Madonna

In this outtake from our April issue exclusive interview with Madonna, the most famous woman in the world gives Out the lowdown, just in time for 'Sorry,' the second single from Confessions on a Dance Floor, to hit the top of the charts.

The song 'Let It Will Be' begins, 'Now I can tell you about success, about fame'' Although I like the song a lot, when I first heard it I thought, Now she can tell us? Hasn't she been telling us for about five years? It seems a consistent theme, this self-examination of fame.

I guess I'm always taking it apart and kind of dissecting it because I'everyone who achieves public recognition'is always at odds with it. One minute you are so grateful that you have an audience and that people are paying attention. Then the next minute you are feeling overanalyzed and intruded upon'life in the fish bowl. But honestly, that part, being observed constantly, I've come to terms with. I ask the rhetorical question now, you know, Is it worth it? It's not really just about me; ask anybody in any line of work, in any station of life'is it worth it, their individual struggle?

But fame is very specific.

Yes, and now it has become a global obsession. So I have come to comment on that obsession. It's so much a double-edged sword. I continue to explore it, because I'm in it for good. And at the end of the song, I say 'Just watch me burn' because it is kind of an illusion, a trick. It can't last. But I am going to blaze out and give the best illusion I possibly can!

Ever notice how people always want the famous to say 'I'm sorry' for their perceived misdeeds?

Oh, yes.

But you never have. You don't beg for love, for the approval of your audience.

I appreciate it, and I'm human'I'd rather be liked than loathed, but I won't beg. I don't think that's good strategy anyway, to apologize. Also, one minute you might regret something, the next you don't. It's always subjective.

Well, you and Elizabeth Taylor, honey. She never apologized for anything.

Oh, she just took what she wanted. Fabulous! She definitely never said 'I'm sorry.' That is not her style.

Let's talk about Hillary Clinton.

OK. Is there something going with her I don't know?

What do you think about her supposed presidential ambitions?

She should go for it, definitely. I don't think maybe now is her time or the Democrats' time, but she should certainly go for it. You've got to start somewhere in terms of women leading the U.S. But Americans are so afraid of that. In Europe and Asia and elsewhere, women have ruled over millions; it's not an abstract or frightening or out-of-the-box concept. But in America, men are still afraid of women. And women, I don't think, trust women. I find that amazing.

I always thought the reinvention term, when applied to you, was kind of cynical. You know, 'See how she manipulates us with her new look, new hair, new sound!'

As if you can remain the same. Nobody does. Anybody can look at a photo album of his life, and there are so many different lives there! Different hair, clothes, jobs, loves. But the reinvention thing is so much a part of what people think, I figured what the hell, I'd use it for the last concert tour title.

For much more from Madonna, pick up the April issue of Out.