Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Lady Gaga's "Fame"

The more and more popular Lady Gaga becomes, the closer she becomes to being a living proof of her message: that fame corrupts and controls. This video was played at one of her concerts:



There’s something heroic about the way my fans operate cameras. So precisely and intricately, and so proudly. Like kings writing the history of their people. It’s their prolific nature that both creates and procures what will later be perceived as the kingdom. So, the real truth about Lady Gaga fans lies in this sentiment: They are kings. They are the queens. They write the history of the kingdom, while I am something of a devoted jester. It is in the theory of perception that we have established our bond. Or, the lie, I should say, for which we kill. We are nothing without our image. Without our projection. Without the spiritual hologram of who we perceive ourselves to be, or rather to become in the future. When you’re lonely, I’ll be lonely too. And this is the fame."

I think it is interesting how she likens fame to the leadership of kings and queens (her fans) to bring her illusory kingdom. She admits being a "jester", someone who plays games and jokes, no one with any real power.

I don't want to get too far into Lady Gaga philosophy, but I've read many pieces where people believe that Lady Gaga is trying to show us that fame is mind control. For those who have seen it, the Paparazzi video shows Lady Gaga as a slave to the media, killing her boyfriend to gain the limelight back after she had previously lost it. In the Telephone video, she goes on to poison an entire diner full of people while reciting "stop calling, stop calling, I don't want to think anymore", alluding to the fact that she has lost all communication with herself. In one article, someone mentioned that in the video that I posted, Lady Gaga is electroshocked, possibly in an effort to shake her out of her dazed stupor.

The video itself is pretty disturbing, but although the message is cold, it is nice to hear someone acknowledge the illusions of our society in an artful and intelligent way. Is fame just as disturbing as these images?

2 comments:

  1. Here's a (slightly dated) critique--and I mean critique literally--of Gaga. Note the references to Warhol.

    Now read this.

    I'll let you draw your own conclusions, but for the record, I think Gaga has simply glued herself to Ms. Ciccone's tattered coattails. But then again, my wife has called me a grouch. That could be it.

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  2. I can't say why, but recently I've become literally obsessed with Lady Gaga. I'm the type of person who listens to bands most likely no one has ever heard of, so this is surprising to me. While Gaga music is extremely catchy and fun to dance to, its her music videos that hit home with me. They go so much more in depth than anything we could have interpreted from the songs alone. All the videos combine this artsy, beautiful, crazy, yet amplified version of the world we live in today.

    Its clear from her interviews and speeches that she truly appreciates her fame, and most importantly the fans that made her famous. In her videos, I feel as though she's criticizing the stereotypical uses and boundaries of "fame". Clearly she shows fame can corrupt people, but I highly doubt she herself is corrupted by it.

    In conclusion, I ♥ GAGA.

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