In 1984, a relatively unknown 26-year old Madonna appeared at the first MTV Video Music Awards. Dressed like a rock and roll bride, Madonna sang “Like a Virgin.” The performance was considered so risque, so scandalous that many – including her own manager – predicted it would end her career. But far from stopping her, that moment changed Madonna’s life, transforming her from rising star to pop idol. In this week’s episode, Susie and Jess talk about that iconic performance, the rise of MTV and how together MTV and Madonna were a force that defined 80s pop culture. 

GUESTS:  
Mary Gabriel, author of Madonna: A Rebel Life

FOR MORE:
60 Times Madonna Changed Our Culture (NY Times)
Inside Madonna's Legendary Performance at the First VMAs (Rolling Stone)
Buy Mary Gabriel’s book Madonna: A Rebel Life

In 1984, a relatively unknown 26-year old Madonna appeared at the first MTV Video Music Awards. Dressed like a rock and roll bride, Madonna sang “Like a Virgin.” The performance was considered so risque, so scandalous that many – including her own manager – predicted it would end her career. But far from stopping her, that moment changed Madonna’s life, transforming her from rising star to pop idol. In this week’s episode, Susie and Jess talk about that iconic performance, the rise of MTV and how together MTV and Madonna were a force that defined 80s pop culture. 
GUESTS:  
<ul>
<li>Mary Gabriel, author of Madonna: A Rebel Life</li>
</ul>
FOR MORE:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/16/arts/music/madonna-birthday-impact.html">60 Times Madonna Changed Our Culture</a> (NY Times)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/madonna-vmas-biography-excerpt-1234829918/">Inside Madonna's Legendary Performance at the First VMAs</a> (Rolling Stone)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/mary-gabriel/madonna/9780316456449/">Buy Mary Gabriel’s book Madonna: A Rebel Life</a></li>
</ul>

Is there a cultural moment from your past that looks different in retrospect? Maybe it’s a scandalous tabloid story seared into your teenage brain or a political punchline that just feels wrong now. It might be a very specific red swimsuit that inspired a decade of plastic surgery (see: “Baywatch”) or the inescapable smell of an entire generation of prepubescent boys (Axe body spray, anyone?). Each week on IN RETROSPECT, Emmy-winning journalist Susie Banikarim and New York Times editor Jessica Bennett revisit a pop culture moment from the 80s and 90s that shaped them — to try to understand what it taught us about the world, and a woman’s place in it.

Talk to us at @inretropod, @susiebnyc and @jessicabennett on Instagram. New episodes each Friday.

Is there a cultural moment from your past that looks different in retrospect? Maybe it’s a scandalous tabloid story seared into your teenage brain or a political punchline that just feels wrong now. It might be a very specific red swimsuit that inspired a decade of plastic surgery (see: “Baywatch”) or the inescapable smell of an entire generation of prepubescent boys (Axe body spray, anyone?). Each week on IN RETROSPECT, Emmy-winning journalist Susie Banikarim and New York Times editor Jessica Bennett revisit a pop culture moment from the 80s and 90s that shaped them — to try to understand what it taught us about the world, and a woman’s place in it.
Talk to us at @inretropod, @susiebnyc and @jessicabennett on Instagram. New episodes each Friday.

In Retrospect with Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett

Madonna And The MTV Moment (Pt 1)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/28b5c862-95e8-49b2-adae-b180017d13ff/transcript

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