'American Life' - Madonna - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

MonarC · 03-31-2003, 03:34 PM

Sometimes art imitates life, and other times art is changed by life.

In light of the war in Iraq, Madonna has made some last-minute edits to her upcoming video for "American Life."

"We have our dream version, but it's not the

right time for it," she said Thursday. "We've been planning the video for months and months and months, and we didn't know everything that was going to be happening in the world [when we first did it]."

Director Jonas Akerlund shot the video with Madonna in Los Angeles the first week of February (see "Madonna Defends Her Violent 'American Life' Video"). While the clip was always supposed to feature Madonna and overweight dancers in military fatigues creating chaos at a fashion show, and while Madonna was always supposed to toss a grenade at the end, there were several endings filmed.

"It turned into a [short] film," she said. "The original version was like 10 minutes long. We had lots of stops in the music and lots of car chases and conversations with people, and it kept going on in the end. And we realized we were getting a little carried away. So we had to edit it for time. Then we had to get rid of all the 'F' words."

The biggest challenge for Madonna was reshaping the video in a way that was entertaining, thought provoking and didn't compromise her artistic integrity. Many have interpreted the video to be an angry protest of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but that's not exactly the case. Madonna considers herself a pacifist, but like many Americans she's conflicted about U.S. military action in Iraq.

"Saddam Hussein is a guy we just want to get rid of," she explained. "So there's a part of the video where I'm carving 'Protect me' into the wall, and you could almost feel like I want to go there and kick some ass and protect all those beautiful children and innocent families and people that have been tortured for years. But do I have the solutions? No. Do I have the answers? No. I'm just completely freaked out by what's going on there like everybody else."

There are three points Madonna hopes to make with the video for "American Life." The first and most obvious is that regardless of whether or not she supports Bush, war is a cosmic bummer.

"War is a manifestation of everybody," she said. "We have our personal karma and we have a global karma. So for me, it's about trying to get a message out that if we want peace and love in our life, then we have to make it happen in the world.

"The ending of the video is really important," she continued. "I throw this hand grenade. ... But it gets caught. And the one who catches it takes something that could be violent and destructive and takes the destruction out of it by turning it into something else. That's my hope for an alternative, not only to this war, but all wars. Also, I hope that I've also gotten across [the idea that] the soldiers that have gone over there are flesh and blood. They're real people, and my heart goes out to them, and I want them to all come back in one piece."

The second idea the former Material Girl wanted to express is that materialism is superficial.

"We chose the setting of a fashion show because that's the epitome of superficiality. They're not trying to be anything except 'Let's celebrate the surface.' Fashion is fun, and I respect that, but at the end of the day people take that stuff a little too seriously. So it is easy to poke fun at that, especially when you juxtapose it against the real things that are happening in the world.

"No matter how many distractions we put up for ourselves, whether it's a fashion show or reality TV shows or a hot contest, what's happening in the world is still going on, and the ugliness and the chaos and the pain and the suffering is immense. So it's a statement about our obsession with the world of illusion."

Such commentary may seem absurd coming from someone who was once the biggest icon of pop culture, but Madonna said she's learned some valuable lessons over the course of her career.

"I fought for so many things," she said. "I tried so hard to be number one, stay on top, look good — to be the best. And now I realize that a lot of the things that last and the things that matter are none of those things."

Madonna intentionally chose chubby dancers for "American Life" because she wanted to show that conventional ideas of beauty are flawed and even damaging.

"The girls I used are big, real, voluptuous girls, and they're beautiful," she said. "I wanted to explore that taboo as well, because you don't know people that have fat rolls as attractive. You just don't see that, and that was important to me. There are people going, 'Will you love me more if I'm thin? Should I remodel myself for your approval?' "

"That's so crazy. I have fat rolls. When I first started out, everyone was like, 'Wow, she's chubby. That's cool.' And then I started getting really into working out, and there were a lot of people that were bummed out because I think I was a role model for chubby girls. And now I'm a role model for chubby girls again. I've gone back to my roots."

DarleneIllyria · 03-31-2003, 03:52 PM

Thanks for posting the article. I never realized it, but Madonna needs to stay with the brunette hair. I liked her blonde in the 80s, but she looks better now with darker hair.

Jem · 03-31-2003, 06:00 PM

That's cool that she chose chubby dancers for her music video. The media is too focused on the thin dancers all the time. It's cool to see something different. Although, I think some lyrics in her song "American Life" has some reference to war, I think the song "Love Makes the World Go Round" is her real anti-war song.

*ShortCake* · 04-01-2003, 01:07 AM

Madonna is awesome.. I havent had a chance to hear her new song yet though!

MonarC · 04-01-2003, 12:01 PM

She has a huge fan following! When she speaks the world listens!

°Bubbly Blonde° · 04-01-2003, 07:30 PM

Im looking forward to seeing it on Friday, but I hope this doenst ruin her like it did George Michael when he said stuff about Bush and stuff after 9-11....

SBTB Geek · 04-02-2003, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BubbleLuvGrl026
Im looking forward to seeing it on Friday, but I hope this doenst ruin her like it did George Michael when he said stuff about Bush and stuff after 9-11....

I don't think that ruined George Michael- the gay cop incident did. Don't forget that.

Madonna is too big to get "ruined" for some comments about the president. Sad to say but, she's bigger than the U.S. president.

Hopefully, the rest of the "American Life" album is good because I don't like the current single. The rap towards the end is simply stupid.

°Bubbly Blonde° · 04-02-2003, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SBTB Geek

I don't think that ruined George Michael- the gay cop incident did. Don't forget that.
Madonna is too big to get "ruined" for some comments about the president. Sad to say but, she's bigger than the U.S. president.

Hopefully, the rest of the "American Life" album is good because I don't like the current single. The rap towards the end is simply stupid.

yeah but I dunno, E! News said yesterday that there are already ppl calling into radio stations and telling them not to play it.

I heard a rumor that Missy Elliot might be in one version of her video Im glad I like Missy Elliot.....

SBTB Geek · 04-02-2003, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BubbleLuvGrl026
I heard a rumor that Missy Elliot might be in one version of her video Im glad I like Missy Elliott

Yeah, Missy Elliott did a remix for "American Life."

°Bubbly Blonde° · 04-03-2003, 12:32 AM

Damn! I hear they're not releasing it, because "it's not a good time"according to VH1.COM!

°Bubbly Blonde° · 04-03-2003, 12:36 AM

http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/147...headlines=true what do they mean it's not the right time, it's never the right time, people suck!!!!!

Jem · 04-03-2003, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SBTB Geek
Madonna is too big to get "ruined" for some comments about the president. Sad to say but, she's bigger than the U.S. president.

Yes, I agree. She is much bigger than the President of the U.S.A. Madonna has been around since the 80s. Bush has only been around for a few years. If anything, her anti-war stance will probably only make her more popular than she is already.

SBTB Geek · 04-03-2003, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BubbleLuvGrl026
Damn! I hear they're not releasing it, because "it's not a good time"according to VH1.COM!

That's old news.

Madonna herself decided not to release the first version for the "American Life" video. She felt it was inappropiate to bash the president- she rather support the troops.

IMO, she just realized the backlash on the Dixie Chicks, and decided to play it cool.

°Bubbly Blonde° · 04-03-2003, 11:58 PM

well it's too bad, I really wanted to see it...oh WELL

I just heard the remix for American Life w/Missy Elliot it was reallly good

Brandon · 04-06-2003, 03:33 PM

i just listened to the song and it sux. the beat is not catchy at all.

03-31-2003, 03:34 PM	#1
MonarC The truth will set you free Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 05, 2002 Location: 3rd Stone From The Sun Posts: 9,525	'American Life' - Madonna Sometimes art imitates life, and other times art is changed by life. In light of the war in Iraq, Madonna has made some last-minute edits to her upcoming video for "American Life." "We have our dream version, but it's not the right time for it," she said Thursday. "We've been planning the video for months and months and months, and we didn't know everything that was going to be happening in the world [when we first did it]." Director Jonas Akerlund shot the video with Madonna in Los Angeles the first week of February (see "Madonna Defends Her Violent 'American Life' Video"). While the clip was always supposed to feature Madonna and overweight dancers in military fatigues creating chaos at a fashion show, and while Madonna was always supposed to toss a grenade at the end, there were several endings filmed. "It turned into a [short] film," she said. "The original version was like 10 minutes long. We had lots of stops in the music and lots of car chases and conversations with people, and it kept going on in the end. And we realized we were getting a little carried away. So we had to edit it for time. Then we had to get rid of all the 'F' words." The biggest challenge for Madonna was reshaping the video in a way that was entertaining, thought provoking and didn't compromise her artistic integrity. Many have interpreted the video to be an angry protest of Operation Iraqi Freedom, but that's not exactly the case. Madonna considers herself a pacifist, but like many Americans she's conflicted about U.S. military action in Iraq. "Saddam Hussein is a guy we just want to get rid of," she explained. "So there's a part of the video where I'm carving 'Protect me' into the wall, and you could almost feel like I want to go there and kick some ass and protect all those beautiful children and innocent families and people that have been tortured for years. But do I have the solutions? No. Do I have the answers? No. I'm just completely freaked out by what's going on there like everybody else." There are three points Madonna hopes to make with the video for "American Life." The first and most obvious is that regardless of whether or not she supports Bush, war is a cosmic bummer. "War is a manifestation of everybody," she said. "We have our personal karma and we have a global karma. So for me, it's about trying to get a message out that if we want peace and love in our life, then we have to make it happen in the world. "The ending of the video is really important," she continued. "I throw this hand grenade. ... But it gets caught. And the one who catches it takes something that could be violent and destructive and takes the destruction out of it by turning it into something else. That's my hope for an alternative, not only to this war, but all wars. Also, I hope that I've also gotten across [the idea that] the soldiers that have gone over there are flesh and blood. They're real people, and my heart goes out to them, and I want them to all come back in one piece." The second idea the former Material Girl wanted to express is that materialism is superficial. "We chose the setting of a fashion show because that's the epitome of superficiality. They're not trying to be anything except 'Let's celebrate the surface.' Fashion is fun, and I respect that, but at the end of the day people take that stuff a little too seriously. So it is easy to poke fun at that, especially when you juxtapose it against the real things that are happening in the world. "No matter how many distractions we put up for ourselves, whether it's a fashion show or reality TV shows or a hot contest, what's happening in the world is still going on, and the ugliness and the chaos and the pain and the suffering is immense. So it's a statement about our obsession with the world of illusion." Such commentary may seem absurd coming from someone who was once the biggest icon of pop culture, but Madonna said she's learned some valuable lessons over the course of her career. "I fought for so many things," she said. "I tried so hard to be number one, stay on top, look good — to be the best. And now I realize that a lot of the things that last and the things that matter are none of those things." Madonna intentionally chose chubby dancers for "American Life" because she wanted to show that conventional ideas of beauty are flawed and even damaging. "The girls I used are big, real, voluptuous girls, and they're beautiful," she said. "I wanted to explore that taboo as well, because you don't know people that have fat rolls as attractive. You just don't see that, and that was important to me. There are people going, 'Will you love me more if I'm thin? Should I remodel myself for your approval?' " "That's so crazy. I have fat rolls. When I first started out, everyone was like, 'Wow, she's chubby. That's cool.' And then I started getting really into working out, and there were a lot of people that were bummed out because I think I was a role model for chubby girls. And now I'm a role model for chubby girls again. I've gone back to my roots."

03-31-2003, 06:00 PM	#3
Jem Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 25, 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 625	That's cool that she chose chubby dancers for her music video. The media is too focused on the thin dancers all the time. It's cool to see something different. Although, I think some lyrics in her song "American Life" has some reference to war, I think the song "Love Makes the World Go Round" is her real anti-war song.
	__________________ There is no such thing as revenge You will not give as good as you got There is no such thing as an eye for an eye If you think you're the giver, you're not There is no such thing as regret There is no point in placing the blame Hate destroys the one who hates And everyone suffers the same There is only love and respect To thine own self be true When you point the finger There are three fingers pointing back at you

04-01-2003, 01:07 AM	#4
ShortCake Blair Warner fan. Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Florida Posts: 3,761	Madonna is awesome.. I havent had a chance to hear her new song yet though!
	__________________ Ashley "Nice girls don't throw tree's"- Jo Polniaczek.

04-01-2003, 12:01 PM	#5
MonarC The truth will set you free Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 05, 2002 Location: 3rd Stone From The Sun Posts: 9,525	MADONNA She has a huge fan following! When she speaks the world listens!

04-01-2003, 07:30 PM	#6
°Bubbly Blonde° <3 Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 25, 2001 Location: Playboy Mansion Posts: 5,876	Im looking forward to seeing it on Friday, but I hope this doenst ruin her like it did George Michael when he said stuff about Bush and stuff after 9-11....
	__________________ ¤ Courtney ¤ -random quotes- Fashion is Architecture: it is a matter of proportions - Coco Chanel We are all born sexual creatures, thank God, but it's a pity so many people despise and crush this natural gift. - Marilyn Monroe I love sluts; they're the nicest people in the world. -Manolo I love Los Angeles. I love Hollywood. They're beautiful. Everybody's plastic, but I love plastic. I want to be plastic. - Andy Warhol

03-31-2003, 03:52 PM	#2
DarleneIllyria Gone Forum Star Join Date: Oct 15, 2000 Posts: 19,086	Thanks for posting the article. I never realized it, but Madonna needs to stay with the brunette hair. I liked her blonde in the 80s, but she looks better now with darker hair.

04-03-2003, 12:32 AM	#10
°Bubbly Blonde° <3 Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 25, 2001 Location: Playboy Mansion Posts: 5,876	Damn! I hear they're not releasing it, because "it's not a good time"according to VH1.COM!

04-03-2003, 12:36 AM	#11
°Bubbly Blonde° <3 Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 25, 2001 Location: Playboy Mansion Posts: 5,876	http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/147...headlines=true what do they mean it's not the right time, it's never the right time, people suck!!!!!

04-03-2003, 11:58 PM	#14
°Bubbly Blonde° <3 Forum Veteran Join Date: Nov 25, 2001 Location: Playboy Mansion Posts: 5,876	well it's too bad, I really wanted to see it...oh WELL I just heard the remix for American Life w/Missy Elliot it was reallly good

04-06-2003, 03:33 PM	#15
Brandon Member Senior Member Join Date: Jan 03, 2003 Location: Hell Above The Soil Posts: 2,838	i just listened to the song and it sux. the beat is not catchy at all.
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