The neverending saga of Lady Gaga

By John Glynn

Lady Gaga’s South Korean concert is almost upon us, but there is one problem, only fans that are eighteen years or older can attend one of the most anticipated performances in quite some time. This recently imposed age restriction has left a lot of people fuming; people under the age of eighteen who bought tickets prior to the sudden announcement are still being refunded. Originally, children under the age of twelve couldn’t attend the “Born This Way Ball.” Ever since the change to the age limit, Korean fans of Gaga are deeply unhappy! Some adults even spoke out on behalf of the under-aged, and attempted, albeit in vein, to make the Government alter their outlook on the strangest lady in pop. Questions were asked, like; shouldn’t the parents be the judge of whether or not their children can attend a Lady Gaga performance? Personally, I don’t see why the Government had to intervene and deliver an eleventh-hour decision. Gaga hastily replied to the verdict, taking to Twitter to voice her disapproval, she stated, “Although it’s not affecting ticket sales, parents should be given more credit to determine what’s good for their children.” The American diva continued by saying, “Thank you to all the adults in Korea who are speaking out for under-aged kids who want to come. Maybe the Government will change their mind.” Some religious groups here have opposed the performance, saying Lady Gaga has promoted homosexuality and has constantly executed her performances in an overtly sexual style.

According to the Korea Media Rating Board, Gaga is now the fourth foreign artist to be prohibited from performing for minors here. Marilyn Manson, 50 cent, and Jay-Z are the other artists’ to feel the wrath of the Korean Government. Gaga arrived in South Korea late on Friday, the 20th of April, one week before her Seoul performance. “The Born This Way Ball” tour kicks off at Seoul’s Olympic Stadium, then Gaga and her entourage will continue on to Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia. This is all before she launches her European attack, over twenty scheduled shows; the first one begins August 14 at the Vasll Levskl Nation Stadium in Bulgaria. Lady Gaga is a walking set of contradictions. She often talks about how she believes in the benefits of celibacy, yet her music videos are incredibly racy.

In interviews, she talks about her introverted attitude, yet her infamous appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards wearing a Franc Fernandez-designed outfit consisting of the flesh of dead animals makes me think otherwise. Totally obsessed with the impact of visual stimulants, Gaga has encountered condemnation for the explicit nature of several of her videos. Prominent examples include the nudity-laced, sexually charged interpretation of an all female prison in Telephone, and the blend of sexual and religious imagery in Alejandro. The church and Gaga do not exactly see eye to eye, the American’s most recent religious swipe comes in the form of her latest single – Judas, Gaga proclaims her love for the untrustworthy apostle who deceived Jesus. The track was leaked just days before the Easter weekend. Coincidence, I think not.

Most of us can identify with her flawed character, because, after all, so many of us are deeply flawed. She has been called a Grace Jones copycat and is constantly compared with Madonna. However, in many aspects of her existence and career, she is daringly original and peculiarly unique. Nothing if not fascinating, Lady Gaga has sparked many a discussion, she is one of those intriguing figures who you either love or hate. On April 27th, Korea will surely go gu-gu for Gaga.