Must we go gaga over Gaga?

Catching that elusive muse is a lot of work. Because for one, it’s being elusive and second, an inspiration is something you don’t force on yourself. It either comes to you or goes into hiding whenever you need it. And more often than not, in my case, whenever I am faced with the need to write an article or a report, I find myself up against a really huge mental wall.

They did say it’ll come to you at the eleventh hour. Sure, inspiration pops out and the next thing you know, you’re now at your fifth page. Problem is, doing last minute stuff can be quite taxing. You’re mentally and physically drained from all that stress.

And you might wonder why I’m bringing this topic up. Well, to tell you honestly, my passion for writing transcends mere hobby. However, looking for that inspiration to write a topic you have in mind can be very frustrating at times. And yes, earlier I was really frustrated because I wanted to write, but I don’t seem to have the necessary motivation to start the mental ball rolling. Much less get my fingers flying over the keyboard (like what it’s doing now).

The difference between earlier and now is the article from the previous day’s news, which I stumbled upon on my way to my office (see Sunstar, A22, May 21, 2012).

There, in all it’s newspaper print glory – my deus ex machina!

Yes, I can very well see your nose bleeding from the term.

To make it easier for you, I Google-ed the term and according to the most popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, the term Deus ex Machina means: “plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.”

So you see, this intervention – which I don’t think can be qualified as divine – was the inspiration I’ve been looking for in order to start writing this article. And I think by now you’re wondering at what the article contained.

Well, you know how it was with the news about a certain famous singer/songwriter/fashionista individual, who came to the Philippines for a two-day concert, of which religious and other youth organizations actually rallied against?

Yeah, I’m talking about HER: The one and only Lady Gaga.

I listen to her songs, sing along to the lyrics, subscribe to her tweets and I have her wallpapered on my phone (which got me wondering why her picture on my screen didn’t spark the inspiration). Anyway, most of all, I idolize Gaga for those out-of-this-world costumes, make-up and hairdo she’s been wearing whenever she’s out in public. She may or may not have conceptualized them, but she sure has an awful lot of balls just to wear them and even dance in them. I really can’t say she’s every fashion designer’s muse, but the possibility of creating something unconventional must intrigue them.

Speaking of costumes, I’m a big fan of Lady Gaga but I haven’t reached the wear-a-costume-and-cry-because-of-joy-when-you-see-her zone yet. And though I love most of her songs, I actually hold back from watching her music videos since some portrayals don’t fit my taste. I find it amazing though – and probably this is one of the causes for the anti-Gaga thing going on – is that, if you’ll hit the Mute button and just take her music video as it is, some of you’d say: “Lady Gaga’s a very bad influence to the kids today. Just look at her video, it’s very inappropriate! All that hints at ***!”

But if you’d play the music on and read through the lyrics, it’s not really that bad or blasphemous, as the religious leaders would call it.

Let’s talk about one of her songs that went crazy controversial lately. On top of the list would be Judas. Epic blasphemy? Maybe, considering that the video portrays Jesus Christ in black leather biker outfit, along with Judas and the famous betrayal that happened. But like what Gaga’s associates said, Judas only symbolized a man that doesn’t deserve to be loved (or something along those lines). And yes, when you put it that way, most of us have been in a relationship like that: Choosing to love someone who doesn’t deserve the trust you gave. (Trust me, I can relate!)

And if you think about it, you’ll realize that most of Lady Gaga’s songs talk about relationships (its components), a bit about individualism and of course, self-respect.

protests to Lady Gaga's concert in Manila

Take for example, Born This Way and Hair. They both talk about being who you are and loving yourself for it. Isn’t that what we wish for ourselves also? That having accepted our identity, we also want other people to accept us for what we are. And by the way, I don’t really see why they banned Born This Way in China (which is what my mother told me when she was there), can you?

I could name a number of her songs talking about relationships - not all - just the only ones I know of. Let’s see, we have the happy ones (You and I, Edge of Glory), breakups and all (Speechless, Eh, Eh Nothing Else I Can Say, Alejandro), and I think Paper Gangsta qualifies to i-don’t-want-someone-monkeying-around kind of song.

Anyway, if you saw the news about it, they showed a short feature of our national artist, Bienvenido Lumbera (famed poet, critic and dramatist), who said that he didn’t find Gaga’s songs offensive. In fact, being an artist of her chosen industry, her songs should be taken with a sense of humor. Amen to that!

Lady Gaga riding a motorcycle with the Phil flag during her Manila concert

And I guess, in my opinion, we should all take any celebrity or public figure’s influence in whatever way we can or want to (either lightly or hardcore) as long as there’s a conscious effort behind those decisions. As for me, Lady Gaga might not be the most positive influence there is in this planet, but she sure is my inspiration for this article and the power source for creativity in my life.

Mag iSTORYA Ta (Let's Talk): What are your views on Gaga? Must we go gaga over her or must we continue on with other more provoking issues?
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By:

Anna Noelle Mohammad
iSTORYAn League of Writers

Noelley to her friends, Anna Noelle started by writing poetry, joining contests and getting recognized for her literary achievements at school. Since then, writing became and continued to be her passion. She has three companions whenever she doesn't feel like socializing with other human beings. They are Mr. Book, Mr. Pen, and his lovely wife, Mrs. Paper. She loves the color green, she listens to pop and rock music and is loved by her family. She is also a fan of David Eddings and Neil Gaiman.