Madonna's Brother Provides Backstage Pass

Christopher Ciccone Talks About His New Book "Life With My Sister Madonna"

(CBS)  By Melissa Castellanos

Christopher Ciccone, once a fixture at his sister's side but now estranged, recently released his book, "Life With My Sister Madonna" in which he breaks his silence about their shared past and reveals what Madonna was really like behind the curtain.

"I got a chance to step back, see the whole story of the adventure that I had been on for 20 years with my sister, for 47 years as a family and saw a great story - that's what inspired the book," Ciccone told CBSNews.com. "Some may consider it betrayal of some kind, I consider it my memoirs. I can't tell my story without telling hers. Our lives are completely intertwined."

And when it comes to Madonna, the story always seems to be taking new twists and turns.

This week she kicked off her "Sticky & Sweet" tour in the U.K., splashing images of U.S. presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama on big screens- comparing McCain to Adolf Hitler and Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe and Obama to John Lennon and Mahatma Gandhi.

"I had no contact with her about the latest tour, but have heard a description of it ... sounds way too political for my taste," her estranged brother said. "I long for the old joyful fun days of the 'Girlie Show' when the show was entertaining and uplifting and you felt great when you walked out, not beaten over the head with a blunt instrument."

There were also rumors that surfaced this week of another possible Malawi adoption, which were spilled by her husband, British film director Guy Ritchie.

And the Queen of Pop also held the spotlight, where she thrives, for weeks prior to that.

She rang in her 50th birthday dancing at a club, her face appeared on the cover of New York magazine suggesting plastic surgery, she denied a love affair with the New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez and she defended her marriage to Ritchie. All as her younger brother released his tell-all book.

Like his pop icon sister, Ciccone is reinventing himself.

Ciccone, 47, who spent most of his life in Madonna's shadow - either by choice or obligation as her back-up dancer, personal assistant, dresser, decorator, art director and tour director - is now experiencing a long-awaited epiphany. He is free from the persuasive grip that his sister once had over him, but doesn't have any regrets.

"In my lifetime, I have lived what one person couldn't live in four," Ciccone said.

From their conservative upbringing, to dancing back-up at clubs around Manhattan in the early '80s, toweling her off on tour, being entrenched in her complicated relationships, decorating her mansions or trying to protect her from the paparazzi, Ciccone was consumed by his sister's world.

In the book, "you get to look behind the curtain and sort of see what its like to live it," Ciccone said. "It's also a story of a brother and a sister, a father and a son and a family caught up in all of that fame and the world that exists around it. It's a strange and sometimes horrible thing, but it's a great story."

Having lost their mother to cancer at a young age, the two found solace and acceptance in each other while growing up in Michigan; Madonna, the daddy' s little girl attention-seeker turned rebellious teen and Christopher, a timid kid turned curious teen, who yearned for understanding of his homosexuality.

Wanting to see the world, Madonna headed to the University of Michigan to study dance and then to New York. Ciccone later followed, and the two ultimately filled a void for each other.

Although Ciccone said he cringed when Madonna appeared on MTV singing "Like A Virgin" while throwing herself all over the stage in a wedding dress and crucifixes at Radio City Music Hall, he knew that she was headed for superstardom.

Since Ciccone was so close to his sister when fame came, it didn't come as a big surprise.

"The opening night at Wembley Stadium for the 'Girlie Show,' when 80,000 people stood on their feet and the lights came up. I was standing between that five foot space between the stage and the crowd and you feel that energy rush over you. It almost knocks you over. You know at that point, you're part of something massive. It was at that moment that I really felt that. I was part of creating that show. It was my work on the stage as well as hers. That was a really great moment and that is when I really got it," he said.

[whiskyrokkr]

Madonna is a dirty,rotten piece of human excrement. Nothing more.

[hypnotoad72]

I heard on a morning radio show that Madonna and Christopher were recently in a restaurant, laughing and having a grand old time.

Take that with a grain of salt, but I see no reason for Sleazeonna to have even 15 more seconds of time.

I''m sure she had a point once, even as outrageous as she was, but if she wasn''t before, she''s nothing but shock jock antics these days. (Yeah, I did like the song "express yourself", even if she was singing about flaunting it with everybody... I misread it as "it''s okay to speak your mind". Oops.)

[pvperson]

Just think, one of these days someone will look at this guy and say, "Who''s that dirtbag" and maybe someone will answer, "Oh, he was MADONNA''S brother"

that''s your claim to fame, assshole.

[japes01-2009]

I am a huge Madonna fan but I can sympathize with Chris, especially after re-watching In Bed with Madonna and how often he appeared in that movie and how little she even acknowledged that he was her brother. I mean there is a scene with her Dad, step-mom, and brother all in the same room and if you did not know the family you would have just thought he was a stage hand. Also people should remember that Blond Ambition and The Girlie Tour were two of her most artistic, creative shows that did not have to rely on over the top multi media screens etc, to make it interesting, but instead a cohesive narative, and Chris was the director of those shows. He deserves more credit for some of her biggest artisitic achievements. I love Madonna, don''t get me wrong, but we should all be able to put ourselves in his shoes and completely understand and believe it was a good posibility that she did not treat him the greatest.

[whiskyrokkr]

Madonna is a dirty slime bag.

[whiskyrokkr]

The Lady is a Tramp

[lovesamerica]

Okay, I know people do not care for overweight people but... Madonna looks disgusting!!! I am also around 50, and I think that she looks horrible with all those veins and bones and, tendons sticking out. She was never good, just a good business woman.Eat or be eaten.. She is whacked and will crave attention forever. And like the Jolie saga, will drag more helpless children along for HER ride. I wouldn''t allow her or any hollywood types adopt my child, anyone ever see mommy dearest?

[lazareth-2009]

She is a SSKKankhole. He is no better