April 1, 2024 • 14 mins
Get ready to immerse yourself in the vibrant world of pop music with "Pop Palace"! 🎶✨ Hosted by the passionate aficionado Jack, this episode is a celebration of the genre's enduring cultural impact. Jack fervently defends pop music against its common criticisms, shedding light on its significance in shaping our musical landscape.
Focusing on the indomitable Madonna, Jack takes us on a journey through the life of the iconic pop queen. From her humble beginnings in Michigan to her audacious move to New York City with just $35 in her pocket, Madonna's story is one of relentless determination and unwavering ambition. Jack paints a vivid picture of Madonna's early days as a dancer, her strategic self-promotion, and her meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s.
As we delve deeper into Madonna's remarkable journey, Jack emphasizes the sheer hard work and dedication that propelled her to superstardom. From her groundbreaking debut album to her chart-topping hits, Madonna's ascent to the pinnacle of pop stardom is a testament to her unparalleled talent and unwavering drive.
Through Jack's narrative, we come to appreciate the transformative power of pop music and its ability to transcend boundaries. He challenges negative perceptions of the genre, urging listeners to recognize the artistry and innovation that define pop music's rich tapestry.
So join us for an enlightening exploration of Madonna's iconic legacy and the enduring allure of pop music. It's a journey you won't want to miss! ✨🎤
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hi, everyone. Yay! You're here!I'm so excited. This is Pot Palace.
This could be a podcast about popmusic, pop culture, everything in
between. I'll be your host, Jack.And I'm just so happy that you're
here. A little bit about me.I'm currently studying
contemporary music business.I'll be done with my degree next
(00:22):
year.And throughout my journey studying
music business, I've felt thisnegative attitude towards pop
music and we're here to defend popmusic guys. Pop music is cool.
Pop music is full of hard workand talented people.
And yeah, no more negativity towardspop music. Pop music is cool.
(00:46):
Pop music is awesome.Let's start. Let's talk about it.
I'm 22. Pop music is my life.
I have been obsessed with popmusic for a long time now,
and not just the songs,but the women behind it specifically.
(01:06):
And so anyone that knows me knowsmy holy trinity of pop music,
and in no particular order,I consider my holy trinity Lana
Del Rey, Lady Gaga, and Madonna.And when I was first putting
this season together, I thought,who is better than Madonna to start
us off? The Queen of pop herself.The original. The masterpiece.
(01:33):
The icon herself.Madonna, Luis Cecconi.
So I don't know if a lot of us,being Gen Z, understand a lot of
Madonna and her work prior to usbeing born, because we've only been
around for about half of her career,and she's celebrating her 40th
(01:55):
anniversary of making music, last year actually.
And that's twice as long as I'vebeen alive. That's insane to me.
So I felt it was important not onlyjust for my generation, but people
that don't understand her journeyand talk about it a little bit.
Like,this girl is just like one of us.
(02:16):
She had a dream, she had a passion,but she grew up in the suburbs.
She grew up in North Detroit,so she wasn't being.
She wasn't put on to industrysecrets early.
She never had someone guiding her ortelling her, you can take this step,
this step and go up here.And that's how you become a pop star.
(02:38):
No, she did it on her own.So Madonna left her suburb of Bay
city, Michigan, with a dream todance. And that's what she did.
She ended up going to the Universityof Michigan School of Theater and
Dance, where she tried to school outfor about two years, and in that
two years she did a lot of dancing.She met a lot of people,
(02:59):
but someone that really made animpact on her was Martha Graham.
And if you don't know Martha Graham,she is one of the most legendary
dancers of all time.She was known for being the
number one dancer in ballet andclassical works.
She ended up being Madonna'steacher at that school.
So you already have one icon teachinganother just at the very beginning of
(03:22):
her lifetime. And excuse that sneeze.That was my little baby cat, Elton.
time at the University of Michigan,
she didn't really do muchbesides dance.
That was her passion and her dream,
after studying under Martha Graham,she ended up getting the nickname
Madame X from her, which is carriedon through the rest of her life.
(03:46):
But after two years, she's like,I think I'm good. I think I'm done.
I've done the college thing,but I'm set out for more.
And something about Madonna isshe knew from the beginning that
she was going to be famous andshe was going to be a star.
So she just had to put the work in.So this is when Madonna ends her
time at the University of Michigan, she completes two years of
(04:09):
the ballet and dance program,and in 1978, that's when she buys a
one way ticket to New York City.She bought a one way ticket to
New York City.She didn't have any job there.
She only had $35 in her pocket.And she's like, fuck it, let's do it.
And that's kind of the mentalityshe's had since the beginning.
And it's worked.So Madonna lands in New York City,
(04:33):
first time on a plane for her.She ends up auditioning and
finds a job at Dunkin Donuts,and the auditioning is for backup
dancer roles or backup singer roleson tours, and she finally lands
a role as Patrick Hernandez,backup singer and backup dancer.
(04:55):
They ended up flying to Paris toperform a few shows in Europe,
and after that she comes home andshe's like, we're doing my own music.
I'm not helping other people.I'm not being their backup dancers.
I'm not singing in the back for them.Let's do me.
And that's what she does.Like, this girl is so determined.
She knows what she wants.She gets what she wants,
(05:17):
and she does it her way.She didn't have, like,
these parents that were a part ofa label or big in the industry.
She had a father who lived in Detroitwith in the suburbs, and her mother
passed away when she was young.She's doing everything on her own,
and that's like part of the reasonI just love her so much is the
(05:38):
passion and effort that she put intothis to get herself where she is.
It's just like, I don't know,it's just so amazing and I just
love her for that.After her tour in Europe with
Patrick Hernandez, she decides,no, it's my time.
I'm going to be in the band.I'm not just the backup, I'm going
to be in the band, be the star.Because she knew she was the
start from the beginning.After coming back to New York City,
(06:02):
she's ready to roll.She creates a band called The
Breakfast Club, and some of youall may not know, but she can
also play other instruments.So in this band she was lead singer,
she played guitar and drums,and the band only kept together
for about a year.And then she decided to move on
and she left the band with one ofthe guitar players, Stephen Rea.
(06:27):
This is the pivotal point inMadonna's career, when she's like,
I'm going to take it to the nextlevel, and I know she's already been
doing that, but this is the finalreach that will fully make her into
the pop star that we know today.And that's her and Stephen
putting together a four songdemo tape of her first four
singles that she's ready to do.So Madonna solo now she's like,
(06:52):
I'm done with the bands me andStephen, we've got these four
singles in a demo and I'm goingto promote it myself.
I'm gonna make sure everyone hearsthis and that's what she does.
So she's really into clubculture already.
She's known to be at the clubsall the time.
She knows the DJs already,she knows a lot of the dancers
(07:13):
and that's what she does.She goes and brings this tape to
all her favorite clubs and allof her favorite DJs at,
like the notorious clubs in New YorkCity in the 80s, the Mudd Club,
Danceteria, there's so many others.And she would bring these to the
DJ she knows, and they would oftenbe like, I can't play this unless
you can guarantee 100% that peoplearen't going to start dancing.
(07:36):
And she was confident enough that shewas like, I have zero doubt in my
mind that people will stop dancing.And they played her songs and
they were hits.People loved them from the
beginning before they were evenlike officially released.
People knew them in the clubs.Madonna was also really well
known in like the arts communityof New York City.
She knew Keith Haring and JeanBasquiat and so many other modern
(07:59):
artists that also helped herpush her artistry even further
and use them as inspiration.And this is one of my favorite
parts of Madonna's life,because she's like being herself
to the max and she's doing this.This is one of my favorite times
(08:20):
in Madonna's life because you can,like, feel the authenticity,
because she's on the groundpromoting herself as a new artist,
and she has all the confidence torelease her music into the world,
knowing that there could be negativefeedback or knowing that people might
not like it. And she doesn't care.She knows that it's her time and it's
(08:41):
her destiny to release this music.So while Madonna's self
promoting her album,she's doing everything on her own.
She ends up getting contacted byCamille Balboni of Gotham Records.
So we're in 1981,still very early in her career, and
Camille puts everything she has intopromoting Madonna and getting her.
(09:01):
Her start in the music industry.And Camille is a very interesting
person herself, someone that Isuggest you guys all like,
go and research yourself.There's honestly some drama there
that hasn't gone explained fully.There's rumors that they were in
love.There's rumors that Madonna used
(09:21):
her to get famous.There's rumors also that Camille
just used Madonna.So the whole situation with
Camille Balboni and GothamRecords only lasted about a year.
And the reason behind that is notfully said, but a lot of people
suggest that Madonna and Camille hada relationship and it ended badly.
(09:42):
But there's also Camille saysthat she spent all of her money
and went broke promoting Madonna.And so I think there's probably
something that happened in themiddle that just didn't end well.
So her relationship with GothamRecords and Camille Barbarin
only lasted about one year,and something interesting to me,
(10:03):
part of the culture side of thisis anytime you search Camille up,
it's always Camille in relationto Madonna.
Even though their relationshiptogether in business only lasted
about a year,even up to her most recent things,
like in 2024, she's stillassociating herself with Madonna.
And I just think it's reallyinteresting because Madonna only
(10:24):
associated herself with Camillefor about a year in 1981,
and so I just find it reallyinteresting that she's still heavily
attached to using Madonna's name,but not necessarily attached to
Madonna in the real sense anymore,or even in the management sense,
because that was only a year andit's been almost 40 years since
(10:48):
that relationship.So after her and Camille ended
things in 1982, she goes back toher self promotion and this is when
she gets DJs to play her demo.One of Madonna's friends,
who is also one of the DJs that she'sbeen using to promote her music
in the clubs is DJ Marc Caymans,and he was a DJ at the legendary
(11:11):
Danceteria in 1982 and,the year prior and before.
But we're in 1982 now,and he introduces Madonna to one of
the most important people of herlife that really changed everything.
And so Marc, DJ Marc came andintroduced her to Seymour Stern,
(11:32):
president of Sire Records.So Sire Records was a subsidiary of
Warner Records huge record label.They're also in the music world,
extremely well connected.So this is a huge deal for Madonna.
And as soon as he hears her demo,it's an immediate sign she got a
record deal.Sire Records and their deal was for
(11:54):
three singles with an option of analbum, and she goes with that deal.
She ends up releasing the threesingles and This Is When We End
Up with Madonna.The self-titled debut release.
So 1983 is the pivotal year forMadonna.
This is when she gets her debutalbum released under Sire Records,
(12:16):
and it is labeled Madonnaself-titled debut album.
That's so badass. In my opinion.All of her hard work up to now
has been on her own.She's gotten help through other
people from finding them andconnecting with them.
She hasn't had anyone write her a bigcheck just so she could make it.
She's done the work.She did the work.
(12:36):
She worked at Dunkin Donuts, y'all.Every single song on Madonna.
The self-titled album is a hiteven to this day.
Like if you play any of those songs,majority of people who listen to
pop know all of them.And I think there's just something
to say that from the start,you've been releasing bangers
(12:57):
like She never had a bad era,even from the beginning,
and she's doing it all on her own.Madonna's work ethic is insane,
and this is one of the reasons thatPop Palace is here is we're here
to defend pop, but we're also hereto learn the facts about pop stars
so we know how to defend them.So when people tell me,
(13:17):
why do you like Madonna?I say, because she built herself
up from the beginning.She did it all herself.
She's been an icon from the start,and there is no refusing the
fact that she worked hard to getwhere she is.
And we wouldn't know that unlesswe understood their history.
So this is why it's so importantfor people my age and people who
(13:39):
don't understand,to go back and learn about pop stars
and significant women in history sowe can defend them when it is 2024
and people are saying that she'swashed up or she has no talent.
But we know the truth and weknow everything she's done up to
(13:59):
this point and everything shecontinues to do.
And we can really respect andappreciate that and defend pop music
and defend pop music in the name ofpop palace and preserving the palace.
So thank you all for listening to ourinaugural episode of Pop Palace.
I am so lucky that you guys arehere and so lucky you listened and
(14:22):
I can't wait for next episode.It's going to be about like a virgin.
So we're going to continue theMadonna legacy and I have so
much more to share, and I'm justso grateful that you're here.
Thank you so much for listening. Bye.
Hi, everyone. Yay! You're here!I'm so excited. This is Pot Palace.
This could be a podcast about popmusic, pop culture, everything in
between. I'll be your host, Jack.And I'm just so happy that you're
here. A little bit about me.I'm currently studying
contemporary music business.I'll be done with my degree next
(00:22):
year.And throughout my journey studying
music business, I've felt thisnegative attitude towards pop
music and we're here to defend popmusic guys. Pop music is cool.
Pop music is full of hard workand talented people.
And yeah, no more negativity towardspop music. Pop music is cool.
(00:46):
Pop music is awesome.Let's start. Let's talk about it.
I'm 22. Pop music is my life.
I have been obsessed with popmusic for a long time now,
and not just the songs,but the women behind it specifically.
(01:06):
And so anyone that knows me knowsmy holy trinity of pop music,
and in no particular order,I consider my holy trinity Lana
Del Rey, Lady Gaga, and Madonna.And when I was first putting
this season together, I thought,who is better than Madonna to start
us off? The Queen of pop herself.The original. The masterpiece.
(01:33):
The icon herself.Madonna, Luis Cecconi.
So I don't know if a lot of us,being Gen Z, understand a lot of
Madonna and her work prior to usbeing born, because we've only been
around for about half of her career,and she's celebrating her 40th
(01:55):
anniversary of making music, last year actually.
And that's twice as long as I'vebeen alive. That's insane to me.
So I felt it was important not onlyjust for my generation, but people
that don't understand her journeyand talk about it a little bit.
Like,this girl is just like one of us.
(02:16):
She had a dream, she had a passion,but she grew up in the suburbs.
She grew up in North Detroit,so she wasn't being.
She wasn't put on to industrysecrets early.
She never had someone guiding her ortelling her, you can take this step,
this step and go up here.And that's how you become a pop star.
(02:38):
No, she did it on her own.So Madonna left her suburb of Bay
city, Michigan, with a dream todance. And that's what she did.
She ended up going to the Universityof Michigan School of Theater and
Dance, where she tried to school outfor about two years, and in that
two years she did a lot of dancing.She met a lot of people,
(02:59):
but someone that really made animpact on her was Martha Graham.
And if you don't know Martha Graham,she is one of the most legendary
dancers of all time.She was known for being the
number one dancer in ballet andclassical works.
She ended up being Madonna'steacher at that school.
So you already have one icon teachinganother just at the very beginning of
(03:22):
her lifetime. And excuse that sneeze.That was my little baby cat, Elton.
time at the University of Michigan,
she didn't really do muchbesides dance.
That was her passion and her dream,
after studying under Martha Graham,she ended up getting the nickname
Madame X from her, which is carriedon through the rest of her life.
(03:46):
But after two years, she's like,I think I'm good. I think I'm done.
I've done the college thing,but I'm set out for more.
And something about Madonna isshe knew from the beginning that
she was going to be famous andshe was going to be a star.
So she just had to put the work in.So this is when Madonna ends her
time at the University of Michigan, she completes two years of
(04:09):
the ballet and dance program,and in 1978, that's when she buys a
one way ticket to New York City.She bought a one way ticket to
New York City.She didn't have any job there.
She only had $35 in her pocket.And she's like, fuck it, let's do it.
And that's kind of the mentalityshe's had since the beginning.
And it's worked.So Madonna lands in New York City,
(04:33):
first time on a plane for her.She ends up auditioning and
finds a job at Dunkin Donuts,and the auditioning is for backup
dancer roles or backup singer roleson tours, and she finally lands
a role as Patrick Hernandez,backup singer and backup dancer.
(04:55):
They ended up flying to Paris toperform a few shows in Europe,
and after that she comes home andshe's like, we're doing my own music.
I'm not helping other people.I'm not being their backup dancers.
I'm not singing in the back for them.Let's do me.
And that's what she does.Like, this girl is so determined.
She knows what she wants.She gets what she wants,
(05:17):
and she does it her way.She didn't have, like,
these parents that were a part ofa label or big in the industry.
She had a father who lived in Detroitwith in the suburbs, and her mother
passed away when she was young.She's doing everything on her own,
and that's like part of the reasonI just love her so much is the
(05:38):
passion and effort that she put intothis to get herself where she is.
It's just like, I don't know,it's just so amazing and I just
love her for that.After her tour in Europe with
Patrick Hernandez, she decides,no, it's my time.
I'm going to be in the band.I'm not just the backup, I'm going
to be in the band, be the star.Because she knew she was the
start from the beginning.After coming back to New York City,
(06:02):
she's ready to roll.She creates a band called The
Breakfast Club, and some of youall may not know, but she can
also play other instruments.So in this band she was lead singer,
she played guitar and drums,and the band only kept together
for about a year.And then she decided to move on
and she left the band with one ofthe guitar players, Stephen Rea.
(06:27):
This is the pivotal point inMadonna's career, when she's like,
I'm going to take it to the nextlevel, and I know she's already been
doing that, but this is the finalreach that will fully make her into
the pop star that we know today.And that's her and Stephen
putting together a four songdemo tape of her first four
singles that she's ready to do.So Madonna solo now she's like,
(06:52):
I'm done with the bands me andStephen, we've got these four
singles in a demo and I'm goingto promote it myself.
I'm gonna make sure everyone hearsthis and that's what she does.
So she's really into clubculture already.
She's known to be at the clubsall the time.
She knows the DJs already,she knows a lot of the dancers
(07:13):
and that's what she does.She goes and brings this tape to
all her favorite clubs and allof her favorite DJs at,
like the notorious clubs in New YorkCity in the 80s, the Mudd Club,
Danceteria, there's so many others.And she would bring these to the
DJ she knows, and they would oftenbe like, I can't play this unless
you can guarantee 100% that peoplearen't going to start dancing.
(07:36):
And she was confident enough that shewas like, I have zero doubt in my
mind that people will stop dancing.And they played her songs and
they were hits.People loved them from the
beginning before they were evenlike officially released.
People knew them in the clubs.Madonna was also really well
known in like the arts communityof New York City.
She knew Keith Haring and JeanBasquiat and so many other modern
(07:59):
artists that also helped herpush her artistry even further
and use them as inspiration.And this is one of my favorite
parts of Madonna's life,because she's like being herself
to the max and she's doing this.This is one of my favorite times
(08:20):
in Madonna's life because you can,like, feel the authenticity,
because she's on the groundpromoting herself as a new artist,
and she has all the confidence torelease her music into the world,
knowing that there could be negativefeedback or knowing that people might
not like it. And she doesn't care.She knows that it's her time and it's
(08:41):
her destiny to release this music.So while Madonna's self
promoting her album,she's doing everything on her own.
She ends up getting contacted byCamille Balboni of Gotham Records.
So we're in 1981,still very early in her career, and
Camille puts everything she has intopromoting Madonna and getting her.
(09:01):
Her start in the music industry.And Camille is a very interesting
person herself, someone that Isuggest you guys all like,
go and research yourself.There's honestly some drama there
that hasn't gone explained fully.There's rumors that they were in
love.There's rumors that Madonna used
(09:21):
her to get famous.There's rumors also that Camille
just used Madonna.So the whole situation with
Camille Balboni and GothamRecords only lasted about a year.
And the reason behind that is notfully said, but a lot of people
suggest that Madonna and Camille hada relationship and it ended badly.
(09:42):
But there's also Camille saysthat she spent all of her money
and went broke promoting Madonna.And so I think there's probably
something that happened in themiddle that just didn't end well.
So her relationship with GothamRecords and Camille Barbarin
only lasted about one year,and something interesting to me,
(10:03):
part of the culture side of thisis anytime you search Camille up,
it's always Camille in relationto Madonna.
Even though their relationshiptogether in business only lasted
about a year,even up to her most recent things,
like in 2024, she's stillassociating herself with Madonna.
And I just think it's reallyinteresting because Madonna only
(10:24):
associated herself with Camillefor about a year in 1981,
and so I just find it reallyinteresting that she's still heavily
attached to using Madonna's name,but not necessarily attached to
Madonna in the real sense anymore,or even in the management sense,
because that was only a year andit's been almost 40 years since
(10:48):
that relationship.So after her and Camille ended
things in 1982, she goes back toher self promotion and this is when
she gets DJs to play her demo.One of Madonna's friends,
who is also one of the DJs that she'sbeen using to promote her music
in the clubs is DJ Marc Caymans,and he was a DJ at the legendary
(11:11):
Danceteria in 1982 and,the year prior and before.
But we're in 1982 now,and he introduces Madonna to one of
the most important people of herlife that really changed everything.
And so Marc, DJ Marc came andintroduced her to Seymour Stern,
(11:32):
president of Sire Records.So Sire Records was a subsidiary of
Warner Records huge record label.They're also in the music world,
extremely well connected.So this is a huge deal for Madonna.
And as soon as he hears her demo,it's an immediate sign she got a
record deal.Sire Records and their deal was for
(11:54):
three singles with an option of analbum, and she goes with that deal.
She ends up releasing the threesingles and This Is When We End
Up with Madonna.The self-titled debut release.
So 1983 is the pivotal year forMadonna.
This is when she gets her debutalbum released under Sire Records,
(12:16):
and it is labeled Madonnaself-titled debut album.
That's so badass. In my opinion.All of her hard work up to now
has been on her own.She's gotten help through other
people from finding them andconnecting with them.
She hasn't had anyone write her a bigcheck just so she could make it.
She's done the work.She did the work.
(12:36):
She worked at Dunkin Donuts, y'all.Every single song on Madonna.
The self-titled album is a hiteven to this day.
Like if you play any of those songs,majority of people who listen to
pop know all of them.And I think there's just something
to say that from the start,you've been releasing bangers
(12:57):
like She never had a bad era,even from the beginning,
and she's doing it all on her own.Madonna's work ethic is insane,
and this is one of the reasons thatPop Palace is here is we're here
to defend pop, but we're also hereto learn the facts about pop stars
so we know how to defend them.So when people tell me,
(13:17):
why do you like Madonna?I say, because she built herself
up from the beginning.She did it all herself.
She's been an icon from the start,and there is no refusing the
fact that she worked hard to getwhere she is.
And we wouldn't know that unlesswe understood their history.
So this is why it's so importantfor people my age and people who
(13:39):
don't understand,to go back and learn about pop stars
and significant women in history sowe can defend them when it is 2024
and people are saying that she'swashed up or she has no talent.
But we know the truth and weknow everything she's done up to
(13:59):
this point and everything shecontinues to do.
And we can really respect andappreciate that and defend pop music
and defend pop music in the name ofpop palace and preserving the palace.
So thank you all for listening to ourinaugural episode of Pop Palace.
I am so lucky that you guys arehere and so lucky you listened and
(14:22):
I can't wait for next episode.It's going to be about like a virgin.
So we're going to continue theMadonna legacy and I have so
much more to share, and I'm justso grateful that you're here.
Thank you so much for listening. Bye.
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