Jason Dottley Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Madonna’s “Crazy For You” With Newly Recorded Version
Celebrating the 30-year anniversary of Madonna’s “Crazy For You”, Sordid Lives actor-turned-singer Jason Dottley has teamed with Dee Martello (aka DJ Twisted Dee) to recreate the classic as a modern dance floor groove. From the motion picture soundtrack Vision Quest, “Crazy For You” was a #1 hit for Madonna in 1985 (her second, following “Like A Virgin”), replacing USA for Africa’s “We Are The World” on the Billboard pop chart. Jason was 4-years old when the song first premiered. He didn’t discover it until he heard it on the second CD he ever owned, Madonna’s The Immaculate Collection. Jason remembers being immediately drawn to it. “The lyrics speak to my own obsessive nature when I like someone,” he reveals. His version of “Crazy For You” takes the song about compulsive fixation to a whole new level. Musically, it is moodier than the original, and darker, with incredible touches of EDM magic provided by Martello. Where Dottley really adds his own personal and twisted flare is in the music video. “Madonna’s video was basically clips from the film,” he explains. “It opened the door for me to interpret the song in a totally new light.” Jason Dottley’s “Crazy For You” and its music video are on iTunes now.
“I have done some crazy things in the name of love,” admits Jason Dottley from his home in New York. “Getting married was by far the craziest.”
Jason Dottley was married to playwright-filmmaker Del Shores in 2003. At the time, Shores was directing Sordid Lives (Dottley starred in the TV series) and the pair quickly became the poster boys of the gay marriage movement. Their divorce in 2011 caused shockwaves through the gay community.
Dottley says the relationship was similar to that of the two lovers in Vision Quest, the movie that first introduced “Crazy For You”. Most significantly: the 20-year age difference in both couples. In the film, the woman realizes that if she truly loves her young lover, she cannot stand in the way of his future.
“I wish my ex-husband could have been so enlightened,” says Dottley. “I reached a point in my marriage where I could no longer see my own life even 5 days in front of me. For a dreamer, that was a near-death experience. It became clear that my only hope to shine as brightly as I could was on my own.”
He says he never felt freer than the day he walked away from the marriage.
Today, Dottley is a new man, ready for new adventures and a new, exciting love. He’s not taking life as seriously as he used to, as depicted in his new video for “Crazy For You”.
Teaming with director Wes Rolan, Dottley’s “Crazy For You” turns the lyrics on its head. Paying homage to Alfred Hitchcock, the video is shot in black and white and depicts Dottley stalking a guy, watching him alone through his window, and then inserting his own sexual fantasies into the story. His co-star is Drew Shaw, a former medical student turned actor and model. Dottley discovered Shaw while casting for another project. “When I conceptualized this video, Drew was the only actor I could see on screen,” says Dottley. “He’s fearless, wildly intelligent and incredibly genuine.
“And we’re not sleeping together,” he adds.
Shaw is the kind of guy Jason says he can be obsessed with in real life. And, in truth, he may be, but Dottley has too much going on right now to think about tying himself down to a new commitment. He’s busy realizing dreams.
This summer, Dottley will kickoff his first one-man show called “And Then He Called Me Sir” about his life on the Gay-list, being divorced, and over 30 with a penchant for 21 year olds.
He’s also excited to be starring alongside his friend, Amy BonFleur, in “Husband-In-Law” a gay comedy feature film, scheduled for release this fall.
Jason Dottley’s “Crazy For You” and its accompanying music video are on iTunes now. For more information, visit http://www.jasondottley.com.
