Sharon Oreck: Like a Prayer, Behind the Scenes

As previously mentioned on AbMad, “Video Slut,” from writer Sharon Oreck reveals the behind-the-scenes secrets of some of Madonna’s most popular videos.
In her book she explained that a passel of cops showed up on the set of Madonna’s“Like a Prayer” video, thinking the 20 petroleum-soaked flaming crosses made out of asbestos were part of a hate crime, she was the one who had to convince them otherwise.

In a recent interview for website salon.com, she talked about her love for Madonna… www.absolumentmadonna.fr

Salon: Even though you often seemed grossed out by some of the ’80s excess, you write that “Madonna made narcissism look hot.” I get the feeling reading this that she is one of the few characters you unabashedly adored.
Sharon Oreck: Oh, beyond. I absolutely love her. I hate the term “empower,” because it’s so wrongly appropriated by, for example, strippers, but she really did empower me, because she just took power so unapologetically, in my presence, just over and over and over. I had a lot of strength in that world, but she was so powerful. I’ve never before or since seen anyone like that.
Salon: She stabs herself on a cactus and keeps dancing. She jumps from an Olympic high-dive herself, rather than using a stunt double. That sounds like the exact opposite of pop-princessy behavior.
Sharon Oreck: She didn’t even flinch, with this giant cactus stuck in her foot. She has the worker ethic. Everything she did with her life, she took everything that could have gone wrong and made it a positive thing. She had an almost scary religious background and she turned it into something positive. She took all the Catholic guilt and turned it into this incredibly rigorous pro-sex liturgy; she turned it into her own religion.