All I want to do is talk about Madonna

Kenny and Mark break apart the charging third song on Music and what it truly means to be a “runaway lover.” Willam Orbit is back and stepping up his game, Mark cashes in all of those IOUs, and Kenny’s narrative takes a downward twist. Karma is a nasty mistress y’all, but we have that live version from the Brixton Academy to help us lick our wounds. “Come on London!"

Mark and Kenny swoon over the swooping second song (say that ten times fast!) on Music . Changing of the Guard at Warner Brothers! Cher’s hit song “Believe”! Cock-blocking a fourth single! Celebrating the stellar Peter Rauhofer! Kenny builds a narrative arc around “like a bird on a wingy-wingy-wingy”, Mark focuses on hygiene, and Madonna rips up the rulebook AGAIN! I don’t even know your name, but...

Kenny and Mark launch into the 2000s with a bold and wide-reaching of Madonna’s HUGE hit first single from the seminal Music . Welcome to the dance floor, Mirwais Ahmadzai! Welcome back, Niki Haris and Donna DeLory! Keep your eyes on the road, DaBaby! And thanks for those remixes, Tracy Young and Stevie Nicks! It’s a non-stop party this season and it all starts HERE. Kenny almost moves to London a...

Mark and Kenny resume the conversation with this deep dive into the troublesome Rupert Everett/Madonna movie from 2000 as Season Four: American Woman kicks off! Topics include Kirstie Alley, Don McLean, Neil Patrick Harris, Charlie Rose, John Schlesinger, Michael Vartan, Cher & Mark Steines, Benjamin Bratt, Malcolm Stumpf, Ileana Douglas, … and Lynn Redgrave. Kenny is fascinated by footwear, M...

SUMMER EPISODE: BEAUTIFUL STRANGER (Rated NC-17!) Kenny and Mark succumb to the rising temps and revealing short-shorts with a hot and dirty (and a little messy) romp through Madonna’s dazzling contribution to the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack. Topics include the troubled relationship with Andrew Bird and his random encounter with Guy Ritchie, the doomed discography of solo Spic...

Mark and Kenny pass the microphones over to our beloved listeners, who join the conversation and share their stories about their favorite Madonna song and moment up through 1998 on this Very Special Episode. Laugh, cry, and celebrate all the ways the music has changed our lives, together.

Kenny and Mark wrap up a twisty-turvy season full of growth, artistic challenges and discoveries, lots and lots of change, and a breathtaking final musical statement on Ray of Light . Topics include Michigan, Joan Ciccone, the value Madonna gets from keeping things simple, and a searching discussion of home. Plus, Mark breaks one of his cardinal conversation rules - yep, the word “journey” is BACK...

Motherhood arrives musically for Madonna, and Mark and Kenny discuss parenthood, the forgotten Like a Flower , the legacy of mothers and daughters, and a return to Chicago and the Oprah Winfrey Show . Plus, Kenny makes a provocative joke. Butterfly!

Kenny and Mark take hold of this album track and the final act of Madonna’s tale of lost love - and ponder the different directions her story could have taken, through the demos for “Has to Be” and the lost “Gone Gone Gone.” Plus, a drive-by discussion of the duet with Ricky Martin “Be Careful (Cuidado)” and charting the growth of Madonna’s formidable songwriting skills. Is Ray of Light ultimately...

Mark and Kenny examine the wild and woolly intricacies of the affairs of the heart (yet again) on the other “pop single” from Ray of Light . Topics include STEVIE NICKS!, Rick Nowels, Matthew Rolston, Goran Višnjić, Luke Slater, Gloria Estefan, Meryl Streep, Ellen Degeneres, and the scattered (and sped up?) promotional performances. There’s nothing left to say … so head on over to a sample sale an...

Kenny and Mark keep their hearts (and, one hopes, minds) open as they explore the inner mysteries and magnificent heartbreaks of THE Orbit/Leonard/Madonna collaboration (and lead single) of Ray of Light . Topics include Carlos Leon, a fortuitous professional break-up letter, the perils of the California high deserts, and those strings … so don’t be surprised when Madonna shows up to sing at YOUR B...

Mark and Kenny bow to the lotus feet of the gurus and stretch into a proper down dog pose to prepare for this spiritual apex to Ray of Light . Topics include yoga classes in the East Village, the power of a flute solo, a first-pass discussion of famed official B-Side “Has to Be” and Madonna’s second, antics-filled appearance on The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Now translate this into Sanskrit!

Kenny and Mark settle back down for a vulnerable chat about the ethereal and charging seventh song on Ray of Light - is following our heart really a very good place to start? What kind of movies should Madonna have been making all along?

Mark and Kenny dive deep - no, really deep - in a warts-and-all conversation about the complicated and confounding final single from Ray of Light . Topics include the musical clash between Marius de Vries and William Orbit, the return of Niki Haris and Donna DeLory, a spin around the East Village with Kruder & Dorfmeister, building an entire video around a literary pseudonym, the one subject t...

Kenny and Mark celebrate a centerpiece track on Ray of Light - including exploring the early “Flirtation Dance” demo and the lost “Revenge” - as well as a rare visit into the studio with Madonna. I’m not like this all the time, Veronica Electronica!!!

Mark and Kenny suck on a bunch of theories as to who (and what) this song is about with a discussion of the many pop princess successors nipping at Madonna’s heels and a close examination of the mystical lyrics to this psychedelic gem. Kenny grapples with Madonna’s relationship with the guitar and Mark makes a shocking prediction for his own future. Also: Enter Guy Ritchie.

Kenny and Mark celebrate the 100th episode of All I Want To Do is Talk About Madonna with a return to the dance floor and a definitive Madonna classic of rebirth and a true return. Topics include the twisty-turning way this song was written, created and re-created, the wild (and golden) video and mega-remixes, Veronica Electronica, and the many, many live incarnations of the song - including a ret...

Mark and Kenny swim to the ocean floor with a deep dive into the career of William Orbit as well as the apocalyptic, riff-filled second track from Ray of Light . Topics include Orbit’s Strange Cargo series, composer Samuel Barber, Torch Song, Laurie Mayer, All Saints and The Beach soundtrack, Gianni Versace, Beth Orton’s Central Reservation , Britney Spears’ Britney Jean , Blur’s 13, David Cronenb...

After making fans wait nearly four years, Madonna delivers what may prove to be her first true blue rock album Ray of Light and commences with a moody ballad (co-written with new collaborator William Orbit) of new credos and fresh religions.  Meanwhile, Kenny and Mark tie up a lot of loose threads as we head into the “Spiritual Girl” era and celebrate the inspiring return of Pat Leo...

Mark geeks out on musical theatre with our Special Guest Dr. Emily Clark, while Kenny grapples with his avoidance of the Original Broadway Cast Album to Evita - and everyone dives DEEP into the long and winding journey Evita took from the stage to screen and Madonna’s biggest (and best?) film performance to date. Topics include: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Julie Covington, Elaine Paige, money n...

Kenny and Mark share further personal stories of heartbreak and sorrow as they celebrate (and critique) the seminal ballads collection from 1995. Topics include: Philadelphia, St. Elmo’s Fire, David Foster, Katherine McPhee, Waitress: The Musical , America’s Next Top Model, the arrival of mixer extraordinaire David Reitzas, Michael Haussman, video sequels, Shirley Bassey, first class seats, Forres...

Mark and Kenny bid adieu to Bedtime Stories with this masterpiece of a ballad. Topics include Babyface, the indispensable Kurt Loder, Emilio Munoz, the influence of “I Will Always Love You,” VH1, Justin Timberlake, and Kenny’s romantic fantasy about Madonna and her directors. The show is over … but there’s also a request at the top of the show to you, dear listeners! Show us what you got!

Kenny and Mark decode (and discover divination!) in the Bjork-penned title song from Bedtime Stories. Topics include Mark Romanek, Kurt Loder, Alison Stewart, Junior Vasquez, the female surrealist painters of yore, and a certain notorious pajama party in the early spring of 1995. Let’s get unconscious, honey.

Mark and Kenny explore what may prove to be THE key track on Bedtime Stories that points the way towards the future. Discussed along the way: Herbie Hancock, Walt Whitman, Mary Oliver, Natalie Imbruglia, Tina Turner, and post-punk cult band Ednaswap (where’s that demo, Anna & Scott?!).

Kenny and Mark share a heart-to-heart about love and vulnerability (and a major appreciation for the song craft of Madonna and Dave Hall) over this pagan to loneliness and romantic disappointment (accompanied by some mournful mandolins), as well as paying impromptu tribute to a singer-songwriter kindred spirit.