Lady Gaga appeared at the Grammy awards red carpet in an egg...yawn. What would have been good is if someone cracked open the egg and scrambled the fucker. It was cool when Mork turned up at Mindy's house in an egg but this was just so contrived.
When Bowie was in full flight donning his various personalities I thought "Bowie is an artist. Even though it is Ziggy Stardust it is still an incarnation of Bowie (probably on a shit load of drugs)". When Elton John played Dodger stadium in a Donald Duck outfit I thought "There is an example of a sexually confused man who is an artist trying to express himself in the mad world he is in (probably on a shit load of drugs)." When Grace Jones lit up the stage I thought "There is one whack-a-doodle chick who is a scary mutha."
I feel like Gaga has a little playbook at home of Bowie, Elton and Grace (among others) that she studies consistently to create her image. It just doesn't feel organic to me. It appears very studied and applied. She says in interviews that she was always a freak and dressed this way but I have seen her pictures (and videos) when she was Stephanie and she is just a very ordinary looking girl.
If you are truly weird (which she keeps telling the press) you don't have to say it. People will know it. Did Michael Jackson go around saying he was weird? No. But you know that he was nuttier than a snickers bar.
I often wonder who actually falls for this and realise that she has quite a legion of fans (or her little monsters as she calls them). Perhaps they are so young that they don't know about Bowie and think that it is original.
Below is a piece from this week's Popbitch which makes some very interesting points. I thoroughly concur.
>> Just dance <<
Get off the soapbox, get on the floor
Lady Gaga's over-hyped release of her Madonna rip-off, Born This Way, seems to be backfiring. Acolytes and mainstream media may have lapped it up but many fans are complaining that it feels more like a cynical marketing tool rather than genuine piece of pop. It should never be up to the artist to anoint their own work as a gay anthem - that's for listeners to decide (and if there's one thing that The Gays should inarguably be allowed to adopt, it's their own anthems).
The problem Gaga has created for herself is that by making gay fans feel like they've been used as a promotional weapon, everything she does is coming under scrutiny. Her S&M video stylings, closely linking the concept of "being gay" with being a freak, or an outcast, for example. Even her previously well-received attempt to support the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is being questioned, particularly her use of the line"We are not asking you to agree with or approve the moral implications of homosexuality". What moral implications? No doubt she started out with good intention- she's possibly just a victim of her own hype -but Gaga might be advised to stop focusing on politics and start focusing on pop again.
Showing posts with label Grace Jones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grace Jones. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Grace Jones -Libertango
Grace Jones is currently in Australia doing some gigs.I didn't realise that she is 60 years old! Damn I want to age as well as that!
With Grace being in town it reminded me of my favourite Grace Jones track.
No it's not "Slave to the Rhythm" or "Pull up to the Bumper". It is "Strange I've seen that face before (Libertango)".
This song features quite heavily in the film "Frantic" starring Harrison Ford, although it never made it to the official soundtrack.
There is a part in the song where Grace speaks in French. I never knew what she was saying until recently: "What are you searching for? To meet death? Who do you think you are? You hate life, you too...)"
Useless piece of trivia part 1, 2 & 3:
1. Did you know that the song "Slave to the Rhythm" was written for Frankie Goes to Hollywood as a follow up track to "Relax"?
2. Grace at one stage was a muse to Andy Warhol who photographed her extensively.
3. Grace appeared in the god awful Eddie Murphy movie "Boomerang". She played an eccentric supermodel who wanted to call her newly launched perfume "After birth" or "Steel Vagina". Grace was a crack up and the best thing in this stinker.
With Grace being in town it reminded me of my favourite Grace Jones track.
No it's not "Slave to the Rhythm" or "Pull up to the Bumper". It is "Strange I've seen that face before (Libertango)".
This song features quite heavily in the film "Frantic" starring Harrison Ford, although it never made it to the official soundtrack.
There is a part in the song where Grace speaks in French. I never knew what she was saying until recently: "What are you searching for? To meet death? Who do you think you are? You hate life, you too...)"
Useless piece of trivia part 1, 2 & 3:
1. Did you know that the song "Slave to the Rhythm" was written for Frankie Goes to Hollywood as a follow up track to "Relax"?
2. Grace at one stage was a muse to Andy Warhol who photographed her extensively.
3. Grace appeared in the god awful Eddie Murphy movie "Boomerang". She played an eccentric supermodel who wanted to call her newly launched perfume "After birth" or "Steel Vagina". Grace was a crack up and the best thing in this stinker.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)