DIANA didn't think twice about shaking hands with AIDS victims in the 1980s, so why is the spiritually-enlightened Madonna maintaining a deafening silence about a hard drug that is systematically decimating her core fan base?

• By Pete Dorogoff

FOR HER “Confessions Tour,” which has been playing to sold-out crowds around the world, Madonna proclaimed her wish to “turn the world into one big dance floor.”

Madonna’s been all over the place promoting the CD “Confessions on a Dance Floor”, her documentary “I’m Going to Tell You a Secret” and the world tour. But at what cost and exploit to her most loyal fan base?

No one can argue the woman’s business acumen and savvy promotional moxie. At first, as most of her ardent gay following, I eagerly anticipated the release of these catchy new dance songs and a return to her 1980s heyday — and alas mine! But having seen some of her publicity stunts this past year, I can honestly say I’m so over it.

Follow me here. For years, the spread of crystal methamphetamine has profoundly impacted the lives of many gay men across the nation — and some of my dearest friends. The relatively cheap and long-lasting drug replaced cocaine and ecstasy as the drug of choice; yet crystal abuse takes a deeper soul-draining toll as users become noticeably gaunt and their faces etched with anger and anxiety. And dance music can intensify the high.

As ahead of the curve and plugged in as Madonna is and always has been, it’s hard to believe she’s oblivious to all this. So to announce that she’s turning the world into one big dance floor — although well intended — in reality, appears downright exploitive. And it abandons any social concern for those who arguably care for her most.

Her album, rife with upbeat lyrics and feel-good melodies, can also be easily remixed with pulsating sounds by any DJ catering to a party circuit crowd “tweaking” on crystal or any other mood-altering drug. [Editor's note: several of Madonna's past remixers - Peter Rauhofer, Victor Calderone and Junior Vasquez - have each bought into this intensely pervasive sound] True, so can many other artist’s songs… but you haven’t lived if you’ve never seen a dance floor full of gay men come alive when any one of Madonna’s songs comes on!

Last Fall, another example of one of her well choreographed stints included an appearance at Roxy Saturdays, a legendary nightclub in the heart of New York’s Chelsea neighborhood known for all night dancing with shirtless men crowding the dance floor and partying the night away.
[See CRYSTAL CULTURE: New York]

Madonna, and her freshly filled face, looked marvellous — and the publicity photos proved it! It must have been a fantasy come true for many. There she was, so approachable, spinning her record and connecting with the everyday crowd. It was a well-placed promotion to win back her most rabid fans — or was it?

A week after the Madonna appearance, Roxy’s doors were shutdown by the police on suspicion of drug use on its premises. The club was reopened a day later; however, the sad truth remains that drug use within the gay community is rampant and a mainstay for nightclub partiers.

Madonna has always come out strong against drugs, and that’s why I’m so disappointed. What was she thinking? Even in her Kaballah-inspired state of enlightenment, it appears she’s never beyond compromising her values in order to turn a quick buck.

Look, I'm no angel, and you’ll find me more times than not with a vodka Red Bull en tow when I’m hanging out with friends. But my point is this. Madonna — and her celestial status here on earth — can really make a difference but chooses not to. To be clear, I’m making no correlation between Madonna and drug abuse; however, if she wants us all to party and be happy, her message should be clear: party safely.

In a recent interview, Madonna said spirituality is even more powerful than politics when it comes to changing the world for the better and added, “I’m saying we have to take responsibility not just for ourselves but the world around us. I talk the talk, do I walk the walk?” The answer is no, and I think she needs a few more runs around her English manor before she figures it all out. • 

• This article first appeared in New York Blade. Pete Dorogoff resides in New York City and can be reached at pete@iprocommunications.com.
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FEEDBACK

I READ THIS ARTICLE TODAY and I must say it was quite interesting. I once thought as you did, that it is the responsibility of those with power and influence around us to show us "the way". Alas, I was wrong. As a recovering crystal addict, my program of recovery has taught me that we are all responsible for our own actions and that those around us with or without power and influence can only do so by "leading by example". What I mean by this is that Madonna is a spiritual person, that does not do drugs and does not abuse alcohol or use it all that I've been able to see and
lives a life that I can only aspire to. This above all else is the best influence I can have. As an addict, anyone that told me to stop using drugs or to use a condom
was just shut down by me. I don't want or need anyone telling me what to do, I just won't listen. it's the nature of the addict. As a sponsor to 5 addicts and mentor to
countless others I was taught to never judge, condemn or offer advice but to share my experience, strength and hope of my recovery. "Lead by example" and others will follow. Show me the path don't tell me where to go. I recently went to Provincetown and
danced like I haven't danced in years, thanks to sobriety and the good examples of those around me. I love you and the passion you have, just see how others have gotten to where they've gotten and leave it at that. I was and will always be totally responsible for where I was, where I am and where I will be. Thanks to good role models like you, Madonna and my friends in program I have a good idea of where I want to go.
David R

YOUR ARTICLE is a good read, and very provocative. Not sure I agree, though: it sounds like you're against dance clubs per se, when the problem, of course, is the
substances. And those have been with us always: poppers and coke, then ecstasy, now meth. Isn't the problem less that gay men like a good beat, and more that there's something about gay psychology, or the gay subculture-or both-that makes homos especially prone to excess? I've got to say that I don't get this meth craze. While acknowledging that it's probably great fun to have experiences intensified, it's also now well-known how odious this drug is.So why do people do it (or for that matter, bareback?). There's just something self-destructive about it, and it's baffling. For all the anti-gay marriage backlash right now, it's still easier to be a homo now that it's ever been. I really don't comprehend all the self-loathing, and I frankly don't think that it's the larger society that's engendering it.
Michael B

I HATE YOU PETE, just kidding. But I really don't follow you with your Madonna article. Madonna has always promoted a drug-free existence in her own personal life and in public. Her messages are clear; stay free of drugs and absorb spirituality in music and people. I myself in recovery 3 years find her music uplifting and if she wants to turn the world into one big disco dance floor, all the power to her. I can tell you I enjoy dancing to her music even more so sober. Madonna has nothing to do with the crystal epidemic among gay men. We did it to ourselves and should not blame shift here. It is our problem and we alone are responsible for getting the message out that this is not the way to go. Thanks to producers like the one who made "rock bottom" the message I think is finally getting out there that crytal use is very bad.When the rank and file of gay men look down on it, the epidemic will stop. I say let Madonna sing because she is there, sober and proud for all of us who have made it through adddiction. Good for her.
David L

I GOTTA SAY, the woman drives me crazy these days. She just seems harsh and mean, even when she's trying to do a party record...
Travers S

GOOD ARTICLE! And yes, I'm sure the Madonna fans will be writing you hate email! But you have a good point that she can use her status to make a statement!
Ernie L

OH MY GOD. You are going to get a lot of hate mail. I actually am not a huge fan of Madonna's, but the article does seem to come down fairly strongly on her vis a vis her fans' drug behaviours.
Roy K

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