Kenny and Mark make some episode corrections and get super-vulnerable discussing the lost power ballad from Madame X.  Topics include: mercy & grace, Laurie Metcalfe & Scott Rudin, Tori Amos & Neil Gaiman, Bruce Norris’ play Downstate, writing letters, high powers, sinners & punishment, love & grief, flaws & cancellation, Ordinary People, and what makes the best protest music.  

“Look it up on your own!”

Mark and Kenny reach the destination of the journey and Madonna returns to the dance floor … or does she?  Topics include: flexing the pop muscle, vibes, home & the wilderness, Picasso, sharing the search, Vogue snaps, gypsy blood, contentment, realigning values, Honey Dijon, iPods, Offer Nissim, Charlize Theron, the Boom Boom Room, Orlando Puerta, and celebrating DJ Kue.  “Platinum Gold!”

Kenny and Mark lose their identities with the return of Maluma to Madame X.  Topics include: Lauren D’Elia, Kaytranada, Starrah, cheap jokes, and the further adventures of Mr. Safe and Mrs. Crazy (and the dark shadow of “Soltera”).  Plus - Freddy DeMann is ALIVE!!

Mark and Kenny gyrate their hips and discuss a rare cover (and banger) track on Madame X.  Topics include: Blaya, tattoos, bisexuality and married women, cachaca, party sets, collaborators, and a deep dive into duet partner Anitta (and her father).  

Kenny and Mark reflect on the first deluxe version track - a DIARISTIC ballad that may prove to be the true centerpiece of Madame X.  Topics include: restless travel and searching,  second guessing, campaign slogans, shuddering opportunities, lucidity, street singing, Mirwais’ sonic landscapes, Malawi, reflective logic, John Wells, childlike essence, Buddhist circles, Madonna’s Portuguese singing, Antartica, and the power of the 19th year.  Plus, Mark finally considers a Madonna trance playlist and Kenny discovers a multitude of connections over a twenty-year time period.  “Gotta get back to my journey!”

Mark and Kenny take a collective exhale while celebrating this exuberant anthem from Madame X.  Topics include Krakebs, oppression, freedom, Jeff Bhasker, Saint James Joy dance parties, simplicity, bees, standing in lines, Morocco, producer choices, and how Madonna knew exactly what the Madame X album needed.  “Who you talkin to?

Kenny and Mark go a little nuts over Madonna’s yearning vocals on this spare and compelling gem from Madame X.  Topics include Grindr and vinyl, app fantasies and selfies, Jason Evigan and Mike Dean, self-knowledge and mystery,  studying and safety, married men and married songs, trust and community, changing the narrative and attracting the drama, Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen, and the thrillingly influential songwriting of Starrah.  Plus, Kenny breaks down his experience with the “On Being” podcast w/ Jay Shetty and Mark shares what he thinks Confessions II will ultimately be all about.  

Mark and Kenny confess their latest cravings while musing on this illusive and near-classic ballad from Madame X.  Topics include paper clips and major keys, desire and experience, Starrah and Swae Lee, On the Waterfront and The Wizard of Oz, bananas and pizza, Rae Sremmurd and Spider Man, Nuno Xico and Carson McCullers, “old choreography” and pigeons, swagger and grillz, Mike Cruz and Joe Gauthreaux & Leanh, and the idiosyncrasies that make this song so special.  Plus, Mark has a crush (and a kiss) with a fellow subway rider and Kenny splices and dices with a stalker named Madonna.  “Rush Rush Rush on You!”

Kenny and Mark get vulnerable and stay sensitive to discuss one of the most polarizing and criticized songs in Madonna’s entire canon.  Topics include: Portuguese lyrics, taking a big risk, embracing awkwardness and metaphors, privilege, costs, oppressive poetry, legacy, the embarrassment of vulnerability, and the challenge embracing all of the personal and intense narratives in Madame X.  “Lonely is the path”

In the midst of the “I Feel So Free” launch, Mark and Kenny flee to Cape Verde to  dissect this anthemic duet w/ the mighty and inspiring Orquestra Batukadeiras.  Topics include David Banda’s security, community singing, generational mentorship, radical joy, recapturing the enthusiasm, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, the darkness of survival, Emmanuel Adjei, communal tasks, unself-conscious joy, Queen Mabel, and Eva Peron returns!  This episode is dedicated to Robert (Bob) Snyder (1948-2026).