Madonna and Deadmau5 Resolve 'Molly' Miami Fest Spat Over Twitter
The EDM leader took issue with what he perceived was Madonna's casual mention of a slang term for the drug ecstasy from the stage at Ultra Music Festival, first calling the pop icon a "f---ing idiot" and later imploring her to "be more aware" of what she represents to young dance music fans.
Like emails, texts and the sitcom Three’s Company, a from-the-stage rallying call can easily be misinterpreted -- in the case of Madonna and EDM (electronic dance music) superstar Deadmau5, when slang, song and drugs collide, the result is one hell of a Twitter rant.
It can’t be called a Twitter war because the divine Ms. M is not an active tweeter, but for the rare occasion of, say, releasing a new album (MDNA, out Monday and already No. 1 in 35 countries), she will indulge her fans -- and detractors -- in a quick Q&A.
That’s what went down late Monday night when Madonna, using the handle @MadonnaMDNAday and the hashtag #askmadonna, sat down at a computer and went to town answering questions like, “What is your favorite place to hide?†(her answer: “In my bathroomâ€) and “Have you ever worn a Snuggie? (“No, but Lola has.")
Among the tweeters was Deadmau5, who was still reeling from a comment Madonna made during a surprise appearance at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival. Taking the stage to introduce Swedish DJ Avicii, Madonna yelled to the crowd, “How many people in this crowd have seen Molly?"
For those in the know (or not), Molly is slang for MDMA, the drug better known as ecstacy. While a staple of all-night dance parties, the kind Deadmau5 might headline, the artist whose real name is Joel Zimmerman took issue with the comment, blasting Madonna in an 800-word rant posted to his Tumblr page and on Facebook, where he called the 53-year-old pop icon a "f---king IDIOT" and questioned, "That's your big message to ultra attendies? hipsterspeak for looking for drugs? F--k off."
Among the strong opinions Zimmerman voiced in greater length was the crux of his argument: be aware of the impressionable youngsters in the crowd. “I have my vices and some of them are probably more harmful than a recreational drug or two,†he wrote. “I smoke cigarettes … I drink a little bit too, which I’m sure has killed more people than double the combined amount of overdoses on any recreational drug you can name…. so, I try to make an effort as not to blatantly condone it in situations where the youngins are around. And trust me, the mau5 horde has plenty of little ones… So, I don’t see the dire need to be a constant dickfuck and stamp my vices all over my media outlets.â€
He continued: “We’ve taken EDM so far in the past decade. It really hurts me to see rampant ADVOCATION of extreme bullshit lifestyles to a genre that spans pretty much any age gap these days. ... Im not pro, or anti drug… but… ill easily let you know that im pro-responsibility.â€
And Zimmerman did not let up a day later, tweeting to @MadonnaMDNAday, “You're a role model to 100's of millions. You have a powerful voice,EDM could use your positive influence, not ‘molly’ talk.â€
@MadonnaMDNAday You're a role model to 100's of millions. You have a powerful voice,EDM could use your positive influence, not "molly" talk.
But rather than engage Zimmerman and the Mau5 horde, Madonna responded by posting a photo of herself with mouse ears (see above) and an explanation, which read: "From one mouse to another. I don't support drug use and I never have. I was referring to the song called 'Have You Seen Molly' written by my friend Cedric Gervais who I almost worked with on my last album ..."
Zimmerman accepted the response with another tweet, writing: “Fair enough, I was just voicing my concerns as I usually do. +1 respect for clearing it up personally.†He later added, "Regardless, just be a little more aware of what you *should* represent at EDM events, and ill watch my mouth."
@MadonnaMDNAday fair enough, i was just voicing my concerns as i usually do. +1 respect for clearing it up personally.
@deadmau5 Communication is always best. You should have called me first, we could have cleared it up "privately." See you on the road.
After several more exchanges, the two came together over a “broken pinkie swear†(illustrated by Madge with another tweeted photo) and in the end, it was she who had the last word. “Communication is always best,†wrote Madonna. “You should have called me first, we could have cleared it up ‘privately.’â€
THR