7 revelations from Madonna’s new biography as The Celebration Tour kicks off: Mary Gabriel’s A Rebel Life documents the pop icon’s life, LGBT activism and marriages to Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie
The big Madonna biopic might’ve been scrapped earlier this year, but the Queen of Pop’s life and legacy clearly won’t be far from the public eye in the years to come.
Fans didn’t have to wait long for more thrills and spills. This week, Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Gabriel’s Madonna: A Rebel Life – The Biography finally arrived – an already-acclaimed account of Madge’s illustrious four-decade music career, and how she’s managed to stay in the spotlight to this day.
Perhaps by coincidence (or not), the day after the bio was released, Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon released a new song “Spelling” as Lolahol, which the 26-year-old described as “an homage to [her] mother’s timeless piece of art ‘Frozen’”.
The biggest news of all however, is that The Queen of Pop is kicking off her anniversary The Celebration Tour in London today – a six-month greatest hits extravaganza wrapping in Mexico City in late April.
Here are seven things we learned from the hype around the 65-year-old “Material Girl” singer’s new biography:
1. How Madonna got the nickname “Madge”
Gabriel’s biography explains how Madonna got the nickname “Madge”. Back in her earlier days, when she moved to London to work on her Music album in 2000, her British fans liked how she acted more like a “normal” person rather than a typical Hollywood celeb. It apparently earned her the title “Madge” to help her blend in, rather than have a glam name like Madonna.
2. She is a trained ballerina
It’s no secret that the talent born Madonna Louise Ciccone can dance. She’s been doing it for decades! But what’s lesser known about the “Like a Virgin” superstar is that she actually studied ballet in her teens. She even earned a dance scholarship at the University of Michigan, before dropping out to relocate to New York City.
3. She was good pals with Andy Warhol
The biography touches on Madonna’s friendship with pop art legend Andy Warhol – she also mingled with artist Keith Haring and dated Jean-Michel Basquiat at one point.
4. She fell out with her brother
Christopher Ciccone, Madonna’s younger brother, was a big part of her life for years, serving as a backup dancer and helping with backstage dressing. However, things got tense when Madonna prepared to marry Guy Ritchie – and they became estranged.
Reports suggest the siblings might’ve mended their friendship since.
5. Her relationship with Sean Penn
Madonna’s high-profile relationship with actor Sean Penn couldn’t catch a break. During their marriage, which lasted between 1985 and 1989, the two were followed everywhere by the paparazzi and were nicknamed the “Poison Penns” by tabloids.
One rumour which irked Madonna was a 1989 report about a violent incident in the former couple’s home. The pop star wrote a statement in 2015, saying, “Sean has never struck me, ‘tied me up’ or physically assaulted me, and any report to the contrary is completely outrageous, malicious, reckless and false.”
6. She’s a film geek and goes behind the camera too
Considering she was married to one of the biggest filmmakers of his generation (Ritchie directed modern classics like Snatch, The Gentlemen and Sherlock Holmes), it’s no wonder Madonna knows how to look for a good film – and occasionally, she even stars in them.
7. She became a queer icon thanks to her Truth or Dare documentary
In 1991, she teamed up with video director Alek Keshishian to release the documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare which gave a behind-the-scenes look into the daily lives of her backup dancers and singers, many of whom were openly gay. “It was really an expression of survival at a moment when the gay community had been condemned to death,” Gabriel told USA Today, commenting on the Aids crisis. “The community has been loyal to her because of that – they recognise the chances she took.”
- The Queen of Pop’s The Celebration Tour begins at London’s O2 tonight – the same week that the Madonna: A Rebel Life biography dropped and daughter Lourdes Leon released new song ‘Spelling’
- She trained as a ballerina before embarking on a singing career, and was friends with pop artists Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, but the production of her biopic starring Julia Garner got shelved