Poke Her Face

[pdanielson]

I've got a friend who constantly bugs me about Lady Gaga. Specifically, she continues to insist that Lady Gaga is a great performer, that her lyrics are "full of depth," that she is "innovative," etc., etc. And I continue to insist that I think her music sucks and her performances aren't anything interesting. But I do admit, and have always

Comments

[pdanielson]

1) Not even close. 2) How is this an example of being surprised at someone's talent that you didn't know they had before?

[pdanielson]

He's definitely written some good stuff. I'd call "River of Dreams" a guilty pleasure if I felt guilt for taking pleasure in anything, but I don't so I'll just have to call it a song I like that everyone else thinks is super corny. But come on, greatest singer-songwriter? Lennon and McCartney both fit in that category, as does Dylan, etc. You can't possibly be serious.

[oslo]

I don't think I've ever heard Christina Aguilera prove her worth in the same way that you feel Joan Osborne and Prince have, but I think she probably could, if she wanted to.

I am frustrated by Lady Gaga, because I want her to be the innovative pop star she presents herself as, but the music is just barely listenable. Listening to her improv all over her songs-like she does in most of her live performances-I don't really hear much going on, creatively-speaking, either. I like that she "goes there" in many of her performances and music videos, but yeah, to describe her lyrics as "full of depth" might be stretching things a bit.

What would you need to hear from a hip-hop or rap artist in order to "gain respect" for them? I mean, it doesn't seem to me that they tend to cultivate the sort of vocal abilities or artistic sensibilities that would be compatible with blues, funk, or other genres that provide a better context in which to demonstrate those abilities or sensibilities.

[tacky_tramp]

I don't get it when people try to paint GaGa as innovative and deep, either, and I love the shit out of her music. It's very, very, very good dancepop. It's not breaking any new ground. It's not thought-provoking (with the possible exception of "Monster," which may or may not be about date rape). It's just near-perfect execution of an old genre.

[perfectlylegal]

I agree with this, and thanks for articulating it better than I can, since I am the friend who tries to push Lady GaGa onto pdan all of the time.

I don't recall ever saying she is "innovative", but I like that there is effort put into making her very very good dancepop something that everyone wants to talk about. When I've argued that her songs have depth, I am basing that on hearing so many people's different interpretations of songs (like your date rape example) that are mostly just good for listening to when you are getting ready to go out with the girls. Maybe it's media manipulation, maybe it's her whole kooky image, but there is something about her that is fascinating on a level that other recent pop stars haven't been able to capture for me. She's brought an edge back to pop music, and has given it a darker side, which is raising the bar for all the others out there who are basically doing the same thing she does better.

[pdanielson]

Yeah, Aguilera is I think a different kind of instance where you recognize right away that there's talent there, but for the most part it's wasted on the material she chooses/has chosen for her

Baudriyonce

[inertiacrept]

No examples, but I think this "popstar by committee" shit has only accelerated in the Britney/Christina/Gaga generation. I'm sure there's somebody out there who will eventually be heralded as the International Criminal genius responsible for actually putting these songs together. Britney has never written a song herself and is pretty straightforward about that fact. I imagine the same dynamic exists for the other major stars, including Mariah and Beyonce. I'm less sure about Shakira.

Gaga (the singer, not the face) seems like she could easily be multiple people entirely. This is simulacrum pop.

Puppets! :)

[perfectlylegal]

It's the Illuminati! The occult music industry!

Re: Puppets! :)

[inertiacrept]

I dunno, man. I sort of like that Gaga is just derivative Madonna with a sense of humor. Sense of humor takes boring music and makes it just weird enough. That Telephone video was legitimately weird. The fact that Beyonce signed up for it was legitimately weird. The song was awful but I just muted it and played "Like a Prayer."

Re: Puppets! :)

[perfectlylegal]

Cmon, the song is catchy as hell.

I don't actually think it's the occult music industry. I just like reading about those who do.

[tacky_tramp]

I've always wondered what on earth possessed Joan Osborne to allow "One of Us" to be her first single. It is completely not representative of her body of work. I assume some A&R asshat realized they could milk it to get some fast cash, and she felt the gamble was worth it.

[pdanielson]

Yeah, that would be another post entirely, where the song that gets someone famous is completely different from the rest of their ouvre, although I can't think of other examples off the top of my head at the moment.

[pdanielson]

The tune is catchy, but the concept and video were corny as hell and it was severely overplayed. Perhaps this happened before your time, and so you weren't as oversaturated by it as us older folks.