Lady Gaga

a riddle, wraped in a mystery inside a thong.

This Lady has me thinking.

It all started when I was watching singer Amanda Palmer’s live webcast, the other night which involved a debate, ‘Lady Gaga friend or foe.’

I think I’ve decided to take the stance of friend. I wouldn’t say I’m a fan, her songs that i’ve heard haven’t compelled me to listen to more, but I do think she’s talented and pretty darn cool.

Based on just her music videos that I’ve seen, I would definitely take the stance of foe. I would say that she is a vapid clone of pop stars before her, taken to the extreme for the next generation.

However I think to fully understand her is to delve deeper into her image.

To look at her red carpet outfits, interviews, biography and live performances she comes off completely different. I think that her record company may have a little something to do with this, I mean who wants the latest ‘hot new thing’ to alienate possible fans by doing something like this;

Possibly she has started out her mainstream celebrity status in a less oddball fashion to gain pop star status, but over time she’s revealing more of her art, sexuality and weirdness.

Either way it worked, every club I’ve been to lately is blasting her music and the more mainstream kids love it, I believe this is her agenda, to get people to pay attention, to have the appearance of a pop star, and then to comment on it.

But if she’s such an artist, why should she have to do things like the Pokerface video and such, I mean certainly they’re injected with her uniqueness but it’s all been done, to say she’s original at this very moment would be rash. Certainly some of her stunts are original, but to be a true original should she be portraying, this ambiguous a parody of pop?

Is this her brand of social comment? Should it be?

The way I see some of her media is like a beautiful woman dressed as a drag queen. (not to bring up ridiculous rumours about her gender) but when you see that isn’t it just “hey that chick’s wearing too much make-up” it’s not any obvious artistic statement about anything, like it could be, it’s just over the top, to a point where it can come across as tasteless. Unless you did it in an underground drag club and overdid it, but the thing is she’s not underground, she on the radio, your mum is listening to her, she’s in magazines etc.

Has this celebrity she has gained made her comments about fame redundant?

Sure she can be shocking, but yeah shocking to who? The boring people. My world, the freaks, artists and outcasts aren’t impressed with this.

she is highly sexualized, but i just wish she would do something hideous, i don’t know what. it’s hard to be shocking when people love ’shocking.’ More specifically i wish she would come out as trash, but to quote john waters ”The Hollywood system stole our sex and co-opted our violence,” what would make me happy is if she took a shit on stage, oh the pleasure that would give me! It would just make confirm that she isn’t Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera or Madonna. Wouldn’t be pleasant for her though I guess….

The one other artist that I see the comparison with, is Marilyn Manson. Complete opposites, and yet strikingly similar. they’re even collaborators

I can see how these two would be drawn to each other, both make a comment of the state about society that seems to be “I am the product of pop culture.” Both are synonymous with the word “shock.”

But they come from opposite ends of the spectrum, Manson doesn’t say ‘fuck’ sixty times in a song because he’s stalling for time, he’s doing it because society will condemn him for it. The point of his brand of shock-rock only exists because it’s what you can’t stand, and it’s in your face. (not including his last two albums which i would say cater to his fans more so.)
Whereas Gaga makes the statement, “Here’s what you want, another lifeless record company pop idol, but I’m in on the joke, I’ll dance around wearing some band aids and a thong, but do you realise that i’m not that, I’m commenting on that, are you in on the big joke?”

Basically Manson says “here’s what you don’t want, why?” and Gaga “here’s what you want and why?”

Gaga is the antithesis of Manson, and both in my opinion are great performers.

She is certainly much more talented than a bland old pop star, if you want proof I would suggest you watch the video of her performing “Imagine” by John Lennon.

I’ve also heard her acoustic sets are great to.

I just wish she would show her songwriting talent off in her music, even her voice is heavily distorted in her songs.

in conclusion, I think she’s going to get weirder and weirder, I think this will lose her some of her fan base, but I really like what she’s all about and more so what she’s becoming. I hope that she drops the dancing around in undies, pretend to hang herself more often and let her freak flag fly.

So what do you think, Gaga, friend or foe?

Over and out, Cal xoxox