On November 21 1992, Madonna’s SEX book was banned in Ireland (a month after it went on sale). The Censorship Board decided that any future shipments of the book should not be sold. Booksellers and fans voiced their opposition, but an appeal of the decision never occurred. Additional copies of the book were never made available, making the ban a silly waste of time.
On October 26 1992, Madonna was featured on the cover of People magazine as one of the Top 10 worst-dressed.
On October 24 1992, Madonna’s Erotica single hit #3 on the Hot 100 in the USA.
Only the one that hurts you can make you feel better
Only the one that inflicts pain can take it away
On October 23 1992, one day after Madonna’s Sex book was released, it was confirmed that in Europe more than 100,000 copies had been sold, another 100,000 in England, 25,000 in France and the book was completely sold-out in Australia, not to mention North America where sales were topping 150,000 after a single day.
On July 27 1992, Madonna was featured on the cover of People magazine and in a feature article about the previous 50 years of teen idols.
Here’s a snippet of what People had to say about Madonna in 1992:
Not Just a Mirror of the Times, Madonna Is a Hall of Mirrors: Temptress, CEO, Atomic Blonde, Fatal Attraction—She Struts a Multitude of Selves Across the Stage – From Brando to Axl, the boys have always had somebody to act out their fantasies of rebellion and stand in for their forbidden selves. Then, in 1984, the girls got Madonna. So what if she had a Betty Boop voice and a smidgen of fat around her navel? She also had lyrics that would have made a black-and-white cartoon blush scarlet. “Unlike the others, I’ll do anything,” she sang in the video Burning Up: “I’m not the same/ I have no shame.” No wonder the nuns at her Michigan grade school used to tape her smart mouth shut. Top it off with clothes that seemed hijacked entirely from Frederick’s of Hollywood. Madonna was the material girl all right, and the material she paraded was spandex, Lycra and nylon net. For millions of teenagers, Madonna was the girl of their disobedient dreams. She had power; they had none. She was free, while they still needed Mom’s permission to stay out past 10. Madonna could afford to call herself a boy toy. This was one puppet who pulled her own strings. Her ambition had muscles; her will had the glint of chrome. Susan Seidelman, who directed Madonna in her first hit film, Desperately Seeking Susan, understood her appeal: “Funkiness mixed with amazing confidence—that’s a real powerful combination, especially for teenage girls.” For some big boys too. Did Sean Penn give her trouble? She dumped him like a smart cookie shaking off a crumb. Warren Realty was the permanent playboy? A few months with Madonna and he went running for the quieter life of wedded bliss—with another woman. “I’m tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want,” Madonna once said. “If that makes me a bitch, OK.”
On June 30 1992, Madonna contributed a remixed version of Supernatural (originally released as the b-side to Cherish in 1989) on the AIDS benefit CD, Red Hot & Dance.
On April 20 1992, Madonna signed a deal with Time Warner to set up her own multimedia entertainment company called Maverick.
The 7-year arrangement (with an option to extend to 11 years) allowed Madonna to run Maverick with her then long-time manager, Freddy DeMann, and have its headquarters based in Los Angeles.
Madonna was advanced as much as $60 million for the deal that included music publishing, television, film, merchandising and book-publishing.
David Geffen said this of the deal:
“Madonna’s deal is certainly extraordinary, but I think she’s a great talent with a great will, and if she wants to do something she’ll do it. She works very hard, takes big risks and stays at the cutting edge of what’s happening.”
Charles Koppelman, the chief operating officer of EMI Records North America, had this to day:
“If anyone is going to get a deal of this magnitude, she is the kind of artist to give it to, she’s the exception: someone who taps into artists and musical genres before the rest of the world does. In other deals where artists get their own labels, such perks are usually window dressing to satisfy their egos. Madonna’s different. I would bet on her to make something more of it.”
The first two projects released under Maverick included Madonna’s own Erotica album and her coffee table SEX book, in October of 1992.
Today In Madonna History 