Lady Gaga: Artist

I didn't know what to think when I first saw Lady Gaga. It was back in the summer of 2009. I think I was late to the Lady Gaga-party. I was in a bar that played music videos on the TVs and the video for "Poker Face" was on. It was a fucking circus. It was ridiculous. At first I thought she was just a crazy person looking for attention. I didn't think she had any real vocal talent—just the ability to strike interest in the public and sell records. I'll be honest, I haven't really listened to her music all that much. From what I've heard it could be described as above average pop. 

I don't want to talk about her music. I want to talk about her identity. What does she mean to the image industry or the celebrity industry? I was looking at photos of her from the Grammys that premiered a few days ago. It's gotten a lot of press for how odd it was. But I don't think anyone has really spent time to look at it from an artistic perspective. And I think there is a lot to say about her dress. 

First of all, it's not just her dress—it's everything from her make-up, her obvious wig, the star she carried around, and her performance. Let's start with her make-up: really heavy, over-done, clownish. She looks like someone who's never really worn make up. Her wig, as I mention, is an obvious fake. You can see the seam line go down her face. The wig itself is contoured to look like a typical blond bombshell from the 80s—big, platinum, over-the-top—reminds me of Morgan Fairchild. Her face looks like Prostitute Barbie and the thin stocking-like material that covers her arms, hands, legs, and feet make her look like she is wrapped in plastic. 

Her dress has little ringlets wrapped around, like a celestial gas-giant with orbiting bits of debris. The star is like a ninja weapon with pointy ends. I'm sure sitting next to her was a pain in the ass. 

I mentioned a performance—by this I mean her overall countenance for posing for the photos. Her eyes are vacant, mouth usually ajar, as she genuflects on the red carpet. 

All these attributes were preconceived prior to the event because Lady Gaga was making a statement. She was reflecting the vapidity and self-indulgence of a typical Hollywood event. She made her head look spurious—like a Barbie but creepier and without a shred of innocence. Her body itself reflects the massive ego of Hollywood socialites and players to the point where galatic debris has begun to revolve around it. In fact, the ego of the Hollywood socialite is so massive that it in fact is the center of the universe with the star revolving around it, not the other way around. 

In the end, what we have is an fake, hollow, painted shell of a human that is so self-centered that the properties of astrophysics no longer apply. 

I applaud Lady Gaga for her bravery. To reflect the narcissism and emptiness of Hollywood is one thing but to do it and then attend an event that honors them, well, that takes huge balls. Unfortunately I don' t think anyone really knew what she was trying to get at. She remains simply "an eccentric". I think she's brilliant. 


Lady Gaga's examination of depravity in Hollywood is very interesting. I plan on exploring her music and fashion in later entries. There are so many interesting things about her. Even her name is genius to her artistic sensibilities. Gaga which means crazy is an obvious nod to the realm in which she lives. She is the crazy lady. Everyone knows her as this but really, she's just a mirror. The crazy ladies and gentlemen surround her. She understands this dynamic. It's become a part of her psyche. In some ways, her "character" is similar to that of the Comedian from Watchmen. The Comedian was called such because he saw the "true nature" of humanity—it's just a joke. Lady Gaga sees the human nature through a different lens—she thinks we're all bat-shit crazy.