FACT CHECK: Is this Lady Gaga story true?

Cafe Society
1

I was reminded today about a story regarding young Stefani Germanotta, a.k.a Lady Gaga, which features a budding young singer bullied on FB by her classmates at NYU. I’ve linked there to what I believe is the original story, published by Public Radio International, written by reporter Lauren Bohn. I like this story and find it has a useful “message” (which for me is “don’t let the bastards grind you down.”)

However, an acquaintance told me it was not true, or at least not verifiable, pointing to this article (on some Australian site called The Goat, which does not exactly inspire confidence). Here is some of the evidence they cite for how this story is unverifiable:

Here’s what we know:

  1. The opinion piece says the author found the group when Facebook was ‘only a year old’, which would be around 2005

  2. Lady Gaga was enrolled at NYU until the second semester of the 2005 school year

  3. Facebook was initially only open to college students

  4. Facebook groups have been a feature since at least 2005 – some say since the summer, which would mean they didn’t exist when Gaga was still enrolled

  5. All Facebook groups matching the description were created in the past week

  6. A Facebook page (remember, pages are different to groups) matching the description was created the day after the opinion piece went live

So, Doper detectives, help me find the truth here. Are these “facts” about Facebook and groups accurate? Did Lauren Bohn make the whole thing up and it went viral? (She seems to be a legit reporter who did go to NYU, but who knows?) Did someone created fake FB groups after the fact? Is there any way to verify the existence of this group if FB or the creators deleted it?

Is there any way to verify or debunk this story or will we forever be filled with doubt?

2

I know Facebook was originally open not only just to college students, but students from a select list of colleges. I remember when mine got added and I created an account. This would’ve been 2004, maybe 2005. I seem to remember it used to be “thefacebook” before they dropped “the.”

All of that being said, as far as Facebook was concerned, being “in college” only meant having access to your university email. Depending on the school, you could retain access for months (in my case, over a year) after leaving school.

3

Why would she remember the name Stephani Germenotta years later? I’m not saying it’s a fake story, but I just don’t know why that name would stick in someone’s mind well enough to make that connection years afterward.

4

Sure. Not like it’s an unusual name or anything.

5

Maybe my brain just works differently, but I wouldn’t just remember a random unusual name for a few years without some reason. My memory doesn’t trigger like that.

6

Well, it’s not without some reason. Presumably the tone of the Facebook group got her attention and that is why she remembered the name.

It’s also possible that the name was actually Sheila Götensperk and her memory warped to fit the article she read. Unfortunately Sheila Götensperk never did make it.

7

Sheila adopted the enigmatic stage name Lord Lucid and gained some early attention, but her songs Good Platonic Relationship and Blackjack Torso never became big hits. Her remake of Yentl with Pee-wee Herman was widely panned.

8

:grin:

9

"I also remember one dude posting a flyer for one of her upcoming gigs at a local village bar. He had clearly stomped on the flyer, an outline of his muddy sole [soul] struggling to eclipse her name."

Lol.