Or is She Just Putting it Nicely?
First of all, I feel really bad that I ended up finding something to write about by browsing Yahoo. Well, technically I wasn’t even really browsing Yahoo, I just went to the homepage and saw this story in their slider thing. But because of that, I was able to get some perspective on the world’s most important, unanswered question since the chicken or the egg: Does Madonna like Lady Gaga?
That question carries a lot of subtext with it. If Madonna likes Lady Gaga, does she like her as a person and/or does she like Gaga’s music? There have been comparisons out the wazzoo between the two Pop stars. Some people say Gaga is the second coming of Madonna, while others say Gaga is ripping off Madonna.
Personally, I think they are both infectious diseases to the music world. Madonna shifted the way Pop stars were viewed. The music became less important as the “crazy” behavior, “dancing”, and clothing (or lack thereof) became more important. Madonna paved the way for Gaga. Both have destroyed people’s minds and ears.
But I do, for whatever reason, find it intriguing to hear what Madonna thinks about what she ultimately created through her influence on Lady Gaga. Gaga told Jay Leno that she is Madonna’s “hugest fan personally and professionally” and Gaga’s music and performances appear designed to provide fans with a “wow factor” that isn’t necessarily about the music, much the way Madonna did during her prime.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So is Madonna flattered by Gaga’s imitation? It’s actually kind of hard to tell if you just take her words at face value. In an interview with ABC News, Madonna said this about Gaga: “I certainly think she references me a lot in her work. And sometimes I think it’s amusing and flattering and well done.” So, is “sometimes” the key word there? Madonna went on to say, “There’s a lot of ways to look at it. I can’t really be annoyed by it…because obviously, I’ve influenced her.”
Let’s review. Madonna seems to have answered the question without actually answering the question. “Sometimes” she finds Gaga “amusing” and “sometimes” she is flattered by her. And then the next statement pretty much sums it all up. Yes, Lady Gaga annoys her, but, it would be pretty hypocritical of Madonna to chastise Gaga when Gaga is making a living the exact same way that Madonna did.
If you don’t agree with my point of view, then check out this next quote by Madonna from the same ABC News interview where Gaga’s song, Born This Way and Madonna’s song, Express Yourself, are compared. “When I heard it on the radio, I said that sounds very familiar… It felt reductive.” I don’t care who you are, when Madonna calls your song “reductive”, that is not a good thing. So should Gaga chalk that up to constructive criticism or does Madonna really not like Lady Gaga? It feels like high-school all over again!
On an unrelated note, who would win in a cage-match rumble between Madonna and Gaga? My money is on Madonna.
What do you think about all of this? Let us known in the comments.
