Madonna Datebook, Items Up For Auction
July 18, 2001 -- Want proof Madonna was once rejected by a record company?
The Grammy winner was not initially met with a spotlight and a big welcome. After sending out a demo tape in 1981 with the hopes of landing a record deal the aspiring singer was sent back a typed letter noting her potential with a cautionary word. The record company exec said she was "not ready" for an album deal and he would "pass."
The letter is among the pop giants' personal items included on an Internet auction with the bidding starting today. (Check out a slideshow of some of the items.)
On one postcard, the young singer writes in red ink describing her weekend plans. She says school is "OK" but where she wants to be is Manhattan.
"If I can get the money I really want to go to N.Y.C. if not for fame and fortune, at least for the experience," Madonna wrote in 1977. The small item carries a starting bid of $3,500 in the auction organized by Sothebys.com and Gotta Have It collectibles.
She's drawn sketches of spotlights indicating where to add "very dramatic lighting," on a piece of notebook paper for sale that was taken from her Material Girl tour. Madonna indicates the order of the dance routine and when to project, "slides of me looking like [the] Statue of Liberty."
Datebook, Resume Included
The sale coincides with Madonna's sold-out world tour, which is proving there is still plenty of interest in the woman whose initial burst of fame had American teens copying her fashion choices like black mesh tops and rubber bracelets. She'll begin a run of dates in the U.S. this weekend, with her July 21 gig in Philadephelphia.
The actress-singer's career ambitions are documented among items like her 1981 resume, the Roland synthesizer on which she wrote early hits "Borderline," and "Lucky Star" and a date book from the 1980s.
"It's got some phone numbers, it's got some really neat names in there, I believe Robert De Niro's in there, " said collector Pete Siegel. "It's a little insight into basically her daily schedule which was pretty hectic — not as hectic as it is today — but it was definitely a very hectic schedule that she had even back then."
The New York-based collector put together the sale and says he's been compiling the items for a decade. "One of the postcards that's in the auction came from one of her good friends when she was at the University of Michigan," said Siegel. "Another item came directly from one of her bass players in one of her first bands here in New York."
Building the Perfect Career And Body
It wouldn't be a Madonna collection without some fashion. Included are shoes from her role as Evita, and her black bustier from the "Who's that Girl" tour.
But before she wore all the glittery outfits she first had to make it through the door of a record label.
In 1981 music exec Jimmy Lenner sent the letter that's for sale which initially passed on the star. "There's a demo tape [in the auction] that has four or five different songs on it that are unrecorded songs that she had submitted to the record company, which I believe was Sire Records," said Siegel. "And then a little bit later … her first record signing was with Sire so it's very unique to have probably the most popular female in the world, a copy of her rejection letter and the tape that was actually sent in."
For those more interested in learning how the now-mother of two maintains such a tight figure, the auction might provide the necessary guidelines. Her weight training equipment and home gym are up for sale.
ABC Radio's Andrea Dresdale contributed to this report.