Lady GaGa and the "Sociology of Fame": A 60 Minutes Interview with Anderson Cooper

Before the airing of the Grammy Awards this evening, Anderson Cooper interviewed six time Grammy nominee Lady GaGa on a segment of 60 Minutes. It would be one of the first times any of us would get to see and hear this most talked about star in such an upfront and personal way. In his introduction to the piece, Cooper set the scene and wondered aloud what he'd hoped to learn from her:

Her fans are devoted to her. Millions more seem mystified by her. Is she a real artist or a marketing expert? Musically gifted or a flash in the pan?

The interview was in fact a series of discussions that took place over a period of time, each in different settings and each time the singer had new things to add to the discussion of her life.

The first interview took place in London. From the beginning, it became evident that although the paparazzi are incessantly following the star, it's not entirely unwanted. Lady GaGa doesn't do much to deter them, always dressed in attention-grabbing 'regalia' to attract their attention. It's just a small part in her practice in the art of fame.

She's been a student of music and fashion, and by her own admission, fame. A multi-talented performer and lyricist, she's a classically trained pianist and singer, and she's had a hand in writing all of her own songs, six of which have hit #1. Though the music has garnered her legions of fans, Cooper notes that it's the message of self-empowerment and self-acceptance in her songs that strikes the biggest chord with her fans. She sees herself in the faces of her fans, "Little Monsters" she calls them, and she responds to them with a compassion that's real.

For the second interview in Milan, Italy, the outlandish singer showed up in her underwear. "I just didn't want to wear clothes today." This time the discussion centered on the topic of GaGa as a performance artist, how the singer sees herself. Virtually every time she's seen in public, it is her appearance as much as anything that grabs attention. Doing so accomplishes two tasks for Lady GaGa.

For one, many of her appearances, such as the one at the VMA's (when she wore a dress made of raw meat and was accompanied by formerly discharged gay service members), allow her to call attention to issues that she cares about. Other times the outfits are representative of other, more artistic expressions that have inspired her. The other, more calculated rationale for dressing so garishly is that it also works to grab attention away from the singer's personal life, yet another lesson in the study of fame.

GaGa claims to have learned this by watching and studying others who've come before her in what she calls the "sociology of fame." She believes, and I readily agree, that there are many out there who want her to fail. "It's a way of life today," the singer laments. We lift people up high only wanting to see them torn down eventually in some way.

The last visit between the two took place in New York, where the singer first began her unlikely quest for fame. Just a few short years ago, Stephanie Germanotta dropped out of NYU in pursuit of her dream of finding fame. Living in a studio apartment in Manhattan, she played her music in small clubs to get by. It was during this time that she changed her name to Lady GaGa (after the Queen song "Radio GaGa"), which allowed her to leave a lot of her past insecurities behind and finally connect with her stardom. Having grown up in a middle class neighborhood and having what most would consider a 'normal' childhood, one would think that she'd had it all, but she never felt like she fit in, and that's what connects her to her fans. The name change was the one thing that allowed her to break free from that.

"I was able to leave such a massive amount of insecurities behind me by getting rid of that name (Stephanie Germanotta)...and I'm still very insecure in so many ways." She says it was a gift that she wishes she could give to all of her fans. We are all meant to be superstars, she believes, and that's part of the connection she has with her followers that identify with her.

During the interview, Lady GaGa admitted to "smoking a lot of pot and drinking a lot of whiskey" when she writes music. She readily admitted that, she says, because one of the biggest traps of fame is lying and in order to escape that trap, she needs to be honest and not "sugar coat" things. Her fans know who she is and that's all that matters.

In the end GaGa says it is the music that allows her to be all of what she is and more. Her new single, "Born This Way" has already garnered much attention in just two days after its release and her upcoming album of the same name promises to keep the singer on the top of the charts for months to come.

The interviews with Anderson Cooper gave a lot of insight into Lady GaGa, the person. Those who only knew her from her music and her musical appearances on various television specials can now say that they know a little more about what goes on behind the outlandish persona that gets so much attention these days. Like her or not, GaGa is smart, she's talented, and she certainly knows how to play the fame game!