Gaga, Blackface, and Die Antwoord

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of shock value in performance art.  It's part of the reason I follow Gaga in such an obsessive way. That being said, I think there's a very distinct difference between the styles that Gaga and Die Antwoord use.

Musically and in the eyes of the world they're on completely different levels. Gaga is a five time Grammy Award winning recording artist that sells out 20,000 seat arenas with ease worldwide while Die is mostly known for her outlandish "Rich Bitch" single.

They're completely different types of artists with different fan bases, different genres of music, different messages, and different ends. Most importantly their means are different when they attempt to shock their audiences.

Gaga draws inspiration from established artists, forms, and styles and creates something new. For example- Here's a painting by Salvador Dali and the way Gaga turned that inspiration into an iconic performance...

 

Die chooses another route, poking fun at an artistic statement by Gaga...

 

 

...attacking Gaga personally, and of course drawing inspiration from a very dark time in American stage history...

I searched for a long while looking for an explanation of this but came up with nothing. 

While Gaga can back up her performances with lists of references and frequently does interviews explaining her artistic intent, Die Antwoord is left with classless references to racism and inaccurate assumptions about Gaga's art. 

Watch the "Fatty Boom Boom" video here...

                                   

-Michael

Butterfly

The Madama Butterfly animation was incredibly sad.  The section where the sailor returns, pops the umbilical cord, and Madama falls to the ground is very tragic. To be honest it genuinely has me depressed right now.

Stylistically I thought it was really interesting.  It seems both Madama and her child are both made up of a rubbery clay of some sort which I think really added to the aesthetic and the way the figures moved. 

-Michael

Documentary Reflection

While I don't find opera itself particularly captivating the assigned documentary, The History and Life of Opera, was interesting. It was definitely valuable to learn about the history of opera and it's modern implications. The segment on opera in China especially grabbed my attention as China has grown even more since the documentary was made. 

To be completely honest it has left me craving Chinese food.

-Michael

Speaking of Performance Art...

-Michael

Opera, Rococo, and Baroque in Popular Culture

After thinking about it for the day and making a list I came up with a few more references to these styles in pop culture.

I'm sure we've all seen this one...

Iconic performance...

Take note of the costumes 45 seconds in...

-Michael

Gaga Goes Baroque

Here are a few examples of Gaga influenced by Baroque/ Rococo style...

 

Brit Awards 2010

London 2010

MOCA LA 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHiUUAXQyPo

 MTV VMAs 2009

 

-Michael

Castrato Mentioned in Pop Culture

After watching all the links provided in the syllabus last night the word I couldn't get the word "castrato" out of my head. I knew I had heard the word itself in a song or movie. After thinking about it for a while I realized it was referenced in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974).

Here's the trailer with castrato mentioned at 1:18...

Phantom of the Paradise is an insane cult classic but the music from it is great. If you're ever in the mood from something really groovy I'd check it out.

-Michael