Ra ra ra ah ah. Ro ma ro ma ma. Gaga, Ooh la la

I believe in a previous post, I brought up the "fine line between genius and insanity." If this is the case, then Lady Gaga must be a professional tightrope walker. Her electronic style, her lustful undertones, and her outrageous music videos are at the peak of today's pop culture discussions. Her music is Billboard-worthy, yet she's avant-garde in her style. The music videos are somewhat realistic, but come off as modern surrealism.

Odd costumes, big hair, eccentric make-up, anorexia, and a knock-out voice are the focal points of her most recent video release. "Bad Romance," essentially, is based on a "killer" hookup of hers. She doesn't want a friendship out of everything. As per the video, she wants to transform herself into a desirable item, whore herself out, and kill. Essentially, she wants to be the protagonist in her own romance. But has she gone too far with her crazed interpretations?

Most would argue the negative. It's upsetting how she uses so many Hollywood stereotypes in her songs, but her performances are noteworthy and eye-catching. It's even more upsetting that the stereotypes are based on truth: that Hollywood screams "sex," that the human body will not be accepted if it is anything less than perfect, and that love is a generally misunderstood concept. That's what I caught, anyway...

"She's a Lady" vs. "Superfreak": the definition of a woman

The female human being can be defined as "a member of the species homo sapiens sapiens containing two X chromosomes and lacking a Y chromosome; the child-bearing gender of the human species." The connotative definition can range from saint to slut, as it has since the time of the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene. But now, with the advent of hip hop, women are being ostracized and anyone who doesn't have the butt, the boobs, the hair, or the sexual stamina is not accepted as a standard "woman." And the songs that try to proclaim the woman as saintly also set an image as far as what is publicly acceptable to be a woman, though sometimes, this image turns into a full-blown standard of living.

The two types of women that are out there--"The kind you don't bring home to mother" and "The kind they'd like to flaunt and take to dinner."--are clearly defined in, respectively, Rick James' "Superfreak." and Tom Jones' "She's a Lady." The woman is a complex being with constantly fluctuating emotions that can range from the high saint to the low sinner, depending on the time of the month, the time of the day, or the time of the year. Emotion and, furthermore, sexual prowess of a single woman or a group of women shouldn't determine the bias toward an entire gender. Whereas "Superfreak" is a declaration of sexual desires, "She's a Lady" is an ode to the "perfect housewife." Both have generated biases of what is acceptable in a relationship and in the bedroom.

"Superfreak" seeks only pleasure. Rick James' ideology on women is that they are entirely sexual objects and that they should be frequented while they still look good. Apparently, women can be whored out easily, considering the "boys in the band" have been with her, too. She likes him the most though (I wonder if she says the same thing to all of her other regulars). This song gives a strong "OK" to prostitution and says that it's a respectable way to live.

The other extreme is found in "She's a Lady," where women are objects of love who don't ask questions and present themselves well at all moments of the day. Not to mention, Jones only allows women to be subservient to men and makes men as a whole seem holier-than-thou. Women have the same rights as men and, therefore, ought to be held to the same standards and treated as equals. I'm on a mission to find a song that shows women in a normal light...one that's loving and doesn't misrepresent the female population.

One that comes to mind is "Thunder" by Boys Like Girls. The band shows the girl as a beautiful person and the only thing on the man's mind (not far from the truth, am I right?) while reminiscing about an excellent summer and wondering what today may bring judging by the past. Though this is also a connotation, I'm sure it's impossible to make a song from a standard dictionary definition and emotion and personal belief have to be added to the definition. Besides, Merriam-Webster isn't a recording company. Everyone has a personal definition for everything, but these definitions oughtn't set standards for what the majority thinks. Then we'd be conforming...and I certainly don't want to get into that argument again...

Super Freak - Rick James

She's A Lady - Tom Jones

Thunder - Boys Like Girls

Stand Your Ground.

Aside from closed/absentminded conservatives, I cannot think of a single case where an opinion has wavered. The general consensus' opinion is in constant flux and there's nothing we can do to stagnate the opinion for two seconds (to get an accurate reading) except to keep opposing advertisement going strongly. The one industry that is held back the most, in this respect, is entertainment.

Movies and music constantly have to alter their plotlines, their beats, their lyrics to appease the ever-wanting, ever-wavering majority. One of the most recent films that has done this is the Oren Peli film Paranormal Activity. Shot in the span of a week and originally screened in film festivals in 2007, the ending made audiences shiver. In 2009, Steven Spielberg suggested re-filming the ending to make it blockbuster-worthy. With an opening weekend grossing 22.4 million dollars in the national box-office (in 1400 theatres), it beat out Saw VI by 4 million dollars. Here's the kicker: Saw VI was viewed in over 2600 theaters. Peli's work, with Spielberg's help, has attracted much attention, but at what cost?

Peli placed himself in the mass culture. A festival film that was budgeted at 11,000 dollars was altered by THE mass culture icon of the film directing world. Is this problematic? In the right context, yes. But it's not beatable. The monster of public opinion is ever-haunting, ever-wavering, never-stopping.

Radio Killed the Video Star?

Though movies, music videos, and graphic art have been dominant forces in musicology and how people are affected by music, people must also take into account the work put behind a radio show. Kidd Kraddick is a major example of this. His show is broadcast to several stations in the Southern United States (In New Orleans, I believe it's 97.1 - WEZB) and, though there are very few musical interruptions, he is very successful as a radio talk show host. His show is extremely layered: there's a layer of humor, a layer of serious issues, and a layer of problem solving. His co-hosts--Big Al, Kellie, J-Si, and Shanon--all create a dialogue that is insanely hilarious. He does talk about national news and, unlike most radio shows, doesn't tend to give a straightforward bias (Right, Rush Limbaugh?). His biggest feat, however, is his humanitarian work. In the many years of his show, Kidd has created his own charity called "Kidd's Kids." This is sort of like the "Make-a-Wish Foundation," except his cause donates to cancer research and sends several cancer victims to Disney World to rid them of their troubles, if even for a few days. He's not a musician, but the style of his show attracts viewers of all different backgrounds and it definitely makes a difference in the community.

Though my show wouldn't have the same impact, I do intend on co-hosting a radio show on Loyola's campus with my good friend Khiry. "G-Nikes and Strobe Lites" will air every Tuesday from 1-4 pm on Crescentcityradio.com. We do intend to talk about some good stuff, good music, good thoughts, and whatever else pops up. He and I have frequently had embarrassingly funny conversations. Hopefully our humor will bring a larger audience to CCR (as we don't have too many listeners, really...) and perhaps the music can attract an audience as well. Music is the universal language. If we bring good music to the show, people will understand where we come from. Maybe people will listen. If music is a language, and we have the power to persuade people with our words, perhaps music has the same impact. It can be used as a marketing tool.

The fine line between Genius and Insanity

Beethoven, Einstein, Kanye. All three of these men have been noted for their bizarre qualities and stylistic choices: Beethoven's deafness and his ascots, Einstein's quietude and his hair, Kanye's ego and his hater-blockers. All three declared insane. All three proclaimed geniuses.

Shane Koyczan, a slam poet, brought a definition to Beethoven's madness. The following is an excerpt of Koyczan's work:

distance must be an illusion

the man must be

a genius

Beethoven

his thoughts moving at the speed of sound

transforming emotion into music

and for a moment

it was like joy

was a tangible thing

like you could touch it

like for the first time

we could watch love and hate dance together

in a waltz of such precision and beauty

that we finally understood

the history wasn’t important

to know the man

all we ever had to do was

listen.

There's typically a method to madness. We see this with Beethoven as we do with Einstein. It is rumored that Einstein didn't speak until he was 10 years old because he couldn't find anything worthwhile to say and that he failed the kindergarten level of his education because he couldn't express himself well artistically. Though these are rumors, we do see the left side of Einstein's brain more than the right. His scientific genius still amazes scientists and thinkers to this date.

As for Mr. West, we are plagued with drunken antics and good music. I'll be honest, Kanye's most recent album is one of my favorites. He puts out some really good music and there's no question he's a quality artist, but some of the stuff he does on the side is purely irrational and stupid. He has proclaimed himself to be the greatest musician in the world, he goes into a jealous fit every time he loses an award to someone else, and the Taylor Swift fiasco will not leave the public eye anytime soon with the invention of immaletyoufinish.com

He's a great musician, but he's unpredictable. Ingenious or Insane? Which is he? As it was with Beethoven and Einstein, we need to wait until Kanye starts up with some work later on in his career. Though he is fame-obsessed, his passion for hip hop is undeniably strong.

Grand Larsony

Of course, the word "larceny" is misspelled in the title. This post will not be on thievery, though it will relate to holding captive the hearts of all Americans who've witnessed Jonathan Larson's hit Broadway musical RENT. The musical first played off-Broadway on January 26, 1996 and moved to Broadway in April of the same year. Unfortunately, Larson wasn't alive to see his Magnum Opus achieve the national success that it has--he died on January 25, 1996, one night before the show's opening.

The show ran on Broadway until 2008, but there was a supplement to the Broadway performances--one that could reach a larger audience. In November of 2005, the film version of RENT was shown in theatres and became a cultural phenomenon (if it hadn't already been before). The film starred 6 of the original 8 Broadway members: Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, and Taye Diggs.

Though the scripts differ between the play and the film, the messages are still the same: love knows no bounds, and the artist shouldn't have to struggle. Larson's script tackled homosexuality and the pressing issue of AIDS. He showed that love follows through sickness, through struggle, through any obstacle. It knows no gender and it may even put a stopper to death (or at least slow it down). Also, the setting for the story--a rundown, Bohemian location in the East Village of New York City, often called Alphabet City--reveals the poverty and hardship that most aspiring artists deal with. Though the problems aren't necessarily solved in the resolution of the musical, the songs and the plot in general are blunt enough to broadcast a vivid message to audiences everywhere.

Garbage with a Good Message

Ever since RockBand came out for the XBox 360, I've been hooked onto Garbage. Their only single that was available to play on the console was "I Think I'm Paranoid," one of their catchier singles, but I wasn't satisfied with this. I needed more Garbage. Fortunately, my dad has one of the most random compilations of CD's I have ever seen (a total of about 650 CD's ranging from Metal to Movie Soundtracks) and within its myriad contents, I found a little more Garbage.

One song that stuck to me was from their second album, aptly titled "Version 2.0." The song's name is "Medication." On a surface level, the listener can hear a woman's plea for help in resolving society's lack of consideration for others and actually getting her say for once with its intense chorus: "Somebody get me out of here, I'm tearing at myself. Nobody gives a damn about me or anybody else."

On a deeper level, I see a rebellion against male dominance of a relationship. The story of the song reveals a woman being kept on some form of medication to calm her down so she doesn't go against a man's wishes. Here are the full lyrics:

I don't need an education
I learnt all I need from you
They've got me on some medication
My point of balance was askew
It keeps my temperature from rising
My blood is pumping through my veins

Chorus:
Somebody get me out of here
I'm tearing at myself
Nobody gives a damn about me or anybody else

I wear myself out in the morning
You're asleep when I get home
Please don't call me self defending
You know it cuts me to the bone
And it's really not surprising
I hold a force I can't contain

Chorus

And still you call me co-dependent
Somehow you lay the blame on me
And still you call me co-dependent
Somehow you lay the blame on me

Somebody get me out of here
I'm tearing at myself
I've got to make a point these days
To extricate myself

Chorus

And still you call me co-dependent
Somehow you lay the blame on me
And still you call me co-dependent

Somehow you lay the blame on me (3x)

Everything she wants to bring to the public eye is in these lyrics. The first two lines of the song! She doesn't need an education because her man has taught her well. She admits that she's always been the submissive one in the relationship, yet something wants to come out of her. This resolution lies in the bridge of the song: "I've got to make a point these days to extricate myself." She wants to be heard. Inside, she dislikes the fact that others are always trying to control her...to hold her back. This wasn't one of their more popularized songs, yet this is the song that most, if not all, people could relate to at at least some point in their lives. No matter who we are, we always fall under the control of someone else. Someone else will always be holding us back, no matter how powerful we are.

Would it be possible for everyone to live as free and self-serving members of society without interfering with the control of another person's life? Will we all be stuck on medication or is there any way to pull the plug and walk away breathing?

I had to YouTube it because I couldn't find the song on LaLa...hmm....is it that unpopular of a song?