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I never quite understood the appeal of Lady Gaga until I saw HBO’s Monster Ball Tour concert special from Madison Square Garden last night. It showcased her versatility as a singer, songwriter, musician, and dancer and not just another Madonna-wannabe novelty act. But her message of personal empowerment really came through loud and clear, punctuated by poignant behind-the-scenes lines like, “You know how many times I came to this arena, and now they’re opening these gates up for us?” or “I still sometimes feel like a fucking loser kid in high school,” or her description of the pushback she encountered at NYU’s Tisch School Of The Arts. A well-edited, well-directed Haus Of Gaga two hours on a pay channel I used to watch all the time and now hardly at all. Better programming, please.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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I had the same reaction. Was no fan (wasn’t an anti-fan) of hers. Before this, I have always liked her stands on political issues where she acted and just didn’t pay lip service. And while her music isn’t for me, after this special, I REALLY like the woman.
And I agree with you about HBO. It is rare to find good television there (they do have some). It’s like they became the MTV of pay cable.
Ragging on HBO, really? How a/b we start with ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. Then get around to HBO. ‘kay?
How “a/b” we don’t abbreviate five letter words.
Lady Gaga is not only the most vital, original, and important artist in the world, she is also a spiritual leader. I also think she’s the only major celebrity I would like to actually meet. Her broad range of compassion empowers voices around the world and her gender and identity messages are strong and needed. I hope she would even laugh at this:
Lady Gaga Admits: “I’m Not A Hermaphrodite But That Would Be Cool!”
http://wp.me/pKBYM-iR
Our world is in a truly bad state if that’s the case.
Buddha, Jesus, Ghandi, Lady Gaga. Yeah, I see your point.
Wow…put down the Kool-Aid and wake up. Reading words like “original” and “spiritual leader” just made me want to throw up. She’s the most self-absorbed musician out there. She’s a spectacle and she’s wants attention. Without her gimmicks, her music wouldn’t stand on it’s own. Fact.
I have to disagree. If you look past the crazy costumes-the music does stand on its own. Opinion. (Yours is an opinion, too. But my comment couldn’t stand on its own if i just used it to point out your incorrect terminology.)
HBO is always a hit or miss with me, but GAGA has and always will be a winner. She has got to be the most original and talented artist this generation has seen since Madonna. The messages, the songwriting, and her humanity could not have been better portrayed than in this concert special. For all those who couldn’t afford a ticket to the ball, this is a godsend. Can’t wait until a Blu-ray is released of this fantastic concert!
Wow. I’m stunned. That was one of the most narcissistic performances I have ever seen from a pop star. And that’s saying something.
Her entire message seemed to be, “You losers need an idol to worship, and I am that idol.” And her, “Someday you can be up here too” speech was just pure bull#&!@. And she well knows it. The fact is, you can’t. It takes a nearly impossible degree of luck plus a superhuman ruthlessness to get to the point where Lady Gaga finds herself today. More power to her, but your average audience member has a better chance of winning the Powerball than fulfilling the type of “dreams” that she claims to believe they can fulfill.
I wonder, however, did it ever occur to her that maybe not everyone’s idea of living a dream is playing a concert at Madison Square Garden, that there are actually other forms of success and self-fullfillment than achieving an extraordinary level of pointless fame? (Which in most cases, including I expect hers, will be not only pointless but fleeting.) Apparently not.
Wow – who pissed in your cornflakes?
Amen, scribe9.
Now – granted it is not even remotely the same type of music, but I was thinking this a couple of years ago: when the James Taylor/Carole Kind concert sold out 3 nights at the Hollywood Bowl they were there to celebrate – and the fans to enjoy – music that had been first released some 40 years earlier. It still captivated the audience and they were in fine voice because they had not spent close to half a century shouting instead of singing. I wondered then and I did now after striking a glancing blow at the Gag HBO event: will her music and her antics have ANY relevance 40 years from now. Will she launch a nostalgic Meat Suit tour? Will people want to hear what Justin Beiber has to sing about in 40 years. Will anyone even care about Ke$ha? NONE of these artists have shown me any sort of commitment to their craft other than to strike in the moment, clutch and the instant fame, and grab as much money as possible.
When Gaga proclaims she was “Born This Way” does that mean she was born to rip off Madonna’s stage act and music? (wow is that song too close for copyright comfort in my book) And perhaps Gaga should look at the very act she is stealing from as a cautionary tale Who the hell CARES about anything associated with Madonna these days? Any new music? Any new “acting?”
Amen to that! Maybe Madonna is making a small cut form Gaga? I cant even stand the Poker Face song anymore, and it hasnt been 5 years!
Madonnas last concert grossed $408 million. The one before that, $196 million. Her last album went #1 in over 30 countries. She signed a $120 million dollar contract with Live Nation. She has sold over 300 million records, grossed over 1 billion from concert tix. Not to mention the fact that for a 52 year old woman, she is scorching HOT and has a better body than most of the females in the game.
If she wanted to spend the remaining days of her life on the toilet, she has earned the right to do that. You on the other hand have NEVER accomplished anything and even tho i dont know u, i feel comfortable saying that with certainty. She could buy and sell you 1 million times over. Goodnight.
what he said. plus infinity.
you’re being too literal. she’s talking about anyone achieving their dreams, standing on their own “Stage” and showing those who looked down on them who is on top now. it must suck to go through life with such a literal and pessimistic view on the world.
i think it’s funny how people get so upset by her for trying to empower those that feel powerless when other pop acts contribute nothing to the world with their “art” and truly are just in it for fame and glory.
Whatever, she talks about the people coming to her concerts “need her” is there anything more narcissistic and self-absorbed than that? It’s mind-numbing to read her remarks in fashion mags about being able to “kill” and Beethoven piece on the piano at 12. Awesome, Lady; there are 7 year-old kids in Japan that can do that, get in line. If she didn’t have the “shock-value” no one would care about her music. Scribe9 had it right in the above comment; Lady Gaga’s music will not last the next 35+ years. It just won’t, her act has all been done before by Madonna and several others. She’s not empowering anyone, she’s only trying to build her own hype.
I loved her constant messages of personal acceptance and empowerment, but my favorite line was when she ripped on certain other pop stars who lipsynched their HBO specials. Awesome! I definitely like her more having seen the concert special last night.
I wasn’t a fan of hers until I saw her perform live on Ellen a couple years back. I’ve been sold since then. She’s a true artist with a fantastic voice.
Spiritual leader? REALLY? Take another hit already.
Not that I think we need any more ‘spiritual leaders’ (or that Gaga would consider herself one), but I’d take her a hundred times out of a hundred over such travesties of humanity like the Pope…
You completely missed the point…
Lady Gaga exists for attention and controversy. Somewhere along the line, she mistook that for art. She has some talent, but she squanders it in favour of witless publicity stunts.
She’s the biggest Madonna-Wannabee there has ever BEEN.
Not that I’m complaining; we need a Madonna and the real one really isn’t up to the job anymore.
For Pete’s sake, Nik, this technopop goddess is the 21st-century version of Eva Tanguay, a strikingly unattractive and untalented woman who reached the top of vaudeville by singing risqué songs. Mitzi Gaynor of all people played her in a film bio (“The I Don’t Care Girl”). Any suggestions who’d play your idol? Don’t.
This manufactured immortal may be all right for you and other publicists, or for the coasts. Where’s the idol for the rest of us? Where’s the beauty who can sing a real song? Why must we settle for your desiccated favorites where once we had Betty Grables?
Oh, and what’s with HBO? I thought it was the electronic Athens of America!
Please Nik, go back to ending box-office slumps.
Wow, I think your comment set some sort of record for outdated references. Go back to watching TCM.
And by suggesting that Gaga isn;t talented immediate dismisses anything else that you happned to say. You might not like her, but she’s the most talented musical artist (pop) of her generation.
Talent becomes almost irrelevant when day after day news hacks must drum it into our dear little ears that we’re supposed to like the hit of the moment because news hacks like them. It’s not just this act — it’s every pop-cult act, almost. Indeed a vast surfeit of publicity for any star creates an assumption of guilt in some people’s minds. Who here has not cried uncle after one more press release for Charlie Sheen? And we’re not talking Elvis or the Beatles, we’re talking yet another monarch in the never-ending reign of disco, which has yet to die. Call it technopop; I lived through disco. Technopop is a descendant of disco.
Even assuming she is talented — I’ll concede it for the moment — why can’t there be acts for people over 25? Why must the acts be so brazenly PC? Why can’t there be acts for those who in their own imperfect way aspire to intelligence and taste? The collapse in recorded-music sales is more than downloading.
I confess at 54 I do not listen to today’s pop music, but how can I listen when I have an idea what it sounds like, and when even some of its fans admit a good bit of it stinks? This is precisely the problem with the movies today: people may not go if they already instinctively know what they’re like. We cannot chalk that up to ignorance.
No, she’s not. There are far more talented musicians and songwriters out there. You need to listen to something other than Top 40 music which is sold to the radio stations by the labels. Payola is still alive and well. Stay thirsty, my friend.
So True, this was an AAAMMMAAAZZZZZIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG show. Better then that crap Boardwalk Empire and huh? what else? never watch HBO anymore. Oh yea the Gaga show blew.
I forgot that Game of Thrones sucks as well.
Yep – she’s electric.
Loved the acting shout out to Liza and Marisa Tomei. I wonder if Gaga really can act. Just how talented can one person be?
Lady Gaga is a Madonna Rip-off, I dont care how many times she says she isnt.
I love that she is a multi-millionaire and still feels like a looser, poor rich girl
I used to like her until she dropped her “Express Yourself ” remake on MTV. Stop saying you still feel like a looser, is like the person who bitches cuz her fucking Private Jet is too small to fly in….
I see now people are calling her a spiritual leader…you are just a performer used to entertain us, you are not curing cancer…you might feel like a looser, but you still are an egomaniac. Im glad you can look at the people who called you a looser and say thank you for buying my music…I mean Madonna’s re-makes.
And if you though that Born this Way was anything like Express Yourself, you are perfectly welcome to take your broken brain and blow away.
Although I’m sure Lady GaGa is plenty, “loose”, I think the word you are looking for is, “loser”, and not “looser”. Your point is well said, though, but with the proper spelling it can be taken seriously.
aside from the incorrect spelling of “loser”, you are also missing the point of her statement. she is simply saying that even she, who is on top of the world, still gets insecure, just like we all do. insecurity plagues everyone whether you’re gaga or brad pitt or the president of the united states.
also, there is no originality in anything these days. every story has been told, every song has been sung; films are remakes or adaptations and songs are samples of another song or lyrics changed up. originality is now measured in how well you can transform something that has already been done and make it fresh again. if Born This Way sounds like Express Yourself, who the hell cares? People are still loving it and it is empowering a whole new generation of insecure youths just like Express Yourself did for women over TWENTY years ago. And the fact that you still know that song well enough to be able to compare it to BTW easily, well that says a lot about the power of these women. if only you could use your voice to try and spread a message the way they do…
If this is what is good about HBO, then I might have to cancel my cable.
It was a pleasant surprise last night, that’s for sure. I was watching the Celts-Heat game when I happened to turn to HBO. All I have to say is WOW. I may be out of Gaga’s normal demo (over 50 and straight) but I must say that the woman has tremendous talent and a showmanship I haven’t seen in a long time. It was a very pleasant way to spend 2 hours. And yes, Celts won!
Gaga is far more like Madonna, that’s my opinion of her. As she is a lot more powerful, addictive and pretty much more provocative when it come to showcasing up her personality.
I don’t get the appeal of Lady Gaga she’s just a Madonna wannabe.
Madonna tried the whole political thing in the late 1980s and early 1990s and then just changed her image again. I am sure Lady Gaga will change her image as well.
Yes, Lady Gaga can sing and play an instrument but she copies too much. Grace Jones blasted Lady Gaga in the Guardian last year when Lady Gaga asked Grace to work with her. Grace said I am paraphrasing here “I want to work with someone that is original and not just copying me.” Lady Gaga comes across as very fake to me. I am not suggesting Lady Gaga is not talented, but I don’t think she’s as talented as the media make her out to be.
I’m guessing you didn’t watch the show? The general consensus here seems to be people who didn’t like her or were indifferent to her have gotten on board after watching the show and seen something they didn’t know to be true about her. But you can continue to base your opinion on what is probably fairly minimal exposure to Gaga. No skin off my nose.
And you’re basing your opinion of her on an HBO-special? You think every second of that show was the “real” Lady Gaga? Friend…those little specials are marketing materials, that’s it. Join a road crew for a traveling “artist” and you’ll see the real person, forget the HBO special.
Lady Gaga is an amazing talent. I feel bad for people who just have to find things to hate in this world. There is an automatic dislike for new music – that’s just the way it always is. But before you judge because it’s something kids like, maybe just watch and listen. Gaga is NOT the same as Beiber, Cyrus, etc… She stands out on her own with her brand of originality between her music and performance.
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley made a comment that surprised some people. They love Gaga, totally get her and realized that she’s doing just what Kiss did back in the 70s. Make great music and spectacle for a legion of fans and give them ownership of that.
By her own brand of originality you mean walking around in her underwear and singing shitty synth pop songs? Yeah, real original.
lol at the people comparing madonna to lady gaga, look, i love gaga she is the best happened to music since a long time ago but she has what? 2 albums and people are comparing to madonna,please
The music industry definitely needed a shot in the arm and I won’t argue Gaga fit the bill – whether you like her not, she provided that shot. She gave everyone something to talk about to be certain. I agree that this generation needed a huge, huge star and they got one.
However, to say that she is not GLARINGLY OBVIOUS collage of everything that Madonna has done is erroneous. Gaga’s career is Madonna’s blueprint – religious imagery, style, choreography, dance pop sound, gay advocacy, I could go on and on.
What the hell is wrong with HBO? I don’t get it; they have some of the best shows on television. Curb Your Enthusiasm? Bill Maher? Game of Thrones? True Blood? Treme?
BTW, I’m still not 100% convinced Lady Gaga is indeed a lady.
Waste of time trying to insult her with cracks like that. She herself has made references to being a transsexual, being a hermaphrodite, etc, etc.
Me neither. The Sopranos, Deadwood, Rome, Entourage, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Treme, Generation Kill, John Adams, Angels in America, Carnivale, The Wire, Band of Brothers, The Wire, etc. HBO has continually brought good programming. We should be criticizing the gutless broadcast networks who are stuck on a primetime soap opera/reality television cycle.
A lot of mean-spiritedness here. What’s the matter, your screenplay didn’t sell? I wasn’t a fan until the “Telephone” video with Beyonce; I couldn’t believe what Gaga was getting away with! Gaga is to a dead-ass, Republican, post-9/11 century what Madonna was to the Reagan-era, a big, fat smack in the face. Haven’t seen the HBO special, but I’m sure it’s great.
I think the most interesting thing about lady gaga is that she has proved that music itself in the pop music business is irrelevant because its audience is completely musically illiterate. Her videos, art direction, general design and else are outstandingly brilliant. She parades around in underwear, cleverly exploits all that there is to exploit in the pop universe and her production values when it comes to staging and visuals are top class. Yet, her songs are exactly like low budget gay disco trash from the early 80s. There’s no songwriting to speak of, just a bunch of tacky vamps and riffs with a hook or two. Crappy c-list disco producers were churning this kind of garbage thirty years ago and it is genius from a marketing pov that she has managed to repackage that crap and convince people who think of themselves as very clever and media savvy, such as Nikki, to wax lyrical about her “songwriting”. I love Lady Gaga. I think she is a genius, except in music though she is a good singer despite the material she chooses to sing, and is the first artist to completely understand the zeitgeist. I have great respect for her. She has understood today’s pop audience is so dumbed down musically but so used to sophisticated visuals and packaging that she has managed to maximize her act. I think she’ll become bigger or bigger. Of course no one would play her records 40 years from now, or 4. It is not about the records themselves. She is a media artist. The first mainstream media artist in history, and a great one at that. The most delicious part is how she has fooled the system and all the pompous gatekeepers who would have prevented somebody like her to even have a shot at success. Lady Gaga, this is your time and you rule. What that says about the time itself, well, that I guess is a subjective thing.