GAGA, OH NO NO

I think I've hit my Lady Gaga limit. Sarah, I know you're gonna love this one.

Anyone who knows me knows that I worship all that is fierce. I idolize strong, powerful women who are unique and independent and kick major ass. So naturally I've been a huge Gaga fan since she appeared on the scene two years ago. Her crazy ass fashion, her powerful pipes, impressive piano skills and weirdo catchy tunes were exactly what I thought the pop music world needed. I'm so damn tired of the Britney leftovers who can't really sing and don't write their own stuff (stop me if you've heard this rant before). I inadvertently cajoled a poor hapless gentleman into buying two tickets to La Gaga's most recent concert tour and I was in absolute euphoria throughout the entire show at the Rosemont Theatre just outside Chicago. Seeing the Bad Romance video for the first time was quite possibly the artistic height of my life.

But, oh Gaga, how you've let me down. First you release the single most boring song on your album (Alejandro) as the follow up to the mastery that is Bad Romance. Then you make the most abhorrent, offensive, grotesque, god-awful, Madonna wannabe video of all time (Sarah, this would be where you chime in with "I told you so"). Should I even bother listing all the obvious and yet overdone Madonna references? Can we start with the machine gun bra? (a) How horribly offensive and just so so wrong. (b) Could you more blatantly rip off the once envelope-pushing cone bra?

What about the last dance scenes done in black and white fuzzy photography where Gaga dances in a short blonde wig and a black suit. I mean, Vogue much?! Gaga even does the hands-wrap-around-the-head dance move a few too many times for it to be a coincidence. The blasphemous religious stuff has already been done too. Remember the Like a Prayer video?! And one more thing - I have no idea why the bondage sex scenes were necessary. I don't want to sound like a prude, but for god sake is there no decency left in America? Soft core pornography is showing up in our music videos now?! Gaga, darling, I really don't want to see that much of you...

True, Madonna couldn't really sing at all, but at least her artistic expression was original and meant something to her and her viewers. Her outrageousness never felt forced or like it was done for pure shock value - which is exactly how the last 2 years of Gaga seemed to me. But the Alejandro video has crossed the line into what to me appears to be pure famewhoring showmanship. Anything to get a gasp out of the public and get your name in the papers. That video as has abso-fucking-lutely NOTHING to do with the song. She just wanted to make a splash.

And even more to the point, when Madonna did all her crazy shiz, it was groundbreaking and original and shocking and empowering for women in the 80's who weren't allowed to express themselves sexually. Madonna changed the whole game and showed women how to use their sexuality and power over men. Gaga wouldn't be able to bare her ass on the cover of Rolling Stone if it weren't for the almighty Madge.

Whew, I'm out of breath.