I haven't heard much of Lady Gaga's music. What I have heard gets stuck in my head to the point I want to knock myself unconscious to get rid of it.
Still, that's not what's formed my impression of her. I feel much the same way about The Beatles' music. No, my impression of her is that she's totally fake. Plastic. Not even as real as Barbie, who at least usually sports a happy smile.
What scares me is that most of her fans don't see just how fake she is. Camille Paglia suggests it's because they're so immersed in electronic communication (Facebook, texting, anything but face-to-face, voice to voice communication) that they simply can't see the difference between a put up, faked-up, electric persona and a real person.
I'm not saying that Lady Gaga can't sing--even The Beatles could sing, and I really hate their music with very few exceptions. All I'm saying is that her persona is disturbing on a level that was, and is, difficult to articulate. I wonder if the artist is still in there, or if somehow the manufactured doll put out by the music industry is all that's left.
21 minutes ago
Those with the best publicity are always winners!
ReplyDeleteWinners, maybe, but still not more than plastic fakes.
ReplyDeleteYou hate the Beatles? I'm stung.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out this article--Paglia's writing always stops me in my tracks. There used to be a line between artifice and spectacle. Spectacle was a good show. Now we're given artifice and told this is what it takes to make a good show.
ReplyDeleteI'm not that into her type of music but I find a lot of the lyrics disturbing and I can't figure out why someone I used to work with thought it was great that her 12 year old daughter liked it so much.