The Deal About Lady Gaga

She has legions of fans (whom she affectionately refers to as her "little monsters") and a number of detractors. She is talented, to an extent. She is sexy, to an extent; but then she is popular and successful far beyond those extents. Does that mean Lady Gaga is getting more than she deserves out of life? No, actually, it does not.

Just among female artists alone, she is OK but not tops. There are better composers, such as Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. There are better vocalists, such as Norah Jones, Vonda Shepard and Hayley Westenra. This is not to say that her Ladyship is lacking in talent; just that she is not a standout in those departments.

Ah, but when you throw in overall performance values, that's where the artist formerly known as Stefani Germanotta rises to the eminence where she now finds herself. In other words, if we still relied solely on the gramophone (after which the preeminent music awards are named) for our entertainment, Lady Gaga would not be that big a deal. As with a good many other talented performance artists, when you throw in the visuals, she becomes a very big deal indeed.

The thing with the performing arts, even when they involve music, is that they are just that: performing arts. There is far more going on than just the running of the artist's mouth. That said, there is a world of difference between the Lady Gaga you may hear on a CD and the one you may see on a DVD. Of course, once her fans get a load of her in concert or on video, they will flock unquestioningly to buy her CDs, almost as soon as they are released. Nice work if you can get it.

While she is an original thinker in some ways, she makes no secret about studying other artists for ideas to further enhance her stage presence. Madonna comes immediately to mind in that regard. In fact, Lady Gaga makes no secret about her showmanship in general. Just prior to the 2011 Grammys (during which she won three awards), she told as much to Anderson Cooper in a revealing "60 Minutes" interview . Please note that, while it is quite informative and considered suitable for network television, the linked profile contains some frank talk and scanty clothing on the part of the subject.

Speaking, both of copying Madonna and being scantilly clothed, Lady Gaga would do well to keep in mind that a little exposure goes a long way. Madonna lost a lot of respect as a musician (some of which she never got back) for the trashy collection of photographs she put out in a book called Sex. The project was sort of like an extended Playboy spread, but without the rabbit. It is one thing to project a sexy image, which both ladies did and do quite well. It is quite another to tell the world that is all you are bringing to the party, which is what Madonna did in that book.

Now, it seems that Lady Gaga is pushing the envelope a bit further with a nearly-explicit photo shoot she did with Terry Richardson. It probably will not do her career any appreciable harm, but I hope it does not cause her to take her eyes off the prize.

I do not wish to imply for a moment that Lady Gaga is all sizzle and no steak. After all, she once showed up in a costume made of meat. Seriously, she actually does have enough talent behind the razzamatazz to justify a good portion of her success. And that is important. Does anybody remember a fellow named William Hung in the early days of American Idol?

He caught the attention of millions of viewers with his brief rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs," even though Simon Cowell cut him off and told him he was no good. What the viewers who enjoyed the performance were channeling was Hung's almost lunatic enthusiasm. What Simon correctly perceived was the guy had no talent. When the adrenaline rush of the audition had passed, Hung showed himself to be as untalented as Simon said he was. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, never seems to lose the adrenaline rush. Love her or hate her, she never simply goes through the motions. Also, for all her glitz, she does imagine herself to be projecting a positive image. She once said, "I'm just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time."

To that end, she recently rallied her monsters, locally and on the web, to email New York State Senator Mark Grisanti to support same-sex marriage, while she was doing a concert in Buffalo. They did so in droves. She may or may not have changed his mind (He was a no-voter.), but she certainly rattled his cage.

And, as to the many people she claims to have studied to get her act together, I would not be the least bit surprised if two of them were named Kander and Ebb. Check this out.

Sources

http://www.ladygaga.com/default.aspx

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/60_minutes/video/index.php?pid=2CqoZA1Jtwb2eEnP2RnC8Y71b_Ao6t9_

http://music-mix.ew.com/2011/02/22/lady-gaga-terry-richardson-explicit-photos/

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/when-lady-gaga-knows-your-name/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Wikipedia

YouTube