Pure. Unadulterated. Shit.

Last night, a lot of Leah and I's favorite shows were new again. Community is still my favorite new show and it did not disappoint. The Office was good, too, but I think it has plateaued. Glee is another of our favorite shows and Leah and I watched this weeks episode online in bed, because we didn't have room on the DVR for it.

I've caught a fair amount of shit from the other guys about liking Glee, but that show is generally great. That being said, I think this weeks episode was one of the worst things I'd ever seen. I should preface this by saying that I have a deep seeded hatred for the music of Madonna, so take that information and feel free to write off my opinions if you love it. That episode was really hard to watch for me. The whole thing was just one instance after another of trying-too-hard. "How much Madonna can we cram into one episode?" I felt like there was as much shitty Madonna music as there was story, probably more actually. I was really conflicted while watching it because I want to know what happens to the characters but I was miserable the whole time and really just wanted to watch something else (and/or rip my ears off). Even I was shocked by how much I hated it. Even I didn't know I hated Madonna that much. I think I hate her more than Lady Gaga... weird. I think I hate her more than The Police.

Why do I hate her? For, essentially, the same reasons that I can't stand Gaga. To me, the definition of being pretentious in music, is when your actual songs are secondary to your image. Image is important in music culture, I know that. But there is a big difference in an image that is an extension of your art and yourself, and one that is deliberately manufactured to sell. Madonna has probably been the most successful at periodically manufacturing a new image to sell, each as disingenuous as the last. At the end of the day, you have to look at her art and wonder if it's all bullshit. You see so many versions of her that it makes every version as unlikely as the next to be an accurate representation. As the wise man, Kurt Vonnegut, said "Any work of art is half of a conversation between two human beings, and it helps a lot to know who is talking at you."

Also, (and arguably, most importantly) I think her music is awful. Pure. Unadulterated. Shit.