ResV OpEd - Life is a Mystery…
8/28/24 - by Coach Reslow
Life is a mystery; everyone must stand alone… (Madonna, Like A Prayer, 1989)
I was on a five-mile trek with a friend and the conversation turned to the new Deadpool movie. I like those Deadpool movies a lot. They’re wonderfully obscene and irreverent. Dark humor, with a subtle heart of gold hidden inside. The newest one, and probably the last one, got me thinking (not sure if that’s ever a good thing) and I spilled those thoughts out on the walk. My buddy turned to me and inquired if I could ever just enjoy a movie…
The best movies regardless of style speak to truths that all of us face. The Deadpool movies do this pretty well, considering what they are. Deadpool one - facing death, facing inadequacy, desire to be loved. Deadpool two - desire of acceptance, desire of family and companionship, lost love, meaning of existence. Deadpool three - redemption, dealing with life past prime, friendship, and standing for what you believe in…even if it may be for the last time. All are heavy items that most humans will encounter, if not all.
Ryan Reynolds and his crew were smart to deviate their depiction of Deadpool from the comics, giving the merc with the mouth a small moral streak that is strictly reserved for those he loves. It keeps the movies grounded and allows the adult audience (all three movies are rightfully “R” rated) to enjoy the character saying and doing all the things that come to mind that we could never act on or say, while still showcasing an admirable dedication to friends, family, and doing the right thing...sometimes. The darkness never completely swallows Deadpool, or the audience who watch, whole so it’s an enjoyable ride. Cross reference with something like “The Legend of Sweeny Todd” starring Johnny Depp where the darkness takes us all…you’re left feeling ugly, angry, and depressingly exhausted. Not a fun ride.
Which leads me back to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” references in the third Deadpool and what struck me about it. In 2024, Madonna is basically persona non grata. Her relevancy isn’t the power it was in the 80s and 90s. Sure, she could make a statement or post a video now and the clapping seals would cover it, but her reign as the Queen of Pop is all but gone.
Going back to the 80s, her persona exploded when she was one of the final sledgehammers to the rules of “decency” that music and entertainment were loosely connected too. Sure, there was always controversial bits of art, but they were kept on the perimeter of society and only adults could partake. Envision a cultural Blockbuster Video Store where the adult section of entertainment and music meant going to the room behind the curtain. “Like a Virgin” was the song, the performance provocative, MTV the venue, and plenty of her art that followed were less a young person trying to find love and more an experienced woman demanding what she wanted to explore next. That feel is rather commonplace now, but at the time, it was borderline revolutionary. Madonna wasn’t the sole brick thrown through the window, but she was one of the larger ones.
So, you have this sexualized defiant persona that is marching forward toward fame and fortune. Even her stage name “Madonna” felt a jab at the church, that of which morality is traditionally deprived (at least in the United States anyway). Then, she puts out a track called, “Like a Prayer.” It was a time for her when things weren’t going so hot. Her twenties were gone and she was going through a divorce that was both public and crappy. Pundits lost their minds for all sorts of reasons over the song…but to me, even today, I feel they missed the point. The truth of existence so succinctly put…
Whether your religious or not, there is a timeline for our existence on the planet. Moreso, how you utilize your time is your legacy and when it’s your time to go…well, you stand alone to that judgement. So, for a 30-year-old pop star who’d seen unbelievable wealth and fame from kicking down the barriers put in place by a society constructed on Christian values to suddenly pivoting to this song that defines the existential crisis that every human faces with a request for presence with those same Christian beliefs…well, it was striking.
Perhaps, that was the point of her making that song. Many a pop star fizzled once they enter their thirties and I’m sure Madonna recognized a change in tact had to happen. Just like The Beatles couldn’t keep playing “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” it’s not without reason that Madonna didn’t want to sing “Holiday” well into her forties and fifties. Growth happens and introspection creeps in. Art often is born from necessity, born chasing security…however once you make more money than you could ever spend, that’s when the artist tends to go deep and ask the question we all ask…Why am I here?
Everyone has different beliefs and I’m not claiming to know what anyone truly believes…only myself. I will say that I do love the line, “God uses sinners” as in my mind that means anyone on the planet could become a hero for humanity at any moment. Why do people have change of hearts? Why do some individuals change tracks completely after years of a certain direction? Certainly, I haven’t a clue, but in this particular instance you have a celebrity, just leaving her peak for a second, leaving the ability that we all crave and she earned…to be so wealthy and famous to do whatever we want whenever we want to do it…saying in a song (that song is a hit, always will be, but it also does sound like she is not just asking, but pleading for help in the tune) “Life is a mystery. Everyone must stand alone…” I’m lost, what do I do now?
Madonna would stay in the spotlight for years and years and change styles and beliefs going forward many times. Though this song, this moment, may have been an urgent philosophical question she posed to listeners…it may have been more a final pleading question strictly in her life to the beliefs she knew and grew up with…and likely she didn’t get the answer she was looking for. None-the-less, here in the summer of 2024 in a gory comedy movie where two friends sacrifice themselves for all humanity…understanding this is the final bow, they face their fate with Madonna’s haunting words, “Life is a mystery. Everyone must stand alone…” and we cheer and perhaps cry with emotion.
Why? Well, because it’s truth. Truth is everything these days as it feels there is so little of it. Here, however, we have truth. Life is, indeed, a mystery. When your time comes to exit, you will stand alone. Whether there is judgement from a deity or just nothing, that moment you will have to consider your life and the choices you made. In a world where so many want to use and take, my theory is that if you’re able to chart your course with good faith, knowing that sometimes you’ll make bad calls and sometimes the bad guys will get you, but staying determined to persevere no matter how many times you fall, all while treating all with respect until they give you a reason not to…you’ll be able to stand alone...