I've been following Madonna's multi-platform pop spectacle for the last 26 years. The many-faceted sounds and images that she continues to transmit have created a very colorful backdrop against which I've processed the past few decades. As the creator of her own music and concert tours, she's created an enduring catalog of work. As the subject of videos and photos, she's provided us with an unparalleled body of imagery that still holds my attention. I'm always wondering what she's going to do next.
My first image of her is the one that many people had: The bouncy, defiant, navel-bearing downtown pop chick in the 1984 "Lucky Star" video. Despite her ceaseless shape-shifting and culture-hopping, it seems this first incarnation in Madonna's storied character repetroire has proven indelible for me.
Cut to 2008... Ultra-sleek and modern Sticky & Sweet Tour at Madison Square Garden... Despite everything she had done (and been) since, it was still "Lucky Star" Madonna that I saw behind every dance move, costume change and video interlude.
So, that said... Here are some of my pieces of Lady M on vinyl.
Happy Birthday, Madonna. (Story to be continued...)