Mike Tyson Felt Like Madonna Made Him Look Like a Savage in Their Music Video
Mike Tyson and Madonna teamed up to inspire their fans in the music video for the song “Iconic.” Tyson once reflected on this very surprising pairing, and what he really felt about the video.
What Mike Tyson thought of his cameo in Madonna’s music video for ‘Iconic’
Tyson was perhaps as surprised as some fans when he found out Madonna wanted him for a music video. The song “Iconic” was meant to be a sort of inspirational track, urging its listeners to achieve their goals. Acts like Madonna and Mike Tyson are both known for their rags-to-riches story, so it’s easy to see why Tyson’s presence could fit the song’s narrative. But when Madonna first contacted Tyson, appearing on her music video was the last thing he thought would happen.
“I didn’t know what the hell I was going there for. I’m just there having a good time and hanging out with Madonna. She has her producer there and I go into the studio and I didn’t know if she wanted me to talk or rap. I just go in there and start talking. I’m talking about my life and things that I have endured. I’m saying some really crazy stuff. It was really intense,” Tyson once told Rolling Stone.
Tyson ended up being quite pleased with the results of the video. But he did feel Madonna made him out to look wild in the video’s imagery.
“I’m in a cage. I’m a hostage. I’m chained. It’s just crazy. I’m naked. I just look like a savage,” Tyson once said according to TV Line. “But it looks intense, and it’s like ‘whoa.’ But when I [shot] it it didn’t seem that intense. But then you watch it and go, ‘Whoa.’ It looks like one of those [books] National Geographic or something… I need to be tamed.”
Madonna’s music video made Mike Tyson feel like he could do music
Tyson had already conquered the world of boxing, and was looking to mark his presence on the film industry. But being a part of Madonna’s critically praised record made him wonder if he had a knack for music as well.
“Doing the song with Madonna makes me think this [music career] could really happen,” Tyson said. “Most guys that come in there drink a bunch of liquor or smoke 100 blunts. I just went in and boom, one take. Everyone thought it was cool.”
Tyson further asserted that he got into the groove of his “Iconic” cameo by channeling the dictator Mussolini.
“When I did it, I think about being some guy like [Benito] Mussolini and they’re really arrogant, but you try to come from a positive perspective and be uplifting. You watch Mussolini on television — even though we don’t understand what he’s saying — he is so mesmerizing. I look at myself in that way,” Tyson explained. “I know people may say ‘this guy’s a fascist’ and all this stuff, but man, you can take positivity from watching him.”
What Mike Tyson thought about Madonna
Tyson also had nothing but kind words for the “Material Girl” singer, whose objectives he felt went beyond more than just making music.
“She’s trying to do something that since the beginning of time has been the most difficult thing to do: Save the world,” Tyson said.
Describing her as an awesome person, Tyson, who knew a lot about fighting, saw a bit of that fighting spirit in the singer as well. The boxer added,
“I commend her for that. She is a fighter in every sense of the word and from an intergalactic perspective.”
