there is no resisting THE (one and only) lady gaga.
I love her, with all my heart. She is the most genuine, creative and intellectual person in pop music since...John Lennon(?)(!).
That's a pretty bold statement, considering the most popular artist-to-artist comparison is to Madonna, which is a pretty big compliment in and of itself. I think physically the comparison is obvious, and although Lady Gaga has been influenced by Madonna (as well as
Alexander McQueen, David Bowie,
Freddie Mercury,
Kubrick and Maurice Sendak), I don't see that comparison as the most appropriate one. Madonna is an astute businesswoman, relentless, a prolific songwriter, ambitious, and an excellent button-pusher. Madonna and Lady Gaga both got their start performing in the nightclubs of NYC, they're both Italian girls from old-fashioned families, both singer-songwriters...the list is extensive, no doubt.
I see the major divergence between the two beginning with a cultural divide. Madonna has her roots in NYC underground dance culture, and over the years, has departed from that particular scene. If you go to any dance club in New York City you will no doubt hear her music and should you mention her name to the patrons, the odds of finding a Madonna-worshipper are very high.
The worship is in the pudding, so to speak. Madonna's forte is in exploiting sub-cultures and bringing (conveniently) appropriated pieces of them into the mainstream, where they are further dissected, completely without context, until years later they become nothing more than a "hey, remember that time Madonna performed on stage as an Indian Goddess at that award show? Remember all those arms and the bindi? Why were all those people pissed again?" contextomy moment.
To be fair, Madonna has not only done her share of publicly exploring marginalized cultures, she has also supported AIDS charities. I'm sure everyone has a vastly different opinion regarding whether or not lending your celebrity to a cause makes "down" with it. I personally do not think it does.
Having said that, I see Lady Gaga as a genuine person who fully understands her place within gay culture, and understands the significance of not just supporting, but actively taking a part within the movement that (as she reminds again and again) is responsible for her success. She is a rare person, one who gives credit where credit is due, one whose gratitude has no bounds. When Lady Gaga was asked "Over the past year, what would you say has been your biggest pop culture moment?" she responded:
"I think the greatest pop-cultural impact that I hope to have offered is that the gay community is slowly taking over the universe. I think that it's truly remarkable that dance music is now something that is...more normally and readily played on the radio. And in truth I feel that dance music is really something that the gay community fights for and upholds and is sort of the nexus of [the gay community], and there's no joyful community the world quite like my gay fans. Their sense of celebration of freedom and life and love is something I haven't experienced anywhere else. And I am biased because they are my friends, so I guess my goal is to use music as a way to bring all sorts of communities of people together, to blur the lines and to say music has no politics, music has no religion, music has no color, music has no sexual preference, music has no color preference, music is free."
Her response to this question is a great testament to the deliberate nature of her career. Nothing that she does is accidental; everything is well thought out, planned down to the last detail and executed flawlessly. She represents herself only the way in which she wishes to be. There is no convolution when it comes to Lady Gaga. Only ignorant shit talking. And I would feel sad for those people, except I know that it's only a matter of time before they too fall in love with Lady Gaga.
Although I have no long list of qualities for the comparison between John Legend and Lady Gaga, I can only say this: They are both artists well ahead of their time, and yet, they are/were both consciously products of their time. Both are humble, deliberate, pioneering, global forces that cannot be stopped. She, just as her iconic comparison, is changing music and popular culture in ways that we as a generation cannot yet being to process. There is no denying her, only loving her. Resistance is futile.
...last but not least...
My deepest gratitude to BlackberriesToApples for the Bad Romance-Kubrick comparisons, I could not have done a better job myself! I also would like to give thanks to GagaDaily.com for info regarding Lady Gaga's couture outfits in her "Bad Romance" video.
paz y amor a todo.
0 Response to "there is no resisting THE (one and only) lady gaga."
Post a Comment