Like a Virgin.... Ohhh

Well tonight's blog comes direct to you from my good friend Barb! Now you may remember Barb from previous blogs like Hip Hip Hooray, It's Peppers Bale...., Hazy Days of Summer, Do you like Pina Colada'sssssssssssss and Did someone say Last Drinks?

Yep that Barb, the one that I recently went away with for a week who's Coffee Cup also took a holiday (if that jigs your memory).

So over to Miss Barb.... or Ms Bar or just Barb! :) Take it away baby....

Hello everyone, I'm Barbara. Karen's friend Barbara. Karen has asked me to do a guest blog for the Morley Report. Now when Karen asked me to do this I thought to myself "what should i write about...politics?? the crisis in the middle east?? charitable acts??" Nope. None of that in fact. You see I have chosen to write about Madonna. Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone Penn Ritchie.

My love affair for all things Madonna began in the early 80's. I was watching Countdown when John Paul Young introduced the next video. He said this new artist has been described as the female Michael Jackson. The screen faded to black and then Madonna appeared singing Holiday. I spent the next couple of years in a cloud of hair spray, fluro tube skirts, a gazillion bangles, strategically placed moles on the upper lip and lace fingerless gloves. If I was honest Id say those years were the most exciting hope filled times. You know - being a teenager and thinking that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Where you thought - you can achieve so much if you try - the world and all it has to offer can be yours. Ask yourself - when was the last time you felt truly free and thought that whatever you wanted to do COULD BE DONE??

It was also around this time that Madonna appeared at Live Aid singing Holiday and Into the Groove sporting a new red hairdo. I taped that on my VCR. I played and played and played her performance over and over and over. I knew all the moves. It was my prized possession. I would come home from school and watch it religiously. Imagine my horror to come home one afternoon to find that my Dad had taped over it with a boxing match. Thats right a boxing match. I fell to my knees , cried and swore that Id never speak to my father again. Of course I did speak to my father again albeit through clenched teeth.

Over the years Madonna changed her look soooooo many times. With each look came a new album and a new concert. Geez - I knew all the moves of those earlier concerts. I could probably still bust the moves to Into the Groove and Express Yourself. Shall we go for a trip down memory lane?

Vogue is vintage Madonna for your soul. It was beginning of the 90's and the beginning of glam Madonna and, as if it was possible, the decade where Madonna pushed the boundaries even further.

Blonde Ambition Tour (truth or dare anyone?)

The Sex Book. A coffee table book about Sex. What the hell was she thinking.

So this brings me to 1993. I was living in London with a friend. Now picture this. Two women in their pajamas. In the public hallway of a building where they were living. On a public phone. Buying tickets to the Madonna Girlie Show at Wembley Stadium. Upon making the transaction and hanging up we were screaming....jumping up and down.....more screaming - its no wonder tenants in the building all came out of their units to see what the commotion was. It was very exciting. The Girlie Show didn't let us down.

Actually just as I proof read this Ive realised that I probably sound like a gay woman recounting my Madonna love affair. I'm not by the way. Not that there's anything wrong with that [as Seinfeld would say]

Anyway I'll keep going.

So now its 2011. She has been around on our screens and radios for nearly 30 years. Dear Lord, I suddenly feel old. Madonna is about to release her 12th studio album in 2012 and launch a tour to coincide. I'm not sure I await the release of this like I did when True Blue or Like a Prayer came out BUT it will be exciting.

My top five Madonna Albums:

5. Ray of Light
4. Erotica
3. Like a Virgin
2. Immaculate Collection
1. Confessions on a Dance floor

Controversial??? Let me know what your top 5 Madonna albums are.

Thanks for reading!

Barbara