Lady Gaga's greatest crimes against good taste
- May 28, 2009 10:10 AM |
- By Arts Online
Illustration by Jillian Tamaki
Pop sensation Lady Gaga first graced our ears last summer with the tune Just Dance. Since then, the diminutive singer has racked up platinum-album sales and a Grammy nomination, all while prancing around pants-less (most of the time). Earlier this week, it was announced that the relentlessly raunchy Gaga would be performing at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto on June 21. Here is a list of Lady Gaga’s greatest crimes against good taste.
1. Her name. Admittedly, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta is a mouthful, but “Lady Gaga” is infantile.
2. Glorifying drunk disorientation. Gaga’s breakout single, Just Dance, chronicled her misadventures in clubland, with lyrics like “Where are my keys? I lost my phone” and “What’s going on? What’s the name of this club?”
3. Making false promises of good pop music. After the infectious Just Dance, Gaga’s singles have become less danceable and more disposable (see: Poker Face and LoveGame).
4. She gives gambling a bad name. Gaga challenged us to decipher her vacuousness, singing, “You can’t read my poker face” in her sophomore single, Poker Face.
5. She gives wigs a bad name. Her poker face is indeed unreadable — it’s hidden behind a blonde helmet that would inspire envy among females in the Legoland population.
6. She wears Halloween costumes all year round. Gaga is like the get-up that prompts the question, “What are you supposed to be?” Seriously, is she channeling fashion crimes from the ‘80s, or is she a really convincing drag queen?
7. Two words: “disco stick.” In the song LoveGame, Gaga states, “I wanna take a ride on your disco stick.” Disco stick (n): a phallic apparatus of Gaga’s invention that makes disco dancing way dirtier than it needs to be.
8. She is profoundly self-absorbed. “Every time you see me, it’s performance. When I’m sleeping, it’s performance,” she told The Canadian Press. We’re sure her REM cycle is absolutely riveting.
9. She made a sociology project out of her newest single, Paparazzi. “[The song] has a real, genuine, powerful message about fame-whoring and death and the demise of the celebrity, and what that does to young people.” It’s nice to know that, in the midst of her celebrity, Gaga still thinks of the children.
10. She has inspired bad parodies. In this mock-recreation of Gaga’s video for Poker Face, a bunch of hairy dudes in blonde wigs sitting around a card table, then a pool. Like Gaga’s own video, it’s irritatingly sustained for four minutes.
-- Katie Hewitt
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Comments (35)
Im sorry, but if you have a problem with Lady Gaga grow up. There is more than enough room for more than one singer in the industry. If her style is as horrifying as you say it is nobody would bother to listen, and if her performances werent up to par then she would be nowhere. All I have to say to whoever wrote this crap article is you should find another job, maybe one where you are actually correct about something. Oh and one other thing her name may be infantile, but do you really think everyone would remember the name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta? Not so much half of the people who keep up to music cant even remember normal names and refer to them by one name only. Britney, Christina, Mariah, Beyonce, and on and on and on. Im sorry your so small minded must be hard to live your life. *Tear*
Haha. Thats funny you have to approve the comments you recieve? Must be affraid of what people might think. Your making me sicker every minute.
Hey David R, I'd like to recommend a book entitled...
"How to not come across as a Total Idiot: Nuance, Punctuation, and the Art of Forming an Intelligent Thought."
Speaking of names, you give Davids a bad one.
all of the reasons you just gave about lady gaga are infintile on your part you self loathing piece of washed up "journalist". jealousy is a disease and i really hope you get better soon. seriously, who the hell takes the time to sit there and think up all of these reasons to not like lady gaga? you're about the only one because from what i read in actual REAL pieces of news/witnessed in person when i saw her perform - she is fantastic, funny, hard working, creative, individual and talented (something the author of the above article is any of, especially the last one). when i see you with number one hit singles, a grammy nomination and the entire world screaming your name, i will retract this statement. bye bye now.
Dunno what Davey's problem is but needless to say, I will be remarkably happy when I never ever have to hear about Lady Gaga ever again
you know what David R, you are doing the same finger pointing by having an alternative viewpoint. Lady Gaga accepts that she may have differing opinions. You should also. Comes with the territory of being a celebrity. You have to admit that this article does bring up some valid points. If you love Lady Gaga, why are you posting on this site. Go to a fan site. There are plenty of those where you can gush about how awesome you and Lady Gaga are and how she is an idol and perfect in every way.
David - relax. This article was intended to poke in you soft spot, you know, your Disco Stick. Gaga is pop music on steroids; she's ridiculously over the top and seemingly deep as a puddle. However, that's what pop is, so don't be all sensy when someone points it out.
As far as approving comments, this is a news site, not your buddies blog. Moderators have to approve content all the time, it's not because your hissy fit is particularly inflammatory.
Tell me the name of one performer that isn't self-absorbed? That is part of being a performer/artist/celebrity - whatever. They are all narcissistic and self absorbed. Goes with the territory.
I don't like her name either. I don't get it. Makes me want to gag.
Not sure why the CBC Art has such a hate on for Lady Gaga. This is about the fourth Blog/article whining about her. We get it. You're not a fan. Move on.
Although I do agree that Lady Gaga is lacking in more than a few areas of sophistication and social edicate, I'd have to say that she is a POP STAR.
Her persona, no matter how much it reflects her true nature or not, is just that a persona. As far as pop music goes, we've witnessed many many more exaples of grosser atrocities than Lady Gaga.
In my opinion Katie Hewitt just sounds like a jelous high shcool girl in this article. Yeah, it's a blog, so just an opinion, but how can you single out one pop icon and grill them over a list of items that are quinticentially pop.
Katie, you need to figure out what the real issue here is. I find your article more offencive than anything Lady Gaga has done. You both are great candidates for illustrating a cliche in your respective fields.
There's nothing wrong with Katie posting her view.
However, if any of you yourselves think that Lady GaGa is a bonafide pop star, then you have another thing coming. She's not a partiularily good singer, simply a good performer. Production-wise, has no one else noticed the same downward note accentuating the start of each verse in both "Just Dance" and then "Poker Face"? There's little variance between her first few hits.
I will admit, "LoveGame" is certainly grating on the ears, but "Paparazzi" is a bit of a changeup and not nearly as aggravating. GaGa has a hot body and a few good dance moves, along with slick, catchy production to her songs.
She's a pop music wet dream...but everyone wakes up from those eventually. And there's unfortunately a little bit of a regrettable mess when you do.
To wit David R; no one expects her to go by her full name. But really, pick something that doesn't sound like it came from the mouth of a mother coddling her child.
"We’re sure her REM cycle is absolutely riveting."
Nice!
You're a journalist that can wash up on my shore anytime.
Riveting absolutely riveting...I must go sleep now. lmao!
This sounds like a sruck up 7th graders review of someon who'd more successful than them.
If you don't like her don't write about her, she's an tist she does interviews to promote her art!
7th Graders review,
At least she's interesting! She's not the little plastic mould of all other pop "stars".
And, unlike almost all of today's pop artists, she actually SINGS every performance, whether live or televised, and openly states that she will never ever lip-synch a song.
Like her or not, she is actually VERY talented.
Honestly, I thin that whoever wrote that article lacks of balls...I have more serious words to qualify Lady Gaga and her ridiculous crap some people dare to call music. Her "music" is cheap, stupid, shallow, boring, immature, naive, vulgar, over rated and still, critics and other equally dumb performers have the guts to call her a "music phenomenon"
There are thousands of bands and artists that can do a better job and write more pleasant and listenable music, the list is very long, and unfortunately no one talks about them.
How a plastic, disposable and easy to forget singer like Lady Gaga can be cataloged as a "genius" when there are bands like The Mercury Rev, Animal Collective, Hood, Battles and hundreds of really talented musicians you can barely hear on the radio?
Music has become a product you can sell in the supermarket, a plastic item comparable to a piece of bubble gum you chew and spit up when the flavor is gone...
I'm a fan of Lady Gaga and enjoyed this blog..cause that's what it is..a blog. It was clearly done for comedy (and opinion of the writer of course). I don't see how this blog should be upsetting. Take it for what it is and move on. Not everyone likes Lady Gaga and lets be honest..there's a lot there to definitely poke fun at!
lots of people with ridiculous names have been around in pop culture since there was pop culture, but particularly since cultures started to cross-pollinate. everyone laughed when dr. dre helped a young rapper from south central make an album using funny names and strange vernacular. 20 years later, nobody in the music business with any brains laughs at the name snoop dogg now.
Lady Gaga is a true artiste who respects the dance pop environment she works in as an art form -- something too few critics ever bother to recognize, never mind her contemporaries. She's intimately involved in every aspect of her creativity, and takes her cues from real artists like Grace Jones and David Bowie. Like Bowie, she understands the importance of image as an art form within pop music. Unlike Britney, Christina, Rihanna, etc., she doesn't have stylists from the underground giving her the latest styles -- she IS from the underground. She is an art school graduate who came up through the NYC club scene -- whereas many of her contemporaries are Disney-show alumnis who barely finsihed high school. All the backtalk on her music just smells like so much dance pop snobbery, but that's nothing new coming from traditionalist music commentators whose double standards have always polluted the way pop history has been documented. 25 years ago, you could have written that infantile list about another artist with outrageous costumes, an educated pedigree, a true understanding of her art form and a yen to make her statements with well-crafted dance pop as her soundtrack -- and that list would have been as irrelevant and unfounded then as it is now. The artist? MADONNA.
this is just the funniest article ever and it made me laugh. It's true Gaga is not the best musician, but whatever we have to have a mix of good and bad. Hahaha but great job on the jokes
1. Her name was given by someone who told her she "so radio gaga" like the queen song. Are you saying you don't like Queen?
2. Yes this is true. Since when was music our morale compasses?
3. Well if you do not like pop yourself, how can you give judgment on such a thing?
4. Gives gambling a bad name? lol are you serious? Look for a real reason.
5. A lot of people wear wigs, Cher wore wigs.
6. Just because she does not wear regular clothes is hardly a reason to not like her. She wears crazy outfits... and? so what how does that effect her music to you?
7. The "disco stick" is an actual thing... its her glowing rod with crystals on it.. she calls it her disco stick.
8. If you listen to her interviews, you would know that she is a pretty humble gal. You would see that yeah, she is a little crazy, but she is just not of a normal person's mentality.
9. With your little dick comment you make it look like she is just humoring someone. If you think she is incapable of making good music with feeling you should listen to "No Floods" or "Fooled me again"
10. You can hardly blame her for that mess. Everything has its parodies.
All in all this is a very shallow list you have made. If you really dislike her so much, why waste the time blogging about her. If someone with a brain who does all of her own shit has finally come along for pop music and you can't stand talent in your pop music you need to get over it. Stop looking at stupid things, like saying, "Her name is stupid so she is stupid." What a stupid reason to hate someone.
Wow, most of you people are obviously closed-minded with your "If you don't like her, don't write about her" stuff. Have you ever heard of critics?
People are entitled to their own opinions, don't bash other people just because you don't agree with them. Seriously, grow up.
All you people who say: "If you don't like her then don't write about her" obviously do not know what blogging is about. People are entitled to say and write about what they think and feel. You don't bash other people just because you disagree with them. If you have a problem with that then you have more growing up to do than you say the writer does.
Everyone has their opinions. But I dont know how you can deny GaGa is talented and unique.
She learned piano by ear at the age of 4, began performing in nightclubs at 14 and was one of 20 people in the world to be accepted into the prestigous NYU Tisch School of Arts
She was hired as a writer before she was signed as a singer, writing for Britney Spears, the Pussycat Dolls, New Kids on the Block etc.
If you listen to her piano performances, theyre absolutely incredible. She has a powerful voice and natural piano skills.
And her style is awesome, different but so avant-garde and futuristic.
She is dedicated to her performance and art. Her show in Montreal was unbelievable, creatively and just the atmosphere she invokes. I've seen people cry during her perfornance. She in fact didn't earn anything on her tour because she spent it all on the tour. I think that shows true passion.
Kudos to GaGa. Better than any lip-synching, talentless, uncharismatic pop trash out there.
I'm neither a lover or hater of Lady Gaga, but I believe this article does make a lot of truthful points about Lady Gaga's presentation and performance.
Her music videos have an amateur feel and sound very similar to other hits. I felt incredibly embarrassed for her (or maybe the crowd) when having watched a clip of her concert. Her voice sounded like it was on the verge of completely falling apart when she sang live, and when it did, she would quickly yell out 'scream!' as a way to hide it. Her non-live voice however, is not too bad.
The other problem is she tries too hard to be different, and it's obvious. Watch her interviews, and her performances etc. and you will see that it becomes very hard to pin point who the real Gaga is because her personality keeps changing. She's all over the place. Some people do have changing personalities (fair enough), but when it's done by Gaga, it seems more like she's desperate to get people to like her, and so it makes her seem a bit fake. She's also made many of the same mistakes previous popular idols have made. But so strangely similar and early in her career, that it almost seems as though it is deliberate as a way to quickly gain attention.
Overall, I think she's _extremely_ lucky to have even gotten this far, because the music industry is extremely strict on many areas which she seems to be lacking in.
If you ask me, I think her popularity is mainly thanks to two things:
1) a lucky first hit,
2) her ladette-like (drunk/stupid/slutty) image, which most young people seem to worship
and the fact that she's this successful (with this image) only makes her more so in the future.
I don't believe she will last for very long, and if she continues, she may be more hated than Britney Spears and Paris Hilton put together (either hated or just plain laughed at).
MC,
I applaud you for such a classy comment that states your case without resorting to some nonsense. I wish there were more people like you.
I'm just not a fan of Lady's Music but I'm not against those who are. Her voice sounds so generic for me and she can't dance very well. I don't think she has that powerful of a voice compared to other female singers at least.
Uhmm.. I for one love Lady Gaga and think you are all immature for commenting on this. Leave her alone she is a mature and respectable artist ok!!
lady gaga is a disgrace to music. With her skanky antics and disturbing lyrics, she provides nothing but garbage to our children! Think about the children. You should be ashamed of yourself gaga lover. Plus her music sucks.
*sigh* Lady Gaga isn't exactly what I would call a phenomenon, the media thinks of her that way probably because of her background with art and pop. It's nothing special, her voice isn't what I would call explosive I could sing all her songs and that's great because everyone wants to be able to sing a song without it being out of their range.
I personally think that she needs to tone it down a little no make that alot. Her controversy ideas aren't what make her famous it's just a load of teens that have found a new star. Believe me coming from a teen, I know. Alot of teens nowadays are just switching back and forth between hip hop, rock, and pop; now it's finally her turn again. But once that sound gets old you can bet it's gonna be hip hop and rock again.
All in all, yes she may be different but I'm not a hater, and I do have the right to say what I want. To all you Lady Gaga groupies and fans, if you don't like this article then dont bother to comment on it if you don't have and opinion other than: "leave her alone", "ur just jealous", "she's talented and ur not". These are the weakest arguments of the bunch and don't hold much merit as people don't pay attention to them anymore.
Disturbing lyrics? What's so wrong with a girl "just dancing" she clearly has talent and claims that she wants to be a role model to her generation. She says such things as, "I have no time for relationships, music is my boy friend." Do YOU know an artist that devoted???? Didn't think so!!! Her music is catchy and almost her entire album now has been on the top 40. Children?! If you have kids, just turn it off around them! There's such thing as censoring you know!
alright gaga lover, how can you tell me her lyrics are not inappropriate for kids. she sings about drunkiness, ignorance, dresses like a total moron. MY 13 year old daughter told me just a few days ago "she wants to take a ride on a disco stick"!!!!!!!!!...and really i cant censor my children to this kind of stuff.. everywhere they go they will hear this junk and lame music. She is a come out of no where, one album "wonder" (which for one i dont think is true). she just backs up the fact to show how incompetent and ignorant our society has become for liking an artist such as her. I for one will not stand for her, she has no talent and does not deserve the career she has. Shes just lucky people are incompetent these days.
i think parents these days just need to be wise and have a firm handle on what things their kids can and cannot listen to. as a teen mother i know that i probably got into the wrong things so i know what i should do for My kids now. i don't think Lady Gaga should be blamed for so much. She is just an artist trying to get by and make a name for herself in the process. i think she is going a great job with her bold image and catchy lyrics! way to go, gaga!
dude will you shut up!!! get off her ass already
I saw this young lady perform and interview on a popular BBC talk show (forget the name)...
She performed 'Poker Face' in a sort of a capella style, accompanied by the piano, which of course she played. I was shocked that her voice is as powerful and accomplished as it is (like many artists of the pop-dance genre, her voice is often filtered, for effect), and her sense of vocal style during that performance was impressively entertaining. I agree with many points the author of this post makes regarding Lady Gaga... There are indeed amateurish and infantile elements to what this budding pop star does (particularly her performances within her videos -- very self-conscious), and the interview portion of the above-mentioned show revealed more than a fair share of immaturity. But! Make no bones about it: She's talented. In fact, she's very, very talented. She writes much, if not all, of her own music... She can play the piano, beautifully, and that's a talent always worth praising, and... She can dance AND sing without breaking up, and thus, she can PERFORM LIVE... All told, I think that as she matures, and she will (she's a bright gal), she will transcend her limitations and perhaps become, deservedly, a Star.
HAHAHA!!!!! This is the biggest bullshit ever!! Clearly the author did not do their research whether you like the artist whoever or not you shouldn't keep HATE in the way and do your damn proper research, Lady GaGa is more amazing than will ever know. THIS ARTICLE IS PATHETIC! There is a difference between being an hateful dip shitted low idiotic asshole and opinion.