All I want to do is talk about Madonna

Mark and Kenny swoon over the swooping second song (say that ten times fast!) on Music. Changing of the Guard at Warner Brothers! Cher’s hit song “Believe”! Cock-blocking a fourth single! Celebrating the stellar Peter Rauhofer! Kenny builds a narrative arc around “like a bird on a wingy-wingy-wingy”, Mark focuses on hygiene, and Madonna rips up the rulebook AGAIN! I don’t even know your name, but we’re coming for you anyway!

Kenny and Mark launch into the 2000s with a bold and wide-reaching of Madonna’s HUGE hit first single from the seminal Music. Welcome to the dance floor, Mirwais Ahmadzai! Welcome back, Niki Haris and Donna DeLory! Keep your eyes on the road, DaBaby! And thanks for those remixes, Tracy Young and Stevie Nicks! It’s a non-stop party this season and it all starts HERE. Kenny almost moves to London and Mark acquiesces to the term “Icon”. Rev up that limo engine, Ali G - we are going out tonight!

Mark and Kenny resume the conversation with this deep dive into the troublesome Rupert Everett/Madonna movie from 2000 as Season Four: American Woman kicks off! Topics include Kirstie Alley, Don McLean, Neil Patrick Harris, Charlie Rose, John Schlesinger, Michael Vartan, Cher & Mark Steines, Benjamin Bratt, Malcolm Stumpf, Ileana Douglas, … and Lynn Redgrave. Kenny is fascinated by footwear, Mark reveals an alternative casting choice for TNBT, and a lost Madonna power ballad finally gets its due. Plus, stay tuned for a dramatic, 11th hour twist that feels both contrived, yet inevitable (and VERY The Next Best Thing)! Julia Roberts, we’re coming for that Oscar!

SUMMER EPISODE: BEAUTIFUL STRANGER (Rated NC-17!)

Kenny and Mark succumb to the rising temps and revealing short-shorts with a hot and dirty (and a little messy) romp through Madonna’s dazzling contribution to the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack. Topics include the troubled relationship with Andrew Bird and his random encounter with Guy Ritchie, the doomed discography of solo Spice Girls, the influence of the 60s psychedelic band LOVE, Victor Calderone’s graduation from Madonna Remix College, the rich legacy of Kevin Aucoin, Mike Myers, a young Kathryn Hahn, a certain tribute at the MTV Music Awards, the recorded reunion of The Bangles, and hanging out with Beatles. Do I make you horny, baby?

Mark and Kenny pass the microphones over to our beloved listeners, who join the conversation and share their stories about their favorite Madonna song and moment up through 1998 on this Very Special Episode. Laugh, cry, and celebrate all the ways the music has changed our lives, together.

Kenny and Mark wrap up a twisty-turvy season full of growth, artistic challenges and discoveries, lots and lots of change, and a breathtaking final musical statement on Ray of Light. Topics include Michigan, Joan Ciccone, the value Madonna gets from keeping things simple, and a searching discussion of home. Plus, Mark breaks one of his cardinal conversation rules - yep, the word “journey” is BACK! Thank you for listening this season … we will see you very soon, Strangers.

Motherhood arrives musically for Madonna, and Mark and Kenny discuss parenthood, the forgotten Like a Flower, the legacy of mothers and daughters, and a return to Chicago and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Plus, Kenny makes a provocative joke. Butterfly!

Kenny and Mark take hold of this album track and the final act of Madonna’s tale of lost love - and ponder the different directions her story could have taken, through the demos for “Has to Be” and the lost “Gone Gone Gone.” Plus, a drive-by discussion of the duet with Ricky Martin “Be Careful (Cuidado)” and charting the growth of Madonna’s formidable songwriting skills. Is Ray of Light ultimately too long? Will Breathless Mahoney ever find a drummer for her run at the Coconut Grove?

Mark and Kenny examine the wild and woolly intricacies of the affairs of the heart (yet again) on the other “pop single” from Ray of Light. Topics include STEVIE NICKS!, Rick Nowels, Matthew Rolston, Goran Višnjić, Luke Slater, Gloria Estefan, Meryl Streep, Ellen Degeneres, and the scattered (and sped up?) promotional performances. There’s nothing left to say … so head on over to a sample sale and buy Kenny a jumpsuit, will you please??

Kenny and Mark keep their hearts (and, one hopes, minds) open as they explore the inner mysteries and magnificent heartbreaks of THE Orbit/Leonard/Madonna collaboration (and lead single) of Ray of Light. Topics include Carlos Leon, a fortuitous professional break-up letter, the perils of the California high deserts, and those strings … so don’t be surprised when Madonna shows up to sing at YOUR Benefit for the Rainforest!