.. chat com Madonna II ..

- Which of your songs is the most representative of you, the one that reflects who you are?
Madonna : That's an impossible question to answer. There is not just one of my songs that reflect me. All of my songs reflect me. They all deal with different aspects of my personality.

- What do you think of this: "Madonna is not following the trend, she makes it?"
Madonna : I'd like to think that's true.

-How do you think that your spiritual life has changed and influenced others through all these years of artistic career?
Madonna : I think my spiritual life has been growing over the years and has affected my music and my music affects people. So maybe it's encouraged people to be more introspective and take responsibility for their actions.

- Isn't there a book you recommend about that?
Madonna : There's lot of books I could recommend. There are three I highly recommend. "The Art of Living" by Joseph Campbell, "The Four Agreements" by Ruiz and "The Power of Kaballah" written by Rabbi Berg.

-Do you believe that it is important for a woman to become a mother?
Madonna : I think that being a mother is an incredible growing experience. An incredible strengthening experience, but I don't think you have to become a mother to achieve what you want to on this earth. Going through the birth process and watching that child grow, your whole life changes. You look at everything with a different perspective, a better perspective. Not the "me me me" perspective you have before children.

- What has surprised you most about being a mother?
Madonna : The fact that you're completely responsible for guiding the mind of a small child who is dependent on you. Sometime I think I know everything and my daughter asks me questions and I don't know the answer to. To have a five year old stump me is kind of tough.

- What is your favourite song to sing in the shower?
Madonna : I don't sing in the shower.

-Do you sing in the car?
Madonna : If I sing at all, outside of my professional world, it's songs I sing to or with my kids, and that jumps back and forth from "Who Let the Dogs Out" to that Kylie Minogue song where you sing "La, La, La" over and over again.

-I would like to know if you have other creative sides besides making music, and what you like to do when you don't work?
Madonna : I always seem to be working. I like to write. I started writing a script before I went on tour. Then I started making a film with my husband. Then I started renovating a house. So after that is done, I will pick the script back up and finish it. I like to go clay pigeon shooting and read.

-You've gotten some flack about shooting. Does that bother you at all?
Madonna : No. Everyone says I've gotten flack, but to tell you the truth, I haven't. I'm not a vegetarian. Someone has to shoot the chickens you eat. Everyone seems to be cut off from the fact that the meat you eat is killed. I think when you shoot a bird and are involved with the whole process, you have more respect for it. I could see where people who are vegetarian would have a problem with it, but I don't and I don't want to be a hypocrite. I wear leather shoes and eat duck. At least I'm taking responsibility for it.

-I am really pleased to have a new greatest hits collection from you but why aren't there any new songs in "GHV2"?
Madonna : Because they are my greatest hits. New songs would be false advertising because if it's a new song, it wouldn't be considered a greatest hit. That's a little presumptuous isn't it?

-Being married to a Brit and living in England, do you feel that you've lost "your roots" in a way, or will you always be that Italian chick from Bay City, Michigan?
Madonna: will always be that Italian chick from Bay City. I get homesick when I'm here, but I like adventure and think it's great to move around. I will never lose my roots.

-What do you miss most from the U.S.?
Madonna : It's just different in America. Americans are more straightforward. I miss New York-- the scale of New York. I miss the friendliness. I love how people talk to you on the street. Just assault you and tell you what they think of your jacket. (laughs)

-What music are you listening to right now?
Madonna : I just got a new Kid Loco CD which is awesome. I've been listening to Nick Drake, Dean Martin, and Goldfrapp.

-So much has been written about you, are you or would you consider writing your autobiography?
Madonna: Yeah, but not for another 40 years.

-Just wondering how it feels to know that millions and millions of people are constantly forming and expressing opinions about your life and how you live it? It seems to me like an unbearable weight.
Madonna : It does get on my nerves, that everyone wants to know everything I do, even the mundane things. It seems that people aren't paying enough attention to their own lives.

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