Universal Mother
‘O’Connor intentionally undermined her pop world ascendancy by spurning the trappings of fame, and this attracted derision from those who could not understand the path she chose.’
via Granta: https://granta.com/universal-mother/
The public watched an artist lean into her self-destructive impulses, seemingly unafraid to lose it all. What drives someone to win awards but boycott award ceremonies, to embrace being mercilessly booed at Madison Square Gardens after selling millions of copies and conquering the charts? She was so happy, in her dressing room, after ripping up the photo. Being a pop star didn’t suit her, she admits in an interview from Nothing Compares. ‘I didn’t throw away any career I ever wanted.’ Celebrity was an endlessly frustrating by-product of sharing a creative self with the world, but she was always willing to let it go.