We all know the story of Disney's "Peter Pan". And we all know that Captain Hook is a pretty much a fucked up character, Peter Pan is crazy (Because I don't want to bee a teenager forever. I mean: you can't decide for yourself!) and that Tinker Bell is much more a symbol than such a sweet sweet little thing...
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| Picture from Lady Gaga's Twitter account. |
Because Tinker Bell is a symbol for the power of believe and an innocent, or sometimes naive, nature. Thing is that his cute little fairy just can survive if she is believed in. When people stop believing in her, in magic and in possibilities she fades away. See the relation to an artist? An artist, might it be an art artist, a musician, a performer or whatever just exists when he or she is known. An artist thereby can be related to a stage character, and basically displays the question of wether something is there if we do not see it.
So where we can match Lady Gaga and Tinker Belle is that question: And we can answer it with her stellar performance in her tour DVD: "Lady Gaga presents: The Monster Ball Tour from Madison Square Garden". In there Gaga basically says: "You know, I am kind of like Tinker Bell, You know Tinker Bell? You know how she dies if you don't clap for her. Do you want me to die? Scream for me!"(By the way, check out the video of Gaga saying that below!) I think we got our hint, don't we? An artist just can exist if her or she is believed in. And what better way to be believed in then by screaming, clapping and applauding fans?
Get the second clue? Applauding fans? Lady Gaga releasing Applause? I mean her latest single basically is the prove that Gaga knows about the rendering of all that. Smart one, isn't she? She sings: "I live for the Applause! Live for the way that you cheer and scream for me." Yes, she does live for the applause. But the applause needs her as well. She needs the applause to be cherished and exist, and the applause needs her, or better said the fans need her to cheer on someone. Uhlala!
And you know what? Tinker Bell does not only serve as a symbol, but also for a reminder for us. A reminder that the concept of pulp, of low brow culture as high art culture, of pop art as important and valuable. And we are ensured as well through the lyrics of "Applause": "One second I am a Koons fan, suddenly the Koons is me. Pop culture was in art, now art is in pop culture, is in me." What is described by that? Well that pop culture is art art is pop culture and the exchange of both in Lady Gaga is ARTPOP. What a great reminder that popular culture is more then what meets the eye. And well.. isn't that a reminder of camp? Basically Gaga ironizes, and parodies the innocent notion of Disney and reminds us of the nature of the artist: constructed by attention.
And Gurrl! Gaga is feeding the pop machinery! We got the video coming up on monday, the V-Magazine September issue with 4 covers and different photo stories, the album coming up, a short video "Lady Gaga is over!" (Which I will talk about, when I give you the full range on Marina Abramovic.) and a VMA performance. I guess the "Applause" singer probably will be pretty much existent with all this cheering, screaming and applause. Tinker Bell will live on, for sure!
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