- Madonna was once grounded after a "scandalous" performance in her junior high school talent show.
- That's according to her younger brother, Christopher Ciccone.
Madonna was once grounded by her father after a "scandalous" performance in her junior high school talent show, according to her younger brother, Christopher Ciccone.
Speaking to author Mary Gabriel for a newly-released biography about Madonna, "Madonna: A Rebel Life," Ciccone says the incident happened during Madonna's final year at West Junior High School in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Ciccone says his sister and her friend walked out on a strobe-lit stage covered head-to-toe in florescent body paint before proceeding to dance to The Who's 1971 hit "Baba O'Riley."
"She's wearing shorts and a top that are also covered in paint, but as far as my father is concerned, she might as well be naked," Ciccone recalls in the biography.
"According to his strict moral code, her appearance is utterly X-rated, and he puts down his camera in horror," he adds.
Ciccone says the audience was "dumbstruck" and that Madonna's performance was "the most scandalous one that anyone has ever seen in that conservative community."
The star's brother adds that once they got home, their father took her aside and reprimanded her. She was grounded for two weeks, he says.
"When she finally emerges, her face is tear-stained. Her performance is never mentioned again," says Ciccone.
Madonna's junior high talent show wasn't the only time she got into trouble in her formative years, according to the biography.
In the book, Madonna's college friend Linda Alaniz says the "Material Girl" singer landed herself in hot water during their time together at the University of Michigan, where they both studied dance.
"One time, our Afro dance instructor asked for dancers to perform in a church," recalls Alaniz in "Madonna: A Rebel Life."
She continues: "During our rehearsal, the first thing Madonna does is walk up to the pulpit, pick up the microphone, and start singing at the top of her lungs."
Alaniz says Madonna's performance left her and the other students in fits of laughter, but that their instructor was less than happy.
"The teacher went ballistic: 'Get down from there right now, that's sacrilegious,'" Alaniz recalls the teacher saying. "She loved being the center of attention."