"We hardly need / to use our ears / How music changes / through the years."
This is a line from the song “Radio Gaga” by Queen, from their 1984 album “The Works.” The song is now probably best known as the song from which Lady Gaga took her name. Considering what the song is about, I feel she made an accidentally ironic choice for her origin. Or maybe she didn’t; I’m not convinced anything she does is accidental. I don’t know if there is an artist in contemporary music today who is more calculating and intentional with every aspect of her career and persona. And it’s because of this, I’ve come up with the theory that despite what so many people think, Lady Gaga is not using Madonna as a template for her career. She’s using Marilyn Manson.
If I try to bring this up with people, I get one of two reactions: Reaction #1: “But... but... but... NO! She’s a girl, and he’s a guy! There’s just no way....” Well, Gaga herself would be the first one to tell you to step outside of that particular box, Chester. Reaction #2: “Okay, so, how much time do you exactly have to think about things like this?”
Naysayers aside, I think there are points to be made:
*Both have very deliberate on-camera personas. Neither of them can be that much of a freak 24 hours a day. I have to believe the rules change when they see a camera in the room.
*Both appeal to a die-hard fan base comprised of people who, for different reasons, too often find themselves alienated from mainstream society. At the same time, they are able to make music that has a wider surface level appeal.
*Both will do things intentionally shocking simply to stir controversy, appealing to that hardcore fan base and repelling their political/cultural opposites at the same time.
*Both liberally use sexual, violent, and religious imagery as part of their artistic palettes.
*Both go out of their way to show how much they care about their fans. Gaga encourages her fans to be free and brave and love themselves. In the movie “Bowling for Columbine,” Manson was being interviewed about any responsibility he felt for his music driving kids to act violently, and what he would say to the kids who had committed the Columbine shootings. His response: “I wouldn’t have said anything to them. I would have listened.” Which I thought was one of the more lucid moments any talking head had in the political fallout of that nightmare.
Anyway. Getting kind of deep here. My point today is that there are definite parallels between the two, and even if Manson has none of the cultural gravity he might have had a decade ago, I still think Gaga saw what he did and thought, “That might be a way to run a career.” For the record: Am I a fan of either of them? No. But I understand why other people are. I don’t have any Manson on the iPod, but I usually let him play if he comes on the radio. As for Gaga, I did download one of her songs - “Paparazzi,” which got stuck in my head one night because of the radio playing at Subway, and downloading it was the only way to get rid of it. It’s a good hook-filled song that turned out to be kind of dark, which I thought was cool for a pop song. But with Gaga, I’m puzzled by why she’s so huge. Sure, her songs are catchy. But so are most of the songs that come up in the one-hit wonder marathons on VH1 Classic. Sure, she’s got a nice body and doesn’t mind dressing in a way to show it off. But the same case could be made with the waitress from my last visit to Bennigan’s. So for her to become a cultural phenomenon that surpasses her role model Marilyn, there must be something else I’m missing. So I decided to watch her HBO special and see what there was to discover....
*The show opens with a short black and white film, showing her day as it leads up to her Madison Square Garden performance. She walks into a NYC coffee shop, dressed like a circus prostitute from Mars. I am led to believe this is status quo for her. I have my doubts.
*The concert begins. She starts singing only in silhouette, while the camera pans through the audience to show off the glitter, make-up, body paint and homemade costumes of The Fans. The stage is a some kind of trashy digital backyard of post-apocalyptic chic full of neon signs projecting vaguely inappropriate and desperately provocative messages. Now she’s onstage with something like twelve dancers, and as the song goes on, she introduces each dancer as if they are some kind of a character I’ll need to relate to later. This does not bode well.
Great. Now we have a story line. Her and the dancers are on their way to The Monster Ball, but the car broke down! Luckily Gaga is there to throw off her jacket, pop open the hood, and.... yes. There’s a keyboard inside, where the engine should be. I swear I’m not making this up.
*I think I’ve heard this song. “Just Dance?” That’s a song of hers, right? Am I hearing this wrong, or is this really being sung from the perspective of someone in a nightclub who has just been ruffied?
Suddenly a shirtless, eye-linered guitarist appears out of nowhere. She introduces him as Jesus. She’s now wearing a new purple hat that looks like a leftover iceberg from a 4th grade diorama.
The dialog between Gaga and the dancers is painful. “What’s the Monster Ball really, really all about, Gaga?” “Well Victor, it will set you free.” Okay. That clears it up. I’ve heard deeper interaction between Shaggy and Scoob.
Now we have some scripted, downright robotic banter with the audience: “Tonight you can be anything. I created the Monster Ball for my fans, and locked all of the freaks outside!!” Actually, I think a few may have snuck in. We’re given the secret to finding the Monster Ball: Follow the Glitter Way. Because there isn’t enough glitter in Madison Square Garden right now. At least she didn’t say Follow your dreams. Though I’m sure that’s still coming.
After another costume change -- I’ve lost track, but I’d estimate four -- she reappears with an instrument that is part string bass, part keytar and part drum pad -- this thing looks like what would happen if a Guitar Center was assimilated by the Borg. At least her costume has what have to be traffic cones for shoulder pads, so that’s interesting.
And then here’s Jesus back with a couple of new friends -- it’s refreshing to see that there are actual musicians on the stage, even if they are vastly outnumbered by dancers. Jesus trades solos with some guy from the matrix, and then Gaga reappears dressed like the Flying Nun would be if she wore transparent rubber.
Okay, now all of the dancers are in this subway car on the stage. Ironically there can’t be any way the audience can see what’s going on in that car, but the HBO cameras are right there getting the whole scene. One of the dancers has now retrieved a Magical Scepter of Glowing Crystal from the subway -- because where else are you going to find one? -- and presents it to Gaga, who wields it triumphantly.
Here’s a moment of actual stage banter, and I give her credit for ad-libbing the funniest thing I’ve heard all day as she looks out to the crowd: “That is the most fabulous gay unicorn I’ve ever seen!” Really? How many others have you seen, by way of comparison? Were they all purple with golden ballet hooves? By the way, that transparent rubber, or possibly latex, suit she’s wearing? She is visibly sweaty inside of it now. That cannot be comfortable.
A note about the music so far: I hate to say this, but if she plays a song I haven’t heard on the radio, there has been nothing to distinguish one from the next. Except on this one she’s playing a keytar the size and shape of a 4-foot Christmas tree made out of shiny black Rubik’s Cubes.
Telephone: Okay, I know this song. When I hear it I always wonder, “If you want to dance so much, why not just turn the phone off for a few minutes?” but I guess that would defeat the purpose. This is actually a cool moment. The energy in the band, and the dancers, and the audience has all changed. You can tell from the fan reaction this has been one of their highlights of the night. I’ll give the girl credit -- for all of the weird on display, she is working her butt off to put on a good show.
Costume change again - now just down to the studded-leather underwear and a police hat. But she’s sitting at this piano, distressed to look like it was rescued from a fire. And suddenly, sitting at the piano, everything changes. There’s actual stage banter. She’s more open and vulnerable, and engaging. Her voice has a different quality to it, and for the first time I’m seeing evidence that she really can sing. It’s not robotic and put-upon, but very emotional and expressive. She says the song is called “Speechless.” This one is really good. I wish she would have just played it through instead of stopping for two minutes to make sure everyone knew Liza Minelli was in the crowd. Just shut up and play the song or you’re going to lose me again. She goes right into another piano song, “You and I.” This one is really, really good. If this was what more of her music was like, I’d be into her. But then there’s Jesus and his guitar again, and 85% naked Gaga climbs on her piano bench to use her stiletto heel as a slide on his guitar neck, and like that we are back at the Monster Ball.
Costume change - now she’s dressed like a cross between Ming the Merciless and a fiber optic Christmas tree that dreamed it was getting married. It only lasts one song, then she comes back wearing a half-gorilla suit. Which is also gone soon, but that’s okay because it’s only a few minutes until she’s covered in stage blood, which she generously shares with her dancers while they all rub up on each other.
“Show Me Your Teeth?” Really? This is a song? I’m hating this. After that time she played piano and showed some chops as a musician and songwriter, she’s back to being an oversexed Power Ranger.
Next song - Alejandro. I’ve only heard bits of this but I know of the song because I have an Alejandro in class, and he HATES it when people sing “Ale-Alejandro” to him. Soon she’s playing in a fountain, and might climb all the way in.... but no, she’s rescued at the last minute by the dancer wearing the leather-studded Roman Centurion headpiece.
Poker Face. Sequined body suit that keeps no secrets whatsoever. Dancers wearing disco ball motorcycle helmets. She’s getting out the big songs now, so we must be in the homestretch. Paprazzi, which features an encounter with the actual Fame Monster, which is a big old version of that scary deep water glowing fish from “Finding Nemo.” It strips off most of her clothing, but luckily she defeats it, and just in time to disappear and come back with a bra capable of it’s own 4th of July fireworks show. This is just ridiculous.
Bad Romance. Another song I kind of like, but this live version isn’t doing much for me, which is disappointing because I was looking forward to it. I’m really just kind of bored with the excess at this point. She closes with “Born This Way,” which I’ve never actually heard but feels more like a collection of empowering clichés set to a beat than an actual song. But she does go play one of those mall-music-store display organs for all of nine seconds. So that was worth bringing onstage. I can see how this would be a huge blowout of a final song if you were one of those ticket-buying fans, but I’m just glad to see it all wrapping up.
The show ends. We’re black and white again, and we see her quickly talking to a few fans backstage before she throws on a genuine Muppet-skin jacket and disappears into a waiting suburban. The credits roll. There are more dancers listed than musicians.
Which encapsulates the show perfectly.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Test Marketing
Next year will be my 20th year of teaching. Since 20 years is a nice round number and shows I've been in the game long enough to have something to say about it, and since I'm nothing if not reflective to the point of self-indulgence, I've decided to commemorate this milestone year by beginning to write the book about teaching I've always known in the back of my mind I was going to write sooner or later.
The problem is I don't exactly know what shape it's going to take yet. Fiction? Possibly. I have a lot of ideas in the Vault, but I don't know if I should highlight the ridiculousness of it all, or show a more balanced version that mixes the comedy and the bureaucratic farce and the all-out life tragedies that too often are a part of the job. Or what about non-fiction? Maybe I could do another memoir, reflecting on my own experiences of the past 20 years, either as an anecdotal overview or a collection of events out of the past structured to follow a typical school year. And these are just a few ideas; I really don't know which way to go yet. One day I'll think, "Oh yeah, that's definitely what I should do," only to realize soon after how many reasons there are why it wouldn't be a good idea.
So here's my plan. Over the summer, I'm going to write a series trials -- short stories or essays, probably -- to serve as warm-ups, helping me find a voice to use, and an overall tone for the project, and just trying out what kinds of stories would work effectively for what I'd like to accomplish. However, I'm not going to post these here on the blog. Maybe some of them, but certainly not all; some of the stories I could tell simply don't need to be on the Internet, as anyone who has worked in public education themselves could attest to.
So instead, I'm asking for test readers I could include in a mailing group. Would you be interested in reading some of these stories? And would you be willing to give me a little feedback on them to help me find some direction for this project? If so, I'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to be in my test-marketing e-mail group, just send me a message or leave a comment on the link you probably followed from Facebook to get here. I've also enabled commenting again right here on the site, but I'd caution anyone away from including contact information in any comments they might leave here -- the Internet is full of really bad people. To my still-puzzling hypothetical international readership -- sorry folks, but you'll remain out of the loop on this one. I'm really only going to share stories like these with people I trust.
I know a request like this goes against my tenet of not asking people to read my writing since I don't like feeling that desperate, but for something like this I think an exception might be warranted. I almost feel like I'm setting myself up for disappointment since I don't expect to hear back from many people, but you never know until you try. If you stop by the blog here occasionally, and generally enjoy what you read, you should have a pretty good idea of what you'd be signing up for. If that sounds interesting, I say go for it.
Okay. Head on back to Facebook and let the commenting begin. Let's find out if this is anything more than the sound of one hand clapping.
The problem is I don't exactly know what shape it's going to take yet. Fiction? Possibly. I have a lot of ideas in the Vault, but I don't know if I should highlight the ridiculousness of it all, or show a more balanced version that mixes the comedy and the bureaucratic farce and the all-out life tragedies that too often are a part of the job. Or what about non-fiction? Maybe I could do another memoir, reflecting on my own experiences of the past 20 years, either as an anecdotal overview or a collection of events out of the past structured to follow a typical school year. And these are just a few ideas; I really don't know which way to go yet. One day I'll think, "Oh yeah, that's definitely what I should do," only to realize soon after how many reasons there are why it wouldn't be a good idea.
So here's my plan. Over the summer, I'm going to write a series trials -- short stories or essays, probably -- to serve as warm-ups, helping me find a voice to use, and an overall tone for the project, and just trying out what kinds of stories would work effectively for what I'd like to accomplish. However, I'm not going to post these here on the blog. Maybe some of them, but certainly not all; some of the stories I could tell simply don't need to be on the Internet, as anyone who has worked in public education themselves could attest to.
So instead, I'm asking for test readers I could include in a mailing group. Would you be interested in reading some of these stories? And would you be willing to give me a little feedback on them to help me find some direction for this project? If so, I'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to be in my test-marketing e-mail group, just send me a message or leave a comment on the link you probably followed from Facebook to get here. I've also enabled commenting again right here on the site, but I'd caution anyone away from including contact information in any comments they might leave here -- the Internet is full of really bad people. To my still-puzzling hypothetical international readership -- sorry folks, but you'll remain out of the loop on this one. I'm really only going to share stories like these with people I trust.
I know a request like this goes against my tenet of not asking people to read my writing since I don't like feeling that desperate, but for something like this I think an exception might be warranted. I almost feel like I'm setting myself up for disappointment since I don't expect to hear back from many people, but you never know until you try. If you stop by the blog here occasionally, and generally enjoy what you read, you should have a pretty good idea of what you'd be signing up for. If that sounds interesting, I say go for it.
Okay. Head on back to Facebook and let the commenting begin. Let's find out if this is anything more than the sound of one hand clapping.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Podcast Sunday
Sunday afternoons are usually nice and calm for me. There's always some work around the house, usually some school work to prepare, but very little pressure. It's a great time to decompress. Putting the iPod on a playlist with 200 or so songs on it and hitting shuffle is a great way to create a soundtrack to the afternoon, but in the past few months I've discovered something else: Podcasts.
I know I'm late to this game compared to many people. I've known about podcasts before, but only recently have I gotten into exploring what's available and subscribing to different ones. During a road trip I took with some friends back in January, somebody wanted the radio turned to NPR to hear the show "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me," which is an amusing current events program disguised as a quiz show, featuring jokes made by people who are funny, friendly, and smart -- three criteria that I'd argue no host on late-night television could claim altogether. And since I watch the news, I get to feel proud of how smart I am when I know the answers.
Not having a very high granola level in my bloodstream, I don't listen to a lot of NPR, but it was an interesting show. Interesting enough for me to schedule my weekend around listening to a radio show once a week on a Saturday? No, mostly because it isn't 1943, or whenever people listened to radio programs for entertainment. BUT. I took a shot and looked it up on my beloved iTunes, and there it was in podcast form. I subscribed and got into the habit of playing the weekly show a day later than the broadcast while I do lesson plans on Sunday afternoon. It wasn't long until I started browsing iTunes more deeply looking to see whatever podcasts were out there I might enjoy, and I found quite a few. Here are a few of the others I've discovered:
eTown
This one is great. eTown is a radio show that is almost a little too hippie of a show for me, but has great live music performances and interviews with some very respectable artists. I first heard this show played late Sunday night and then really early Sunday morning and then really late Saturday night (you get the picture of how it's shuffled around the schedule) on Cities 97 here in the Cities, so I was happy to find a podcast of it I could follow. It's also nice to be able to skip through the non-musical segments. I've discovered some great artists on this show over the years, and it's good to have it there waiting for me to hear it.
How To Do Everything
I found this one after it was plugged on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, since it's from the same production team. It's a short one, usually 15-20 minutes or so. The hosts conduct amusing interviews with reasonable experts who can provide insight into real and sometimes ridiculous topics like "How to stage a Navy SEAL raid," or "How to make Pandora Radio work for you," or "How to cure hiccups for real" (you really don't want to know) or "How to follow someone in a Taxi."
Live From Studio C
If you like the radio station Cities 97 but never get to hear their "Live from Studio C" radio spots because you have a job, well, here you go. The artists are interviewed here, even though the musical performances are largely excised -- I'd imagine there's some copyright thing at work there, or maybe they're just saving them for their samplers later in the year. Either way, I'm more interested in the interviews when I hear them. And if it's an artist I don't care about, then I'll probably just delete it.
Stuff You Should Know
I don't remember how I found this one, but it's a lot like How to Do Everything. A couple guys tell you all about interesting stuff you'd usually never stop to think about too much: how roller coasters, work, how to improve your memory, whether or not you'd remain conscious after being beheaded (apparently you would, for about 4-15 seconds), how to tell if someone is flirting with you, things like that. And regarding that last one? To that one woman I work with: Oh yes. Message received....
You can probably tell from this I'm starting to build up a nice little podcast library. And hey, if anyone out there has any favorites they'd like to suggest? I'm all ears.
I know I'm late to this game compared to many people. I've known about podcasts before, but only recently have I gotten into exploring what's available and subscribing to different ones. During a road trip I took with some friends back in January, somebody wanted the radio turned to NPR to hear the show "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me," which is an amusing current events program disguised as a quiz show, featuring jokes made by people who are funny, friendly, and smart -- three criteria that I'd argue no host on late-night television could claim altogether. And since I watch the news, I get to feel proud of how smart I am when I know the answers.
Not having a very high granola level in my bloodstream, I don't listen to a lot of NPR, but it was an interesting show. Interesting enough for me to schedule my weekend around listening to a radio show once a week on a Saturday? No, mostly because it isn't 1943, or whenever people listened to radio programs for entertainment. BUT. I took a shot and looked it up on my beloved iTunes, and there it was in podcast form. I subscribed and got into the habit of playing the weekly show a day later than the broadcast while I do lesson plans on Sunday afternoon. It wasn't long until I started browsing iTunes more deeply looking to see whatever podcasts were out there I might enjoy, and I found quite a few. Here are a few of the others I've discovered:
eTown
This one is great. eTown is a radio show that is almost a little too hippie of a show for me, but has great live music performances and interviews with some very respectable artists. I first heard this show played late Sunday night and then really early Sunday morning and then really late Saturday night (you get the picture of how it's shuffled around the schedule) on Cities 97 here in the Cities, so I was happy to find a podcast of it I could follow. It's also nice to be able to skip through the non-musical segments. I've discovered some great artists on this show over the years, and it's good to have it there waiting for me to hear it.
How To Do Everything
I found this one after it was plugged on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, since it's from the same production team. It's a short one, usually 15-20 minutes or so. The hosts conduct amusing interviews with reasonable experts who can provide insight into real and sometimes ridiculous topics like "How to stage a Navy SEAL raid," or "How to make Pandora Radio work for you," or "How to cure hiccups for real" (you really don't want to know) or "How to follow someone in a Taxi."
Live From Studio C
If you like the radio station Cities 97 but never get to hear their "Live from Studio C" radio spots because you have a job, well, here you go. The artists are interviewed here, even though the musical performances are largely excised -- I'd imagine there's some copyright thing at work there, or maybe they're just saving them for their samplers later in the year. Either way, I'm more interested in the interviews when I hear them. And if it's an artist I don't care about, then I'll probably just delete it.
Stuff You Should Know
I don't remember how I found this one, but it's a lot like How to Do Everything. A couple guys tell you all about interesting stuff you'd usually never stop to think about too much: how roller coasters, work, how to improve your memory, whether or not you'd remain conscious after being beheaded (apparently you would, for about 4-15 seconds), how to tell if someone is flirting with you, things like that. And regarding that last one? To that one woman I work with: Oh yes. Message received....
You can probably tell from this I'm starting to build up a nice little podcast library. And hey, if anyone out there has any favorites they'd like to suggest? I'm all ears.
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