Madonna - Is it the end?

[antmanb]

I love Stuart Price's music editing and mixing for Madonna on her concert tours. I don't think it has been the same since he left. Confessions is my favorite Madonna tour by far and I love the way the music was mixed throughout. I just don't find the music on the album makes me want to dance whereas Hard Candy did. I also thought Pharrell got the dirty disco for some of the tracks (like the "Get stupid" part in "Give it 2 Me") whereas Price had a much more mechanical clean sound to it.

I think you've put that really well and I totally agree Price does have a much more mechanical and clean sound and Pharrell sounds a lot dirtier and free-er, both sounds make me want to dance but I agree Confessions is more...I don't know, controlled maybe?

Ray of Light is my favorite Madonna album. My favorite tracks are actually the non-singles except for the title track which is just perfection production wise. "Sky Fits Heaven" is such a monumental song and both "Drowned World (Substitute for Love)" and "Mer Girl" are shockingly poignant and well-written songs for her. That's when I thought she could be a great songwriter. With that album, she seemed insightful and self-critical without being self-pitying or sounding too self-centered.

Yes I love Sky Fits Heaven. I probably need to listen to Ray of light again because at the time I found a lot of the slower songs too boring in contrast with the upbeat songs that were really upbeat. Plus I really loved the different looks/videos and interviews from that era, together with probably one of her best vocal performances ever when she sang Ray of light on the Oprah show.

Some of her later albums had some personal tracks where she goes on about her life but it becomes a bit meh at times. I think her changed lifestyle and privilege made her experiences less interesting to hear about and I don't think she has the self-awareness or self-hatred to make talking about how lifestyle of the richest and most famous person is a golden cage or how it's all a sham, or anything to make it interesting. Instead, when she talks about it, it's a bit eye-rolling. That's why I loved the angry tracks that were inspired by her divorce from Guy Ritchie from MDNA as at least it was something raw and real to latch on to (like the song "Gang Bang").

Yes totally agree with this - it's a bit like when Eminem made it big and was rich and famous and couldn't really carry on complaining about being white trash and living in a trailer park any more because he wasn't and he really struggled to find anything of any substance to rap about. But back to Madonna I thought the ballad version of Joan of Arc from Rebel Heart hit the right note of being personal without being eye roll worthy (for me at least).

Speaking about that, that's probably why her Hard Candy track, "She's Not Me", is probably my favorite Madonna track from 2008 on. It's just 6 minutes of Madonna going from fun dance song and bragging about her name against her husband's mistress and how "she's not me" to something sadder and more desperate as it starts to sound like she's pleading "she's not me" leaving us wondering who is she trying to convince? It's pretty epic, with Pharrel's great beats and Prince's guitarist Wendy Melvoin providing some great riffs.

I LOVE She's Not Me - it's one of my favourite songs from that album, to me it's an updated version of Thief of Hearts from Erotica (which I also loved) that is done so well. I played that song with a friend after he'd been through a break up caused by cheating and we became obsessed with a double whistle in that song that in the end became a sort of pick me up for him when he was feeling sad. Terrific song.

 

[alchemy void]

I also quite liked Hard Candy despite the turn to more RnB/Hip Hop that a lot of fans hated. I've tried and tried with MDNA but that is garbage from start to finish, I struggle to find more than 2 songs that I genuinely like.

Speaking about that, that's probably why her Hard Candy track, "She's Not Me", is probably my favorite Madonna track from 2008 on. It's just 6 minutes of Madonna going from fun dance song and bragging about her name against her husband's mistress and how "she's not me" to something sadder and more desperate as it starts to sound like she's pleading "she's not me" leaving us wondering who is she trying to convince? It's pretty epic, with Pharrel's great beats and Prince's guitarist Wendy Melvoin providing some great riffs.

Back in '08, I liked "4 Minutes" but pretty much rolled my eyes at rest of the songs on Hard Candy, as I felt the hip-hop approach was transparent and most of the songs ended up sounding so sterile and calculated. And I didn't like the cover design and font. But listening to the album again recently, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the majority of the tracks and how well they've aged.

And you're totally right, "She's Not Me" is such a jam. So underrated. How did it not get a single release? I think I'd definitely put it up there with "Joan of Arc", "Ghosttown", and "Celebration" as one of her best post-2008 tracks.

I agree that the lyrics on Confessions are quite mediocre

Oh come on now, with lyrics like "I don't like cities / But I like New York / Other places make me feel like a dork", how can you possibly say that?!

Ray of Light is my favorite Madonna album.

I feel like this is naturally going to evolve to where we all rank Madonna's albums from favorite to least favorite.

 

[VGThuy]

I feel like this is naturally going to evolve to where we all rank Madonna's albums from favorite to least favorite.

I am SO game for that.

Anyway, back to the OP question, it may be "the end" whatever that means but Madonna will continue to live on in many people's lives so long as she keeps making music and/or performing. I guess there's no definition of "the end" until someone finally stops for real (not like 5 retirement tours or whatever) or dies.

 

[antmanb]

And you're totally right, "She's Not Me" is such a jam. So underrated. How did it not get a single release? I think I'd definitely put it up there with "Joan of Arc", "Ghosttown", and "Celebration" as one of her best post-2008 tracks.

I love all of those songs too, but also Devil Wouldn't Recognise You (I know it's basically Justin Timberlake's Cry me a River but I love that song too, and the performance of it, Devil not cry me a river) on the Hard Candy Tour was absolutely incredible)

Oh come on now, with lyrics like "I don't like cities / But I like New York / Other places make me feel like a dork", how can you possibly say that?!

I feel like this is naturally going to evolve to where we all rank Madonna's albums from favorite to least favorite.

I am SO game for that.

Me three (I already know MDNA will be dead last). I feel like i'd have to go back and listen to all the albums back to back to really do this though.

I just brought up a list of her albums and how had I managed to completely forget about Bedtime Stories - I love that album!

 

[VGThuy]

Some early reviews are here. Mainly the Brits have released their reviews, so there are some tabloids listed, but hey they're giving it a review so why not link them? One word or its synonyms that come up in many of these reviews is that the album is "bizarre" and then the reviews dissect her songs while giving them pretty positive reviews.

In short, "Madame X veers between pop, Latin and clubby dance music, jumps from the personal to the political and is bound together by an exotic, breezy mood that feels strangely intimate, as if she is revealing a hitherto hidden part of her soul."

The Sun gives it 5/5 stars (can't find a linkable url to the actual review):

Say what you like about Madonna – she’s never boring.
In an industry which is quickly becoming devoid of personality, she has returned with her most diverse and out-there record ever.

Madonna Sings About Feeling Lonely and Lost on Her Bleak New Album Madame X - The Mirror gives it 5/5 stars.

Madame X is “a secret agent, travelling around the world, changing identities fighting for freedom, bringing light to dark places”... but all that can get pretty lonely.

On her new album Madame X, which a select few have been treated to a sneak preview of, Madonna opens up about feeling isolated.

Her Most Bizarre Album Ever - The Guardian gives it 4/5 stars.

Throughout, there is more density and musical adventure than at almost any other point in her career (perhaps this is the influence of Mirwais, who produces numerous tracks here and gave Music its fiendish intricacy). Her voice is remarkably plastic, pitched down one minute and up the next, into a Sia-like bleat and out into robotic polyphony. Often, around the seabed of the mix, is a swirl of aqueous psychedelic sound, profoundly different and much more interesting than her earlier R&B and EDM minimalism.

With a side piece, Madonna's Age Isn't Relevant, Her Music Is

Madonna Madame X Review - NME gives it 4/5 stars.

For the first time since Confessions on a Dance Floor, perhaps, there’s a glint in Madonna’s eye; her visible, un-eyepatched one, at least. Sonically restless, ‘Madame X’ doesn’t imitate current pop trends as much as it mangles them into new shapes. A record that grapples with being “just way too much”, ultimately, it refuses to tone things down.

Madame X Probably Her Boldest Album Yet - The Times gives it 4/5 stars.

Now comes probably her boldest, certainly her strangest, album yet. Madame X veers between pop, Latin and clubby dance music, jumps from the personal to the political and is bound together by an exotic, breezy mood that feels strangely intimate, as if she is revealing a hitherto hidden part of her soul. She isn’t really, of course, but she does a good job of pretending she is.

Q magazine gives it 4/5 stars. No linkable review yet, but some fan sites have posted the review online.

"Crave’s" delirious swoon, featuring rapper Swae Lee, or the skin-to-skin cha-cha-cha of "Medellin" keep things at the micro level of human desire but more untethered are the moments where the record zooms out to look at the big picture, as on Dark Ballet’s omnipotent state-of-the-planet address: “they’re so naive, they think we’re not aware of their crimes/We know but we’re just not ready to act.” This is Madonna on top of the world, looking down on creation, God complex at cruising altitude.

Rolling Stone gives it 3/5 stars. Like with Q, no linkable review yet but some of her fan sites have posted the review online.

Yet Madame X is so admirably bizarre, all you can do is stand back and watch the girl go. “It’s a weird kind of energy,” as she sings in “God Control” — a rare moment of Madonna understatement. She dips into a melting pot of Latin-pop styles, complete with a reggaeton jam called “Bitch I’m Loca.” It’s for fans of her loca edge only, full of experiments no other pop star on Earth would try.

Madame X is a Mad Mishmash of an Album - The Telegraph gives it 3/5 stars.

Tabloid Daily Star rates each track separately. Two 10/10, three 9/10s, five mostly 8/10, two 7/10, and one 6, 5, 4/10 each.

https://www.drownedmadonna.com/2019...e-most-experimental-album-of-madonnas-career/

I don't know if "this is the end" but those reviews sound like an artist who still has something interesting to say.

New York Times has a very lengthy piece on Madonna:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/magazine/madonna-madame-x.html

Among my middle-aged peers — my female and gay male peers, mostly — she was still an object of fascination. My friends in the fashion business who used to take cues from her liked her new hats but not her jewelry and the eye patch. My old crusty punk friends, including an ex-dominatrix who now owned a restaurant, said: “Madonna’s hard-core! I want to know what she thinks about menopause. We need her back in New York.” And everyone wanted to argue about her claiming a seat at the contemporary-pop banquet past her 60th year — was it really all that significant, if Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones played stadiums past her age, David Byrne was regularly performing across America and Bruce Springsteen was still at the controls of Bruce Inc.? Or was it a superhuman feat, particularly when set against her two closest contemporaries, Michael Jackson and Prince, each of whom exploded with her at the rise of video culture in the early 1980s and each of whom died early, and ignominiously?

Also, thought this was a bit of interesting news:

Madonna Loses Appeal to Block Tupac Break Up Letter From Auction

From his letter:

"For you to be seen with a Black man wouldn't in any way jeopardize your career. If anything it would make you seem that much more open & exciting," Shakur wrote. "But for me at least in my previous perception I felt due to my 'image' I would be letting down half of the people who made me what I thought I was. I never meant to hurt you."

 

[VGThuy]

Madonna released a video to "Dark Ballet" starring Queercore artist Mykki Blanco as Joan of Arc.

Madonna - Dark Ballet (Official Music Video)

You’re watching the official music video for "Dark Ballet" from Madonna’s album ‘Madame X’. Listen to ‘Madame X’: https://Madonna.lnk.to/MadameX Starring Myk...

www.youtube.com

I think it's a visually stunning piece. Her videos for this album have been her best work in more than ten years. Call me crazy, but I like her use in sampling The Nutcracker for this song.

 

[UGG]

Madonna was a trailblazer. Look how all of the current pop stars and even the 90’s pop stars (Christina and britney etc..) emulate her in some way. Look at what she did for the LGBTQ community before it was “cool”.

Madonna is obviously a huge influence on Lady Gaga who out of all the pop stars today I believe is head and shoulders above the rest (Katy, Taylor etc.... )

Taylor Swift is so mediocre to me. I seriously believe the fact that she is 5’10 and gorgeous is what keeps her around. She cannot dance at all (I still cannot believe she is in the cats movie?!?) and her voice I agree is on the same level as young Madonna. She has zero range in her voice. If she had non conventional pop star looks such as Lady Gaga or Pink she would be long gone. There is nothing interesting about her and I seriously roll my eyes that as most powerful woman in the music industry, she acts like some sort of victim of the press. Like go see how the press treated Britney 10 years ago and get back to me, Taylor. I cannot stand her victim mentality. I truly think talent wise, she is on the same level as Katy Perry. I don’t understand why either of them are as huge as they are.

 

[Husky]

New York Times has a very lengthy piece on Madonna:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/magazine/madonna-madame-x.html

"... if Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones played stadiums past her age, David Byrne was regularly performing across America and Bruce Springsteen was still at the controls of Bruce Inc.?"

The difference is that none of them were relying on their sexual presence as much as Madonna did. They didn't perform with some kind of super-dildo which would be the counterpart to her conic bras.

Having said this, I do NOT criticise her for still performing at an advanced age. I just want to point out that the real problem for people is the combination of an ageing and still sexually active woman. At least this is my perception.

Personally, I think she is a gifted songwriter but her performances were always "too much" for me. But people loved it as long as she was young and in their perception pretty. Now she is old and she is doing what she always did on stage and NOW it's not okay anymore.

BTW I just found an old recording with her first band The Breakfast Club and was posivitively suprised. Sounds very punk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p-sm41kbKY

 

[Husky]

"Little Boy Lost"


He runs through the street
Cause his house's falling down
And his eyes are burning as they touch the ground
The baseball cap won't hide the pain
There's no one here today
He runs through a house
And he looks for food
He feels so bad
But he knows he's good
He lays down on the kitchenfloor
He ain't hungry no more
Little boy lost
In little boy land
How much does it cost
To understand
Little boy say
Why do you cry
And how much will you pay
To know why
Sometimes at night he wets his bed
As you stay playing tricks inside his head
He waits so cold
For a longer life
There's no one here tonight
Little boy lost
In little boy land
How much does it cost
To understand
Little boy say
Why do you cry
And how much will you pay
To know why

 

[VGThuy]

I haven't been able to listen to the full album yet, but I did listen to "God Control" because some of the reviews singled that track out, and it's obvious to see why they did. It starts sort of grave/serious PSA and just changes in tone.

God Control

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group God Control · Madonna Madame X ℗ 2019 Boy Toy, Inc., Exclusively licensed to Live Nation Worldwide, Inc. Exclusi...

www.youtube.com

I also like this Slant magazine review:

Madonna 'Madame X' Review: A Fearless Musical Memoir

Madonna's 'Madame X' is the work of an artist reawakened, and one who’s got something to say. Read our review.

www.slantmagazine.com

Madonna has a reputation for being a trendsetter, but her true talent lies in bending those trends to her will, twisting them around until they’re barely recognizable, and creating something entirely new. The album’s pièce de résistance, at least in that regard, is the six-minute “God Control,” which begins with Madonna conjuring the spirit and disaffected monotone of Kurt Cobain—“I think I understand why people get a gun/I think I understand why we all give up,” she sings through clenched teeth—before the whole thing implodes into a euphoric, densely layered samba-disco-gospel mash-up. Throughout the song, Madonna’s vocals alternate between Auto-Tuned belting, urgent whispers, and Tom Tom Club-style rapping as she takes on the gaslight industrial complex and so-called political reformers. On paper, it might sound like the ingredients for a musical Hindenburg, but—somewhere around the midpoint, when she declares, “It’s a con, it’s a hustle, it’s a weird kind of energy!”—it all coheres into the most exhilaratingly batshit thing she’s done in years.

 

[antmanb]

@VIETgrlTerifa I really like God Control but in that quote from the slant magazine review they need to correct "through clenched teeth" because once again she's speaking with those fecking grillz in and it actually drives me insane on Madame X the number of times she's chosen to speak and/or sing with that unnecessary speech impediment

But back to God Control it is totally batshit crazy (like the quote says) disco amazing, with a ridiculous rap in the middle that rivals the one in American Life for utterly ridiculous lyrics and yet somehow I want to listen to it again and again.

ETA: so I may have to back track my annoyance at the grills...I've just seen an interview with her and it actually looks like she might have Invisalign or something similar that might be causing the speech issues.

 

[VGThuy]

A positive write-up from Forbes of all places:

Madonna's Madame X Offers a Blueprint for Multigenerational and Multicultural Artisry

Reviews of Madame X include bizarre, daring, political, bold. While some critics praise her album as the 2019 version of "Bohemian Rhapsody," another suggests it sounds like an aimless documentary. Still, even the naysayers agree that Madame X could become Madonna’s best selling album yet. German reporter Michale Pilz writes in Welt that not only is Madame X undoubtedly the most bizarre representation of her life’s work; it also may become her greatest.

I'm not crazy enough to think this will be anywhere close to being her best selling album yet, especially in 2019 when album sales are lower than they used to be, but I'm glad she's getting some positive press for the actual music.

ETA: It's #1 in 58 countries right now and currently #1 in U.S. iTunes. Glad to see her have some positive news for a change.

 

[VGThuy]

I'm totally feeling "Faz Gostoso" featuring Anitta:

Madonna - Faz Gostoso (feat. Anitta) (Official Audio)

Taken from Madame X - 2019

www.youtube.com

 

[Miezekatze]

I really like what I heard of the new album so far, but I haven't yet gotten to more than the 8th track, because I keep getting stuck listening to "God Control"

That song is so unusual and somehow amazing!

But I think I'm really impressed by the whole album. I wouldn't have expected something so unique and unusual from Madonna at all. I think it's really genuinely creative music (of course with a lot of influences), very rare these days.

 

[genevieve]

Tried to listen to God Control and watch the Dark Ballet video. Can't get past the heavy auto-tune/singing through the grille, which is 1) sooooo 10 (or more?) years ago and 2) completely overwhelms the songs.

 

[VGThuy]

Madonna debuts no. 1 on the Billboard Charts with Bruce Springsteen behind her, for the first time her and The Boss were on the charts in those positions since 1985.

Madonna Achieves Ninth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Madame X'

"X" marks the No. 1 spot. Madonna lands her ninth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as "Madame X" enters atop the tally. Plus, Bruce Springsteen and Bastille debut in the top 10.

www.billboard.com

Madonna continues to have the second-most No. 1 albums among female artists, trailing only Barbra Streisand, who has 11. Among all acts, The Beatles have the most No. 1s, with 19. They are followed by Jay-Z (14), Streisand and Bruce Springsteen (both with 11), Elvis Presley (10), Eminem, Garth Brooks, Madonna and The Rolling Stones (all with nine).

I don't expect it to run more than this week for a multitude of reasons and the numbers themselves seem small compared to her hey-day, but I guess album sales in general are a lot smaller than they used to be. Still debuting at no. 1 is impressive given all the things she's working against.

 

[Winnipeg]

Laughing all the way to the bank. Good for her

 

[VGThuy]

Madonna released the music video for "God Control" today. It's VERY appropriate for Pride month, but TRIGGER WARNING: It has a lot of gun violence.

Madonna - God Control (Official Music Video)

This is your wake up call. Gun violence disproportionately affects children, teenagers and the marginalized in our communities. Honor the victims and demand ...

youtu.be

 

[Jenny]

Madonna debuts no. 1 on the Billboard Charts with Bruce Springsteen behind her, for the first time her and The Boss were on the charts in those positions since 1985.

So many parallels in their careers, and yet sadly no surprise that while it's all "Madonna at 60" no one seems to be making much of the fact that Springsteen turns 70 this year. All the buzz I've seen is about his music, not his image or whether he's acting his age or whatever.

 

[VGThuy]

So many parallels in their careers, and yet sadly no surprise that while it's all "Madonna at 60" no one seems to be making much of the fact that Springsteen turns 70 this year. All the buzz I've seen is about his music, not his image or whether he's acting his age or whatever.

People will probably say it's because Springsteen doesn't seem to be "chasing his youth" the way Madonna is, a statement that I find problematic for a multitude of reasons. Also, both are essentially making music that they want to make and not too different from the type of music/imagery they've been known for and that made them who they are. Madonna's claim to fame has always been on dance-heavy pop music with social commentary, some way more explicit than others. She's not going go and just do cover albums or "safe" (whatever that means) music that others deem is more "appropriate" for her age, a standard she never bought into or accepted for herself.

 

[CaliSteve]

What Happened to Madonna's Voice at Eurovision 2019?

Vocal coach Tristan Paredes reacts to Madonna singing Like a Prayer live at Eurovision 2019. Massive auto tune fail here Instagram: https://www.instagram.com...

www.youtube.com

I thought this was an interesting critique of Madonna's Euro performance by a vocal coach.

 

[VGThuy]

Laughing all the way to the bank. Good for her

Yeah. Billboard just tweeted she's the number 1 on the Top 100 Artist charts which measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay, streaming and social media fan interaction to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

Madonna Hits No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100, Thanks to 'Madame X' Debut

Madonna re-enters the Billboard Artist 100 (dated June 29) at No. 1 to become the top musical act in the U.S. for the first time since the chart's launch in 2014, as her new LP Madame X arrives at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 95,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music.

www.billboard.com

She's also number 1 across six Billboard charts: The Top Albums Chart, Digital Albums Chart, Billboard Hot 200, Artist 100, Dance Chart, and Latin Digital Sales.

https://twitter.com/TheQueenofPop58/status/1143869463013421056

If this is "the end", it's a way to go out.

 

[Jenny]

People will probably say it's because Springsteen doesn't seem to be "chasing his youth" the way Madonna is, a statement that I find problematic for a multitude of reasons. Also, both are essentially making music that they want to make and not too different from the type of music/imagery they've been known for and that made them who they are. Madonna's claim to fame has always been on dance-heavy pop music with social commentary, some way more explicit than others. She's not going go and just do cover albums or "safe" (whatever that means) music that others deem is more "appropriate" for her age, a standard she never bought into or accepted for herself.

Maybe not chasing his youth, but Springsteen's demons are well known at this point, and pretty much his entire body of work is about chasing something. Western Stars is a departure from the usual trajectory, not the first either, it's a solo album, which are always more personal with him.

Madonna's exploration through her art (which unlike Springsteen, whose art is pretty much confined to the music because his live shows haven't changed at all in 45+ years, Madonna's extends beyond the words and the music to the performances, the shows, the videos, her public persona, all of it) also continues.

They may appear to be completely different beyond the career milestones and longevity, but in the end they are both artists, true artists, who continue to explore and express and we're all just lucky to witness it.

 

[Dragonlady]

I have never been a fan of Madonna's music, but I do appreciate her as a messenger of women's rights and as a role model.
But the role model ceased quite a lot with this cosmetic surgery. I DO strongly believe in woman's right to decide what is done to her body. Cosmetic surgeries as abortion.

But yesterday it was just confusing.

A messenger of women's rights? Are you kidding me? Hi, I'm a Boy Toy. I'm selling sex. I found her "messages" self-serving. And as for a "role model", for whom, to do what? I found her about as useful a role model as Gwyneth Paltrow.

I thought her an excellent song writer, but as a singer or a dancer, she was mediocre, at best. She certainly can't be faulted for drive or ambition, though. It takes a lot of both to maximize your talents and monetarize them successfully, and she did both in spades.

 

[VGThuy]

She may not be your role model and she sure has her share of detractors, but she is a role model for many. I think she’s beyond a mediocre dancer especially if we’re using modern day pop standards especially in her post-40s.

 

[genevieve]

Madonna released the music video for "God Control" today. It's VERY appropriate for Pride month, but TRIGGER WARNING: It has a lot of gun violence.

Hmmm.

The good: I watched the whole thing, meaning I got beyond the grille-tastic opening of the song to the poppy part, and the song is better than I previously thought.

But the appropriation of the Pulse shooting for this video (not to mention the attempt to recapture the shock of This Is America) is just.......well, classic Madonna appropriation taken to new lows.

 

[Miezekatze]

For me Madonna is definitely a role model, for me she always sent the message that you can do whatever you want, be whoever you want and whenever you want, regardless of what other people or society or social norms say.

And of course she was a very strong ally for the gay community in the 80s during the AIDS crisis already, which I only appreciate more now that I've learned more about what a terrible time that actually was for the people affected (back then I was way too young). But even without that she still was a really helpfull ally and role model for telling people that being gay is ok and even talking about and displaying gay sexual behavior in public even when I was a teen in the 90s and there was no internet yet.

It's not like today where practically everybody is waving commercialized rainbow flags everywhere in all countries where there's no real risk to being supportive (while the situation is still trite everywhere else)..

As a "feeling" I got to choose between Madonna and Jodie Foster as a teen (who was not really useful, cause she was obviously struggling with being open about herself into her 50s). Apart from that there were very few people, who even were famous enough to be available in pre Internet times, only like Melissa Etheridge, ...