Thorn in the Brit Awards' Side

Madonna told a Bedtime Story back in '95

The Brits are so polite these days. One reason? There’s no bands left. 

"It used to feel like a school canteen full of rival gangs - now it's a civilised dining room."

My (Everything But the) Girl Tracey Thorn attended the Brit Awards for the first time in decades and wrote a fun essay about them. Back in 1995, she got invited to Madonna's private party at Brown’s in Soho. Both Tracey and Madonna had recently recorded with Massive Attack -- who were up for best album -- and it was the first time Tracey had heard anyone refer to her as “Madge.” (I assumed that Nellee and 3D and Mushroom and Daddy G, no slouches when it came to nicknames, had invented it themselves.)  

And then there was this year: 

There’s less camaraderie, and less rivalry, and the absence of both is what dulls the air. Band camaraderie is infectious, and enlivens an audience – you want to be part of that gang, whether it’s the Rolling Stones or the Spice Girls, the Libertines or One Direction – and bitchy rivalry is entertaining. Blur vs Oasis was silly but funny. Now, admiration and respect are the order of the day. Sam loves James, Ed loves Sam, and everybody is Taylor’s best friend.

Thorn's first-person account of Madonna's plunge is the real gem, though. Read HERE.