MADONNA once claimed she wanted to take over the world…and she proceeded to do just that. She owned the 80s. After a few missteps in the early 90s, Madonna was able to wash the stink of failure right outta her hair like a reincarnated virgin. The one-time Material Girl almost always had an eye for good talent. In 1998 she hooked up with producer WILLIAM ORBIT and launched herself into the electronic universe with Ray of Light, a Red Bull/Vodka cocktail of blips and bleeps and mostly winning results. Even better, the album was greeted with a sly nod from her beloved hipster community and with that, plenty of underground buzz to boot: word on the street was the bitch was back.

The scene peaked with the uneven but enthralling 2000 follow-up Music, which found Lady M in a ménage a trios with WILLIAM ORBIT and French DJ/producer MIRWAIS. The party ended with the 2003 release of American Life, which had a soft landing on a hard dance floor. Things looked grim from there, as MADONNA was supplying hokey “Old Navy” inspired commercials for the GAP, and also planting a blatantly obvious kiss on the lips of an undeserving BRITNEY SPEARS at an MTV Video Awards performance. MADONNA was hoping the mock lite girl-on-girl performance would generate controversy and sparks, when mostly it just appeared to be a sad attempt at an aging icon trying to get the rub from a glorified one-hit pop princess.

In 2005 MADONNA returned to form with Confessions on a Dancefloor. By no means her strongest collection of new material, MADONNA was at least getting back into the groove. The album seemed less forced and more natural than American Life, and MADONNA seemed more comfortable with herself in general. Perhaps she was more comfortable with her role as mother. The album, largely considered a success, was greeted with warm reviews and positive word-of-mouth from fans.

When it was announced that MADONNA would be sharing the stage with a digitally manufactured group, many fans and critics immediately thought, “Oh no, here we go again.” To say the GORILLAZ are a fake band is…accurate, but not completely true. GORILLAZ is the lovechild of BLUR front man DAMON ALBARN and illustrator JAMIE HEWLETT. When their self-titled debut dropped in 2001 with that round-the-clock airing of the video for “Clint Eastwood,” one couldn’t help but wonder when the novelty would wear off. The answer would be “not anytime soon.” The follow-up in 2005, Demon Days, topped many critics’ top ten year-end lists, had some instantly radio friendly tracks, and ultimately was just as catchy as anything these so-called “real” bands were releasing.

Demon Days was darker, deeper, and featured an eclectic ensemble cast, rounded out by DENNIS HOPPER (yes, that DENNIS HOPPER). And to prove just how serious they were, GORILLAZ recruited DJ DANGER MOUSE, the producer notorious for blending the beats of JAY Z with THE BEATLES on the bootlegged Grey Album (a brilliant reworking of JAY Z’s Black Album spliced with THE BEATLES’ White Album).

So that leads us to the recent performance between MADONNA and the GORILLAZ at the Grammys. Were they able to pull it off? Was it a train wreck of epic proportions? Was it…real? This was, after all, something that would be taking live performance to a brand new level. There was virtually no room for error here, as millions would be watching. Would it be lip synched? Performance synched?

After watching the clip three times now, I’m still entranced. Like any MADONNA performance, the choreography was timed right down to the nano second. And for a woman who should be going through hot flashes herself, she was just about the hottest thing on stage all night. While members of the GORILLAS appeared on some type of television screens on stage, MADONNA seamlessly and seemingly interacted with the cartoon band. Or did she? If you haven’t seen it yet, track down a copy. And if you have, watch it again, more closely this time.

The bottom line? At least there were no cameos by PAULA ABDUL and MC SKAT CAT.



Email the Author