Lady Gaga - charisma free zone

[Mysturji]

I saw her perform on TV once.
It started off quite nice - she played the piano and sang and she had a very good singing voice - for about 10 seconds.
Then the synthacrap drum machines started, the dancers bounced out and it descended into a noise of purile shit.

Apparently she has talent, but chooses not to use it.

[laklak]

I'd do her.

[Faithfree]

I was led to believe she designed her own costumes.

That aside; I don't see the point in her.

Her meat dress was amusing, and would be a real hit at a BBQ is you ran out of snags. You could just rip strips off and throw them on the grill. And why not, such a dress wouldn't do to well going through the wash, methinks. Disposable and edible.

[Gonzo]

Real cute. That's revolting.

[charlou]

It's sardonic. Yep, she knows what she's doing.

That said, I'm unimpressed.

[Gonzo]

I heard her say in an interview that she has always viewed herself as a famous person, I think that sums up her character pretty well.

[maiforpeace]

The whole Lady Gaga phenomenon has grown without me paying to much attention, to the point where she has been ludicrously described as one of the five most powerful people in the world.

Last week she was in the UK and, as is usual here, she went on the media merry-go-round and appeared on various shows. I caught her on two different shows, and I was really looking forward to listening to some of her music for the first time and hearing pearls of wisdom from this giant of the entertainment business. What I got was:

*Mediocre, entirely vacuous and forgettable cod-Europop reminiscent of the Cheeky Girls.

*A very plain looking girl (ugly?) who looked like a cross between Amy Winehouse and Liza Minelli.

*No charisma at all. No wit, no warmth, no spark, no energy, no fun. Nothing. It was scary how little personality she had, and it went beyond shyness.

*Her persona and fame seems to depend upon her flamboyant costumes, which other people create for her.

Why does this keep happening? Why does the shit keep rising to the top and gigantic success while truly brilliant musicians struggle and go under?

Her genius is how she has marketed herself. At 25 she's worth $110 million. I don't consider her to be a musician or singer...she's more of a showperson. And while her face may be plain, I think she has a beautiful hard body. She's in fabulous shape and the physical energy she puts out dancing and singing is pretty impressive...she can go nonstop for several hours. I'm no fan, but I found her HBO special of the Monster Ball at Madison Square Gardens entertaining.

Her following in the gay community is huge, and I do give her credit for her LGBT advocacy and willingness to speak out on controversial subjects, like the immigration laws in Arizona, or bullying, for example. I don't know of many famous celebrities her age that are aware enough, much less willing, to do that.

[Ian]

Her genius is how she has marketed herself. At 25 she's worth $110 million. I don't consider her to be a musician or singer...she's more of a showperson.

Bingo. She's a master in the art of public spectacle. It doesn't always go over great, but most of the time it's interesting.

Personally, though, I don't really care about how she's dressed or what she says in an interview. I honestly do like some of her music in and of itself. I've always liked electronic/dance beats, and she's clearly been influenced a lot by that. My favorite songs of hers are "So Happy I could Die", which is never heard on the radio, and "Heavy Metal Lover", which just came out yesterday and I think I can guarantee you'll never hear it on the radio (heavy on the dance/electronic beats, and dripping with sex). Her stuff makes me feel younger, and I think that's as good a reason as any to be a fan.

And she does have a talented voice. It's easy to ignore or deny this, and I understand why. When Guns 'N Roses first came out I was a teenager and couldn't get past how ridiculous Slash looked. Later on I realized what a talented guitar player he was.

And while her face may be plain, I think she has a beautiful hard body.

Yep. Even my wife has said, "She's got such a perfect ass!" Many other attributes as well.
I like her face too. Slightly gawky Italian girl with a big nose. Love it.

She's in fabulous shape and the physical energy she puts out dancing and singing is pretty impressive...she can go nonstop for several hours. I'm no fan, but I found her HBO special of the Monster Ball at Madison Square Gardens entertaining.

Yep. She does a great concert. Lots of over-the-top, ridiculous-looking spectacle. But she makes it work, and the audience puts out a lot of energy.

Her following in the gay community is huge, and I do give her credit for her LGBT advocacy and willingness to speak out on controversial subjects, like the immigration laws in Arizona, or bullying, for example. I don't know of many famous celebrities her age that are aware enough, much less willing, to do that.

Very admirable as well.

[Coito ergo sum]

Madonna ripoff.

[rachelbean]

Everything Ian said

She was a "real musician" for a little while, played keyboard and sang, no costumes, no show. Her voice sounded great but like any other girl with a guitar or keyboard and some nice melodic songs, she was invisible in the crowd. I don't think she is revolutionary, rather she is smart enough to take a cue from Madonna and marylin manson, and sell herself as a package. People eat up, and I can't bring myself to "hate the playa"

I don't care for the music that much, but when I'm dancing in a gay club it's pretty sweet

[Bella Fortuna]

Sometimes I'm glad to be a person who lives under a rock and never watches TV or listens to popular radio.

[Thinking Aloud]

What's this "TV" thing you mentioned?

[Bella Fortuna]

What's this "TV" thing you mentioned?

It's the thing you watch DVDs on.

[Thinking Aloud]

What's this "TV" thing you mentioned?

It's the thing you watch DVDs on.

I call that a "laptop". Are you sure it's the same thing?

[anna09]

What's this "TV" thing you mentioned?

My husband and I have decided to get rid of our cable. The few times we actually sit down to watch tv there's never anything on and our bill keeps going up! It's currently at $70 for the most basic package they offer.