by Ethan Nichtern(for more information on the Interdependence Project, visit http://theidproject.org)
I'll admit it, I've been listening to Lady Gaga this last week. Her new album The Fame Monster is out today. Call it a Bad Romance, and call me a dharma Paparazzi. And, forever interested in culture, I've been talking to people about her. We need to talk about her, don't we? She might be the next Madonna, who has been one of the biggest zeitgeist influences of the past generation. Even Madonna is talking about Lady Gaga. That means you've arrived on the scene and probably aren't leaving.
It's pretty interesting what thoughtful people think of this 23 year-old phenom. My fashion friends think she's a genuine heroine of couture, artistically gifted with the IT factor. My Buddhist friends interested in deconstructed identity love her ironic dance with celebrity. My serious yogi/meditator friends interested in navel-gazing are pretty much the only ones who say "Lady who? Why you talking like a baby?"
So here's the problem. I have this tiny addiction, call it a longing that won't let me rest, to meaning. I want life to be meaningful, and I want my time to be meaningful. I'm averse to meaninglessness in general. And it's pretty clear to me that Lady Gaga has a codependently Bad Romance with meaning.
Of course, what I have is a bad case of ideological materialism, which is a bit more intellectual, but none the less deadly, than it's physical counterpart. I'm working on it. That's why I'm Gaga for Lady Gaga. It's good practice for me.
I also have this lifelong realization that art and culture which focus too self-consciously on meaning and the spiritual dimension are often cringe-worthy, lacking the aesthetic hook and couture-edge of their meaning-averse counterparts. Rare and uber-powerful are the exceptions to this trend. Saul Williams would be a good example for me, someone who constantly goes for the spiritual and pulls it off.
Why is this? Why, when an artist goes for something spiritual or political, do we usually start yawning? Why, when an artist writes a song and video celebrating destructive codependent relationships, do we all start dancing our asses off?
I don't know about you, but I definitely have a Bad Romance with 21st Century Culture in general. "Paparazzi" may as well be the Heart Sutra.
(picture from Lady Gaga's Website. Video courtesy of the inseparability of Samsara and Nirvana)
Of course, what I have is a bad case of ideological materialism, which is a bit more intellectual, but none the less deadly, than it's physical counterpart. I'm working on it. That's why I'm Gaga for Lady Gaga. It's good practice for me.
I also have this lifelong realization that art and culture which focus too self-consciously on meaning and the spiritual dimension are often cringe-worthy, lacking the aesthetic hook and couture-edge of their meaning-averse counterparts. Rare and uber-powerful are the exceptions to this trend. Saul Williams would be a good example for me, someone who constantly goes for the spiritual and pulls it off.
Why is this? Why, when an artist goes for something spiritual or political, do we usually start yawning? Why, when an artist writes a song and video celebrating destructive codependent relationships, do we all start dancing our asses off?
I don't know about you, but I definitely have a Bad Romance with 21st Century Culture in general. "Paparazzi" may as well be the Heart Sutra.
(picture from Lady Gaga's Website. Video courtesy of the inseparability of Samsara and Nirvana)
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Pop music can simply be recreation. And that is a need, not just an indulgence.
I used to run poetry readings. I heard so much poetry that when I went to the movies all I could bear were comedies and action films. I needed a rest from all the complexity and metaphor and depth.
So, you know, nothing wrong with taking a break from deep and heavy things.
while i agree that pop music should be easy and enjoyable and not always complex,
i would welcome a pop song with a deeper meaning such as this one
i find it refreshing considering the depth of most of today's pop music
and i actually dislike the fact that most of gaga's fans don't find (or even search for) any deeper meaning in her music, and still call it "brilliant" and "genius"
i hope i'm not misinterpreting the message or meaning of the song, or taking it for more than it's worth, because i would appreciate it (and gaga) so much less if i was
You may find this helpful Ethan
Not Needing to Have Answers & the Wisdom Function ~ Shinzen Young
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI4seVg0xjk
on overcoming the need for meaning.
Well I think that Madonna's Confessions On A Dance Floor is the perfect example of great pop dance music infused with meaningful lyrics that make one thing!
Uncanny that I just spent an hour typing an email to a friend about this song. I too have a need to find meaning, even though I realize that sometimes there is none. I am interested in where Lady GaGa will go from here, and hope she does not turn into a madonna or diva.
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