# Lady Gaga? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941 "2010-02-06T19:24:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![theman\_31](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@theman\_31](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theman_31)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/1 "2010-02-06T19:24:33Z")
What is with this chick? She is down right nutty, 😕 [http://factoryboi.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/lady-gaga-9309-12.jpg](http://factoryboi.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/lady-gaga-9309-12.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/2 "2010-02-06T19:28:36Z")
She’s rich and wildly popular. Nothing crazy about that. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/3 "2010-02-06T19:31:55Z")
I hater her with a seething, irrational rage. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/4 "2010-02-06T19:41:31Z")
I’ve seen her described as a performance artist, and that makes the most sense to me. Of course, there is no restriction that excludes performance artists from being nutty, too. ---
**Author:** ![kenner116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@kenner116](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenner116)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/5 "2010-02-06T19:54:43Z")
Probably less nutty than 95% of humanity, though. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/6 "2010-02-06T19:59:51Z")
Lady Gaga is a ridiculous character created by Stefani Germanotta. Stefani appeared reasonably normal in an early appearance on a reality show, _Boiling Points_. There’s a youtube video of Stefani here. > **[Lady Gaga On 'Boiling Points' In 2005: Young Gaga Loses It On MTV Reality...](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lady-gaga-on-boiling-poin_n_433083)** > > Lady Gaga On 'Boiling Points' In 2005: Young Gaga Loses It On MTV Reality Show (VIDEO) ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/7 "2010-02-06T20:07:23Z")
Lady Gaga is a performance artist, playing a media game, and doing it very, very well. Here’s her wearing a costume made of Kermit the Frog: [http://www.celebrity-gossip.net/celebrities/hollywood/lady-gaga-kermit-the-frog-cutie-215854/](http://www.celebrity-gossip.net/celebrities/hollywood/lady-gaga-kermit-the-frog-cutie-215854/) She also makes pretty good pop songs, which is a nice bonus. She was great at Glastonbury. Here’s the slow version of Poker Face: [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9xz9h\_lady-gaga-glastonbury-poker-face\_music](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9xz9h_lady-gaga-glastonbury-poker-face_music) Here’s the whole thing in it’s full splendid barking nutterdomness. Note the Candy Warhol stuff. [http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/music/watch/v187151667YBdTDyX](http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/music/watch/v187151667YBdTDyX) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/8 "2010-02-06T20:25:01Z")
Her shtick reminds me Sacha Cohen’s crazy characters. Both performers are pushing the boundaries and love making audiences uncomfortable. Andy Kaufman did the same thing 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/9 "2010-02-06T20:34:29Z")
What, just because she wears ridiculous outfits? What do you actually know about her besides her fashion sense? ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/10 "2010-02-06T22:23:27Z")
What I find a bit confusing about her is that she’s apparently a performance artist because of the wild costumes she wears, but her primary product – her songs – seem to me to be about as mainstream and commercial as it gets. Back in _my_ day, performance artists were generally people who tried (successfully or not) to push the boundaries with their art. Pop stars who dressed funny were generally called pop stars who dress funny. ETA: For example, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, and Elton John in the '70s may have occasionally been described as performance artists, but it didn’t seem to be a ubiquitous prefix to their names. Klaus Nomi would be a better example of a performance artist. EATA: Not that the '70s were my day… ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/11 "2010-02-06T22:31:53Z")
The best example I can think of of a real performance artist actually becoming a (minor) pop star would be New York artist Laurie Anderson’s “O Superman” accidentally reaching No. 2 on the U.K. charts. Ironically she has released many more “commercial” records since, none of which have been hits. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/12 "2010-02-06T22:41:39Z")
So, would you buy Lady Gaga as a singing persona? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/13 "2010-02-07T00:06:38Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Lady Gaga is a ridiculous character created by Stefani Germanotta. Stefani appeared reasonably normal in an early appearance on a reality show, _Boiling Points_. > There’s a youtube video of Stefani here. > [Lady Gaga On 'Boiling Points' In 2005: Young Gaga Loses It On MTV Reality Show (VIDEO) | HuffPost Entertainment](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/22/lady-gaga-on-boiling-poin_n_433083.html) For the record, I would have lost my shit after 30 seconds. I guess she figured she could be [Stefani Gagamanotta, generic Amy Winehouse clone playing indie rock in some bar\* in Soho](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b2C20qN4Ps) or she could be Lady Gaga, multi millionare pop sensation. \* - The Bitter End on Bleeker ST.\* ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/14 "2010-02-07T00:23:36Z")
I find her a breath of fresh air, a change from all these bulging cleavage divas. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/15 "2010-02-07T00:31:12Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > What I find a bit confusing about her is that she’s apparently a performance artist because of the wild costumes she wears, but her primary product – her songs – seem to me to be about as mainstream and commercial as it gets. Back in _my_ day, performance artists were generally people who tried (successfully or not) to push the boundaries with their art. Pop stars who dressed funny were generally called pop stars who dress funny. Gaga has said that her main form of expression is her visual art. Her performances and videos are really great works of visual art. To me that makes up for the mediocre songs because I haven’t seen visual art that exciting and insightful anywhere else. I never saw the appeal of avant-garde fashion until Lady Gaga came along. She uses it express things in ways that I find strangely compelling. If anyone wants to read about the art and substance behind the funny way she dresses, here is a [good article.](http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2009/12/%E2%80%9Cpop-ate-my-heart%E2%80%9D-lady-gaga-her-videos-and-her-fame-monster/) ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/16 "2010-02-07T03:40:46Z")
Bad Romance is a great freaking song. ---
**Author:** ![Keweenaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Keweenaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keweenaw)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/17 "2010-02-07T03:55:56Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I guess she figured she could be [Stefani Gagamanotta, generic Amy Winehouse clone playing indie rock in some bar\* in Soho](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b2C20qN4Ps) or she could be Lady Gaga, multi millionare pop sensation. > \* > > - The Bitter End on Bleeker ST.\* Here is another non gaga performance. From the link it looks like she can actually sing pretty well, unlike many other pop starlets. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NM51qOpwcIM/hqdefault.jpg "Vintage Lady Gaga Live at NYU - Captivated & Electric Kiss") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM51qOpwcIM) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/18 "2010-02-07T06:02:37Z")
From the linked article - > [@](#): > > This is a one of Gaga’s principal aims as an artist; she has said that “It’s the artist’s job to create imagery that matches the music—something powerful that will really grab the audience and create a memorable impression,” and claims that: > “What has been lost in pop music these days is the combination of the visual and the imagery of the artist, along with the music—and both are just as important.” She is absolutely right. A dance song with some lame-ass synchronized dancing video to go with it is just boring and unsatisfying (Janet Jackson, I’m looking at you). The medium is music AND video at this point - if you’re going to do both, DO both, don’t just toss out some half-hearted attempt at a video and call it good enough. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/19 "2010-02-07T06:33:16Z")
Most likely a muppet escaped from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. That, or a Frankenstein assembled from the spare parts of Madonna and Cher. ---
**Author:** ![Negative\_Lite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Negative\_Lite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Negative_Lite)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2010, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941/20 "2010-02-07T07:52:46Z")
She bridges the gap between the authentic and the artificial in an intriguing way. I’d say it’s a return to glam: T-Rex and Bowie with a modern dance sensibility. You don’t often see legitimate female singer-songwriters become international pop superstars. Hopefully she can sustain it better than Shakira or Amy Winehouse have. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga/527941.md?page=2)