigarette nicely TWICE during her rehearsal and she gets portrayed as a bitch. Madonna shows her tit on stage and it causes a furor because of her age. Without even factoring in the Sex backlash or any other of her controversies, just the ageist criticism alone she has received in recent years is worse than anything Gaga has had to endure. The media and her fans and even Gaga herself within her first year of fame were equating her(self) with Michael Jackson and Madonna.....I mean come the fuck on! It was all so forced. The public was naturally interested in MJ and Madonna.....that's why to this day there is huge interest in both of them. With Gaga though, the "demand" never quite warranted the HUGE hype she got.

Finally, why bring Katy Perry into this?? Why should the media bash her?? She one of the most innocuous pop stars out there. Boring sometimes? Sure. Tacky galore? Absolutely. None of those things warrant outrage or negativity from the public or media. Katy is genuine. She doesn't run around claiming that her songs are the "Mona Lisas" of pop music. She simply puts her songs out there and if they connect great.

[acko]

Basically with Gaga we saw the beast rising out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads
And a blasphemous name upon her head
Its feet were like a bear's
And its mouth was like a gerbil's mouth
And to it the media gave its power
And the whole earth followed the beast with wonder

And they worshiped the beast saying
"Who is like the beast and who can fight against the beast?"
And It opened its mouth to utter blasphemous words against the Madonna.

Untill she finally descended from the heavens

& read the word from the prophecy:

REDUCTIVE.

She did this for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted,
the murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars.

Their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire & brimstone.

As it is written in the book of Crow, & sung in the hyms of Demonna: chapter 8 verse 26-89.

AMEN.

[ryan]

[Jazzy Jan]

Acko, that was brilliant.

[tuckeye]

omg :dead:

[Kilt]

[mamifero]

[Elysium]

I think Madonna has handled the situation with qualities that no other female artist really has or really exhibits in the public domain...those qualities being graciousness, finesse and sheer intelligence. The way M pierced and shattered this girls fragile ego by uttering one word is the stuff of legend.

[tuckeye]

(now live 4 it)

[VogueMusic]

I think Madonna has handled the situation with qualities that no other female artist really has or really exhibits in the public domain...those qualities being graciousness, finesse and sheer intelligence. The way M pierced and shattered this girls fragile ego by uttering one word is the stuff of legend.

[Guest bluejean]

I think Madonna truly detests the BEHAVIOUR of this fuckwit but Madonna is mature and reasonable and therefore doesn't spend her time hating the sinner. She used her brain to make some really worthwhile and true comments and that's why I love Madonna. As mentioned, the backdrop to EY was about commercial zombie behaviour and it's somewhat ironic considering Gaga's next project was focused on POP ART. Madonna is a genius and that's the end of that.

I do agree, she definitely doesn't hate her however I do think there was a shift in attitude toward Gaga from Madonna after the Born This Way debacle. It's very unlike Madonna to be anything but complimentary toward artists these days, even those that slag her off (Elton.) She respects artists that do what they do. I get the feeling the copying and constant comparisons and alleged "dethroning" and shitting on her legacy from the media irritated Madonna. Especially when Gaga started working with so many people Madonna has worked with, it became like some sort of creepy pathological obsession with Gaga not being inspired by her but wanting to BE her. And the media seemed quite keen to claim Madonna had been replaced which was ridiculous really. The inclusion of Born This Way in her show and the Nicki Minaj "there's only one queen" rap etc makes it pretty clear Madonna very much felt the need to stand her ground against the media.

[5iVe Elements]

You may be right but if there is a singer who could stand out in difficult times, that would be only Madonna, she's the cockroach of pop after all

Cockroachdonna

[Guest Not4Pussies]

I think Madonna has handled the situation with qualities that no other female artist really has or really exhibits in the public domain...those qualities being graciousness, finesse and sheer intelligence. The way M pierced and shattered this girls fragile ego by uttering one word is the stuff of legend.

Yes!!!! That was some bette davis, joan crawford, maria felix bitchy legend status right there.

[ULIZOS]

VS.

[Camacho]

Madonna's simple but powerful "Reductive" CRIPPLED Lady Xerox. Joanne's entire existence has been IMPLODING since. She has jumped the shark and there's NO saving her now even if Interscope spends ANOTHER wasteful $25 million payola-ing and force feeding Gagy Inc. onto the public. *FLUSH*

[Guest Not4Pussies]

VS.

Hahaha that's what I'm talking about!!

[nightcutter]

Basically with Gaga we saw the beast rising out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads

And a blasphemous name upon her head

Its feet were like a bear's

And its mouth was like a gerbil's mouth

And to it the media gave its power

And the whole earth followed the beast with wonder

And they worshiped the beast saying

"Who is like the beast and who can fight against the beast?"

And It opened its mouth to utter blasphemous words against the Madonna.

Untill she finally descended from the heavens

& read the word from the prophecy:

REDUCTIVE.

She did this for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted,

the murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars.

Their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire & brimstone.

As it is written in the book of Crow, & sung in the hyms of Demonna: chapter 8 verse 26-89.

AMEN.

Amazing!

[karbatal]

OMG Acko, hahahahahahah. Post of Life!!!!!!

Madonna is waaaaaaay too much of a veteran and she knows. She knows that it's incredibly hard to stay on top more than 5 years, and that if you are taking drugs and don't train enough, fight enough, you'll have the backlash even sooner. She was never threatened and she spoke when she had to speak. She was BRILLIANT, because one word resumed the whole Gaga World: REDUCTIVE.

Not only Gaga is reductive, many many things in our culture are more reductive now: so many things are turned into cliches, and so many things are made pureee just to be swallowed easily by the masses.

Madonna, again, was spot on.

[Dr Lecter]

She handled it with great aplomb