However, the music industry – in fact all media and creative industries – are rife with drug use, from top level management right to the front line. Although one shouldn’t suggest applauding Gaga for her honesty, perhaps we shouldn’t be as surprised as the media make out we are.
In a subsequent interview with Q Magazine, Gaga expanded on her interview with Vanity Fair. She said that it helped her creativity, and that ‘Some people find inspiration in dark places. I guess I’m one of them.’
She did highlight that now she had found her creativity and inspiration, she only took cocaine ‘a couple of times a year’, and that she was not ‘some chick on the road getting high a fucked up every night’.
Gaga has also said however that her father saved her from addiction in her earlier years in the industry, when she says she would spend hours alone in her New York apartment taking Cocaine, her music of choice being UK band The Cure.
According to reports, her father looked at her one day and said ‘You’re fucking up, kid. I just wanna tell you that anyone you meet while you’re like this, and any friend that you make in the future while you are with this thing, you will lose’.
Her father did not explicitly mention drugs, and Gaga thought ‘how does he know I’m high right now?’, however the message – according to Lady Gaga herself – stuck.
Always steeped in controversy, we cannot know for sure what is true about Gaga’s drug use – both past and present – however it would be wise for fans and the media to concentrate on Lady Gaga’s positive points, rather than spend too much time highlighting the issue further.
Chapter 7
Gaga – Lord or Lady?
One of the more unusual aspects of Lady Gaga’s career to date has been the speculative rumour-mongering surrounding her anatomy.
From the earliest times she appeared on the wider music scene, some people have posed the question ‘Is Lady Gaga actually a man?’ Perhaps starting as a joke, but with the power of the internet helping the rumours spread, the question became a topic that went side-by-side with Gaga’s early fame.
Some people took the rumour to extremes, posting pictures (often heavily edited’, hinting that a bulge in a certain place may be something that a lady shouldn’t have. Some set up entire websites devoted to the issue (one must wonder how much time these people have on their hands!).
The extent of the rumours can be seen simply by using Google – at the time of writing, if one types ‘Lady Gaga is’ into the world’s favourite search engine, the first result suggested ends with ‘a man’.
It could be argued that there a many things one would want to know about Gaga – ‘is mad’, ‘is a musical genius’, ‘is a fashion icon’… but the power of Google’s ‘intelligent’ search algorithm’s has deemed the ‘question of her gender’ as the one we are most likely to be looking for answer to.
Of course, Lady Gaga is as media savvy and commercially aware as they come. She has used the rumours as extra publicity (surely a more intelligent approach than denial!), even conducting a fashion shoot dressed up as a man.
Most sane people consider the rumour to be madness; the type of urban legend which perhaps only the most famous of all stars attract – mars bars, sharks, saxophone solos and faking death are urban legends well known to those at the upper echelons of fame.
Many people still – in the modern age in which we live – would perhaps answer ‘so what?!’ Surely one should concentrate on the music and fashion Gaga has brought – and continues to bring – to our culture.
Chapter 8
A Modern Fashion Icon
Apart from her music, Lady Gaga is perhaps best known for the fashions she wears – always interesting, always extreme.
Gaga has not fallen into the trap many up and coming starlets do, posing in skimpier and skimpier costumes until there is nothing left but bare flesh. Although Gaga has posed in some very revealing outfits, the images that stick in many people’s mind are those of her outlandish costumes, whether on stage, at an award ceremony, and even out in public.
In the same way catwalk models often wear costumes that are extreme versions of what then become popular high-street styles, Gaga is always at the forefront of fashion. Whether it is a tattoo, stylish make-up or an extreme dress, Gaga always gives her fans something to emulate.
Elements from many cultures and styles make their way into Gaga’s fashion wardrobe, mostly chosen or created by her friend and fashion director Nicola Formichetti, an editor on several fashion magazines and a consultant for a number of leading brands.
Bondage-style outfits are a particular feature often seen (especially in her live performances and videos), and yet one must say that the message that comes across is not necessarily sexual. Perhaps this is Gaga’s secret; the ability to un¬-sexualise with one hand, and yet be an object of desire with the other.
As with her music, inspiration for Lady Gaga’s outfits often comes from the glam rock era, with many of her make-up styles and costumes possessing a certain Ziggy Stardust quality.
Many words can be used to describe various elements of her style – camp, avant-garde, glam, kitsch, extreme, scary, revealing – but perhaps only one word can describe her style as a whole – Gaga!
Chapter 9
Better than Madonna
For those for whom Lady Gaga is not the first stylish, controversial female artist to appear on their radar, comparisons will inevitably be drawn with Madonna.
If we look back at Madonna’s career, we do see many similarities – an Italian American, full of creative ideas, always wanting to create new styles and – quite often – cause as much controversy as possible.
However, where Madonna would raise hackles in certain ways (such as her video for Like a Prayer which featured burning crosses and a black Jesus – which middle America was not ready for at the time!), Gaga appears to have a more mature approach. Her ‘shock tactics’ can be interpreted as thought-provoking messages, designed to make the individual question morals and beliefs. Madonna on the other hand seemed determined to offend as widely as possible. Although Gaga posed as a nun, holding a rosary and dancing amongst flames, the ‘offence’ was perhaps not as direct as Madonna’s efforts – although the Catholic Church did still accuse Gaga of provocation.
One cannot forget – of course – Madonna’s book ‘Sex’, in which she posed nude in various situations. Whilst the possibility still remains that Gaga will do something of a similar nature, she has (so far) remained within the boundaries of taste (at least, as they apply to today’s modern and perhaps more liberal world).
Many similarities of course can be drawn between the two however. Both provocative, both eccentric and both innovative, they are also two very confident women. Both have used androgynous imagery in videos (Madonna with Vogue and Justify my Love, Gaga with Alejandro).
However, Lady Gaga has something that many have accused Madonna of not possessing – the ability to sing extremely well. Many times through her career, Madonna was accused of mining and poor vocal style (often by those within the highest ranks of celebrity themselves), whereas all those who have heard Gaga’s vocal talents agree she is a master of the voice.
Perhaps Gaga has analysed Madonna’s ability to generate PR, cause a media storm, and use it to help her career – after all, she proved at school and university that she had the ability to theorise and analyse on a whole host of subjects.
Maybe it is best to suggest that Lady Gaga is ‘standing on the shoulder’s of giants’, and that maybe one day a new talent will arrive, perhaps with the benefit of a leg-up from Gaga’s own experiences.
Chapter 10
Lady Gaga in the News
Lady Gaga appears to be one of those music stars who crosses from the media, culture, gossip and review sections of the newspapers right over to the front pages.
A simple news search of her name turns up some f
antastically bizarre stories:
Madame Tussauds spends $2.4 million on eight Lady Gaga Waxworks (courtesy of Reuters)
Lady Gaga holds a séance to rid her of a ghost called Ryan that has been following her (Thank you Australia’s Herald Sun)
Lady Gaga wears a meat-based outfit (almost every news site reported on this!)
Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay calls Lady Gaga ‘A Freak’ (Toronto Sun)
Lady Gaga smothers herself in fake blood as she transforms into gun-toting Cruella de Vil (Daily Mail)
Yet some stories actually show her in a very human light; one report from London’s Metro paper tells us that Gaga sung a version of the Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter to a couple she met in a pub who had recently got married. Apparently, one of the couple rushed back to the hostel they were staying at to grab a guitar when Lady Gaga offered to sing a song to further their celebreations. It is hard to suggest this would have been a PR stunt, as no reporters were there at the time. Of course, the Metro couldn’t resist dropping in a couple of Gaga oddities, mentioning in passing that she likes to pretend she gets murdered on stage, and bites the heads off Barbie dolls at her gigs.
Another example of her feet still being firmly planted on the ground is when – according to the Daily Mail – Gaga noticed some fans waiting for her outside her Dublin hotel, and, realising how cold it was, asked her security guard to count how many fans there were so she could buy hot chocolate for them all; she then sent down a cup to each fan who was waiting for her!
Even politicians cannot resist the opportunity to namecheck Lady Gaga when they can. The Rural Affairs minister for Wales (a country which is often seen – wrongly – to have a backwards-looking rural and farming industry) said ‘I want Welsh farmers on their tractors listening to Lady Gaga on their iPods and comparing beef cost-to-price ratios on their iPads in their local mart!’
Amazingly, ‘performance artist’ Yoko Ono has even claimed that Andy Warhol predicted Lady Gaga’s style, encouraging her to dress up in outfits similar to today’s star many years ago, but she declined.
It seems that almost every week, one can search news sites for ‘Lady Gaga’ and find more and more bizarre stories. This is perhaps the genius of this modern-day star – to be able to think of new ways to entice the media into running yet another story on her. It is hard to get bored of reports like this when such crazy stories are told; one wonders where Gaga will go next…
Chapter 10
The Future
So what does the future hold for Lady Gaga? Where can she go from here?
Only a naïve individual would suggest that Gaga is out of ideas. With a creative team behind her, fuelling her own talents, this is still likely to be an early stage in her career.
Some singers come and go, but it appears that Lady Gaga is here to stay. Whilst others rely on management execs and talent-shows on TV to give them their PR, it seems that Gaga is her own PR machine, always thinking of innovative new ways to interest the public.
Latest reports suggest that Lady Gaga is recording a new album, called ‘Born This Way’ at the world-famous Abbey Road studios in London. One wonders whether this is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the hermaphrodite rumours, or perhaps a simple nod to the notion that some people are born with the fame gene, that elusive ‘X Factor’.
Whether in the world of fashion, of music, or of front-page headlines, it will be no surprise to see more extravagant and extreme stories about today’s biggest pop star. Regardless of what they are, it is most likely to be fascinating finding out…
Chapter 11
Discography
Studio Albums
The Fame (2008)
Tracks:
Just Dance
LoveGame
Paparazzi
Beautiful, Dirty, Rich
Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)
Poker Face
The Fame
Money Honey
Again Again
Boys Boys Boys
Brown Eyes
Summerboy
I Like It Rough
The Remix (2010)
Tracks:
Just Dance (Richard Vission Remix)
Poker Face (LLG vs. GLG Radio Mix)
LoveGame (Chew Fu Ghettohouse Fix)(featuring Marilyn Manson)
Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) (FrankMusik “Cut Snare Edit” Remix)
Paparazzi (Stuart Price Remix)
Boys Boys Boys (Manhattan Clique Remix)
The Fame (Glam As You Remix Radio Edit)
Bad Romance (Starsmith Remix)
Telephone (Passion Pit Remix)
Alejandro (The Sound of Arrows Remix)
Dance in the Dark (Monarchy ‘Stylites’ Remix)
Just Dance (Deewaan Mix)(featuring Ashking, Wedis, Lush & Young Thoro)
LoveGame (Robots to Mars Remix)
Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) (Pet Shop Boys Edit)
Poker Face (Piano & Voice Version Live at the Cherrytree House Sessions)
Bad Romance (Grum Remix)
Telephone (Alphabeat Radio Edit)
Album / EP
The Fame Monster (2009)
Tracks:
Bad Romance
Alejandro
Monster
Speechless
Dance in the Dark
Telephone
So Happy I Could Die
Teeth
EPs
The Cherrytree Sessions
Tracks:
Poker Face (live at The Cherrytree House) (piano & voice version)3:38
Just Dance (live at The Cherrytree House) (stripped down version)
Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) (electric piano & human beat box version)
Hitmixes
Tracks:
LoveGame (Chew Fu Ghettohouse Fix) (featuring Marilyn Manson)
Poker Face (Space Cowboy Remix)
Just Dance (RedOne Remix) (featuring Kardinal Offishall)
Paparazzi (Moto Blanco Remix) (radio version)
The Fame (Glam as You Remix) (radio version)
Just Dance (Robots to Mars Mix)
LoveGame (Robots to Mars Remix)
Singles
Just Dance (2008)
Poker Face (2008)
Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) (2009)
LoveGame (2009)
Chillin (Wale ft. Lady Gaga) (2009)
Paparazzi (2009)
Bad Romance (2009)
Telephone (2010)
Alejandro (2010)
Promotional Singles
Beautiful, Dirty. Rich (2008)
Christmas Tree (2008)
LoveGame / Poker Face (2009)
Dance In The Dark (2009)
Poker Face / Speechless / Your Song (2010)
Music Videos
Just Dance (2008)
Beautiful, Dirty, Rich (2008)
Poker Face (2008)
Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say (2009)
LoveGame (2009)
Chillin (Wale ft. Lady Gaga) (2009)
Paparazzi (2009)
Bad Romance (2009)
Video Phone (Extended Remix of Telephone)(2009)
Telephone (2010)
Alejandro (2010)
Image Attributions
Chapter 1 - Image under Creative Commons license courtesy of Stephen Carlile
Chapter 2 - Image under Creative Commons license courtesy of Flugger
Chapter 3 - Image under Creative Commons license courtesy of Michael Spencer
Chapter 4 - Image under Creative Commons license courtesy of Michael Spencer
Chapter 5 - I
mage under Creative Commons license courtesy of Stephen Carlile
Chapter 6 - Image under Creative Commons license courtesy of John Robert Charlton
Chapter 7 - Image under Creative Commons license courtesy of Kate_XO
Chapter 8 - Image under Creative Commons license courtesy of Domain Barnyard
Chapter 9 - Image under Creative Commons license courtesy of John Robert Charlton
Chapter 10 - Image under Creative Commons license courtesy of Aphrodite_in_NYC
Chapter 11 - Image under Creative Commons license courtesy of John Robert Charlton
Also Available
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