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Post by wal on Apr 17, 2011 1:10:49 GMT -5
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Post by cassie on Apr 17, 2011 1:14:59 GMT -5
Very late night ramblings. I didn't see the Gaga cover as being a statement of masculinity/femininity at all. Tho' both arguments work. I saw it as a depiction of the mechanization of the pop music and celebrity industry (tho' I am sure Gaga didn't mean it that way). Gaga has become a cyborg or a transformer -- fused together with the machinery of a manufactured image. Flashy, fast, shiny, noisy, cold, no longer entirely human. She is no longer riding the machine, driving it, but has been incorporated and fused into it. She can no longer separate herself from it and walk away. She may look wild and fierce, but she has no warmth, no joy, and little humanity left. She also looks like she is stalking looking for her next meal. I am sure that is not the statement she was making, but it seems appropriate for her. Quoting myself to add the comparison to Adam's motorcycle pictures. If you say that the motorcycle represents the machinery of the pop/music industry, he is riding it fiercely in control as it speeds thru the night. He is leaning back in the seat in an acrobatic move to show his ability to do trick riding. He even turns the machinery upside down and straddles it, like the alpha male dog straddles the other dog who has lain down belly up and exposed in submission. No, I don't think that was Adam's intention with those photos either. But it is fun to compare the imagery one can draw from the Gaga and Adam cycle pictures side by side. |
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kapsiz
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that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet...
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Post by kapsiz on Apr 17, 2011 1:21:31 GMT -5
Regarding the Gaga pics ~ As I've heard it, "A picture, is as a thousand words" Wikipedia says it this way ~ The adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" refers to the idea that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. It also aptly characterizes one of the main goals of visualization, namely making it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly. What data are you absorbing from that picture?  |
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Post by maria222pf on Apr 17, 2011 1:28:25 GMT -5
Regarding the Gaga pics ~ As I've heard it, "A picture, is as a thousand words" Wikipedia says it this way ~ The adage "A picture is worth a thousand words" refers to the idea that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image. It also aptly characterizes one of the main goals of visualization, namely making it possible to absorb large amounts of data quickly. What data are you absorbing from that picture? Frankly for me (and this probably is my own interpretation due to my own bias/work) is that I didn't even really notice the bike or hands/no hands, what struck me is that her face looks totally insane ??? :  |
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Post by rabbitrabbit on Apr 17, 2011 1:40:36 GMT -5
Interesting thoughts about the gagacycle. I can't get a read on her. I've seen (and agreed with both at the time) arguments stating that she is a feminist who is subverting and parodying the idea of a pop princess, or that she isn't--that she's instead just retreading old and (problematic) images and ideas.
I watch her videos and read print interviews with her and she seems to take herself seriously, never breaking character, coming across as grandoise and metaphorical. And then in an interview with 60 minutes, she seems to be taking nothing seriously, she seems giggly, irreverent, and not particularly bright--choosing her props at random.
She dances in a thong and yet appears to have no sexual chemistry.
She talks about "Born this way" as an empowerment anthem, but chooses images to represent it that are the opposite of anything organic, natural, genuine, or "born". She presents herself as an alien and/or a machine.
I'm left shaking my head, feeling no empathy or sense of connection with her, but recognizing her achievements, her somewhat terrifying work ethic, and her youth.
Her music both repels and attracts me (I really do enjoy her voice and her creepy lyrics).
She sure isn't boring me.
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readon
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Post by readon on Apr 17, 2011 1:43:42 GMT -5
Very late night ramblings. I didn't see the Gaga cover as being a statement of masculinity/femininity at all. Tho' both arguments work. I saw it as a depiction of the mechanization of the pop music and celebrity industry (tho' I am sure Gaga didn't mean it that way). Gaga has become a cyborg or a transformer -- fused together with the machinery of a manufactured image. Flashy, fast, shiny, noisy, cold, no longer entirely human. She is no longer riding the machine, driving it, but has been incorporated and fused into it. She can no longer separate herself from it and walk away. She may look wild and fierce, but she has no warmth, no joy, and little humanity left. She also looks like she is stalking looking for her next meal. I am sure that is not the statement she was making, but it seems appropriate for her. THIS^^^^ and THAT  Her music has become the machine. I really liked the music that Gaga started with and now she is just trying to top herself and is turning into a cyborg mechanism that wants to shock and the fun part has been left behind. The fame monster or some other incubus is in the driving seat. (Did I just paint Adam as an incubus. Well, he is a sexy fantasy). She may have the steering wheel, but she forgot to CYA-- Cover your ass. I believe that Adam understands that he doesn't want to be a persona/cyborg that he will have to continually feed to keep it alive. The glitter/wild child was fun for one album, but he doesn't want to bind himself to that image forever. The muse should allow you to grow and evolve. |
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mirages
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Post by mirages on Apr 17, 2011 2:15:24 GMT -5
Adam as incubus is not the worst idea ever. At all. 8-)
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Post by gelly14 on Apr 17, 2011 2:21:18 GMT -5
Very late night ramblings. I didn't see the Gaga cover as being a statement of masculinity/femininity at all. Tho' both arguments work. I saw it as a depiction of the mechanization of the pop music and celebrity industry (tho' I am sure Gaga didn't mean it that way). Gaga has become a cyborg or a transformer -- fused together with the machinery of a manufactured image. Flashy, fast, shiny, noisy, cold, no longer entirely human. She is no longer riding the machine, driving it, but has been incorporated and fused into it. She can no longer separate herself from it and walk away. She may look wild and fierce, but she has no warmth, no joy, and little humanity left. She also looks like she is stalking looking for her next meal. I am sure that is not the statement she was making, but it seems appropriate for her. Honestly the first image that came to my mind when I first saw the cover was cannibalism..... |
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Holst
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Post by Holst on Apr 17, 2011 6:54:47 GMT -5
All this Gaga cover analysis reminds me of my many college English literature classes. I was never interested in picking apart a novel to finding the deeper/hidden meaning. I always wondered why we were deciding that the author was trying to say more than was overtly said. I was not good at it--I'm a pretty literal person. So my take on Gagacycle is: She thinks it looks cool. ;D :D ;D I've never analyzed Adam's covers either. They just look interesting and I like it--or not. It's not that deep for me.  |
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JazzRocks
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Post by JazzRocks on Apr 17, 2011 7:32:26 GMT -5
Dead thread. But I didn't want to drag this over to today's thread. New day, new subject(s). Alison singing WWFM (YT posted a page or 2 ago) sounded just terrible. Hurt my ears. Just compare this with Adam's version. Oy. Don't like to diss Adam's dear friends but her voice is screechy.  IMO of course. |
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