All I want to do is talk about Madonna

Kenny and Mark pull out their fine-toothed combs to translate and interpret the many messages Madonna is trying to impart while she burns.  Plus, Mark grapples with the word “fame” and Kenny makes a strong case for the sleazy live version of the song.  Plus, a twirl through one of the lesser, other Mirwais collaborations that didn’t quite make the record and a return of the birds!

Mark and Kenny - long time New Yorkers - trade city origin stories, adventures, and favorite love (and lust) songs about New York while celebrating Madonna’s ultimate ode to her creative home.  Topics include Liza Minnelli, Oberlin College, Salt ’n’ Pepa, St. Vincent, Frank Sinatra, Edward Albee, Chita Rivera, Harry Nilsson, Andrew WK, Rufus Wainwight, Debbie Harry, Moby, and the beloved bitches of Miami.  Let’s hit those streets and start strutting!

Kenny and Mark flip over the first side of the album with the glorious  return of Mirwais for this adventurous track.  Topics include Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder, Madonna as teacher, letting go of illusions and dreams, and the stunning (okay iconic) live performance.  Will Tina call us back?

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!