So Far
Back in 2003 video editor Dustin Robertson created the acclaimed Nobody Knows Me remix video set to the music of the Peter Rauhofer Private Life remix for the song of the same name off the American Life album. Condensating the first twenty-three years of Madonna’s career in less than 9 minutes, Nobody Knows Me (Aviddiva Remix) served as both a milestone and a benchmark for montage videos highlighting an artist’s career.
But as Madonna herself would say, there is more, and twenty-three years Dustin was inspired by the exciting dance music explosion – and even more peak success – of Confessions II and decided it was a good time to get to work and not only upscale the original Nobody Knows Me remix video to HD to catch up with technology, but also to update the entire piece and make it complete, correct and current.
And this is the story So Far.
Click here to watch MADONNA: SO FAR (AVIDDIVA remix) (aka “Why she requires $100M+ for her biopic”)
During the summer of 2003, while Madonna was working with me in person on yet another of quite a few projects together, the Hollywood music video edit in my home studio with our dear friend Jean-Baptiste Mondino, at AVIDDIVA on Electric Avenue in Venice, I showed Madonna an early rough cut of my pioneering, trailblazing gay bodybuilding feature film Pumping Velvet, (the first and only gay bodybuilding movie until 2026) In the film I feature a two-minute Madonna montage of magazine covers I had collected over my lifetime of Madonna love to homage her in my life story movie. When it ended, she said, “But there’s more!” “I know but this is a movie about me, Madonna, not you”, I defended and laughed. She continued, “Still… there’s more.”
An hour after she left, I got a call from her manager at the time, Caresse Henry, “I’ve never heard Madonna so quiet. She’s always talking but she was silent the entire drive home from your loft. When I dropped her off, she said, “Call AVIDDIVA and have him put my whole life in order to the Peter Rauhofer Private Life remix of Nobody Knows Me. I don’t want to shoot anything new for that video.” And so, I did. She sent over her daily journal since 1985 with everything she did in order. My gay cousin Matt helped me put it together for over a month and we sent it off.
I get another call from Caresse. Caresse said Madonna teared up after watching it and only had a few notes. “Madonna was even considering performing in front of it for the 20th anniversary of the MTV VMAs coming up but quickly reconsidered as it would have been too self-aggrandizing.” Nobody Knows Me AVIDDIVA remix was serviced to bars and dance clubs globally and I have seen it everywhere, including posted on madonna dot com and Madonna’s Vevo on YouTube. Such a thrilling honor.
That first piece covered her first twenty-three years. Twenty-three years later we are still enjoying yet even more peak success with yet another exciting dance music explosion I’m so inspired by and so passionate about. Well, seems like as good a time as any to get to work and not only upscale Nobody Knows Me remix video to HD to catch up with technology, but let’s update the entire piece and make it complete, correct and current.
Over the past twenty-three years of looking at the old version I saw where I had left important things out and messed up the order on some things. Madonna was so sweet and forgiving about that. She certainly deserves an updated, upscaled, complete career montage a la AVIDDIVA. After all, she paid for this lifetime video montage commission, (I even saved the Boy Toy, Inc. pay stub!) and so I have the honor and privilege of continuing with this commission in 2026 as her artistry, impact and life are certainly far from over and, after all, it is, in fact, my duty to maintain this historical and certainly devotional oblation.
Forty-six years in exactly twenty-two minutes. I love a challenge. If Madonna can keep going well so can I. Let’s do this!
Love Sensation is my favorite track on this album and so I began to assemble a killer soundtrack right as it first dropped in early July. For the next 8 weeks I worked my ass off, around the clock, joyfully in service to my Queen. The one true Queen. As always, Madonna videos fall effortlessly into place for me and I had a blast. I grew up on this to become this. It is my destiny.
I wanted to post this for her birthday, but it simply was not done. I am fifty-four now- this intensity of work on a project was a rather different proposition for me back in 2003. My god I don’t know how she does it! What an inspiration to us all.
And by the way… just like she said last time, “There’s more!” There is always more Madonna. More of absolutely everything to discover about her and her artistry and epic life. There’s no way I could even begin to do her sprawling, one-of-a-kind life story justice in a twenty-two-minute montage. I still have about 8,793 primo still selects alone I wish I could somehow fit into this! But it sure was fun to create my official AVIDDIVA take on her journey. Both back in 2003 and again today in 2026. So much fun! Hope some of my favorite moments are some of yours! She really is such an incredible ball of energy with the most wonderful, open heart. God, I just adore her.
LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!
I do hope you enjoy So Far.
On a personal note, to Madonna: Congratulations for eleven MTV VMA nominations this year! Well deserved. May our First Lady of MTV take home each and every one. As it should be…
Catch up with ya in another twenty-three years, M.
Love, AVIDDIVA
