But, the part that bugged me the most was Courtney writing that Madonna's ambition, sass, and shrewdness "does not equal great art".  If I had to go to someone to describe great art to me, the last person on Earth I'd go to is Courtney Love, so I honestly don't know what the hell she's talking about, but let's consider her argument for a moment.

Madonna, from the get-go, never claimed herself to be original per se (and being "original" is what most people think of when they think of a genuine artist).  When interviewers would ask Madonna where she drew her inspiration from when it came to her fashion attire (circa 1983/1984), which was all the craze at the time, Madonna would always give due credit to others.  She would consistently tell interviewers she was basically wearing the clothes and fashion accessories she would see kids on the street wearing in New York's East Village.  Puerto Rican kids, punks, and the graffiti artists she would hang out with would be the people she would mostly credit with the inspiration for what she was wearing.

This is an important factor to consider, since "originality" was never truly a part of Madonna's origins as an artist.  But, honestly, is anything truly original nowadays anyway?  Not really; almost everything we see nowadays has been done before.  Madonna is no different.  Madonna was never the first female artist to break taboo's, women like Janis Joplin and Joan Jett (to mention a couple) had come before her.  Madonna was never the first female artist to incorporate sexuality into her songs (Donna Summer and Debbie Harry had done it before Madge).  So, what, then…if anything new…has Madonna offered?

Madonna's originality doesn't really stem from any one single factor, it is the combination of what Madonna put together that became her originality.  She isn't just about the music, she isn't just about the image, she isn't just about the acting (or her desperate attempts at it anyway), she isn't just about the songs which merge sexuality/romance/love into catchy little pop ditties, she isn't just about the controversy, she isn't just about her offensiveness, she isn't just about her borrowing of underground music---she is about all of it (and then some).  It is in Madonna's ability to merge all the different worlds of culture, music, sexuality, media/imagery, politics, and controversy into one artist (herself) that is Madonna's originality.  This is the uniqueness that Madonna offers to pop culture, something that Courtney seems to not realize.

This is how Courtney's argument fails.  Madonna's ambition, sass, and shrewdness may not have been anything original---but it is what Madonna became (through her own drive and vision) that is original.  Other female artists can only hope to have a tenth of the impact Madonna's had on pop culture.  It's not necessarily that they are talentless, or anything of the sort.  An artist like Gwen Stefani, who's been around for over a decade now if you count her work with No Doubt, is one of the most talented people out there---but in her appeal to the masses, one can't help but think Madonna has done it all before.

Many times when I see Gwen's videos, or hear her musical arrangements, I am reminded of Madonna because Gwen embodies so much of what's made Madonna such an appealing artist.  Gwen is sexy, smart, independent, talented, has a decent enough voice (I would argue, on par, with Madonna's limited range), and fun.  But, there's a difference between the two, which is all too apparent.  While Gwen has progressed musically, I would argue that what she represents has remained the same.  Madonna, on the other hand, has not only progressed musically (with a few exceptions), but has evolved image-wise accordingly as her career has progressed from one stage to the other.  Over time she has been the rebel, the sexual savior, the mother of controversy, the anti-Christ, the messiah of gay liberation, the slut, the first lady of yoga, the cowgirl, the ex-patriot, the empress of the Kabbalah, the "Dancing Queen", so on, and so forth.  I doubt anyone could say the same for our wonderful Gwen.

The problem in Courtney's words, then, is that she fails to see the bigger picture of how Madonna creates art.  It's easy enough to miss, but it's something Madonna's loyal fan base has recognized for some time now.  It is Madonna herself that is the art.  I guess this is why when Madonna says, "Je suis l'art" with a wink to one of her fellow dancers (translation: "I am the art"), though the expression is said with playfulness, she knows exactly what she's talking about.  By Madonna making herself the art, she offers something new to the pop spectrum.  She ends up transcending music, media, imagery, and art itself all together by making her life the art.

Pretty damn impressive if you ask me.