It seems that we are having a collective GagaGasm and observing the subsequent stream of sticky critiques. Thus, I do understand the consequences of posting yet again on the topic. I have been curious, however, as to why I continue to use my purchasing power in favor of Lady Gaga when I am also open-minded to accusations of uninspired and vacuous cultural production. And a blog is for articulating these things.
It is true that acts of "defiance" within the boundaries set by capitalist industries does not a revolutionary make. Promises of feminism and monsters and fantastical things are false. Yet, one is reminded of the age old question--what is art?
In order to truly buy into The Gaga one might purchase Her albums, download Her music, watch Her music videos, Googleimagesearch Her costumes, watch Her red carpet events, read/watch/listen to celebrity news and gossip sources concerning Lady Gaga. Media industries make it easy to tune in to Her and sometimes difficult to avoid.
GagaArt is not just music, but performance. It is a multimedia art form through which music, costumes, film, dance, writing, design, and other forms reach a wide audience. Lady Gaga is not just a woman; She is a being engineered by communicative media and interpreted by our various senses in such a way as to evoke feeling. That feeling may be different for everyone, but for me it is the reason I continue to tune in.
There is something liberating, cathartic, hedonistic, voyeuristic, and appealingly offensive about the vapidity surrounding The Gaga Fantasy. Losing oneself in the haute couture blank stares, falling deeper into the large colorful hairpieces, meditating amongst the leather thongs. How could one not be at home here?
The emotional response induced by art might be likened to a spiritual experience. The catharsis that occurs when reality is forgotten. The knowledge that a supreme being exists. There is nothing quite like putting your fate in the hands of the robotic deity we've created to mimic our vapid postmodern tendencies.
