Have you ever had a roommate sell your stuff while you were on vacation? But instead of a ratty couch that won't nearly pay rent, it's super-intimate letters and recordings that you'd never want anyone to read or hear, like, ever? Madonna feels your pain.
Former Madonna art adviser and friend Darlene Lutz wants to auction off the singer's 1995 breakup letter from Tupac Shakur, a glow-in-the-dark rosary and other assorted jewelry, faxed (!) letters from Rosie O'Donnell and other personal items, including cassettes containing unreleased demos and recordings. Madge, understandably, has been trying to stop the auction for two years, but now there are over 70 lots at the memorabilia company Gotta Have Rock and Roll.
Despite attempts, Madonna can't stop the auction, so her collaborator Patrick Leonard — who co-wrote and co-produced albums like True Blue, Like a Prayer, and Ray of Light — has uploaded three demo recordings in an effort to deliver a blow to bidding.
First, there's the "demo of 'Like a Prayer' from the day it was written," notes Leonard in a YouTube caption. There's no gospel choir or guitar and Madonna adds some backing vocals that wouldn't make the final cut.
Likewise, a harmonica-less demo of "Cherish" also from the day it was written." I hope these posts stop the sale of that cassette at auction," Leonard adds. "Not cool at all that someone would sell it. Not theirs to sell."
And finally, the previously unreleased "Angels with Dirty Faces," which Leonard notes on Facebook is "a song I wrote with Madonna for [Like a Prayer] that never made it onto the album."
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