Madonnaland
Madonnaland: And Other Detours in Fame and Fandom is a non-fiction book written by American essayist and musician Alina Simone. It is a biography of American singer Madonna, as well the author's own analysis of music and pop culture. Upon its release on March 3, 2016 by University of Texas Press, Madonnaland received positive reviews from critics, who praised her writing and bold subject choice. Rolling Stone magazine listed it as one of the 10 Best Music Books released in 2016.[1]
Editor
David Menconi
Lindsay Starr
United States
American music
March 1, 2016
138
Consisting of six chapters, Madonnaland finds Simone visiting Madonna's birthplace, Bay City, Michigan, where she spoke with the local people about the singer. The book also analyses Madonna's career and fame, with the author delving into her own music career and obscure Bay City bands. Simone had been initially commissioned to write a new biography about the singer. However, due to already available excess content on her, the author felt she would not be able to find anything new. Instead, she ended up writing Madonnaland about her own failure to create a Madonna biography, why Bay City did not have any commemoration for the singer, as well as unknown music bands, pop culture and celebrity life.
Content[edit]
The book is divided into six chapters: It begins with author Alina Simone walking around Bay City, Michigan and pondering why there was not a single commemoration to be found in the city about Madonna, who was born there. Simone's research began from that point and the essay continues analyzing Bay City and its culture. In the next chapter the author moves on to talk about 1980s music, Madonna's contribution and popularity after the release of albums, Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986). One of the questions reiterated by Simone is about the singer's legacy and what would happen to her wealth and fortune after her death, seeing that Madonna was not receiving the respect she deserved. With this in mind, Simone talks about how pop culture has moved from one fad to another, and her analysis of the musical landscape in Bay City. In the last chapter titled as Flying Wedge, the author reviews hard rock music and the punk rock bands of the city, and finally how relentless artists can be to produce music. She researches the one-hit wonder bands like Question Mark and the Mysterians—best known for "96 Tears"—and Flying Wedge, a Detroit band that released their record through Creem magazine in 1972 but disappeared. The author ends the book on a happy note that whether Madonna is remembered or not in her hometown, her musical outputs would never be forgotten. Final chapters are devoted to an epilogue about Simone's writing of the book and a thank-you section.[2]