Madonna Defends Gun Imagery In MDNA Tour Manifesto

Carl Williott | August 28, 2012 8:10 am

With the US leg of her MDNA tour beginning Tuesday (Aug. 28) in Philadelphia, Madonna has written a tour “manifesto” to explain the controversial aspects of her show. We’re guessing that since her antics didn’t go over so well in Europe, she knew she’d have to try and minimize the fallout here in the much more uptight States (the biggest issue being the show’s use of violent imagery, which is certainly a touchy issue in the U.S. this summer). So in a savvy move, Madonna directly addressed those aspects in a lengthy discourse released to Billboard.

Madonna starts by saying the show is “a journey from darkness to light” and that the guns and violence are “a metaphor” for using nonviolence to stop the enemy “within” yourself. Not surprisingly, she also takes on “the lies and hypocrisy of the church” and “the intolerance of many narrow minded cultures and societies” before throwing heartbreak into the mix as well.

While it’s nice to see the level of thought that went behind creating such symbolism and spectacle (however muddled the message is), we doubt this will do anything to silence Madonna’s detractors. They’re going to complain about the Material Girl’s latest moral transgressions either way. And that’s how it has always been with Madge. Perhaps she said it best at the end of the letter:

When you watch a film there are usually good guys and bad guys to help illustrate this point, Sometimes I play both.”

Madonna’s MDNA World Tour Touches Down In The US

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