Fuck yeah Lady Gaga, American Daydream
by Jackson
When it comes to performance art, I’m a pretty big fan of Lady Gaga (almost as big as these fanatics). For performance and spectacle in art, there is no better person to watch than Lady Gaga. She is like a one-woman disco fire. I went to the concert when Lady Gaga passed through on tour recently, and I’ve been looking forward to the release of the latest music video, “Telephone.”
Lady Gaga walks a fine line. Her performance is extreme, but not so extreme as to mock herself. She is no imitator, an atypical pop star. Lady Gaga pushes the boundaries, and gets away with it. Telephone alone features gratuitous nudity, gratuitous product placements, hair-phones, murder fantasies, and lesbian soft core. Awesome.
Gaga gets away with it all because everything about her performance and persona is bigger than life. Nudity, the screwed up prison system, overconsumption, big trucks, big fashion, Cola, home-style cooking, even the hermaphrodite rumour; it all adds up to a pretty current (if wacky) lens on the mood and psychological state of being in the cultural life of the United States. When everything is crashing to the ground economically, it is no surprise that people turn to an exciting, over-the-top performer like Lady Gaga for distraction. The genius of Lady Gaga is that she understands the need for an American Daydream, and can put it to a dance beat. All you have to do is leave your heart and your head on the dance floor:
I did find the video fun and well done. Very Gaga! Did find the “hermaphrodite rumour” reference great too, in a very “in your face” way.
But having Virgin Mobile everywhere, I don’t like where this is going. I wouldn’t be surprise that Richard Branson (or he’s people) came up with the whole idea. “Let’s plug our phone in the most viewed video ever”.
I love the production value of the video, but still have a bitter aftertaste from the over commercializing of it.
i love it. it’s a wet dream and a nightmare all at once.
the prison yard makeout scene is melting me.
PUSSY WAGON
she just keeps getting better.
also: you start out with the money shot for a reason. that just set us up for the whole video! ahhh so great.
i’m switching to white bread. i will buy anything gaga is selling.
Its the only Lady GaGa song I actually like.
Found the video to have alot of product placements
Made me wonder why Beyonce got bleeped and GaGa didn’t?
it is because of the different images lady gaga and beyoncé have built for themselves. lady gaga has been brazen from day one, beyoncé has always had a sort of wholesomeness. she’s from texas — it’s her southern charm.
the censoring is tongue in cheek and an intentional part of the video. it plays off the gendering of the two characters. lady gaga has been “a bad bad girl,” but she is reminds us of the jailed boyfriend. beyoncé is the woman waiting at home for her lover. all the gender is really wonderfully confused in this video, and the decision to coyly bleep beyoncé and not gaga is a deliberate stylistic element that enhances the narrative of this video!
I did find the video fun and well done. Very Gaga! Did find the “hermaphrodite rumour” reference great too, in a very “in your face” way.
But having Virgin Mobile everywhere, I don’t like where this is going. I wouldn’t be surprise that Richard Branson (or he’s people) came up with the whole idea. “Let’s plug our phone in the most viewed video ever”.
I love the production value of the video, but still have a bitter aftertaste from the over commercializing of it.
i love it. it’s a wet dream and a nightmare all at once.
the prison yard makeout scene is melting me.
PUSSY WAGON
she just keeps getting better.
also: you start out with the money shot for a reason. that just set us up for the whole video! ahhh so great.
i’m switching to white bread. i will buy anything gaga is selling.
Its the only Lady GaGa song I actually like.
Found the video to have alot of product placements
Made me wonder why Beyonce got bleeped and GaGa didn’t?
it is because of the different images lady gaga and beyoncé have built for themselves. lady gaga has been brazen from day one, beyoncé has always had a sort of wholesomeness. she’s from texas — it’s her southern charm.
the censoring is tongue in cheek and an intentional part of the video. it plays off the gendering of the two characters. lady gaga has been “a bad bad girl,” but she is reminds us of the jailed boyfriend. beyoncé is the woman waiting at home for her lover. all the gender is really wonderfully confused in this video, and the decision to coyly bleep beyoncé and not gaga is a deliberate stylistic element that enhances the narrative of this video!
@Ming Wu: Maybe it’s the only GaGa song you dig because she didn’t write it for herself… She originally wrote it for Britney’s Circus album, but the song was turned down. On one hand, I wish Britney had released it, because the demo of her version sounded promising and I’d love to hear the final version that Darkchild keeps to himself. On the other hand, I’m glad GaGa decided to record it herself, because the video is great! If only she’d released an uncensored version without the mosaic over her crotch, life would be perfect…