"In June 1983, Madonna was an ambitious 24-year-old getting some heat on the club charts," writes Rory Satran for i-D. "When photographer Richard Corman met the young singer, she served him bubblegum and espresso on a silver try at her beyond-bohemian walkup on East Fourth Street between A and B. It was, as he puts it, 'literally right before she stepped out and ran into the stratosphere.'"
After three decades, almost forgotten forever in a warehouse, the casual Polaroids of Madonna-on-the-verge are documented in Corman's limited-edition book, Madonna 66.
I love the raw intimacy captured in these photos. They are images of Madonna we so rarely get to see today: innocent, unmanufactured, unguarded. Over the span of her 30-year career, our eyes have been trained to see a Madonna meticulously cultivated and commercialized.
In these photos you can feel her fire and young ambition. "I felt like a warrior plunging my way through the crowds to survive," she has said about those early days in New York.
I remember, as a young girl growing up in the 80s, how much I looked up to her. I related to that "I wanna conquer the world" attitude. As a grown up, I still do.
Madonna's not too happy about a planned biopic of her life. (NYT)
