Born This Way review

When I first heard Lady Gaga's new track Born This Way on February 11, I was pleasantly surprised. It was catchy, memorable - the type of song that you find yourself belting out in the shower. And the song's message was, well, very positive: your are perfect just the way you are. Everyone likes to hear that, right? In a time when bullying and teen suicide is on the rise, Gaga's song fit right in (alongside Dan Savage's inspiring and hugely successful It Gets Better project). I won't lie - her message got to me.

Immediately, the media slammed her on two accounts. For one, she was accused of being a profiteer. Her song, which is blatantly pro-gay ("No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life. I'm on the right track baby, I was born to survive"), was seen to be exploiting a troubled demographic. And while the song was marketed as a "gay anthem" (Gaga's bff, Elton John, deemed it the new I Will Survive), Gaga received a lot of backlash from the gay community:

"I sort of liked Gaga more when she sang about dancing as opposed to trying to be the voice of a generation."

Secondly, Gaga was ripped to shreds for unoriginality. Immediately, the haters accused her of copying Madonna - in particular, her track "Express Yourself" (1989). Listen here for an overlay.

Despite all this, I was still on team Gaga. The haters are clearly trying to make Gaga a scapegoat, and discredit her success. In a recent 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper, Gaga said candidly,

"[people] want to see me fail. They want to see me fall on stage. They want to see me vomiting out of a nightclub ... Isn't that the age we live in? That we want to see people who have it all lose it all?"

And when it comes down to it, when is the last time you heard a song on the radio was pro-gay? I will also add that Born This Way is the fastest selling single in iTunes history, meaning that it's on a lot of iPods out there, and her pro-gay message is making its way into the public discourse. How can this be bad?

And as far as the originality claims, come on… have you listened to the radio lately? Everyone is copying everyone. (Have you heard this mashup of Katy Perry vs. Kei$ha? Or this comparison of Beyonce vs. Kelly Clarkson? It's the same song!) Some would say it is a symptom of postmodernism, others would say it's just formulaic pop music. Whatever. Artists draw influences from everywhere, and this a-okay with me. My favourite response from the internets (re: the Madonna flavour of the song) was that listening to Born This Way was "like being reacquainted with an old friend" - I can't agree more.

After seeing this explanation of the video, I feel as if I have little more to add to the discussion.

Yes, it's a little bizarre. Yes, it's a little disturbing. Yes, there is a bit too much dancing in underwear. But overall, I think it's an provoking piece of art. It's not my favourite video in her oeuvre - I think there were some missed creative opportunities. But every moment is deliberate, and as a whole, offers a unique, uncompromising vision.

Gaga has proved once again that she will not be defined simply as a pop star. She is an artist. She entertains. She provokes. She inspires. And she succeeds on all three accounts.

This video of last night's performance in Toronto, with 10 year old Maria Aragon, proves the point.

Defying expectations

In 2005, a musical-saavy friend at university handed me a copy of the 'Wicked' Broadway cast soundtrack and said, "You must listen to this."

I have wanted to see show ever since.

And last night, five years later, I finally saw 'Wicked' for the first time at the Canon Theatre. I did not leave disappointed.

'Wicked' (based loosely on Gregory McGuire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West) reframes L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and the popular film The Wizard of Oz (1939), redirecting our attention from the protagonist Dorothy to the untold story of Elpheba, more infamously known as the "Wicked Witch of the West". Born out-of-wedlock, with green skin and strange magical powers, she is stigmatized and ostracized from childhood, until she attends Shiz University and meets Galinda, the most popular girl in school (who later becomes Glinda, the Good Witch of the North). The two form a unexpected bond (oscillating somewhere between admiration and absolute repulsion) and Glinda helps Elpheba gain the respect of her peers. While visiting the Wizard in Oz, the girls discover an Oz-wide conspiracy - the silent annihilation of a entire race that are deemed 'inferior' - being orchestrated by the Wizard of Oz himself. Fueled by a desire to 'make good', Elpheba decides to rebel and fight against the Wizard's eugenics project. While Elpheba's intentions are rooted in good, she is immediately labelled a witch and targeted by the people of Oz. She also discovers that her magical powers have unexpected and tragic consequences for those involved (including the tin man and scarecrow). This fuels the propaganda, rumor and speculation that she is evil. After leaving a path of destruction through Oz, and losing friends, her sister and her lover, she ultimately succumbs to her fate and is extinguished by Dorothy. (Little do we know, Elpheba has found temporary refuge in under a trap door. Her lover re-emerges from the shadows, releases her from the floorboards, and they make off as exiles into the distance, never to return to Oz again.)

This expertly crafted musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman deftly embraces some mature and timeless themes (the nature of good and evil, truth, racism, ambition, fame, corruption, love, et al.) while simultaneously tapping into our collective nostalgia of a childhood favourite. There is something truly gratifying about the way this classic story is [re]told. As an audience member, you recognize key facts, quotes and visual tokens (almost instinctively), but you are presented with "a new way of seeing" them. This theme is amplified throughout the play - that difference is not bad, just different. Also, unlike some adaptations that are based on lofty (and often outrageous) speculations, Schwartz and Holzman's postmodern plot extrapolations just make sense, and fit together perfectly.

Elpheba and Glinda are nuanced characters, and their complex relationship is intriguing to watch unfold. Just like other characters and thematic concerns of the show, they represent shades of grey that cannot be easily categorized. Nothing is ever black and white. Just as Constance puts forward in Ann-Marie McDonald's Good Night Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet (another contemporary mash-up play that embraces pastiche):

"...Life is ... a harmony of polar opposites,

with gorgeous mixed-up places in between

where inspiration steams from a rich

Sargasso stew that's odd and flawed and fill

of gems and worn-out boots and sunken ships..."

Eugene Lee's Tony-award winning sets evoke turn-of-the-century Europe - ornate metal arches, wrought iron and Art Nouveau-inspired embellishments (reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower or Métropolitain in Paris). The predominant stage element is a circular proscenium and backdrop that doubles as a giant antique timepiece (complete with moving gears and cogs), a visual reminder of how the musical itself has turned back time to revisit the past. It also fits perfectly with the Wizards discussion of revisionist nature of history:

"...We believe all sorts of things that aren't true. We call it 'history'

A man's called a traitor - or liberator

A rich man's a thief - or philanthropist

Is one a crusader - or ruthless invader?

It's all in which label is able to persist..."

The costumes were also spectacular - a unique style that could only be from somewhere over the rainbow. And the lighting effects were stunning: superb effects for "The Great and Powerful Oz", a simulated rainstorm like I'd never seen before, and sunsets so believable, you'd swear they had ripped out the upstage wall and rotated the theatre towards an actual sunset.

'Wicked' has received mixed reviews from critics since its inception in 2004, which can be attributed to its rich, complex content. (Even one of my fellow ticket holders and I last night disagreed that the ending was, in fact, a true "happy ending".) I think that every viewer inevitably draws their own conclusions, and it is this multiplicity of interpretations that earns 'Wicked' a place in the canon of great musicals. More importantly, 'Wicked' offers an important message of tolerance in an intolerant world; things are the way they are because we make them so, and that each of us have the potential for greatness (and, wickedness). It is up to you to create the ending.

Summer of Alejandro

Three months after "Telephone", and just in time for summer, Gaga releases the new video for "Alejandro", directed by photographer Steven Klein.

Coming in at just under 9 minutes, this video stands out as much darker (literally and figuratively) than Gaga's past videos. The overall tone is somber, partly focussed around a funeral (of Alejandro himself?). Gaga takes on multiple roles in this ominous, male-dominated world, including that of a omniscient, monocled leader, perched in her crumbled tower, menacing like a science fiction villain. More notably, she also takes on the common archetypes of Madonna and whore, portrayed as a nun (donning a red pleather habit), as well as a hyper-sexual harlot engaging with multiple male partners in, what feels like, a male dormitory. While the plot is not entirely clear, it seems that the nun ultimately gives into desire, and becomes whore herself (perhaps against her will?) Nevertheless, the final image we see is of the nun, lying motionless in bed, with marionette strings attached to her and extending upwards into the darkness.

My first impression of "Alejandro" was a little tentative. Gaga recently stated: "'Alejandro' is a celebration of my love and appreciation for the gay community, my admiration of their bravery, their love for one another and their courage in their relationships." I think this video subtly touches on the heated 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' debate; one minute, muscular military men are lounging in black bob wigs, fishnet stockings and dancing in corsets (a la "Rocky Horror Picture Show"), and the next minute, they are seen in compromising sex positions with Gaga herself. I think her commentary on the fluidity of sexuality and desire is admirable, but I'm not sure that it actually goes far enough to advance any progressive gay agendas.

Gaga's Madonna/whore imagery is clearly an ode to Madonna herself, and much of the visuals in the video are reminiscent of seminal, groundbreaking Madonna videos (Like a Prayer, Like a Virgin, Papa Don't Preach, Express Yourself, et al). Gaga's queen-like presence early in the video also harkens to Madonna's performance as Evita Perron (1996), which [not coincidentally] involved similar themes of power, sex, war and death (set in Argentina, I might add). The dramatic nun sex / dance sequence strikes a distinct resemblance to the memorable "Tango de Roxanne" sequence from Baz Luhrmann's 2001 "Moulin Rouge", where the rape of a high-class Parisian prostitute is underscored and heightened by a high-octane tango-rape reenactment. And finally, there appears to be glimpses of Bob Fosse's 1972 "Cabaret"; the imposing Nazi Germany tone is hard to ignore, Liza Minnelli's iconic style can be seen in Gaga's wardrobe and gestures, and again, we see parallel stories of vulnerable, polygamous women in tragic circumstances.

While this video may not be Gaga's strongest (or most original) conception, "Alejandro" manages to appropriate a plethora of ideas, icons and styles that may prove the oft-said notion: the whole is sometimes greater than the sum of its parts.

Watch it here.

Girl power, 2.0

After almost four months since her last video, Gaga releases a new video for "Telephone" featuring Beyonce, directed by Jonas Åkerlund.

This new nine minute video (dubbed by some as "Paparazzi" part 2) is distinctly Sapphic, with a lusty female prison and the "Thelma & Louise" relationship between the two protagonists. The movie - I mean video - has a very dark revenge plot, with Beyonce helping Gaga escape prison, plan the murder of her Beyonce's boyfriend, and ultimately, poison everyone in a small American diner and flee the scene in a swag "Pussy Wagon".

I commend the overall art direction, makeup and costuming. We see Gaga decked in oversized chains, wearing glasses made of lit cigarettes, Gaga bound and tangled tightly in crime scene tape, Gaga in a boat-sized sun hat - two thumbs up!

And while I was originally turned off by all of the overt product placement (Virgin Mobile, Diet Coke, PlentyOfFish.com, Beats by Dr. Dre, Polaroid, Miracle Whip, Wonderbread... the list goes on), this video is another shining example of Gaga's brilliance as an artist and businesswoman. The fact that she can simultaneously promote Wonderbread while conducting a mass homicide with her lesbian lover - she really is getting away with murder.

Watch it here.

Book review #3

How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy, 2005

Some inspiring highlights:

-seeing comes before words

-design is still something you do with the hand, eye & brain

-there is no such thing as an un-designed graphic object anymore

-graphic design has a cultural and aesthetic value beyond the mere trumpeting of commercial messages

-graphic design is best when the designer's voice is allowed to register

-designers must acquire levels of entrepreneurial determination

-designers must have a cultural awareness / curiosity beyond graphic design - treat life as research

-designers must be able to talk about their work in a coherent, convincing and objective way - the ability to use words clearly, pointedly and persuasively is at all times relevant to design work

-although designers constantly demand freedom, they really crave constraint

Author's advice

-there are no wrong jobs

-"in a world with no principles, people often respect those who have some"

-everyone who tells the truth is interesting

-when talking to clients, demonstrate understanding, openness, receptivity

-know how to say "no"

-if you're not happy with what you do, change how you do it, or change what you do

-do what comes easy; do what gives you pleasure; do it as much as you can

-if you want to be famous, the first thing you have to do is stop wanting to be famous

-find your design "voice" through your creative convictions, your personality and your awareness

-handwrite addresses on envelopes

-always take time to think

-listen

Jessica Hefland on graphic design:

"Graphic design is the visual language uniting harmony & balance, colour & light, scale & tension, form & content. It is the language of cues, puns, symbols & allusions of cultural references and perceptual inferences that challenge both the intellect and the eye."

Bruce Mau on the creative process:

"Ask the right questions, understand the problem, and explore lots of possible solutions."

John Warwick on graphic design:

"There's no such thing as graphic design, only lots of books on it and an assumption that it exists."

Steven Heller on talent:

"Talented designers are predisposed to create good-looking work. We are taught to marry type and image into pleasing and effective compositions that attract the eye and excite the senses. Do this well, we're told, and good jobs are plentiful; do it poorly and we'll produce junk mail for the rest of our lives ... As [Milton] Glaser notes, the key is to ask questions, for the answers will result in responsible decisions. Without responsibility, talent is too easily wasted on waste."

Corey Holms' advice to young designers:

"Pay attention ... Stop talking and start watching and listening."

Ian Anderson on the creative process:

"Looking at something in a different way requires the discipline of giving up what you already have."

Author's final remarks:

"The biggest problem designers face is fear: fear of clients, fear of failure, fear of ideas. Our ability to overcome fear is perhaps the greatest skill we can acquire. Most bad design, most mediocre design, is a consequence of fear. Clients are frightened; designers are frightened; audiences are frightened. The modern world of commerce runs on fear: a marketplace of terror that makes us timid and risk-averse. Most of us deal with fear by falling back on the familiar and the safe. But if we do this, we are not allowed to turn around and say our lives are dull. If we are going to avoid losing our souls, we have to overcome the fear."

(also mentioned previously)

Book review #2

Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton, 2004

Some inspiring highlights:

-words originated as gestures of the body

-there is a continual tension between the hand and the machine, the organic and the geometric, the human body and the "system"

-typography is the visual manifestation of language; text gathers into words, words build into sentences

-typography helps readers navigate the flow of content

-printing converted word into a visual object precisely located in space

-Derrida - alphabets cannot function without silent marks and spaces

-Barthes - text is a network of ideas which is impossible to contain

-language functions as a database, an archive of elements from which people assemble linear utterances of speech - writing/text occupies space and time, breaking this linearity

-typography has changed from a stable body of objects to a flexible system of attributes

-type as discourse: typography is a mode of interpretation

-the Author no longer controls significance; the Reader controls and creates meaning

-typography can illuminate the construction and identity of a page, screen, place or product

-contrary to what one might expect, the computer has revived the power and prevalence of writing

-a grid breaks time or space into regular units - grids control through order

-Derrida - the Frame is a form that seems to be separate from the work yet is necessary for marking difference from its surroundings - a Frame elevates the work from ordinary to extraordinary

some of Ellen Lupton's "Free Advice":

-think more, design less

-say more, write less

-spend more, buy less

-make the shoe fit, not the foot

-design is the art of situations

-no job is too small

-read, white and talk about your work

-listen.

Review: Lady Gaga's Monster Ball

(image source)

I saw Lady Gaga in concert last night. To say it was "amazing" would be too simple, and as you probably know, Lady Gaga is anything but simple.

This is what you need to know.

The concert was held at the Air Canada Centre in downtown Toronto. The sidewalks were abuzz with tween girls screaming in unison, drag queens waving their disco sticks, and obnoxious scalpers trying to make a buck. Like the rest of the ticket holders, we joined the long queue that lined the perimeter of the building, waiting to get in (there must have been a couple thousand people in front of us and another thousand behind us). Eventually, the doors opened, and we squeezed our way through the entrance.

The first (of two) opening acts was Semi Precious Weapons, a glam-rock band from New York City, who rocked the house with their bombastic style (the first lyric of the night being "I can't pay my rent, but I'm f*cking gorgeous"). The second act was the American rapper Kid Cudi, who shouted his way through [what are apparently very popular] rap songs in front of a massive video screen. Sadly, the screen was far more entertaining.

After two hours waiting with baited breath, Gaga finally appeared.

The stage was essentially a futuristic, minimalist shadow box created with light panels. Two large video screens were suspended on either side of the stage about six feet off the ground, angled into a dramatic forced perspective. There was a third screen at the apex of the stage, and then a "ceiling" piece completed the box. This was all literally "framed" by a large white border, creating a theatrical proscenium (appropriate, considering she has called this show a "pop-electro opera"). Gaga started the show behind a projection of a green and black gridwork on a scrim (think: "The Matrix"), which seemed to align with her concept for the show:

"I begin as a cell and I grow and change throughout the show, [...] And it's also done in what now is becoming my aesthetic, which is, you know, it's part pop, part performance art, part fashion installation — so all of those things are present [...] It's a story, it's me battling all my monsters along the way."

The concert was loud, bright and satisfying, with (no doubt) all of the best and latest lighting and sound equipment. The screens were especially impressive during set and costume changes when Gaga showcased bizarre montages of her doing what can only be described as "fashion experiments" (these would have seemed weird had I not been to art school).

For the next two and a half hours, Gaga soared through all of the most infectious tracks from The Fame and new The Fame Monster album (which had only come out four days prior). She smartly weaved together her singles into theatrical "acts":

• she started the show in her dancing shoes with "Dance in the Dark", "Just Dance", and "LoveGame";
• she took a sinister (and naughty) look at love and sex with "Alejandro", "Monster", "So Happy I Could Die", "Teeth" and a touching acoustic performance of "Speechless". While the grand piano was out, she played around with "Poker Face" and the Kid Cudi mashup "Make Her Say";
• then it was on to fame and fortune: "Fashion", "The Fame", "Money Honey" and "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich";
• after that, it was all about the boys: "Boys Boys Boys", "Paper Gangsta" and the full "Poker Face".

Then, the sets lost their thematic cohesion:

• she performed the epic "Paparazzi" (sadly, she under-impressed me with Rapunzel-themed staging);
• she bookended the show appropriately with "Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)";
• and then she pleased us all with "Bad Romance" as the big finale. This was amazing. A-mazing.

She had over a dozen costume changes throughout the show, from an skeletal Alien-movie-inspired ensemble, to a huge furry-black-monster outfit, to an exaggerated 90's "power suit" with shoulder pads extending up and behind her head at least a foot or two. The costumes were good, but nothing as shocking or avant garde as some of her media events and televised performances.

If I had to be a grump and pick out the things that irked me, they would be threefold:

• Gaga seemed a little bit over-generous with the love towards her fans and to Canada, to the point than made it a little disingenuous. But whatever...
• I was really hoping to hear "Speakerphone", but apparently she can't perform the duet without Beyonce...? C'mon.
• I wonder if perhaps this should have been an 18+ concert because of the "unwholesome language" (ie. "Do you like my show? Well if you don't, get the f*ck out of here!") and the overt sexuality (ie. a [impressive] simulation of double penetration with two male dancers). We really should think of the children. (Wait...who am I kidding?)

Gaga certainly achieved her objective last night. It was truly a fascinating hybrid of fashion and music and performance art that can only be described as gaga. Ms. Stefani Germanotta has successfully created an alter ego that allows her to be an outspoken critic of fame, money and the music industry, while simultaneously profitting from it. While I may not be able to wrap my head around this ethical conundrum, I will continue to obediently consume and devour her music in this bizarre and delicious sub/dom relationship I have with Gaga.

The final footage projected after the curtain call was of Lady Gaga getting a new tattoo on her shoulder. I believe she left a similar impression with her fans last night: she is here for good.

Book review

Lettering & Type by Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals, 2009

Some inspiring highlights:

-words and letters are the engine of information exchange, the home for language and ideas

-typography = "mastering the art of arranging letters"

-with 2000 years of historical precedent, it takes desire & courage to tackle 26 of the world's most infamous and influential letters. The possibilities of representation have yet to be exhausted.

-on functionality: an 'A' that doesn't look like an 'A' ceases to exist

-systems make letters work; respect the system

-letters can never be neutral; neutrality itself conveys something more complex (ie. blandness, intellectuality, etc.) - always consider associations

-"lettering can convey layers of ideas that compel a reader to decode and interpret, and thus become more active in the viewing experience." -Nancy Harris Rouemy

-a typeface is a kit of parts that can be configured and reworked into countless forms on a moment's notice

-great typefaces apply a beautiful and powerful system to articulate a strong idea

-"A good typeface is well crafted and useful, and sets up into attractive looking words. It holds together as a complete system, where individual letters don't distract the reader. A good typeface doesn't make you wonder what you might do with it, or why it exists." -Christian Schwartz

-there are many different, legitimate ways to create good typefaces!