Gaga teaches an old broad new tricks

I’m a writer first but I have a passion for art, for exploring my universe and for music. I’m not a big fan of television, especially when any interesting program has to be interrupted by up to a dozen commercials, and when the network has to float previews and banners on top of a show I’m watching.

This week I will end my cable connection, won’t install an antenna and will use my high-def TV for watching videos and music that appeal to me.

To celebrate the upcoming event, I decided to spend yesterday with the set running as background noise. That’s when I stumbled upon a network called fuse and a show called the Gaga-Thon.

Now I’m fully aware of the presence of this performer, Lady Gaga, and I’ve heard her music on the radio. But like many people of my generation, I dismissed her as a show woman on a roll. Honestly, she clothes herself in meat, wears high heels that would give most women a nosebleed and presents herself in some very provocative videos, all of which separates her from the accepted ethics of most of us who are over the age of thirty.

Gaga talked about the reasons behind her “outrageous” look, her suggestive videos and her evocative lyrics. She is, in essence, a woman with a mission, a woman who represents a movement via popular culture to bring attention to important social issues.

The program captivated me and taught me a lesson every writer should learn.

Open your mind a well as your eyes and ears. Don’t dismiss anything until you’ve had time to research, investigate and experience it. Use BOTH side of your brain.

Maybe you won’t fall in love with Lady Gaga but you might. And if you don’t, you’ll still have some new tricks to add to your writing.