[FM] Acoustic Unplugged Madonna on Letterman

[Larry Hoyt]

Just a quick footnote for the on-going chapter "Acoustic Guitars in
Popular Music and Culture":
When Madonna appeared on the David Letterman show Friday night, Nov. 3,
she played one new song of hers, accompanying herself on acoustic
guitar.  Her guitar teacher, also playing acoustic guitar, filled in
with some fancier licks and lead.

The Material Girl told Letterman that she was just a novice at
re-learning the guitar, in part because she wanted to be able to compose
her songs on her own.
After reminding the audience several times not to laugh at her
tentativeness on the instrument, she played through a repeating chord
pattern (D Am C G) for a song that could pass for pleasant neo-folk.

For the Pop Artist who helped create StageShow Pop in the mid-Eighties,
and continues to re-invent herself every other day, I thought it was an
interesting choice for Madonna to perform on Letterman in such a simple,
stripped-down format.  
Believe it or not, I actually found it kind of touching to see Madonna
struggling to demonstrate her basic guitar chops on national TV.  Her
performance reminded me of all the times I've seen novice
singer/songwriters go up on stage and perform at an open mike for the
first time.
But I do wonder - was this acoustic performance just a one time quirk,
or will there someday be a whole "unplugged set" from Madonna?  It kind
of boggles the mind to imagine such a thing, but I'd rather hear it
first before I pass judgement.