What is it that fascinates us so much about stories of important artists’ early rejections? Perhaps it’s that they give us hope, or simply remind us that even the incredibly talented among us have to pay our dues. As struggling writers often remind themselves, James Joyce’s Ulysses was passed from publisher to publisher before it finally found a home. Meanwhile, Van Gogh languished in obscurity during his lifetime.
Now, you can add Madonna to that list. That’s right: Millennium Records president Jimmy Iennner made perhaps the stupidest decision of his entire career, writing that while he “enjoyed listening to Madonna” and liked several of her songs, he did “not feel that she is ready yet.” His verdict? “I will pass for now, but I will wait for more.” Of course, Ienner never got a second chance to weigh in on Madonna: Sire released her debut album a few years later, and the rest is pop-music history. Read the letter after the jump.
[via Letters of Note]