Deadmau5, Madonna Feud Rekindled: Producer Calls Her A 'Funky Grandma'

Canadian progressive house producer Deadmau5 (real name: Joel Zimmerman) isn't done bashing Madonna. Back in March, Zimmerman called Madge a "f---ing idiot" after she made a thinly veiled reference to ecstasy use at the Ultra Music Festival.

Though they sort of made up (Madonna made the unbelievable argument that she was referring to an unpopular house song, not to the drug widely associated with electronic dance music festivalgoers, and Zimmerman backed off), a new Rolling Stone article may have re-ignited the feud.

"You can't to be 'hip' and 'cool' and 'funky grandma'?" Zimmerman said. "Fine. It's not my place to say you're irrelevant. If you're going to come into my world, at least do it with a little more dignity."

To Zimmerman, it was a simple matter of respect. "I understand she has millions more fans, and is way more successful than I'll ever be. But it's like talking about slavery at a f---ing blues concert. It's inappropriate."

The cover story -- which hits newsstands Friday -- promises to be a good read. Zimmerman is generally not a fan of interviews and press, having argued extensively with reporters in the past. (Note: Don't call him a DJ .) By giving electronic dance producers like Zimmerman and Skrillex equal billing with rock stars, Rolling Stone is positioning itself as the paper of record for a new generation of music fans.

As he's an artist who has spoken at length about not doing drugs and not making music for people who only want to listen to it while using MDMA/ecstasy, it's understandable that Deadmau5 was offended by Madge. Her album, after all, was titled MDNA, another thinly veiled reference to the drug. And though Madonna is one of the pioneers of electronic dance music, in a sense, her new music is likely to strike Zimmerman as awfully formulaic.

He also took issue with superstar DJ and producer David Guetta. "[He] has two iPods and a mixer and he just plays tracks -- like, 'Here's one with Akon, check it out!" (Guetta has remixed Madonna songs, and much of her last album was produced by Martin Solveig, another pop-house DJ/producer.)

For his part, Zimmerman refuses to produce pop music. He also winks at an awkward moment at last year's Grammys in the Rolling Stone interview, saying that he wants Foo Fighter's frontman Dave Grohl to remix one of his songs. Grohl famously ranted against "computer" music in his Grammy acceptance speech -- only to go on and perform with Zimmerman during the same broadcast.

Deadmau5's reaction? "Because, f--- dance music, you know?"