A curiosity has come to my attention. Someone pointed out (The
New Republic, April 17, 1989) that the question of the proper place of
Jesus Christ in rock music has reared its head again. The reviewer
pointed out that the question ought to have been settled in the early
1970's by such rock musicals as _Godspell_ and _Joseph and his Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat_. People in tie-dyed long johns told us that
Jesus was a righteous and relevant dude, like H.R. Puf'n'stuf. Now,
this time around, in the reviewer's own words, it's Jesus "Shaft"
Christ. In other words, it's hump-oriented theology (HOT). _The Last
Temptation of Christ_ comes to mind; but it's not true HOT; leading a
normal family life and doing you-know-what is a temptation that he
rejects. Perhaps the leading advocates of HOT at this time are Prince
and Madonna; their support of HOT actually goes back for some time.

        Prince Rogers Nelson (his full name) first. He is a singer and
songwriter, and he can play several musical instruments. He started
out in some local Minneapolis bands and as a session player. His boss,
a fellow named Moon, had the idea of putting a lot of sex into songs
-- that way they can sell. This made Prince rather uninhibited about
that subject, and several of his songs have been rather raunchy. He
got a solo deal in 1981(?), and he has produced about an album a year
since then. Often, he would do most or all of the instrumental parts
(one at a time, of course!) The title of his early album _Dirty Mind_
is an excellent description of what kind of mind he has. One song,
"Sister," is about incest fantasies; another song, "Head," is about
giving just that. Needless to say, not many radio stations were
enthusiastic about playing songs from _that_ album. But he had more
success with later albums, and his album and movie _Purple Rain_ was a
true 1984 blockbuster. _Under the Cherry Moon_ was, however, an
embarrassing flop.

        His style of performing was equally raunchy. In his early
years, he would appear on stage in black bikini briefs and black leg
warmers, and seemingly hump a bed. He was not always well received;
when he opened for the Rolling Stones, he was loudly booed ("Get that
faggot off stage"). More recently, he has taken to wearing ruffled
outfits that make him look like some aristocrat from a couple of
centuries back. And one time, he arranged to have water squirt from
the neck of his guitar (as if it was ejaculating). Needless to say, he
has not endeared himself to conservative moralists.

        And religion? He has not talked about that very much, though
he is apparently sort of a born-again Christian. Yet he believes that
sex can make one close to God. According to him, the title of his 1988
album, _Lovesexy_, is "the feeling U get not when U fall in love with
a girl or boy but with the heavens above." The cover pictures him
naked, though coyly posed, something he interprets as a symbol of
rebirth.  His offering of HOT has gotten mixed results. In a recent
concert, Prince devoted the first set to his raunchier songs,
performing in his usual raunchy manner, simulating sex with his bass
player, etc.  He didn't appear right away for his second set; one
could only see fog and shafts of light. Prince: "I did the first half
like that 'cuz I knew you wanted that. But don't you want something
moooore in your life?" The crowd: "Just SING it, Prince" and NOOO!"

        Madonna Louise Ciccone (her full name) next. She is a singer,
songwriter, dancer, and actress; she can play some instruments: drums,
guitar, and keyboards. She emerged about when Prince did, and she has
made a name for herself as a rather raunchy disco queen, claiming the
title abandoned by Donna Summer in 1980 (_she_ said she had become a
born-again Christian, and also that God had sent AIDS as a punishment
for the sins of gay people). Her songwriting is not quite as raunchy
as Prince's, however, more double-entendreish (check out "Like a
Virgin," for instance). Like Elvis Presley and Prince, however, she
shakes her booty a lot in concert.

        Hints of HOT? Yes. Early in her career, she wore lots of
crucifixes above exposed bra straps and lingerie; she even claimed
that "crucifixes are sexy because they have a naked man on them." In
her "Like a Prayer" music video, she plays a girl who witnesses a
crime and prays to a saint for advice. The girl falls asleep and
dreams of the saint coming to life and making love to her. "As the
choir sings, she reaches an orgasmic crescendo of sexual fulfillment
intertwined with her love of God." Madonna had been raised a Catholic;
some pious Catholics charged her with doing to Catholicism what some
pious Muslims had charged Salman Rushdie with doing (even if not in
those words). The likes of the Rev. Donald Wildmon managed to get
Pepsi to back away from the endorsement deal it had signed with
Madonna. For her part, Madonna is not very religious (at least I get
that impression). Though she (according to her) prays a lot, "I can't
describe the way that I pray. It has nothing to do with religion."
According to her, needless guilt feelings left over from her Catholic
upbringing still make her a Catholic in a sense.

        Her most recent album, _Like a Prayer_, does touch on religion
a bit, but many of its songs are about various members of her family.
There is a song about her strict father ("Oh Father I have sinned"), a
song about accepting the death of her mother ("Feels like a lie|Can't
kiss her goodbye/But I promise to try"), a celebration of her brothers
and sisters, and a song about a tempestuous marriage. Its title, the
traditional vow "Till Death Do Us Part," reflects a path she has
chosen not to take with Sean Penn; she is all too aware of traditional
Catholic dogma on divorce. The most explicitly religious song, "Act of
Contrition," sounds almost blasphemous; this weird-sounding "song" is
evidently about needless guilt. In it, she recites a prayer, then
sings it, then totally screws it up. All to the accompaniment of the
choir on the title song ("Like a Prayer"), Prince's squealing electric
guitar, and a driving, rap-type drum-machine beat. One of the weirdest
tunes I have ever heard in some time.

        Any Prince-Madonna connections? The two have been friends and
mutual admirers for several years; the two even cooperate on a song on
_Like a Prayer_: "Love Song." The two had gotten together to write a
musical, and this song is all that remains of their plans. Despite
shared tendencies towards HOT, Madonna claims that she and Prince
never discuss religion or politics. Well, it's hard to imagine a
born-again Christian and a lapsed Catholic seeing eye to eye on
religion.
                                                        ^
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