Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Excerpt Of An Interview With Madonna's Drummer Steve Sidelynk..

How do you approach the Madonna gig?

With Madonna you play what’s required and that is very technology-based. I think the first tour I did with her, The Drowned World Tour, she didn’t even want any cymbals. It was really difficult, trying to follow in the footsteps of Jonathan Moffett and Omar Hakim, who is one of my favourite drummers. They were two big drummers to follow, but her music had progressed in a different way. At that point I was doing what she wanted.

Did you find the jump from the gig you did before to Madonna was quite a big jump for you?

Yeah, it was huge.

Were there any issues with that, for you personally?

Personally, yeah, because I’m from Bradford. I went and watched the Weather Report at Hammersmith Odeon and watching the rapport with Victor Bailey and Omar I can honestly say it was probably one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen in my life. His technique, his vibe, he was a monster - and that was a life-changing gig for me. Watching that, and then having to fill those shoes on any level, can feel a bit mind-boggling. I was practising lots. I think I made myself ill, I was over-compensating. I tried to cover all my bases but it just seemed to all work out, because what she wanted was what was on the record and the promo tour we were doing was music from that Music album and that was pretty mad because I sampled all the sounds into my Akai and then put them into the D-Drum which I was using, and have used on every Madonna tour since then, and I was playing all the stabs and all the rhythms. I was playing the record. That’s what she wanted. It was like I was going back to using what I’d learnt filling in as a percussionist. I was like a painter painting with a different pallet, but trying to colour it all so it all made sense and just play it in time. And I have been doing that gig for eight years.

What do you think you bring to the situation?

I play what’s on the record, what’s required, but not robotically. Everything changes in live scenarios. You’ve got a lot of input, a lot of freedom, but you’ve got it within certain parameters, so it requires a lot of discipline. You’ve got to play it solidly. You can’t play it rough and you can’t do grace notes, you can on some tracks, but you’ve got to be able to know what’s the right thing for each song and artist.

How involved is Madonna?



We rehearse for three months for a tour and she’s there. Not only that but she plays drums. She started off as a drummer in a band. So the whole rhythm is important to her - the dance, the lights. Everything’s cued from the drums, so you better play the arrangement as is.

There was one tune we were doing, called Hanky Panky, it’s a bit of a big band number, Jeff Porcaro played on the record. We were playing it and I did a couple of fills that were different. The next day in sound check she goes ‘you were getting a bit creative last night weren’t you?’ and I swear she was dancing, she was being thrown in the air, but she still noticed what was going on in the drums and that’s how much discipline you’ve got to have.

Someone like Madonna, she’s at the top of her tree, she’s been around a long time. She could pack up tomorrow and it wouldn’t bother her, but she’s still out there pushing the boundaries. Do she help you progress to another level?

I would say you have to, as far as her music progresses, you’ve got to progress with it. She wants an answer straight away or you’ve got to give her a solution. So even if you can’t physically come up with it playing wise or sound-wise, if you say ''OK I’ll do it for you later or it’ll be ready tomorrow, I just need to prepare that'', it''s good. She just needs answers. It’s a totally different way of working to someone like Richard Ashcroft where it’s really organic and you go in and it can change. Her thing’s all about discipline.

Oh... the LA life...
You’re quite well known for going everywhere on your pushbike. Now you’ve landed the Madonna gig and flying in private jets, do you still go around on your bike?
(Laughs)Yeah, I used to cycle all the time when living in London; it was the easiest way to get around. It''s one of the things I miss most living in LA because the roads and air quality is so bad out here. But I just went back to London, I was staying at my Drum Tech, Clint’s house in Richmond, and we went along the tow path on the bikes, but I had to borrow his sister’s bike!
What made you move out? You’ve been out in LA now for four years, but you’ve had a lot of success in the UK. What made you make that big move?
I had the opportunity because I was working with Madonna. Leeds had just got relegated - I’m a big Leeds United fan - but it was just something I always wanted to do since I was a child. I wanted to move here when I was with the Blow Monkeys but my mother had died that year and my father unfortunately got really ill so I didn’t go. I moved to LA when I was 40. I sold everything in England and started again. And you do start again when you go to America because financially you start again, you’re competing with everything; the sessions, you’ve got Vinnie Colaiuta and Thomas Lang and all those people who are here. But to play live music here I found really liberating. You put your drums in the back of the truck, turn up at rehearsals, and know that nobody was going to nick your snare while you were taking in your bass drum. As a player I’ve progressed since I’ve moved here because I’ve been able to practise a lot more, play gigs with people even if they’re not high-profile gigs. It’s a big community of music here that I really wanted to get into




Thanks Sylvia Emmens UK

Rare Madonna "Like A Virgin" Video Behind The Scenes Pics.

Amazing!

Thanks Skip!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Goh Hotoda Working On A Madonna Related Project.

In response to my post “Goh Hotoda – we love you”, Mr Hotoda himself emailed me to let me know that he has been working on another Madonna-related project. Stay tuned for more info, as soon as I get it!

Thanks To TheBeatsWithin Blog.

1992 Deeper and Deeper Big Poster.

Thanks OnTheCoverOfAMagazine

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Madonna and Lola Mario Testino Outtakes.

On The Set Of The "Vanity Fair" Magazine shoot.

A Trannyshack Madonna Tribute.

The Mother of all "Trannyshack Tribute Nights" returns. It’s a "Trannyshack Madonna Tribute Night"!

The 11:00pm Show will feature many of the superstars of "Trannyshack", including "Heklina", "Exhibit Q.", "Kim Burly", "Miss Rahni", "Holy McGrail", "Jordan L’Moore", "Ambrosia Salad", "Lindsay Slowhands", and "Precious Moments". Plus, featuring the return of "KIMO"’s "20 Years Of Madonna In 20 Minutes" !

With DJ Adrian (Bootie) spinning all Madonna, all night, and visuals by "Vis-à-Vis".

Where:

DNA Lounge, 375 Eleventh St., San Francisco. Doors 9:30pm-3am. Show at 11pm.$15 advance, $20 at the door.

source: sf

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Rare Open Your Heart Video On Set Pics.

Sophie-Ellis Bextor: "Madonna Really Owns It"!

"There are women who can wear what are very revealing outfits, but they own it. They really own it.

When Madonna was doing "Blonde Ambition" in her pointy Jean-Paul Gaultier gold corset, I really felt that she owned that. I really felt it was coming from her and it meant something to her.

And then you’ll see other people and they’re kind of wearing the same thing and you think, 'That’s gross. You just look like you’re trying to flirt with my boyfriend under my nose'."

source: herald

Pure Madonna.

Unreleased Outtake.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Arianne Phillips "Madonna Is One Busy Mother.."

tweeted may 26/11

Starlight, Starbright!





Madonna shot by Edo Bertoglio 1983.


A True "Lucky Star"!







Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Madonna, Porn And Traci Lords.....

This is an oldie but goodie:

In the early 1990s, Madonna was preparing to do her infamous "Sex" book, and wanted to be inspired by the copious porn achievements of blonde vixen Traci Lords.

The problem is that Traci had been underage when she did the porn, and when that fact emerged, every stitch of it was removed from the market as if it were tainted Tylenols.

The superstar singer's manager called around and got ahold of Lonn Friend, who worked for Hustler - and who has a new memoir called "Sweet Demotion: How An Almost Famous Rock Journalist Lost Everything And Found Himself (Almost)".

Lonn happened to have access to the stuff, sent it over, and it obviously did the trick, as it were.Madonna ended up sending him a copy of the "Sex" book with a personal thank you note.

Class!

source: daily musto

New Madonna Outtakes.






From the Fanmade D&G book going around.








Monday, May 23, 2011

Conan O' Brian Pays Tribute To Madonna.



On The June Issue Of Fast Company Magazine.



Madonna And The Boom Box, A Love Affair For Life!





Music Makes The People Come Together!

Preview Of Madonna On The Oprah Show.

James D' Arcy Danced For Madonna..

James D’Arcy has told how he learnt to dance for Madonna as he found her such an inspiring director.The young actor plays Edward VIII in the singer’s directorial debut WE, about the king’s abdication over his relationship with Wallis Simpson.He explained…

“There was a dance sequence that when I first saw it was like something out of Dancing With The Stars it was amazing – and I can’t dance.It was this extraordinary beautiful dance with lifts and twirls and I can’t do that, but you do because she somehow makes the impossible possible and it gives you amazing self esteem when you do these things.There’s nothing quite as good – to get a pat on the head for dancing from Madonna – that’s a pretty good feeling.”

The dance scene never made the final cut of the film, co-starring Andrea Riseborough, but he learned plenty of other skills for Madonna.D’Arcy said…

“She challenged me to learn to play the bagpipes in six weeks, which is next to impossible I was told, but I did manage to do it because you feel like there’s no other way, you’ve just got to do it.I can ride horses already but I was in pretty good physical shape for that film and that was again at her request.I know that obviously her fame comes through a slightly different art form but she was more prepared than any director I have ever worked with, possibly with the exception of Peter Weir, but I mention her in the same sentence, that’s how prepared she was.She was extraordinary.”

Sunday, May 22, 2011

American Life (Edit By Julio Skov).

Madonna Like It, And So It Ended Up In The Movie...

In an interview "Green Gartside", Scritti Politti's lead singer/founder comes clean one question at a time.

How did your track "Best Thing Ever" windup on the original motion picture soundtrack "Who’s that Girl?" Did you meet Madonna, or attend the premier of the film in 1987?

GARTSIDE:
"The track was surplus to requirement for our forthcoming "Scritti" album "Provision". I was told that Madonna heard it at "Warner"’s Burbank offices, and liked it, so it ended up in the movie. I didn’t however, attend the premiere."

source: examiner

Saturday, May 21, 2011

"Vogue" - Voted "The Most Stylish Video Of All Time"!

1. Madonna - "Vogue"

It was hard to pick just one by Madonna (the clothing and makeup she wears in "Express Yourself" is so fab too), but "Vogue" just exudes style in the fashion, lyrics, and choreography like no other.

source: shine

Friday, May 20, 2011

"I'm Ready For My Close Up Mr. Meisel".

Never Duplicated!!! Sheer Brilliance!
How Do U like It Jucy and Wet!

"Glee" Version Of M's "I Love New York"...

W.E Submited To Venice Film Festival.

The 68th Venice Film Festival is shaping up as an especially strong edition, with a slew of hot titles secured more than three months in advance of its Aug. 31 start.

Lido competition berths are set for Roman Polanski's "Carnage," David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method" and Russian auteur Aleksandr Sokurov's highly anticipated "Faust," the fourth and final installment in his "Men of Power" series. [...]

Mary Harron's "The Moth Diaries" and Madonna's "W.E." have been submitted.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Top 10 Apocalypse Songs- Madonna - "4 Minutes"

If the apocalypse were here, what would be on your playlist to mark the occasion? Well, you'd probably have other things on your mind beyond listening to music, but here's what should be the soundtrack to our last moments.

09.:Madonna: "4 Minutes" Feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland

If the clock is indeed ticking, you can spend your last moments listening to Madonna's "4 Minutes", which offers four minutes of aural bliss aided by Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. The pop diva is on a mission to save the world...

source:AOL

Listen Up!!!



Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Baby Dietrich.





By Herb Ritts 1993.





Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Madonna Screen Shots From The Oprah Show!!










Madonna Stopped by Oprah's To say Goodbye. M said this about O

"It's no secret that millions of people are inspired by Oprah. I am one of them." Madonna says she only has one living role model: Oprah. "She's a self-made woman who's been at the top of her game for over 25 years and she is still kicking ass. And she is still kicking ass!"