All I want to do is talk about Madonna

Mark and Kenny don’t save their words as they discuss the dramatically timeless and Great Madonna pop singles.  Topics include Big Frieda, radio ignorance, Dutch linguistics, the glorious Pet Shop Boys and the lost 80s collaborations, the risk of being too serious, Jamie King, Miss Prissy, pimping the ride, Little C, Paul Oakenfold, Jane Fonda, the Madonna bangs, Straight Bait (“where else can you make $100 for twenty minutes?”), Alex Barber, the breathless Fred Tallaksen, the Talauega Brothers, cages, and a frank discussion about balls.  Plus, an all-skate down memory lane for Kenny and Mark’s roller skating experiences.  Ik ben droevig!  

Kenny and Mark get moody and urgent on the second track (and third single!) from Confessions on a Dance Floor.  Topics include:  Anders Bagge & Peer Astrom, 98 Degrees, Janet Jackson, Chaka Khan, the high-drama of strings on a dance floor, Barbra Streisand’s Guilty & Saturday Night Fever, Eugene Riecansky & Koko Club, The Beatles, group photos, the fresh and hard-working Angela Becker, Mark’s tribute to the indispensable Borderline Music record store in Chicago, and how threesomes/orgies are complicated - but it’s still sweeter in the end.

Mark and Kenny hit the dance floor for Season Five to begin a conversation about Confessions on a Dance Floor - Madonna’s TWELFTH album - and the anthemic first single. Topics include lucky butterfly necklaces, Martha Raye and the lost Texas Guinan musical, Wilson Stone, Luc Besson, Stuart Price and Zoot Woman, Depeche Mode, the allure of the Twenties, ABBA (naturally), Gwen Stefani, Johan Renck, summer songs, Damon Albarn, the gorgeous Arianne Phillips, Hunter College, John Norris and the fade of MTV, Cynthia McFadden, Kenny’s regularity at breakfast time, Dua Lipa, Chus & Ceballos, the bad-ass Tracy Young, the many MANY promo appearances, Coachella, and that former friend who suggests Madonna gets up on that damn horse. Plus, Mark schools Kenny on who Madonna would play in A Chorus Line (hint: it’s not Val!). “Time goes by so slowly …” but not for this MEGA-episode. We missed you so much!

As they ready Season Five, Kenny and Mark take a moment to remember, discuss, and celebrate the musical legacy of Sinead O’Connor – one of the defining voices of her (and their) generation. We love you, Sinead.

Mark and Kenny do some yoga stretching out for a long and all-encompassing conversation about Madonna’s 2004 summer tour and the accompanying (and much-delayed) documentary. Topics include John Lennon, Guy Ritchie, Steven Klein and the tour book, Donna DeLory, Monte Pittman, the Ciccone winery, Stuart Price, random tour hats, Lainie Kazan, the battle over weather, Siedah Garrett, acoustic music magic, true tour star Angela Becker, Caresse Henry, violating paparazzi, the greatness of skanky tour hair, and the lifetime search for true inner peace. Plus, a much-deserved tribute to diva dresser Tony Villanueva, a long-awaited visit to Rachel’s tomb in Israel, and a triumphant appearance at Live Aid 2005 in Hyde Park to close out this topsy turvy season. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for listening! See you soon … get your confessions and your candy ready!

Kenny and Mark welcome Special Guest Ted Kerr for a deep conversation about the epic final track (and life credo) from American Life. Topics include mortality, Macy Rodman, Monte Pittman’s royalty checks, Alanis Morissette, co-op board letters, Patti Rothberg, the crossroads of ambition, Lauryn Hill’s “MTV Unplugged”, Madonna’s arc as a trend-setter, reinvigorating the tour cycle, Judy Blume, combative Canadian roommates situation, Tracy Young, Kronos Quartet, the dance between intimate and epic, Kenny’s 8-track Ricky Tucker, and Madonna’s thoughts on Standing Rock. Plus, some (long-awaited) answers to the question “American Life is …”. Ted’s Website: https://www.tedkerr.club/

Ted’s Newsletter: https://tinyletter.com/tedkerr

Mark and Kenny salvage through the wreckage that is the much-needed final uptempo song on American Life. Topics include Kylie Minogue, Matt Lauer, swinging nosy neighbors, album fatigue, the pros and cons of lyrical specificity, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fun Home, childhood morals and lessons, the English Roses children’s book series, and Mark finally gets to talk about Joan Gustafson Ciccone. Plus, Kenny outs himself as a child pianist. “I’ve got to give it up” indeed!

Kenny and Mark break apart a stunner of a song - and Stuart Price makes his co-writing debut! A new era is percolating … Topics include behaving in church, struggling against the patriarchy, Swing Out Sister, baroque organs, PJ Harvey, Angelene, lost songs “Miss You” and “The Game”, fantastical set-list musings for the Celebration Tour, Steven Klein, Madonna as installation, Jimmy DeSana, Zelda Rubinstein, and Mark struggles to name the band who sang “Catch Me (I’m Falling)” (it was Pretty Poison, y’all). BREAK OUT!

Kenny and Mark share secrets (and theories) about this haunting ballad tucked away on the home stretch of American Life. Topics include child rearing, emotional vulnerability, addiction, the limits of providing aid, and dealing with Australians who want to sing along. Plus, Kenny shuffles his track listing and “American Life” continues to haunt us all!

BONUS EPISODE: MADONNA AS MUSE: A Post-Performance Discussion

Recorded LIVE on February 10, 2023 in London at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham, Mark and Kenny sit down with playwright and performer Brian Mullin, director Deirdre McLaughlin, and fellow performer Dan De La Motte for a discussion about LIVE TO TELL: (A PROPOSAL FOR) THE MADONNA JUKEBOX MUSICAL and Madonna’s role as a muse and a conduit for reinvention throughout the many stages in these artists’ lives. Expect passionate reactions, AIDS history and its continuing impact and resonance on queer activism, female power dynamics, backstage secrets, and Dan’s penchant for astrology as we explore how each facet of this performance artist’s career has inspired, reacted, and repelled our culture across four decades. We also celebrate LIVE TO TELL’s return engagement of performances, this time at the Camden People’s Theatre, from April 4th - April 15th! Click here for tickets and more information.