Madonna's Sex book was released twenty-nine years ago today on October 21, 1992
The most aggressive career self-sabotage that didn't work
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Madonna's Sex book was released twenty-nine years ago today on October 21, 1992
The most aggressive career self-sabotage that didn't work
by Anonymous | reply 73 | October 25, 2021 12:15 PM |
I bought it the day it was released at HMV on the Upper East Side thinking it might be jerk-off material...and it wasn't
by Anonymous | reply 1 | October 21, 2021 11:22 PM |
All I remember is a picture of her hairy pits and another of her eating Vanilla Ice's ass.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | October 21, 2021 11:24 PM |
Thanks to her, we now have at least two generations of no-talent, sociopathic attention whores who will do ANYTHING for attention.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | October 21, 2021 11:27 PM |
I waited too long to purchase, immediately sold out!
by Anonymous | reply 4 | October 21, 2021 11:29 PM |
Eating ass has always been my thing but I was embarrassed about it until she released a photo of her fully made-up face in man's butt
by Anonymous | reply 5 | October 21, 2021 11:29 PM |
Even this many years later it is still unbelievable
by Anonymous | reply 6 | October 21, 2021 11:32 PM |
I always thought this was when she jumped the shark. All the talk surrounding it about opening people's eyes to erotic expression and opening people's minds to new things was just a ridiculous smokescreen: it was just tacky exhibitionism meant to shock to garner cheap attention (but it wasn't very shocking).
by Anonymous | reply 7 | October 21, 2021 11:33 PM |
She was trying to show Sean what a hot, sexy freak he divorced.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | October 21, 2021 11:34 PM |
It was such a mistake, Madonna was at the peak of her career after Like A Prayer and Vogue and then she went and did this shit.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | October 21, 2021 11:35 PM |
Unbelievable? How so?
by Anonymous | reply 10 | October 21, 2021 11:38 PM |
She said in interviews that if Prince released a book like Sex everyone would say "That's Prince."
But if Prince released a book like Sex with him showing his ass with Vanity and Apollonia giving a peek into his freaky sex life, I would be living for it.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | October 21, 2021 11:38 PM |
It was so cheesy. There was nothing sexy about it.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | October 21, 2021 11:39 PM |
I remember this book. Mrs. Davidson down the street gave us copies for Halloween when I was 8.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | October 21, 2021 11:50 PM |
This was her career Showgirls moment. After bragging about how groundbreaking and important and revolutionary this was going to be, it just turned out to be a tacky collection of dirty pictures. I dont think her career ever fully recovered. She looked like a fool and continues to even more now. It was unpleasant enough when she was young and attractive. It's just revolting now that she is neither.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | October 21, 2021 11:54 PM |
Herb Ritts was originally supposed to be the photographer and he would have put together something classic and striking like all of his books
Stephen Meisel sleazed it all up
by Anonymous | reply 16 | October 21, 2021 11:58 PM |
Bought it (Paperback Booksmith), liked it, still have it (and the Mylar wrapper it came in).
by Anonymous | reply 17 | October 22, 2021 12:04 AM |
The spiral binding was really cheap and broke easily.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | October 22, 2021 12:07 AM |
My best straight friend bought it to jerk off to, and complained bitterly how poorly it was put together.
by Anonymous | reply 19 | October 22, 2021 12:07 AM |
[quote] She said in interviews that if Prince released a book like Sex everyone would say "That's Prince."
That's been her tactic for her entire career.
Whenever something she does is poorly received, she invariably blames its poor reception on sexism.
by Anonymous | reply 20 | October 22, 2021 12:08 AM |
[quote]My best straight friend bought it to jerk off to, and complained bitterly how poorly it was put together.
It's amazing what people would jerk off to back in those pre-internet days. You had to take what you could get.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | October 22, 2021 12:11 AM |
He was a big Madonna fan back then, r21--he thought she was the hottest woman alive. What thrilled him was not the porn aspect of it so much as that it was porn with Madonna in it.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | October 22, 2021 12:14 AM |
by Anonymous | reply 24 | October 22, 2021 12:24 AM |
Just a bunch of pretentious smut poorly masquerading as art. In other words, just another day in Madonna's career.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | October 22, 2021 1:16 AM |
I thought it was going to have beautiful, Harrell-type nude photographs. It didn't. The tackiest, most embarrassing part was Madonna's writing. It was like reading the diary of a dim-witted, 12-year-old girl.
Several years ago, thuggish NYC cops raided our sidewalk bookseller for the umpteenth time and confiscated all of his books. I gave the bookseller a stack of my books, including "Sex," so he could get back to selling.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | October 22, 2021 1:26 AM |
I wonder how Isabella Rossellini got wrangled into this scene
by Anonymous | reply 27 | October 22, 2021 1:51 AM |
R2 the hairy armpits photos were in Playboy and her face was in Tony Ward's ass
by Anonymous | reply 28 | October 22, 2021 2:38 AM |
Her career never really recovered after that fiasco. Liz and Freddie should've held her hostage to get her out of doing that stupid book, if that's what it would've taken.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | October 22, 2021 2:40 AM |
It's biggest crime was that it wasn't erotic, or sexy. It could've been anything (artistic, smutty, cheap) as long as it was arousing, and instead it was the biggest boner killer.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | October 22, 2021 3:01 AM |
Honestly rimming only looks good if it's between two cisgender men.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | October 22, 2021 3:05 AM |
I will say that she wisely desexualized herself for decades after this so at least she got the picture. Unlike Janet who kept up the "sex kitten" thing through her 40s, even after the Superbowl incident. And her career did come back--Ray of Light, Music and Confessions were all massive hits globally.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | October 22, 2021 3:20 AM |
The biggest lesson learned is that with all the nudity the sexiest image is Big Daddy Kane in his patterned skimpy underwear ironically
by Anonymous | reply 33 | October 22, 2021 3:45 AM |
This is when she basically started parodying herself. I was a 14 year old and remember thinking "Really?" even then and at that young age.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | October 22, 2021 3:51 AM |
Her career never recovered?? Are you haters fo real? Only another 20+ years of excellent releases.
And guess how much Sex is selling for now, you cunty bitchy cunts.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | October 22, 2021 3:54 AM |
r35 Madonna was the Queen of Everything after Like A Prayer and Vogue. Her career was damaged by Sex, even though it was still very successful. She never retained those heights again.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | October 22, 2021 3:59 AM |
It doesn't seem shocking now when everyone has every porn video and image accessible on their phone at any time, but 1992 America was Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, pre-grunge culture.
Before OJ, before 9/11, before Princess Diana and every other 80s icon died and everyone turned into a cynical narcissistic douchebag.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | October 22, 2021 4:00 AM |
[quote]I will say that she wisely desexualized herself for decades after this so at least she got the picture.
She’s the perfect example of can’t turn a ho into a housewife. As soon as her second marriage ended, the ho jumped right back out of her to pick up where she left off.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | October 22, 2021 8:03 AM |
I received multiple copies for my 22nd birthday that month from friends who knew I was a big fan (at the time). I opened one and kept the others sealed. I sold one for several hundred dollars in 2001 ($400? $599?) when I got a speeding ticket that I couldn't afford at the time. I vowed to hold on to the other two for a bit longer. I hope they retain their value with all the damage she's doing to her legacy.
I felt like she was kinda co-opting the bdsm/fetish scene before it was mainstream for her own gain, but some of those photos were kinda hot and that's what Madonna does -- she co-opt scenes, just like Bowie and others.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | October 22, 2021 8:27 AM |
She should have named it "Sex 101", because as a young, active Gay man it seemed rather like a textbook on the ABCs of sex. Rather basic and pedestrian, but I guess if you were a bored suburban housewife you might find it titillating
by Anonymous | reply 40 | October 22, 2021 9:03 AM |
Some of the pictures are just really bad. Like her pooping/peeing into a bowl? WTF was that?
by Anonymous | reply 41 | October 22, 2021 9:06 AM |
@r40, Depending on your experience level, "Sex for Dummies" might have been another good title
by Anonymous | reply 42 | October 22, 2021 9:11 AM |
[quote] She said in interviews that if Prince released a book like Sex everyone would say "That's Prince
I think that’s a fair enough point but my counter point would be that Prince was always very sexual in his lyrics, not just stage persona snd style of dress. Plus, he was a respected artist.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | October 22, 2021 10:39 AM |
I'm sure Sandra Bernhard secretly wanted to be part of it. She had an edgy image, just posed in Playboy. But Ingrid dove between Madonna's legs ASAP and probably was a big influence on the dykey vibe of the book
by Anonymous | reply 44 | October 22, 2021 7:13 PM |
Big Daddy Kane is obviously glassy-eyed drunk
by Anonymous | reply 45 | October 22, 2021 8:03 PM |
Who here still has an "unslit Mylar" copy of the book?
by Anonymous | reply 46 | October 22, 2021 8:14 PM |
Bored of Madonna haters.
by Anonymous | reply 47 | October 22, 2021 8:17 PM |
Her career was A Star is Born legend until the Sex book and I wonder what her career, legacy and reputation would be had she not done it
by Anonymous | reply 48 | October 22, 2021 8:27 PM |
I have it and what stands out is how retouched the photographs are. The design was ahead of it's time though and still stands up.
by Anonymous | reply 49 | October 22, 2021 8:44 PM |
Is there an audiobook version? Perhaps read by Dame Judi Dench?
by Anonymous | reply 50 | October 22, 2021 8:51 PM |
[quote]It's biggest crime was that it wasn't erotic, or sexy.
I agree. Madonna has a very cold, clinical eye towards sexuality, I find.
The book is a giant 'fuck you' to people, more than an exploration of sexuality, which becomes really clear when you hear the story about how, before she set up Maverick, Warner Bros told her she could only do the book on condition of: no religious imagery, no bestiality and no under age stuff.
So, she sets up Maverick and suddenly the book has pictures of Madonna and religious imagery, with a dog, and a story about having sex with a 14 year old. You can tell she thought she was being so funny doing that.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | October 22, 2021 8:53 PM |
It was more embarassing that provocative. Like people above have said, it just wasn't sexy. Even her backup dancer Nikki said "it WASN'T sexy!".
by Anonymous | reply 52 | October 22, 2021 9:19 PM |
The Gaiety was a gay-for-pay strip club. If she really wanted to show where the real action was happening in the nineties she would have gone to Rolling Stones Ron Wood's former club "Woody's", the Bijou on the Lower East Side
by Anonymous | reply 53 | October 23, 2021 3:44 AM |
But she has beautiful tits.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | October 23, 2021 3:55 AM |
I guess it was a poor career choice, not living up to the hype, and tacky at the time (one of her many bids for attention and controversy). But in hindsight, and viewed outside of the lens of Madonna’s career, I actually like the photos, Big Daddy Kane and Naomi Campbell looked beautiful. I see even the photos of Madonna on a lot of Tumblr/Pinterest/Moodboard type instagram pages, I think in many decades time it will be looked upon more fondly (like how people search for Marilyn Monroe’s nudie shoots), mostly just on a visual level than in terms of people discussing the content or words in it.. more like a vintage time capsule of that part of the 90s.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | October 23, 2021 4:13 AM |
I bought it right when it came out (with the promo Erotica single); one of the metal covers broke off & I can’t put it back on. I like the book, the pics are mostly ok, the writing is ridiculous though.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | October 23, 2021 4:42 AM |
I ended up trading mine in to a bookstore because it didn't spark joy and I didn't want it among my belongings to be sifted through when I die
by Anonymous | reply 57 | October 23, 2021 4:46 AM |
Madge has grown so much since she fucked a dog in that coffee table book!
by Anonymous | reply 58 | October 23, 2021 4:47 AM |
"I gave the bookseller a stack of my books, including "Sex,"
The ones stacked next to the toilet- or the ones on the coffee table?
by Anonymous | reply 59 | October 23, 2021 5:05 AM |
My brother bought me a sealed copy of the Japanese edition for Christmas last year (he's a fellow gay). He's like "you can sell it if you want... but I'd hold on to it!". I am holding onto it.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | October 23, 2021 6:49 AM |
The lesbians in the book were unbelievably ugly.
by Anonymous | reply 61 | October 23, 2021 8:10 AM |
The writing was so stupid, but also nonsensical. The book is meant to have all this gay positive imagery, the letters follow this line of her writing to her boyfriend about how much sex she's having with Ingrid... then at the end she finds out her boyfriend is also having sex with another guy... and she promptly starts making fun of him and insulting him for it? I didn't get it.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | October 23, 2021 8:29 PM |
I've always wondered if Erotica would've done better had the sex book and Body of Evidence hadn't been released. Or were people just tired of her sex antics anyway? Releasing Thief of Hearts instead of that dreary Bad Girl would've helped IMO.
by Anonymous | reply 63 | October 24, 2021 1:00 PM |
I still remember David Spade’s bit on SNL: “Hey, Dad, I wrote a book!” This was accompanied by the picture of Madonna crouching semi-nude over a dog.
by Anonymous | reply 64 | October 24, 2021 1:21 PM |
She boasted or falsely boasted about fucking a 14 year old and then compared her private parts to that of an infant's. Camille alledgedly once caught her trying to make out with a 16 year old. All of these things are completely fucked up. I'm surprised cancel culture hasn't tried to crucify her.
by Anonymous | reply 65 | October 24, 2021 1:35 PM |
There's really nothing left there to crucify.
by Anonymous | reply 66 | October 24, 2021 4:47 PM |
You have to remember - she had also filmed the sexual 'thriller' film Body of Evidence which released just a few weeks after the book. I think she was trying to create some sort of synergy between the two.
Both were awful. Yes, my bf bought it the day it came out - it was really expensive and just very juvenile. Her whole "Dita" shit and writings were incredibly embarrassing and could have been left out.
This is when her fame started to fuck with her head. And it's been a sad depressing downfall since.
by Anonymous | reply 67 | October 24, 2021 4:53 PM |
I was 15 at the time but even I was puzzled as to why she was releasing this. Obviously she was trying to push the envelope more and up the ante with the controversies, since the Like a Prayer video/Pepsi fiasco, Justify My Love video and Truth or Dare controversies had kept her in the headlines.
It's a shame though that all the hoopla over the book overshadowed Erotica, which I think is one of her best albums. And it showed that Madonna didn't really understand that people actually did like her for her music. All the sex stuff was unnecessary.
There was nothing groundbreaking or noteworthy about Sex, which is why it was such a disappointment since Madonna was released at her peak. Blond Ambition and Justify My Love were both bold statements about sexuality but they were also well-conceived and designed. The Sex book was just... ugly. As a poster said above, Herb Ritts would have brought out the sensuality and humour; Meisel made her look harsh and unsexy but I think she was going for the latter anyway.
by Anonymous | reply 68 | October 24, 2021 5:00 PM |
The sexiest thing she could have done is just released the Sex video which was a promo and filled with clips from the photo sessions. It would have been intriguing and you would want to know more about what went on. The book blew the lid off the fantasy and is surprisingly not sexy or even titillating
by Anonymous | reply 69 | October 24, 2021 5:46 PM |
I’ve never thought of Madonna as genuinely sexy or titillating oddly. Charismatic yes but not the other stuff.
by Anonymous | reply 70 | October 24, 2021 6:34 PM |
Madonna was never a real beauty. Much hotter women on the streets of Hell's Kitchen or West Hollywood.
by Anonymous | reply 71 | October 25, 2021 11:29 AM |
I'd say it is comparable to "Satanic Majesties Request." Both were critical flops, but commercial successes.
by Anonymous | reply 72 | October 25, 2021 12:11 PM |
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