Member Since: 1/1/2013
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"Is Lady Gaga the next Marilyn Monroe?"
Quote:
IS LADY GAGA THE NEXT MARILYN MONROE?
BY ALEXANDER PENN
Ok, hear me out. Marilyn Monroe is probably the most iconic figure in pop culture. A darling to JFK, an emblematic 50s pin-up and, sadly, the first great cinematic tragedy. She sang, she acted and emitted an aura that caught the hearts of men and women. In other words, she's a woman remembered for her image.
Monroe was a sex symbol, a window into the ideal female form of the mid-20th century. However, times have changed. The erotic status quo has dipped from voluptuous curves to size 0 stickiness, but there's more going on here.
Sexuality has been liberalised, the homosexuality taboo has been shot down and the female pop stars of today will do anything to combat tradition. Nicki (Icky) Minaj, Katy Perry, Rihanna are brushed with every hue and tone to make them standout amongst the iPod-waving public. None of these artists pull off this show of separatist character without a sense that they've been moulded by hand-rubbing music producers. They've cracked the art of music commodification but do they have the irresistible character of Monroe? Hell no, but I'll tell you who does. Lady Gaga.
She started traditionally. Big hits 'Poker Face' and 'Just Dance' (The Fame, 2008) were catchy club tunes to break the ice but there was no sign of anything trail-blazing. All she had then was a blonde fringe but now she's crafted a fringe market.
Like Monroe, she's a sex symbol. One not necessarily loaded with traditional mass appeal but one suited to the eclecticism of the internet age. With 'Born This Way' flying the flag for the LGBT crowd and 'Judas' (Born This Way, 2011) assaulting religion, she's started to stand-out as an icon of stylistic and social reform. Like Madonna, her talent's taking the next step into pure infamy, and now she's breaking into film.
It's two years since her last studio album and now she's appearing in Robert Rodriguez's pulp B-flick Machete Kills. This stylish nod to grimy grind-house builds an ideal stage for Gaga to show her potential on the silver screen. This may crystallise her rumoured affiliation with cult master Quentin Tarantino. With Kill Bill's ***** Wagon used in Gaga's video for 'Telephone' and numerous reports of QT's intrigue in the singer, I wonder whether Machete Kills is an audition for the real thing. The real thing being a starring role in a Tarantino film.
The Pulp Fiction director has a famed eye for talent and if he were to take Gaga under his wing, she could be catapulted into the cultural stratosphere that once harboured Marilyn Monroe. All of this may sound presumptuous but history shows that admission to the Tarantino/Rodriguez club yields special rewards. Gaga's already an icon for many - the added craft of QT could make her symbolise a generation.
Going away from film, we can look at her glitzy holiday show, 'A Very Gaga Thanksgiving' in 2011. She crooned with Tony Bennett, sung 'Edge of Glory' in a capella and took on the vintage cabaret role in a way we haven't seen since Monroe sung Happy Birthday to JFK. It was a show of her versatility, talent and, crucially, magnetic character. For, it wasn't a PR ploy sculpted by her producers, it was her own conception.
Anyway, whether you like Lady Gaga or not, she's a special part of Western culture. Her organic image and flair has the power to make a mark for years to come. In 50 years time, is it so inconceivable that she'll be grouped alongside Monroe and Madonna as the leaders of a cultural century? Or have I I've just gone Gaga?
Source: http://lostinthemultiplex.com/extras...n-monroe?.html
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Only the Queen 
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