Lady Gaga Studies 101: Scathing Drag Parody and Critique

YouTube professor Felix Bernstein's academic critique of Lady Gaga. Plus his interview with Gaga (drag parody by Felix).

"It's comforting to have the spirit of Groucho Marx and Woody Allen and generally Upper West Side Jewish humor alive and well and using feminist and psychoanalytic theory to punch the product Lady Gaga in the nose in honor of more truly transgressive women who were unable to construct such well fortified persona. Bravo Felix! (note: and done in a sort of loving way.)" -Mira Schor

4:48 Dance in the Dark parody
5:29 start of gaga interview
10:07 born this way parody
15:34 monster's ball tour analysis

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• Lady Gaga
• parody
• spoof
• Born This Way
• gaga studies
• drag
• lady
• music
• video
• queer theory
• bard college
• media
• zany
• wacky
• crazy
• colorful
• campy
• amy winehouse
• madonna
• superbowl
• art
• shtick
• comedy
• funny
• jewish
• professor
• nutty
• critical
• criticism
• critique
• feminist
• Pokerface
• monsters
• mdna
• gimme
• all
• your
• luvin'
• psychoanalysis
• psychoanalytic
• judith butler
• zizek
• marry
• the
• night
• edge
• of
• glory
• you
• and
• judas
• hair
• bloody
• mary
• government
• hooker
• americano
• groucho marx
• woody allen
• upper west side

[KNurock1]

I think this guy is a true original. In his synapses, Charles Ludlam, Woody Allen, Noam Chomsky and Eve Sedgewick meet and wrestle it out. A high-priced Park Avenue psychiatrist supervises. Felix is a Youtube generation's clown/genius/dragqueen and conscience. Comedically, intellectually and visually, all of his pieces are masterful. Do people realize he's not yet 20?! "Postmodern" is not modern enough. Time for a new term.

[TalkoftheHill]

I don't think he's bashing her, nor do I think he hates her. Why would you give energy to something you hate? This only makes it more powerful. Rather, he's providing a Postmodern critique & analysis. The most progressively effective commentary ultimately attempts to locate the roots of someone's success & illuminate it's socio-cultural implications.

[blackgriffin42]

PS An example of someone bashing someone else's success in order to promote himself, instead of doing something completely original, which is MUCH harder.

[blackgriffin42]

Everyone's jealous of Lady Gaga and loves to bash success. She's her own product, hardly manipulated -- no one could have made her up or predicted that what she did would have generated such an enthusiastic reaction. The difference between Madonna and Lady Gaga is that Gaga doesn't take herself so seriously and is clearly having fun. Don't be so serious! Have fun with her!