Lady Gaga

Hipster subculture was written off as being needlessly contrarian — which is all well and good — but then using that outlook as a springboard to privilege and finding reasons to hate things. It stopped being about commenting on society and became just another status symbol.

But there's also a 'lost generation' of Millennials who can't relate to the consumerism of mainstream pop anymore. It comes across like it's from outer space. And the artists are so out of touch that they don't notice their growing irrelevancy. That's how you get two sex offenders directing a rape-y video with the then-biggest pop star in the business. The industry is rife with laziness.

edited 19th Jun '14 1:39:22 PM by johnnyfog

Agreed on all counts.

Who were the two sex offenders, and who was the pop star?

Johnny's most likely referring to the "Do What U Want" music video, which involved R. Kelly and Terry Richardson. One fan theory circulating around is that Gaga decided not to release the video because she was uncomfortable with it.

The Internet has also lead to many "underground" artists finally receiving recognition, most notably those like Merzbow. With that in mind, it seems to show how a lot of these "pop" musicians are manufactured to sell.

Sure, the hipster movement was shortsighted and hypocritical, but they had a point.

Personally, I think people get too worked up about the manufacturing of pop. Maybe because I expect it enough.

She always surrounds herself with sketchy people. Actually, it looks like Do What U Want got scrapped because someone in her camp spoke out. (She spoke of "betrayal" on twitter). I guess Richardson and his perpetually-open fly will eventually slip up. He's way too arrogant. Somebody's going to nail him, he'l be radioactive for the rest of his "career" and that'll be the end of Uncle Terry. But they'll be others.

We've seen it before with singers like Lauryn Hill and other artists. They attract a lot of creepy friends. Hell, Gaga is hanging with Deepak Chopra, another one of MJ's old bros. But with Gaga it's more dramatic, because she's always presented herself as the homely, plucky girl who was hacking the system. Now she's being controlled by two pederasts who will both qualify for senior discounts in a couple years.

edited 23rd Jun '14 7:32:23 PM by johnnyfog

You know, I think Lady Gaga has codified a certain trope for all these pop women who dress up in flashy costumes and go over-the-top with pop conventions (like Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Kesha...)

Now, if only I can find a name for the trope, I could send it to YKTTW.

She's the most prominent example in recent memory, but hardly the first.

I know; she's an 80's throwback all the way. Though really, an 80's over-the-top parody would be more accurate.

Anyone remember that she's going to record that jazz album with Tony Bennett? The first song from it has been released:

She's also going to be in the upcoming Sin City sequel. Which means that I guess she's moving on from ARTPOP once she finishes her tour.

edited 29th Jul '14 5:32:54 PM by chihuahua0

Good. ARTPOP was a disappointment, by and large.

Wasn't that album supposed to be released like a year ago?

It was released a year ago. November, 2013. Why?

Misdirected my arrows there, I meant the one with Tony Bennett.

I'm surprised Tony Bennett still does music. He's gettin' up there in years... He still has though, sometimes at least.

But back to the topic at hand: I dunno, I thought ARTPOP was okay. Gaga's act may be getting a little... repetitive by now, though. She may need to do something radically different next time around to stay relevant...

I adore new wave punkers from the eighties. Nina Hagen, Missing Persons, etc. I don't think flashy costumes are the problem. Yeah, a lot of those singers burn out. But what's wrong with that? They came, hit hard, and disappeared. Whereas Gaga is becoming synonymous with, well, desperation.

And despite what others say, it really does sully all of her albums. The Fame Monster? Yeah, right. She was pushing an image. "I admit I am a fame whore so therefore avante garde." Yeah, right. Marcel Duchamp she ain't.

She may not be avant garde, but she at least appears to be sincere. (Plus, The Fame Monster was great.)

If you ask me, Gaga needs to fully embrace her 80's fangirlism. She's clearly a huge 80's fan, but she hasn't made that a central part of her image.

Instead of being "I'm a pop star and fucking proud of it, oh and I love the 80's", she should be "I'm an 80's fangirl and fucking proud of it, oh and I'm a pop star."

I actually listened to The Fame for the first time ever today: I was familiar with the singles of course, but this is pretty much the first time sitting down with a whole album. I don't know if I'm on my way to being a fan per say, but I liked it more than I thought I would. My favorite non-single tracks are the ones that are a bit more New Wave-inspired, particularly the title track and "Summer Boy". I will listen to The Fame Monster later on, because the copy I borrowed from the library was that double disc set with both albums.

oh hey, remember Lady Gaga? She's back. In Pog form!

I was surprised when the first thing I heard in that was an electric guitar. And wow, this song has really good production, really good dynamic range (as far as I can tell just by listening). Structurally, it's a bit generic, but this is a really enjoyable track, and it only gets better as it goes on. I like it. Hopefully this is a sign of what more to expect (since I assume there's an album coming out within the next year if there's a single now).