In what ways is Lady Gaga Postmodern?

1. Post Modernism and the Music Industry
Case Study of Lady Gaga

2. In what ways do you think she could be Post
Modern?

3. Key Terms
Intertextuality - one media text referring to another Thiscan be done as Parodyor Pastiche
Parody - mocking something in an original way
1970s / 1980s cop series Sabotage music video

4. Pastiche - An artistic work in a style that imitates that of
another work, artist, or period. This is a self-conscious
imitation.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Marilyn Monroe
Material Girl
Madonna
Ashanti Foolish
Music videoGoodfellas

5. Bricolage - mixing up and usingdifferent genres and styles, the ‘copy andpaste’ of thePoMo
world
Shaunof theDead:
Zombiemixed
withand romantic
comedy.
BladeRunner:Sci-Fi and film noir
DJ Shadow’sEntroducing:
Thefirstalbumtobecompletely
madeupofsampledmusic.

6. What Post Modern features can you spot?
• Paparazzi

7. Pastiche/ Homage
• Generic conventions of a ‘golden
age’ Hollywood film of which ‘Gaga’
is the leading lady

8. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Narrative and stylistic similarities and intertextual references

9. Intertextuality and the blurring of boundaries
Fembot, Metropolis
Who is the real Lady Gaga? Is she human or robot?
(Strinati – Breakdown between Culture and Society)

10. Referencing PopularCulture

11. CASE STUDY: Lady Gaga
• Makes reference to the film ‘Vertigo’
• The use of icy, remote blonde ‘femme fatale’
character is also a hallmark of a Hitchcock film.
Hitchcock Homage/Pastiche

12. Simulacra – this is what it means to be rich in
America

13. Blurring of fiction and reality / representation and the real

14. What else did you notice?

15. What does Lady Gaga say?
“It’s not just about the music. It’s about the performance, the
attitude, the look; it’s everything. And, that is where I live as
an artist and that is what I want to accomplish.”
http://www.ladygaga.com/bio/default.aspx
• “a conceptual show with a vision for pop performance art.”
http://www.ladygaga.com/bio/default.aspx

16. Her Record Company
Interscope Digital Distribution (IDD)
“IDD will work in conjunction with TuneCore to distribute new and independent
artists’ original music for sale on such leading retailers as iTunes, Rhapsody,
Amazon MP3, Shockhound, eMusic and Napster, among many others worldwide.
IDD adds a fresh twist to the digital distribution model for independent music by
offering unsigned artists a unique opportunity to reach the ears of A&R
executives all while providing them complete freedom of. By signing on for
distribution specifically through IDD, artists will have the chance to gain their
attention. A number of artists may then be selected for development deals.
IDD is digital DIY done right – giving music artists a platform for self-
expression, allowing them to retain all of the profits from their efforts, and
presenting an opportunity for them to access the resources of a major record
company.”

17. Interscope Artists (edited) 50 Cent Black Eyed Peas Mary J. Blige
Bush Keyshia Cole Sheryl Crow
Diddy – Dirty
Money
Dr Dre
Eminem Feist Fergie Nelly Furtado Ellie Goulding
Keri Hilson
Jimmy Eat
World
Quincy Jones Keane La Roux
Lady Gaga Limp Bizkit M.I.A. Marilyn Manson N*E*R*D
Kate Nash
New Kids on the
Block
No Doubt
Noah and the
Whale
One Republic
Papa Roach Puddle of Mudd Pussycat Dolls
Queens of the
Stone Age
Rise Against
Robyn
Nicole
Scherzinger
Snow Patrol Soulja Boy Sting
The All-American
Rejects
The Police Robin Thicke Timbaland U2
White Lies Will.i.am
Pharrell
Williams
Wolfmother Yeah Yeah Yeahs

18. IDD Album Covers
22 album covers
spanning 8 singles and 2
albums… (but that makes
10!?)

19. What about this video?
• Telephone

20. What did you notice?
• Style over substances – all the costume changes
• Meta Narrative/Ideology is challenged – murder is good/fun, Lady G and Beyoncé are heroes
• Confusion over time and space as the narrative moves in usual ways, how much time has actually
pasted?
• Breakdown of the distinction between culture and society – Lady G is playing a character but we see
her as real, she makes references to her real life, As Lady Gaga she is also playing a role – that of a
murderer
• Media Concepts – Representation – the way prison is represented, the prison wardens (and their
costumes), female body builders (more what we expect of male prisoners). The ideology of crime
and punishment is challenged as a result of these representations
• Media Concepts – Language – editing stutter, use of icons/pic on screen, breaking the fourth wall,
use of subtitles (but not dialogue), some subtitles are in a different language, other titles
• Media Concepts – Genre. Music Video – singing and dancing, many aspects of Goodwin but it is 9
mins long, starts and ends with titles, clear narrative that links to another video by Lady G
• Media Concepts – Narrative. ‘To be continued’….. Challenging traditional ideas about heroes and
villains, use of newspapers to give backstory (intertextuality), clear links to Paparazzi.
• Pastiche – Lady G is made up in the style of Madonna (who was made up in the style of Marilyn
Monroe), Clear references to Michael Jackson and his dancing.
• Intertextuality – where do you begin…. Kill Bill, Natural Born Killers, Pulp Fiction Thelma and Lousie,
product placement eg Virgin Media Beats by Dre, Plenty of Fish, Coke, Polaroid camera
• DON’T FORGET TO THINK ABOUT BAUDRILLARD, AUDIENCE ETC

21. Intertextual references to Tarantino’s stylistic approach to
film-making.
Even the transitions are the same!

22. Gaga’s heartbeat
earphones
Can you be more
obvious with your
product placement?

25. Madonna homage
– hair and style.

26. Telephone music video
A by-the-numbers guide to the record-setting, controversial music video posted on March 16, 2010, at 2:17 PM
Shortly after Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' music video hit YouTube Thursday, the blogosphere literally couldn't shut up about the
controversial telecommunications-themed short. While some debated whether MTV might ban it from airwaves (no), more
wonkish types engaged in deep analysis over the Technicolor extravaganza's potential meaning and its pop-cultural references.
Here, a by-the-numbers look at the 'Telephone' phenomenon:
9½
Length of the "spectacle," in minutes
9
Number of product placement moments in 'Telephone," including: HeartBeats headphones (1:34), Virgin Mobile cell phones
(2:07), Chanel sunglasses (2:17) Diet Coke (2:22) dating website PlentyOfFish.com (4:27) Hewlett-Packard (4:24), Polaroid (5:45)
Wonder Bread (6:35) and Miracle Whip (6:38).
2
Number of Gaga family members present or invoked: Sister, Natali, 17, appears as the Gaga's "true persona," Stefani
Germanotta (2:37); When Gaga uses Diet Coke cans as curlers (2:22), she's referencing a trick her mother employed when
"there were no rollers in the house."
10
Number of costume changes Gaga undergoes. Outfits include: A padlock-draped swimsuit (worn with sunglasses seemingly
fabricated from lit cigarettes), a scanty number consisting entirely of crime scene tape, a leopard catsuit (reportedly, a nod to
Shania Twain), and a diaphanous burka-inspired dress.
45
Number of pop culture allusions, according to MTV's "Lady Gaga's 'Telephone' Video: Pop Culture Cheat Sheet" (Parts I and II),
including: Captain America and Wonder Woman, "pop-art trailblazer" Andy Warhol, pop superstars Michael Jackson and
Madonna, and blockbuster movies "Natural Born Killers" and "Thelma and Louise."
1
Reference to real-world rumors that Gaga might be a hermaphrodite. One prison guard comments to another that Gaga's
character is a physically normal woman.
128,19,403 (and counting)
Number of views the official Gaga YouTube video received since it debuted late on March 11. (Her co-star Beyonce's "Single
Ladies" video, considered a smash hit, has received 152,367,559 views since hitting airwaves in October 2008.)

27. The Fame Monster (Superdeluxe)
• The ultimate peek into the Haus Of Gaga spanning music, fashion, art, fans
and juice! The Fame Monster includes:
• 8 new studio recordings with production by RedOne, Rodney Jerkins,
Teddy Riley, Fernando Garibay and Ron Fair featuring the smash single
"Bad Romance" and "Telephone“
• The original album The Fame
• The definitive "Book of Gaga"-A highly stylized collector's edition art table
book housed in a custom slipcase documenting Gaga's journey into pop
superstardom including:
• A lock of Lady Gaga's hair (eww!)
• Collectible puzzle
• Pictorials
• A behind the scenes look at her creative process
• Pull out posters
• Themed fanzines
• A paper doll collection
• The Fame Monster Super Fan Collector’s Edition Art Book
• 3 D glasses to view forthcoming Gaga visuals
• Personal notes from the artist
• Each book individually numbered
Discuss how this ‘digipack’
could show that Lady Gaga is
post modern.