I recently read an article by Douglas Hopper which made me revisit some thoughts I’ve had on Lady Gaga and her role in popular culture.
I’m not a fan of Lady Gaga’s music. Her brand of pop-dance isn’t my thing. But beyond her music, there is something I can appreciate about her. She’s a determinedly different pop star. No one else on the radio is comparable to her in wardrobe, in bizarre music videos, and in eccentricity.
Her most recent video “Telephone” (certainly too NSFW to be linked to here) finds Gaga in an extremely promiscuous prison for women performing racy dance numbers then being bailed out by Beyoncé. The two commit a mass murder at a diner then flee from the police. Please note that there’s much about this video I’m not mentioning in order to ‘keep it PG’.
Who else could be behind “Telephone” besides Lady Gaga? She is an unapologetic rebel. Totally out there – unwilling to conform to anyone’s expectations. I don’t even think I know what Lady Gaga really looks like, whenever I’ve seen her she’s in extensive costume. A disco ball textured dress and mask, covered in stage blood, wearing a hat made out of her own hair – Gaga is impossible to pin down.
If there were an individual to compare to Lady Gaga I would have to point to Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The fellow New Yorker has a wardrobe almost as insane as Gaga’s and (especially in the early punk-rock days of the YYYs) is just as animated in performance.
Even if all her over-the-top imagery – the androgyny, the ultra-eroticism – is merely meant to shock viewers and sell records rather than actually deliver a message, I’m glad there’s a figure in the mainstream that is able to make that imagery happen.
I'm not sure about your labels of "unapologetic rebel". She's not really rebelling at all. Like you said, she's doing what she does to sell records. Is that rebelling against expectations?
Douglas Haddow really annoys me, but I think it's a better way to think about Gaga.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/mar/…
i just found out that Lady Gaga is also a mezzo soprano. she really has a great voice and i love her style. *
I Really like her cds, big admirer of Lady Gaga and after adoring her first few singles I purchased The Fame and then, The Fame Monster, this has got some amazing tracks, I would say this is one of my favored albums.
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