>AND THAT’S WHY THE LADY IS A GAGA>>

To like or not to like--that is… well, you can guess the rest.

Since approximately late last summer, I’ve been nursing a slight (and secret) fondness for the inescapable and ever present Lady Gaga. I’d also like to announce that I don’t care for most of her music; it makes me think a little too much of girls from Long Island and Bebe and Forever 21 outfits.

Early in 2009 a friend of mine was trying to explain to me who Lady Gaga was because I didn’t know much about her aside from the fact that she was becoming rather ubiquitous. My friend told me to go home and YouTube the video for “Paparazzi.”

What an utterly horrid song… (But the video was kinda cool.)

Out of sheer boredom that summer, while David was away in Aspen on a 9 week music festival, I spent my nights watching Lady Gaga videos on YouTube in an effort to edify myself about this newly rising star. Eventually, her then latest single, “Pokerface”, had hooked me. But still, I refused to admit any fondness, on my part, for Lady Gaga.

As months rolled by, I’d see photo after photo of the stylishly clad pop maven in New York [Magazine] and in the newspapers of fellow subway passengers. And I’d hear regular chatter about her, a general topic of conversation, amongst a wide variety of peoples.

Slowly, but surely, I was becoming a surefire fan of Gaga’s public image and persona, but I still was not (completely) sold on her sound. Through the remainder of the summer of 2009 I continued to play “Pokerface,” on repeat, while I showered and readied for work.

Later, that fall, came the video for “Bad Romance.”

I decided I had to see the video, it was getting so much buzz. (New York had listed it as “Lowbrow Brilliant” on their Approval Matrix.)

After viewing the video I was, again, sold on Lady Gaga’s looks, but not on her sound. A paradox was she.

But eventually, in the same way that “Pokerface” had caught on with me by the end of late last summer, “Bad Romance” had surreptitiously done the same. (So keeping track, that’s now 2 Lady Gaga songs I liked.) Still, I remained a "fan" of Lady Gaga in secret.

Enter the video for “Telephone.”

Now I believe the single (which features Beyoncé) came out at least a month or more ago. (I only know this because one of the hostesses at work told me that she had downloaded it with an iTunes gift card she had received over the holidays.) But one night, as I logged onto YouTube in search of a Lady Gaga video fix, I was disappointed to discover that an (official) video for "Telephone" was yet to be released.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and no word was read or heard by myself of any new Lady Gaga video on the horizon…

But the other day, while I was browsing Gazelle’s Facebook page in search of a clue as to when the Gazelland Love Issue was going to premiere, I came across a link for his blog www.freakchic.com.

I followed it and this is what I found:

During moments in the video I found myself literally laughing out loud. (The scenes were intended to be comical--I think.)

Hook.

Line.

Sinker.

But still, I was thoroughly unimpressed with the sound. (I think I may even had felt a slight cringe during the opening verse.)

Alas, if only her music were as good as her look; she’d be unstoppable.

But today is my third time watching the “Telephone” video and I think I have (finally and unofficially) crossed the line into Bona Fide Lady Gaga fan territory. (Her songs do become a bit catchy after hearing them 3 or 4 times.)

Yesterday was my friend, Andres’ birthday and he wanted to go to Escuelita for their Sunday Tea Dance. After watching a rather funny and entertaining drag show and dance competition, the DJ threw down some tracks and Andres and I threw down our feet onto the dancefloor.

“Telephone” fed into the speakers.

Now perhaps it was the $1 vodka specials that did it (yea, I know–Escuelita, 301 39^th St. at 8th Ave.), but I was really cutting a rug last night.

I found myself doing a particularly unusual new dance move that I’ve never done before and from which I don’t know where it was born. But after watching the “Telephone” video again this morning I realized (to slight astonishment) that my fancy new dance step came from - in fact - Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” video. (3:52 - 4:04)

Return to Sunday Tea.

Later that night, after a wild goose chase in a cab looking for Cosmic Diner,

“It’s on 52^nd and 9^th.”

“But we already passed 52^nd and 9^th and it wasn’t there.”

“Then it’s on 8^th!”

Arriving at 52^nd and 8^th…

“--It’s on 52^nd and 9^th, let’s go back!”

“How about I just drop you off here, at Galaxy Diner?”

One Cheeseburger Deluxe and one Black & White Shake later, I found myself dancing to “Bad Romance” in Galaxy Diner’s bathroom while washing my hands. There was no turning back to be done now.

> > >

So here I sit, a Bona Fide Lady Gaga fan, complete with fond memories of dancing the night away to her music and chatting with friends about who’s styling her hair and who’s designing her outfits (Danilo and Zaldy) … and the remaining decision of whether I should buy her CD or just download the songs on iTunes.

(But I still think I’ll be a Lady Gaga fan in secret.) > >