Glam Bam Madam (Late May 2010)

Here’s a recent illustration inspired by two things: Beto Hernandez’s cover for New Love issue one and Lady Gaga.

I’ve always loved Los Hernandez Bros. I especially love the 1996 cover to New Love issue one, published by Fantagraphic Books.

As for Lady Gaga…I should hate her. I’m aware about how she puts product placement in her videos. Check out her ‘Telephone’ video for example. Let’s see, there’s Virgin Mobile, her special line of Heartbeats headphones, Beats laptop, among others. If it wasn’t for this video extravaganza, I would have never known that PlentyofFish.com was an actual dating website.

Besides the brand name dropping, Lady Gaga has obviously ripped off many of edgy entertainers that came before her. On the roll call you can find Grace Jones, Dale Bozzio, and maybe a tiny bit of Madonna. If you’ve heard the rumors of Lady Gaga being either a transsexual or a hermaphrodite, nods can be given to both Amandas. Amanda Leer along with current model Amanda Lepore. Then there’s the various Disco 2000 club kid outfits. No question Leigh Bowery was one of the many influences behind the Bad Romance video.

Despite all of the evidence, I can’t bring myself to hate Lady Gaga. In fact, I love Lady Gaga. Her kind of music isn’t what usually gets me into the groove. Doesn’t matter though.

I adore the garnish stage outfits, admire her “don’t give a fuck” attitude, and thinks its awesome that she brought back extreme glam fantasies into the pop consciousness. Besides taking the crown from Madonna, she’s this generation’s answer to music extremities. We needed a Lady Gaga actually. After a while, you get bored with manufactured sex kittens like Britney Spears. You just wanna puke after watching blank slates try to build their careers on the American Idol factory line. Plus underneath the electro euro trash beat, there’s a woman who could actually sing. A muse for the odd kid stuck in suburban wasteland.