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Goddess: Inside Madonna
An intimate biography of Madonna with never-before published information about the performer that traces her evolution and explains her extraordinary popularity. From the moment Madonna first appeared on the international music scene, she has been hounded, criticized, honored, revered, and ignored--and despite these conflicting reactions has managed to set social, sexual, and musical trends of the last two decades. She is a chameleon figure who has changed her look and her sound dramatically over the years, and despite her exhibitionist tendencies and the intense scrutiny of the press, has remained an enigma to the public, keeping her most intimate identity hidden from all but her closest acquaintances. GODDESS begins with material from a 1993 interview Victor had with Madonna. The author has interviewed Madonna's maternal grandmother, father, stepmother, siblings, first boyfriends, high school friend with whom she had a lesbian relationship, dance teacher/mentor, and many more people from her formative years.
Victor examines her emotional life, her career, the fact or fantasy of her lesbian and heterosexual relationships, her taste, her genius for reinvention, her brilliant business sense.
Victor examines her emotional life, her career, the fact or fantasy of her lesbian and heterosexual relationships, her taste, her genius for reinvention, her brilliant business sense.
- GenresBiographyNonfictionMusic
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Victor
36 books3 followersBarbara Victor, a former Middle East specialist for the U.S. State Department, has worked in television and radio for many years.
Currently a freelance journalist, she has interviewed such Middle Eastern leaders as Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon, Yitzhak Rabin, Colonel Muammaer Quaddafi and Abu Lyad (sic) of the PLO. She lives in Paris.
Penguin has published her novels Lovers and Enemies (later republished as Friends, Lovers, Enemies), Absence of Pain and Misplaced Lives.
Currently a freelance journalist, she has interviewed such Middle Eastern leaders as Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon, Yitzhak Rabin, Colonel Muammaer Quaddafi and Abu Lyad (sic) of the PLO. She lives in Paris.
Penguin has published her novels Lovers and Enemies (later republished as Friends, Lovers, Enemies), Absence of Pain and Misplaced Lives.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 21, 2018
4.5 "Like a Virgin" Stars
2015 Honorable Mention Read
Madonna tends to elicit very strong reactions from people.....adoration, dislike, scorn, envy, ambivalence, disgust, admiration etc. She is a mirror to our id and our own sense of integration with the darker and selfish part of ourselves. I do not mean this lightly. She is psychologically simple and represents pure infantile immature emotion. Because of this she is able to emulate and recreate fashions and art from the past in a new, fresh and accessible way. Madonna has always been "low art" but it is art nonetheless and it can be addictive and scrumptious in its own particular way.
I have had a minor and ambivalent relationship with Madonna over the years and here are some of the high and lowlights:
-In grade six I was sent to the hallway to settle down after a heated argument with a classmate about whether or not Borderline was a better song than Holiday. (Borderline is still in several of my playlists)
-I was grounded at age 14 for lying to my parents and sneaking in to the "Like a Virgin Tour" concert
-Madonna made it fun and OK for me at age 16 to kiss both girls and boys (sometimes both genders in the same evening)
-Madonna bought me groceries at age nineteen (I was completely broke but on a whim entered a karaoke contest and sang Crazy for You and won second prize as well as fifty bucks)
-Listened to the album Erotica full blast (my fave album by Madonna) at least a hundred times with an ex-girlfriend that I lived with to the point that two sets of neighbours put in complaints against us
This unauthorized biography was extremely well written. It covers her life in vignettes from birth to the year 2001 or so through the eyes of others (family, friends, colleagues, lovers etc.) Ms. Victor wrote this book with a lot of understanding and compassion and was able to insightfully see through Madonna's selfishness and arrogance to the vulnerability and hard work ethic she has. Madonna has used a lot of people but she has also been widely used and maligned by others.
I really like Ms. Victors attempts to understand Madonna through her psychological conflicts and family of origin issues. Ms. Victor also interviewed Catholic clergy, psychoanalysts and feminists to give their take on the phenomenon of Madonna.
Madonna and I haven't had much to do with each other for the past twenty years. I will however from time to time pull out her Something to Remember cd (all her ballads) and reminisce about the fun we had in our youth.
Favorite song My Madonna :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP-3U...
2015 Honorable Mention Read
Madonna tends to elicit very strong reactions from people.....adoration, dislike, scorn, envy, ambivalence, disgust, admiration etc. She is a mirror to our id and our own sense of integration with the darker and selfish part of ourselves. I do not mean this lightly. She is psychologically simple and represents pure infantile immature emotion. Because of this she is able to emulate and recreate fashions and art from the past in a new, fresh and accessible way. Madonna has always been "low art" but it is art nonetheless and it can be addictive and scrumptious in its own particular way.
I have had a minor and ambivalent relationship with Madonna over the years and here are some of the high and lowlights:
-In grade six I was sent to the hallway to settle down after a heated argument with a classmate about whether or not Borderline was a better song than Holiday. (Borderline is still in several of my playlists)
-I was grounded at age 14 for lying to my parents and sneaking in to the "Like a Virgin Tour" concert
-Madonna made it fun and OK for me at age 16 to kiss both girls and boys (sometimes both genders in the same evening)
-Madonna bought me groceries at age nineteen (I was completely broke but on a whim entered a karaoke contest and sang Crazy for You and won second prize as well as fifty bucks)
-Listened to the album Erotica full blast (my fave album by Madonna) at least a hundred times with an ex-girlfriend that I lived with to the point that two sets of neighbours put in complaints against us
This unauthorized biography was extremely well written. It covers her life in vignettes from birth to the year 2001 or so through the eyes of others (family, friends, colleagues, lovers etc.) Ms. Victor wrote this book with a lot of understanding and compassion and was able to insightfully see through Madonna's selfishness and arrogance to the vulnerability and hard work ethic she has. Madonna has used a lot of people but she has also been widely used and maligned by others.
I really like Ms. Victors attempts to understand Madonna through her psychological conflicts and family of origin issues. Ms. Victor also interviewed Catholic clergy, psychoanalysts and feminists to give their take on the phenomenon of Madonna.
Madonna and I haven't had much to do with each other for the past twenty years. I will however from time to time pull out her Something to Remember cd (all her ballads) and reminisce about the fun we had in our youth.
Favorite song My Madonna :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP-3U...
October 28, 2024
Ambiziosa, determinata, talvolta senza scrupoli ma diretta. Non tanto certa della strada da percorrere, ma sicura della destinazione da raggiungere. Madonna incarna appieno lo spirito di una persona pronta a tutto per lasciare il segno.
Patrick Hernández di lei ha detto: «Aveva deciso le sue priorità sin dall’inizio e questo la rendeva più forte, anni luce avanti rispetto alle altre per quanto riguardava la determinazione a sopravvivere e a essere la migliore». Non a caso in una delle tante audizioni prima del grande successo, Madonna disse: “Io non mi metto in gioco se non posso vincere. Per me la perfezione è la regola numero uno!”.
In questa bella biografia - non autorizzata - di Barbara Victor, datata 2001, ci si concentra molto di più sulla carriera cinematografica, non sempre florida, e teatrale di Madonna, mettendo in ombra tutta la parte musicale, a volte buttando nel calderone tanti progetti e avvenimenti che ne rendono a tratti un po’ ostica la lettura e comprensione degli avvenimenti. Spazio anche alle storie amorose, sia quelle più importanti - il tormentato matrimonio con Sean Penn e quello con Guy Ritchie - ma anche le relazioni temporanee e leggere. Aspetto di cui Madonna s’è spesso servita:
“Sebbene fosse fondamentalmente onesta, non si fece problemi a piegare le regole dell’amicizia, estorcere favori, infrangere promesse e ignorare i sentimenti altrui. Scaricava i propri manager e i propri mentor senza la minima esitazione. […] Madonna si disinteressava dei sentimenti degli amici e scaricava gli amanti che entravano e uscivano dal soletto, ma solo raramente gli accadeva di mentire”
Il profilo dell’artista è affascinante per molteplici aspetti. Soprattutto è un esempio di determinazione che per certi versi - così come per altri no - sarebbe da tenere a mente nei propri piani di vita. Qualunque essi siano.
“Madonna sapeva che il segreto del rock’n’roll non stava più nel restare giovani per sempre, nei sogni e negli eroi. Il segreto stava nell’essere sempre un passo avanti rispetto alle tendenze, nel mescolare con le condizioni sociali, nel toccare le corde giuste per far sentire sicure le ragazze, far fantasticare i ragazzi, far sognare gli uomini e far ricordare le donne. La musica di Madonna e la sua presenza sul palco erano una ricetta per sentirsi bene senza sensi di colpa”.
Patrick Hernández di lei ha detto: «Aveva deciso le sue priorità sin dall’inizio e questo la rendeva più forte, anni luce avanti rispetto alle altre per quanto riguardava la determinazione a sopravvivere e a essere la migliore». Non a caso in una delle tante audizioni prima del grande successo, Madonna disse: “Io non mi metto in gioco se non posso vincere. Per me la perfezione è la regola numero uno!”.
In questa bella biografia - non autorizzata - di Barbara Victor, datata 2001, ci si concentra molto di più sulla carriera cinematografica, non sempre florida, e teatrale di Madonna, mettendo in ombra tutta la parte musicale, a volte buttando nel calderone tanti progetti e avvenimenti che ne rendono a tratti un po’ ostica la lettura e comprensione degli avvenimenti. Spazio anche alle storie amorose, sia quelle più importanti - il tormentato matrimonio con Sean Penn e quello con Guy Ritchie - ma anche le relazioni temporanee e leggere. Aspetto di cui Madonna s’è spesso servita:
“Sebbene fosse fondamentalmente onesta, non si fece problemi a piegare le regole dell’amicizia, estorcere favori, infrangere promesse e ignorare i sentimenti altrui. Scaricava i propri manager e i propri mentor senza la minima esitazione. […] Madonna si disinteressava dei sentimenti degli amici e scaricava gli amanti che entravano e uscivano dal soletto, ma solo raramente gli accadeva di mentire”
Il profilo dell’artista è affascinante per molteplici aspetti. Soprattutto è un esempio di determinazione che per certi versi - così come per altri no - sarebbe da tenere a mente nei propri piani di vita. Qualunque essi siano.
“Madonna sapeva che il segreto del rock’n’roll non stava più nel restare giovani per sempre, nei sogni e negli eroi. Il segreto stava nell’essere sempre un passo avanti rispetto alle tendenze, nel mescolare con le condizioni sociali, nel toccare le corde giuste per far sentire sicure le ragazze, far fantasticare i ragazzi, far sognare gli uomini e far ricordare le donne. La musica di Madonna e la sua presenza sul palco erano una ricetta per sentirsi bene senza sensi di colpa”.
October 5, 2008
Madonna is a very determined woman that worked hard to get where she is but above all she was very ethical in her tactics.
July 27, 2011
nowhere good as Lucy Stone's Like An Icon, this is stil fun for the averavge Madonna fan.
August 31, 2015
This book contains a significant amount of information I would classify as somewhat removed from the subject matter.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews