Meanwhile, In the Dystopian Future…
The Empress Ming the Merciless prepares to give birth to the new age of despotism!
Indeed, the Manolo is only half joking, for as the more he watched the Madonna-tacular show of the halftime, the more he was struck by the unshakeable impression that this was the sort of Nuremberg Rally for the new age of crass narcissism aborning.
Beginning with its imperial fanfare and militaristic pomp, progressing through the forced adoration of the Glorious Leader (L-U-V Madonna! L-U-V Madonna!), and culminating in her apotheosis as the goddess and chief priestess of her own cult of personality, Madonna was urging on us nothing less than her hegemonistic vision of the Madonna-based future.
“My name is Madonna, queen of queens:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Comments
daisyj 12 years ago
And yet, as she looked into the glorious future of her despotism, she was simultaneously trapped by her past, forced to lip-sync along to recordings from twenty-five years ago. Because while everyone is quite familiar with the concept of this Empress with no clothes, admitting that her voice has been shot for upwards of a decade is more than the illusion can bear.
12 years ago
Makes me think of Jadis, the cruel queen in The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis.
marvel 12 years ago
Nothing like ozymandias in the morning…
ChaChaHeels 12 years ago
Voice AND dancing have been shot for upwards of a decade. And in case you missed it, the comparison of the antique hits to the “new” chant of adoration number was telling, too. Yes, yes, that was hundreds of thousands of dollars of haute couture, but in the end it won’t bring back youth, agility, or relevance. Flashy as hell, though, and funny (what with “World Peace” being the outcome of Madonna’s own version of Triumph of the Will. I guess that’s the female director she aspires to, not Barbra Streisand).
Miss Janey 12 years ago
Miss J has never been impressed by alleged singers who have to LIP-SYNC their way through shows. Spectacle and dancers don’t compensate for not being able to sing.
LordKoz 12 years ago
Madonna: Better than you.