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Wednesday, Nov 25, 2009
A bootleg copy of her bomb-throwing "American Life" video proves provocative -- but not nearly as disturbing as her decision to yank it.
Apr 3, 2003 | It is impossible for man to look straight at the present, he is so terrified by it. We stand on the stern of the ship looking at the wake and saying, "We're in very troubled waters." -- Marshall McLuhan
After almost a decade of throwing back Baja stuffed shrimp platters and 32-ounce margaritas, while we debated whether Britney wore the medium or the super-sized boobs in her latest Pepsi commercial, times have finally changed. The mood has shifted and suddenly it's much more difficult to enjoy all of our usual shallow pleasures. There's a new self-consciousness, and no one, aside from maybe Catherine Zeta-Jones and a few of the producers of "Chicago," is prepared to push themselves or their ideas front and center.
And then there's Madonna. Strong, tough, in-your-face Madonna, she who taunted Catholicism, flaunted her body, vaunted gay culture, and did all of the above before it was cool -- or rather, before it was cool in the mainstream, and well after it was cool among young urban artists and intellectuals. Surely, in these turbulent times, Madonna will offer up some powerful message about the war. She has unapologetically stuck her neck and everything else out so many times before. Sure, she's no spring chicken -- but, more important, she's no Dixie Chick.
It came as little surprise to hear that Madonna's latest "controversial" video, for the single "American Life," features "disturbing images of war." In fact, such news is patently predictable at a time when disturbing images of war fill every channel, and "controversial" is a word that describes any music video or song that isn't merely about partying or wearing incredibly expensive jewelry but keeping it real deep down inside -- which seems to mean keeping what's real to yourself. For all her past complaints about her privacy, Madonna has never been comfortable hiding herself. So why did she pull her video at the last minute, blocking its release in the U.S.? How is it possible that, on Monday night, Germans got to see a Madonna video called "American Life," while Americans were left in the dark?
Oh, Madonna. You never wanted to live that way. You never wanted to hurt us. Why are you running away?
Just last week, Madonna seemed determined not to run away from criticisms of the video: "I feel lucky to be an American citizen for many reasons," she told MTV, "one of which is the right to express myself freely, especially in my work." Yet on Tuesday she issued a statement outlining her reasons for pulling the video's U.S. release: "Due to the volatile state of the world and out of sensitivity and respect to the armed forces, who I support and pray for, I do not want to risk offending anyone who might misinterpret the meaning of this video."
Hold on. Madonna doesn't want to risk offending anyone? Madonna is worried about those who might misinterpret the meaning of her throwing a hand grenade at George W. Bush, who proceeds to light his cigar with it? Wait -- she's already explained that, too. She told MTV, "The ending of the video is really important. I throw this hand grenade ... But it gets caught. And the one who catches it takes something that could be violent and destructive and takes the destruction out of it by turning it into something else. That's my hope for an alternative, not only to this war, but all wars." Ah, yes. Can't you hear them out there in the streets, yelling, "Cigars, not wars!"?
Listening to Madonna talk about her own art is as uncomfortable as hearing an intelligent politician like Bill Clinton mincing words about his affair with Monica Lewinsky. This is a talent that the former president and the first lady of pop share: No matter what outrageousness occurs behind close doors, the wider public is spoon-fed watered-down vagaries as a matter of policy. "Truth or Dare" long ago proved that words are not Madonna's strongest suit. But that doesn't mean that the "American Life" video -- or its delayed release -- is necessarily an empty attempt to drum up publicity or controversy.
Madonna's comments about the grenade might even make some sense, if they didn't fly in the face of every other image in the video (which you can view here). In fact, the grenade-as-cigar-lighter is perfectly in keeping with the video's disconcerting collection of images, a dizzying and extremely dark collage, which seems to suggest that the decadence of life in America is inextricably linked to our military dominance overseas. While such notions may be particularly uncomfortable at a time when our troops are so vulnerable, and we're consistently reminded of the moral imperatives of our involvement, it's still refreshing to see a mainstream artist willing to raise it, instead of just feeding us more glittery distractions.
