Monster Magazine Issue 1 by Monster Movement

I cannot express my appreciation and gratitude enough for my team and how proud I am. This magazine wouldn’t be possible without them. Our team is the building block, the foundation, in which Monster Magazine exists. It’s been a pleasure to work with each and every one of them during the whole process. Monster Magazine’s official launch date is April 29th, exactly four weeks after the initial creation of Monster Movement. I am impressed by how quickly everything has moved. The team is hard-working, dedicated and creative. Each and every one of them has brought something fresh and unique to the table. This, being our first issue, was a trial run to see how innovative and creative we can be, and how much further we can stretch. In the month of May we will take time out to recruit team members and work on team morale. Our goal is to expand and push our potential to the highest, bring our limit beyond the sky, and push the envelope further forward. I’d like to spend time with our team, learn more about each individual and group strengths, and bring them to life. In this issue you will see Letters to Gaga (pages 30-33), which will be featured in each issue. Feel free to submit your letters through our website for a chance to have them showcased in a future issue. Each month we will pose two short essay questions that fans can answer (see pages 18 and 28). We strive for FAN CONTRIBUTION. We encourage fan participation for each issue; those include but are not limited to, guest writers, fan art, and graphics. Monster Magazine is “for the fans, by the fans” where we inspire creativity and empower individualism. To submit feedback, please visit the Contact section of www.monstermovement.net for instructions. We are open to any and all constructive criticism. Your Founder, Tiffa

PUBLISHER

Cervaantes, issuu.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Tiffa

EDITOR

Katie Turner PRODUCTION & DESIGN

Cervaantes

COLUMNISTS

Tiffa CTV Jono Kwan

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Florence Nasar KaLuda Erik Adamyk Dario Gradecak Marry The Sequins Jase Hellothing Saira Sam Cheryl Cowan Thomas Liam “Lum” Tyler Tim Nick MANAGER

Tiffa

MANAGER ASSISTANT

Dario Gradecak

THE SOCIAL MONSTER by Marry The Sequins

Lady Gaga is the most followed person on Twitter to date. Why? While it’s obvious that many of these followers are genuine fans, and it’s not surprising to find a Lady Gaga fan has supported her through social media, not everyone who clicks “follow” on Gaga’s Twitter page is what we call a “monster.” Why do they support her through social networking? Perhaps they admire her in that she is unique from other artists, or think that she is an interesting person, so they are intrigued by her and want to read what she tweets for us. Maybe a person who isn’t a “Little Monster” follows Gaga just because they heard a song on the radio and it’s been stuck in their head for awhile. Either way, something makes people want to follow Lady Gaga and support her more than the other pop stars who use social networking sites. Maybe it’s because, as many people think, she presents herself differently in comparison to other celebrities. Look up a mainstream singer on Twitter - someone who is currently in the charts. See how long it takes you to find a promotional message asking you to spend your money on them. Do the same with Lady Gaga. Perhaps people favor Gaga because it seems apparent that she’s in the business not for the money, but for the music. Maybe that’s why it’s often only a matter of weeks or even days before she’s reached another Twitter milestone, and is usually the first to do so.

Although not all 22 million followers (the amount is likely to have increased by the time youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re reading this) are super-fans, Gaga focuses on the fans when she tweets. Many of her tweets are inspiring and show the love and bond between the superstar and her fan-base. You will find many artists that will automatically thank their fans for their success, but simply by observing Lady Gagaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s twitter account, it is clear that there is a stronger bond between Gaga and her fans than is the norm with celebrities. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to see why her fans value the ability to be a part of that through Twitter. Overall Lady Gaga has so many followers because she is interesting and people (fans and nonfans) are intrigued by what she has to say. Alter-egos are a trend among singers today but Lady Gaga has something that interests people without having to alter her pesonality.

ady Gaga did not attend the 2011 Video Music Awards. In her place was Jo Calderone, her male-identified alter ego. He appeared on the stage amidst cigarette smoke, with greased black hair and a Brooks Brothers suit. He did not walk or talk like Gaga, but the audience screamed as if it were her. He presented himself as an ex-lover who just wanted her to be “real” with him, not realizing that she was being herself all along, that the wigs and heels were her reality. He curses her out and calls her crazy and fake, and as he does we begin to forget that she is the one up there on the stage. She wants us to believe that she and Jo are both real and created parts of her identity, and that our performances and projections of ourselves are equally real and created. It has been a consistent theme in her work since the beginning. In 2009 she wrote, “We are nothing without our image, […] our projection. Without the spiritual hologram of who we perceive ourselves to be, or rather to become, in the future.” (Manifesto of Little Monsters) The creation of Jo fits with Gaga’s philosophy of identity – that we can create ourselves and be reborn multiple times throughout our lives, and that to be “born this way” is to be whatever way you choose. Gaga’s performance as Jo, along with his monologue and adherence to “character” for the duration of the evening can be analyzed from a Deconstructive perspective of gender performance. The monologue itself raised questions of what constitutes reality and truth in terms of identity. It questioned the nature of gender and how we expect others to act to be considered “real”. One might look at Jo and see a character being performed on a stage, but if we look at it through Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, we might say that we are all characters in that way. The performance exposed the negative reactions to exaggerated gender when off of a stage, and equated performing on a stage to performing in daily life. In order to understand the monologue and performance of Jo Calderone, I will use the writings of Deconstructive theorists such as Cixous and Butler. I will use Cixous’s concepts of unstable binaries to highlight Gaga’s exposure of patriarchial hierarchies, and show how her definition of “bisexuality” is actualized in Jo. I will use Butler’s performativity theory to show that both Jo and Gaga are gender identities created through a stylized repetition of acts. Through my application of these

sources, I will attempt to define Jo’s performance as a gender-performative poststructuralist text. In “The Newly Born Woman”, Helene Cixous explores and questions the stability of binary thinking. She exposes the ways in which they uphold hierarchies such as masculinity over femininity. Because of this, the assignment of passivity to femininity leaves women at a disadvantage where she cannot fully exist. In a modern society that fights to uphold binaries like this, even Lady Gaga as a woman is not as free as she desires. According to Cixous, the fact of her femaleness can be said to detract from her existence. As she states: “either woman is passive, or she does not exist” (Cixous, 349). In a way, Gaga’s existence as a woman had already been doubted as Cixous predicted, by the ubiquitous rumors of her being a man. We are then able to view Jo Calderone as an attempt to bypass the limitations of femininity. The manifestation of Jo is that of a masculine “other” which she uses to inhabit the parts she cannot fully express as the feminine Gaga. It is also a way in which she is embracing the “other” for creative purposes. According to Cixous, there must be an element of “bisexuality” in order to access one’s creative potentials: “[...]There is no invention possible, whether it be philosophical of poetic, with there being in the inventing subject an abundance of the other, of variety: separate-people, thought-/people, whole populations issuing from the unconscious, and in each suddenly animated desert, the springing up of selves one didn’t know: our women, our monsters, our aliases...” (Cixous, 351) As stated, one can have many other selves existing in the same person, each serving their own purpose in creativity. The multiplicity of beings within one person relates to Gaga’s creation of Jo and the ideas behind the performance can possibly be seen as a performance of Cixous’s theory. She asserts Jo as real and explains the motivation of illustrating her belief in the liberating power of self-creation and selfrebirth. She says almost the exact same thing in her own essay about the performance, writing that remodeling the self allows liberation and further access to the vast potentials we have, that the “transformation” into the other detaches oneself “from any universal paradigm and allows him or her to reinvent perspective in a pure, unattached moment.” (Gaga,V4)

She describes feeling “permission to confess things about myself ” through the crafting herself into something foreign, or other. Through these texts, Gaga may be seen as Cixous’s Newly Born Woman, utilizing feminine ecriture by inhabiting the other and revealing things about Gaga through Jo. Another way in which Jo Calderone can be seen as Cixousian is by seeing how she deconstructs the gender binaries that allow certain freedoms for men and restrictions for women. Gaga describes Jo as being able to get away with a lot more than she could. As Jo, she drinks and smokes on stage and openly reveals private details about his sexual relationship with Gaga, “when s h e comes, its like she covers he face because she doesn’t want me to see that she can’t stand to have one honest moment when no one is watching” (Gaga). At another moment in the evening, Jo became a reflection of all the male artists in the room, obnoxiously stealing the spotlight from Britney Spears on the night of her tribute, explicitly sexualizing her and not allowing her to speak, in a reminiscent Kanye Westian fashion. In this way, Jo functions as an exaggerated hyper-masculine caricature that exposes the hierarchy of aggressive masculinity over femininity. Jo Calderone’s monologue and performance can also be said to highlight the performative nature of gender, as described by Judith Butler. Butler explains: Gender is in no way a stable identity or locus of agency...rather, it is an identity tenuously constituted in time – an identity instituted through a stylized repetition of acts” and “if gender is instituted through acts which are internally discontinuous, then the appearance of substance is precisely that, a constructed

identity, a performative accomplishment which the mundane social audience, including he actors themselves come to believe and perform” (Butler 901) The audience that Gaga has can be compared to the “mundane social audience” that believes very much that their gendered performances are true. Jo presents a moment of defamiliarization, where the audience does not believe that he is really a guy, and not just Gaga in disguise. Although he performs an exaggeration of heteronormative hypermasculinity, he asserts himself as real. Butler would say that Jo/Gaga are both aware of their performativity because they extend offstage. Jo’s monologue references Butl e r ’s theory by e x -

plaining the intricate and stylized repetition of acts that Gaga performs while off stage. Gaga is called crazy for doing femininity wrong thus subject to being humiliated by Jo on stage. In the beginning of his monologue after establishing that he is “one of the guys,” he shouts, “She’s fucking crazy! For example; she gets out of the bed, puts on the heels, goes into the bathroom I hear the water go on..she comes out of the bathroom, dripping wet, she still got the heels on.” (Gaga) In this moment, Jo is explaining how Gaga will wear heels even in the shower. This is an aspect of her gender practice and performance. We watch him, the obviously performative masculine, criticize Gaga, the obviously performative feminine, with disbelief that she is real. He hates her for it and labels her “fucking crazy”. To Jo, such an obvious performance must be false. Butler’s theory applies in that she also talks about the levels of acceptability in regards to gender. She writes that “performing one’s gender wrong initiates a set of punishments both obvious and indirect.” Because of the unstable nature of gender, people become anxious or enraged at those who do not fit, because it destroys their assured belief that gender is binding. In this sense, Jo can be seen as highlighting this concept of success and failure of performance. By describing her wigs, he shows that some performance is okay (“At first I thought it was sexy”) but too much is unacceptable (“But now I’m just confused”). This theory also became true for the audience as well. The internet audience responded immediately with anger and confusion when Jo “stayed as Jo” for the rest of the night. It showed that they too believed that gender must be performed a certain way, and that Jo had to be a character in order to be acceptable. By staying in “character”, using the mens bathroom, accepting an award for “Best Female Artist”, even after the “performance” had ended, he created a confused anxiety about why Jo was still there – invalidating the reality of Jo as a person separate from Gaga with his own gender. Butler’s definition of gender as both real and performed emphasize the confusion that arises when an exaggeration appears. This confusion points out that Gaga “performing” Jo is just as authentic as Gaga “performing” Gaga, or any person performing their subjective “self.” While Butler makes

a distinction between staged drag performances and real life, Gaga attempts to cover both spheres with the creation of Jo who remains as Jo on and off the stage, as Butler would say we all do Butler asserts that gender is not a set performance and that it changes throughout history. She emphasizes that the body undergoes a certain cultural construction depending on current social realities. This concept applies a transformative and unstable nature to gender, meaning it is a constant and evolving performance. With this in mind, we can look at Gaga’s words through Jo: “I want her to be real, but she says: ‘Jo, I’m not real. I’m Theatre. And you and I, this is just rehearsal” (Gaga). By stating that she is not real, she is acknowledging the performative nature of her image. She states that she is theater – all performance all the time. While Gaga says this means she’s not real, Butler would say it means she is not real according to others – and that we are all theater. “This is just rehearsal” can be seen as a reference to the unstable nature of gender performance. We are always rehearsing, we are always performing. The performativity is made even clearer with the camera-operators clever cuts to specific celebrity faces during Jo’s speech. During the section about Gaga’s continuous performance of femininity, the camera pans to long-blonde-haired Britney Spears, who throughout her career dressed and acted as perfectly feminine. Later, it pans to Bruno Mars, with seemingly the same greasy sideburn hairstyle as Jo. These may be examples of Butler’s audience who hold full belief in their gender performance as unchanging. Jo then becomes the mirror which people can see the same unstable nature in their own truths. He reflects back their images as flimsy and breakable. The intense belief in certain things as true can relate to Nietzche’s concept of reality and illusion. In his essay “On Truth and Lying in an Extra-Moral Sense” he presents a deconstructionist definition of reality. He defines truth as “illusions of which one has forgotten that they are illusions” and “after long usage seem to a notion fixed, canonical, binding” (Nietzche 263). In a similar manner, the performance of Jo Calderone can be seen as making visible the unstable nature of truth and reality. We can see that according to Nietzsche, both Gaga and Jo are real and not real. Through their stylized repetition of actions used to establish their projected image, they come to inhabit a sphere of illusion. The identity

of Gaga and the identity of Jo are both illusions which have been created in the same way as we arrive at “truths.” Nietzsche might agree with Butler, citing gender as a specific example of an illusion which we have forgotten is an illusion. It relates back to the idea of rehearsal. The way in which we continually rehearse and create what is true is the way in which Jo rehearses and creates himself as a separate and true being from Gaga. This particular method seems to be very important to Gaga as an artist as well. As she states in her article, she spent three days as Jo in order to discover what complexities would arise, what truths she would discover about herself that had been hidden.

theories of identity, gender, and performance that she creates her own theory about self-liberation. At the conclusion of her personal statement, she writes: “which part of ourselves can tackle an obstacle with more honesty or strength? How will you remodel yourself and discover which model is best for you? Use every ounce of potential you have, raise revolution against what people expect of you, and tell the world this is not a rehearsal. This is the real me. And listen up, ‘cause it could be the most honest incarnation yet.”

Her message being to learn the message of these theorists from her, to access the abundance of “other” that we all have, to take control of our own performances and create our own projecAnother deconstructionist that we can apply to Jo Calderone is tions of who we are and who we can become. Lacan’s revised concept of the Structuralist signified and the signifier. In his essay “The Instance of the Letter”, he writes about the realms of each – where the signifier can never truly reach the signified. Lacan then applies this to the subjective self in relation to language and the world. Since there is no true binding connection between the signified and signifier, and that a lack is always implied leading to a forever unsatisfied desire. This can be applied to the way Jo appears as a false signifier for Gaga. The audience reaction was a constant waiting for the “Real” Gaga to appear. This desire is left unsatisfied as Jo remains present for the entire evening. While the appearance of Jo creates an altered experience for the audience, they still believe that Gaga is behind the muddy no-makeup face. They believe that Gaga is the signified, and she will reveal herself, so they desire her return. However, it is left unsatisfied, creating the similar feel that Lacan describes as “the chain of dead desire” (Lacan 458) Similarly, Lacan’s definition of socially constructed identity can relate to Gaga’s multiplication of self. She gives birth to Jo in the same way that the woman formerly known as Stefani Germanotta gave birth to Gaga. This creation of multiple signifiers mimics the way in which language continues along the chain. While the chain moves and grows, all the signifiers still stem from the same signified, but can still never be reached. It becomes only known through the signifiers, just as Gaga’s personal realities are only revealed through the performance of Jo, and just as the life of Stefani is revealed through the performance of Gaga. It can further be related to the desire to know “whether I am the same as that of which I speak.” (Lacan) However in our case, what is spoken is slippery. The words about Gaga come through Jo, yet are originally from Gaga. We cannot know what is trustworthy, since the original voice, or the signified, can never be accessed. Gaga as Jo highlights this concept by raising the question of where exactly the self is if it is a constant state of becoming. Through this analysis, the monologue and performance of Jo Calderone can be understood and read through a deconstructive lens. Jo contains a multitude of contradiction and blurs the line between truth and illusion (Just as the Deconstructionist theorists have done with through their writings). Her or his performance allowed the audience to watch as exaggerated gender performativity was brought onto a mainstream stage and continued offstage. Gaga’s performance can ultimately be seen as a true example of a Deconstructive text that directly engages in a dialogue and responds enthusiastically to theorists of the past. Her final message is different however. It is by utilizing

One of my most treasured memories from TMB was being lucky enough to meet Gaga after the show. We met her in the early hours inside her hotel, and she was honestly the sweetest, most down to earth person. She legitimately made all of us feel like we’d been friends for years. It was such an intimate setting, it was this hot summers night, and it was one of the most surreal moments of my life. Everything about that whole day was just perfect, and I’ll be forever thankful to her for that fact. -- Manchester, UK 2011 Jase, 25, York, UK

During “Born This Way when Gaga stops singi it hit me so hard. Act being pulled out of my the performance so m at the time could haras

-- April 27, 2011, Cl Tim, Ind

My favorite monster ball memory w one put Born This Way lyrics on a fl colors and gaga sang “I’m Beautifu Cause God Makes No Mistakes I’m Track Baby I Ways Born This Way! -- Tyler “Marry

My favorite memories would be when she did Stand by me and Speechless in Birmingham, May 28th, 2010, the entire arena sang back in unison at the top of their lungs such an amazing atmosphere. Afterwards, everybody sang Bad Romance in the parking lot, that was really special. Also when she looked at me at the last UK show in London Dec17th it was like time stood still, It’s a moment I’ll never forget. We can’t forget the Michael Jackson music before she took the stage either that drove us all crazy.

-- Birmingham, May 28th, 2010 & London, December 17, 2010 Cheryl Cowan, 22, Scotland

I re Gag had she pra Mic son last the sta SO --

(Acoustic),” ing to talk... tually, I was seat during my boyfriend ss me.

My favorite Monster Ball Moment was when she sang Living On The Radio at my specific show. It was so special because she never sang it anywhere else. The mood in the whole arena was so positive and I felt so connected to everyone. One of the best moments of my life. Makes me tear up a bit still.

leveland, OH dianapolis, IN

-- August 30, 2010, St. Paul, MN Liam, 15, Minneapolis, MN

was when someflag in rainbow ul In My Way m On The Right

ythehooker123”, 16

emember thinking ga was dead or d fainted because e was so late, aying that each chael Jackson ng would be the t, and then when e first ‘D-D-D-D-D’ arted, screaming loud.

Birmingham, March 5, 2010 Brooke, 14, England

Gaga had been staring at me all day. Perhaps it was my outfit (it was bright and well-done Alexander McQueen piece) or that she recognized me, but I could hardly believe it. My friends pointed it out to me several times, and I didn’t believe it. During Teeth I figured I’d find out once and for all. I knew that if I did the “heart” sign I wouldn’t know if it was to me or someone else behind me (for how often it is used). I gave her “the horns” (Rock n Roll) and she did it back. I lost my shit, needless to say. -- March 1, 2011, Grand Rapids, MI My favorite show was Columbus (tied with September 14, 2010, Philadelphia, PA). I feel like she did her best there, her vocals were amazing that night. Besides, she sang part of Captivated at that show and did the first Born This Way acoustic that night. It always seems that her “first” everything is the best, and that was certainly the best Born This Way acoustic she’s ever done. -- March 10, 2011, Columbus, OH Tiffa, 23, Columbus, OH

This world, unfortunately, isn’t perfect, nor will it ever be. But as long as we form a part of it, we can always try to make it look as beautiful as possible. Many people try to be optimistic enough about life and communities in order to turn this planet into a safe and flawless place. But how are we going to give something we don’t have yet? How are we going to think of this world as a beautiful place if we don’t think of ourselves and others as beautiful? What if we’re still afraid to show the real ones inside of and enjoy the light this world has for us? What if we’re still afraid of getting rejected thinking that nobody would be as supportive as we want them to be? Afraid this world isn’t a safe place for those who chose to be true to themselves and other people around them? Beauty isn’t about how expensive or beautiful your dress is, or how well your hair is done, or how much makeup there is on your face. Beauty, the real beauty, exists in all of us, inside of us. It’s the beauty of freedom, the beauty of bravery, the beauty of being ourselves and not being afraid of feeling insecure and rejected. This is what the Born This Way Foundation, led by Lady Gaga, aims to do. A lot of people judge Gaga on the basis of her fashion, her weird customs and outfits, not knowing the message she has and the effort she puts in to complete that message. So let’s all try our best to get together, think, dream and help each other out to create a generation of males and females who don’t feel afraid of being themselves - who are brave enough to be true to themselves when standing in front of a mirror, knowing who they are, and what they can do, and that by the help of friends and beautiful, free and passionate people, they can finally celebrate the person who they really are. A generation whose dreams have no limits. A generation that believes in equality, bravery and safety to all. A generation that won’t judge other people, no matter where they come from, or what kind of culture they belong to, or what religion they follow, or whether they like milk or hot chocolate, or whether they have ten dollars in their pocket or one dollar. A generation that will help you believe that you’re beautiful as you are, free as the air around you, valuable and passionate, relevant and accepted. Beautiful because you were born this way.

rompt and on time; Richard Jackson (also known as Richy Squirrel) took time out of his busy schedule to have a one-on-one exclusive interview with Monster Movement on Saturday, March 17 for our debut issue on April 29th. What was supposed to be a twenty-minute interview via webcam turned into roughly a two hour interview session in chat format. Richy felt more comfortable doing it that way, and who could blame him? We were just happy to have him! Even through text his words illuminated passion, excitement, and genuineness. Jackson is the real deal, and through him Lady Gaga’s vision takes wing. Each choreographed piece tells a story, one in which Lady Gaga shares through the creative works from the squirrel snickering behind the scenes. Underestimate him not for he is one of many masterminds in the Haus that make the magic soar and come to life!

That is wonderful. I can definitely relate to that. I’m not a routine person but I absolutely love letting loose in the club and flowing with the music. The music truly guides you. How did you get involved with working with Lady Gaga? I was in Los Angeles when I met Lady Gaga. She was just out of NYC and I was asked to meet her at a rehearsal room and check her out. I was [checking] to see if she had what it takes to make an impact on the music industry. And on that great day when I heard her music and saw her perform I said: “Yes kids! It’s official! I don’t know what this is or where she’s from but this is going to be EVERYTHING! The music industry is about to gag!

Here’s to the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the interview with Lady Gaga’s choreographer. Let me tell you a little about us first. MonsterMovement.net is a website currently in progress. It will be a magazine for the fans of Lady Gaga by the fans. Unfortunately there is not a launch date yet but we hope to release a magazine once a month viewable in a PDF file. Okay got it. That’s wonderful. A magazine by the fans. Love it! Thank you. Ok, let’s get started! When you were younger did you foresee yourself as a choreographer? Yes. When I was younger. Being a choreographer was all I knew that I wanted to do. I was coming up with dance moves and routines since I knew how to. My first works of choreography were for a local cheer squad that my mother was the coach of. My routines got them to the finals. That’s exciting and a big accomplishment for your first real piece! Who or what were your biggest inspirations? My biggest inspirations came from (1) my family. They allowed me to dance. Meaning when they saw that “dance” was something that was oooozing out of me they pushed me to keep at it by having me perform at family functions or asking me to dance on the spot when family members would come around. (2) M.C. Hammer! He was everything to me. His performance level was on “high”. I would love his raw state of dance. The moves that he would do would be so “from the streets” and I had to be like him; not in copying his steps but in the “invention” of it all--coming up with dance moves! (3) The clubs.... I’m a club kid. The club life. Where anything goes. Fashion, music, who you roll with, you can be who you want to be and most importantly dance like you want to dance. The freedom inside the clubs unreal. It’s truly like you’re floating in a realm of music and you dance on a high.

That seems to be everybody’s take on their first time meeting Lady Gaga. She seems to have an eccentric personality and an magnetic personality! How involved is Lady Gaga when coming up with the routines or is that your baby? I listen to the records a hundred times over and over and over and over and over. And then the magic is created. That’s exciting! I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that one. What is your favorite dance routine you created with Gaga? Ahhhhh! I could just scream at trying to answer this one! I love them all. They all tell a different story. It’s too hard to pick just one! I understand, they’re all so great. Which is your favorite story? Marry The Night was my favorite story. As we have all experienced from the “Marry The Night” music video. That story was great not only in its choreography form but in its overall documentation of someone who had it all, lost it all and got it all back in a unimaginable way. It was like a

movie. The song and it’s meaning married the choreography which then created an amazing video.

We’re all so excited for the tour! We can’t wait to see it. How is rehearsal going? I know this is a super exciting part of the progress!! You finally get to see it all come together. As Gaga tweeted the other day: “Love getting my ass kicked in rehearsal. Everything hurts and I love it.” And: “The new show is easily the most fun I’ve had on stage in ages.” That pretty much tells it all. We are having a great time! The music is taking a life form. The music is becoming a life form. Very true! I guess there’s not much more to say about that. What ideas currently influence your choreography? When it comes to my choreography I am influenced by the very idea of little monsters screaming, cheering, shouting, clapping, singing along, their pure reaction to what they are experiencing and how they should feel when the ball comes to an end. It’s about the fans having the time of their lives. Well so far that is my very reaction to the Ball. Great job! I love everything you’ve done so far with her. I’m glad that you’ve had those reactions! Yay!

That’s my favorite story as well. It gave us a deeper view on how it all came to be and the struggles Gaga truly had as an artist in the beginning and the constant struggle of the artist. Are there any plans to change the original dance pieces from the Monster Ball for the Born This Way Ball? Now now... a squirrel can never tell how many nuts are stored up in the tree! You’ll have to come to the Born This Way Ball to find out!

You’re getting excited! I feel like we’re on the same level right now. What are your future goals? My future goals are to continue creating choreography. To continue to put on performances that make an impact. And also to have a seminar called “Dance For Your Life”: To empower dancers and non- dancers who want to be successful

in this business. Those are great future goals! I am loving the idea about the seminar. Do you have anymore information on it or is it just an idea in progress? The seminar is going to be everything! It’s more than an idea. It is happening. Dates, locations and so fourth will be announced [this summer]. I’ll make sure I get you the information on it. Great! Thank you. Give me any information and I’ll make sure to spread the word. Thank you so much for your time and answering my questions. I truly appreciate it. By the way, happy belated birthday! Thank you! This was fantastic! And I had a great birthday. Celebrated. Rehearsed. It was a great day. I’m sure it was! I’m excited for you and for the tour. Good luck with Rehearsal and maybe I’ll see you around the ball. I’m sure as most super fans, I will be going to a few. Do you think you’ll end up drinking by the end of the tour? We will see! Drinks around the world! It’s St. Patty’s, that’s what I’m about to do! Mojito with a little mint. Well, I’m going to get to that. Thank you so much again for your time. You may email details regarding the seminar to us and anything else you may want for me to inform the fans or ideas you may have in the future. Will do! Thanks Tiff. Enjoy your Saturday! Richy was very kind and thorough in all of his answers. We’re excited to see what he has in store for the future! Stay tuned for further information on Richy’s upcoming project, DANCE FOR YOUR LIFE, which will debut this the summer. Let him be an inspiration to us all! Dreams do come true, Monsters. Together we can prevail and make a profound name for ourselves for the future to come. Be sure to check out Richy on: @richysquirrel /richardjacksonOFFICIAL Hard work pays off, and Richy is in full throttle to the top!

DON’T YOU EVER LET A SOUL IN THE WORLD TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN’T BE EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE.

Bravery is knowing you will get hurt but you do the thing you believe in anyways. It is finding the strength within yourself when you can’t find it in anyone or anything else. Bravery is looking for that hope that seems lost forever. Bravery is hanging on and knowing that tomorrow is a new day

Hellothing

Bravery means being uncompromisingly true to your own values, and making a commitment to always strive for what’s right instead of what’s easy. It means having the inner strength to make wise decisions, and to learn from your mistakes if ever you make unwise decisions. Most importantly, it means having the courage and the confidence to love without fear of hate.

Saira, Los Angeles, CA

Bravery is standing up to difficulty, facing what you fear and putting in effort for something you want to achieve, whether it’s going skydiving, performing in front of an audience or waking up to go to school everyday, knowing what awaits you. People do an act of bravery every day.

Brooke, 14, England

Lady Gaga had a surprisingly low-key twenty-sixth birthday, which she spent in Los Angeles. She treated her friends to a spin class at SoulCycle in West Hollywood. “Her friends filled the studio, and had a blast,” said a source. After the spin class, the birthday girl sat down with her parents for a meal, which Gaga’s mother, Cynthia, cooked herself. “It was just a small thing with her family,”said the source. “She’s been ridiculously busy, and has been working herself very very hard, but everyone had the most amazing time!” Here is a look at Lady Gaga’s tweets on her birthday: “This is so sweet! The best birthday present ever. I love little monsters so much. Thank you so being in my life! “ “Thank you so much for all your Birthday messages. I’m having a wonderful day! #BornThisDay. 26! To 26 more years of touring with you babes!” “I can be, the Queen that’s inside of me.You guys are the best.” “Got a bruise on my back the size of a small steak. #bornthiswayball” “Hmmmmm “@borntobebravex: @ladygaga Will you be doing more GagaVisions during the#bornthiswayball?” “Filet ‘@jayracer440: @ladygaga new york strip or porterhouse ?’” “I really tried to tweet photos of props last night but after 12 margaritas my phone was confiscated. #itried #truthtea”

Dear Gaga, My name is Sam, I’m 15 years old and I currently live in Liverpool, UK. I’m a Little Monster, and have been since early 2009. Your music brings so much to my life, you encourage me to be me. I’ve been through rough times in my life over the past few years, and your music is the one thing that has always been there for me. Other artists come and go, but you’re here to stay. I’d just like to say, thank you very much for your music, message and love to your fans. I just want you to know, that just like you are here for us, we will always be there for you. Whether you’re winning 5 Grammy Awards or 0, whether you’re topping the Billboard Hot 100 or struggling to make the list, whether you’re getting rave critic reviews or being awarded “Most Pretentious Album Ever” , whether you’re selling out stadiums or doing tiny club shows - we’re always here for you! I’ll see you soon, at the Born This Way Ball! It’ll be a great show, I know it. Love you lots, Paws Up! - Sam, 15, Liverpool, UK.

You have been the only person to believe in me and I’ll always believe in you. Your presence in my life has helped me come back from the darkest days and stopped me giving up.Through the GagaDaily website I’ve made the most amazing friends from all over the world - a few NYC Monsters want me to fly over for a show! - These people have been the most amazing friends I could ever wish for, they make me feel like I fit in and that’s down to you bringing all of us together. I wrote a poem in Nov 2011 when I tried to meet you at the CIN show sadly I didn’t get the chance so I wanted to share with you now! This is first ever poem I have ever wrote in my life so I apologize for the poetry crimes I have committed! “You are my sunshine, my lifes light. Whenever life knocks me down you help me up and put it right. You taught me how to be brave, to stand my ground and never give up the fight. And now I lace up my boots stand proud alongside you, I’m ready to look forward and Marry The Night.” - Cheryl Cowan, 22, Scotland UK.

Dear Gaga, I don’t know where to begin, there’s so much to say. Never before you did I completely get and understand Pop Culture. You have opened my mind to so much fashion and art that I’ve been ignorant to before. I now work in Fashion sales. You have expanded my vision beyond my niche in Rock music. While ridiculed, I’ve always stayed true to myself, but it was you who helped me understand why things had to be the way they were, and gave me to courage to “come out” to my family Thanksgiving 2010. Since my discovery in 2009, I’ve been to ten shows and met (literally) hundreds of wonderful people in my travels and on GagaDaily (where I am a Forum Moderator). I met my girlfriend, Megan, in Chicago for the Monster Ball. We almost met in Philadelphia (2010) but the auto graph pushers trampled me and hindered our moment. I’ve been to ten Monster Balls, I even flew to LA for your birthday show, and I anticipate many Born This Way Ball mini-tours. Thank you for being down-to-earth, genuine, caring, and radical! - Tiffa, 23, Columbus, OH USA

Hello Gaga. I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done. Your bravery and your passion for what you’re doing has made me brave, and it has made me realize that life is so much MORE. I was very insecure. I’ve listened to you since early The Fame era, so your music has always been there for me... But when you released Born This Way, the album, I felt that this is more than music. This music is making me brave. Born This Way has been the theme-album of my life since summer 2011. For instance, when I came out Scheiße was playing in the background. When I told my bullies to “FUCK OFF,” Bad Kids was playing in my right earphone. Your music has made me take a step forward. I know you must get like 3000 of these letters every day, and I know all of them say THIS: This is motherfuckin’ genuine. I love you so much. I honestly don’t know what I would do without you. I hope we’ll meet some day. Love & Art, your Swedish little monster, Thomas. x - Thomas Youssef, Sweden

The music video for “Marry the Night” tells the story of Lady Gaga’s rise to fame and her internal battles with trauma, rejection, and rebirth. While most music videos begin with a black screen, the first image in “Marry the Night” is completely white - a blank slate of absolutely nothing. There is no image in the opening of the film because Gaga had not yet made an image. The film tells the story of her past, but as she states, she views her past like a painting. As the artist of this painting, it is not until she begins talking that we see anything. She paints the story for us with her words, onto this empty canvas, to present a fantastically limited insight into her memories, into her thoughts, and ultimately into her artistry. The imagery only becomes visible once her monologue begins. When we do begin to see Gaga’s image, there are still a lot of white spaces. There are holes in Gaga’s memory that she is filling in to make her painting beautiful again. In essence, the entire video is Gaga’s painting. It is the memories of her past, filtered through the lens of her artistry, and fastened into a nearly 14 minute musical masterpiece. Is Gaga in a medical hospital or a mental asylum? The specifics of her location are not entirely clear, perhaps because she does not choose to remember these things. She only chooses to remember certain facets, while adding certain elements that may have merely worked their way into her memories over time. When the nurse leaves Gaga’s bed, she raises her arms, as a conductor would when signaling an orchestra. As the music starts, the images start to become even more painterly. We are treated to another blank screen, and out of the whiteness emerges Gaga as a ballerina. This memory, perhaps, has been even more polluted than the last. Is this reality or is this fantasy? Possibly it rests in purgatory in-between. In actuality, however, Gaga never was a ballerina. She uses this imagery to simulate a thought process, and convey a feeling to the audience of subtle perfectionism. The ballerinas’ shoes are drastically elongated to the point of being impractical, or unattainable. When Gaga is dropped from her record label over the phone, the images seem to lose focus of each other. There is no order or sense of structure and chaos sets in. It becomes a sort of twisted, broken ballet, as the entire configuration of the film starts to fall apart. Gaga cries at the feet of the ballerinas in a plight of desperation, for

she knows she can never reach their level of perfection. Despite this horrific display, Gaga is determined to survive. She emerges from the rubble in a new costume. Despite the pouring rain, Gaga basks under the light of a full moon in the midst of burning vehicles, perched on top of a Firebird Trans Am. Her mask and bleached haircut emulate a birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beak and her long nails resemble talons. She has transformed herself into a phoenix, rising from the ashes of her former self. Back in the clinic, Gaga was not permitted to light her cigarette. But now that Gaga has liberated herself, she is free to smoke, to burn, to produce her own ashes. As she pours gasoline over the cars, she is fundamentally wishing to destroy the traumatic memories of her past in hopes of starting over.

As the cars explode all around her, forgotten memories flash before her eyes. Amidst all of this physical and emotional destruction, Gaga doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even flinch. She is unafraid of what is happening. She knows that in order to start over she must first demolish the scars of her past. The fire does not present a danger to her, but rather a ritualistic liberation. She fearlessly struts up to the fire. And just as a phoenix, she burns everything away, in order to be triumphantly reborn.

Is Lady Gaga’s Inspiring Message Becoming Defunct To Certain Members of the Little Monster Community? BY JASE

“I’ve been actually really very pleased to see how much awareness was raised around bullying, and how deeply it affects everyone. You know, you don’t have to be the loser kid in high school to be bullied. Bullying and being picked on comes in so many different forms.” Over the past three years, global phenomenon Lady Gaga has just about done it all. Whether it’s winning Grammy awards, shocking the world with her now iconic meat dress, or becoming one of the worlds top-grossing tour performers, this game changing artist seems to have the world at her feet - except it looks like there’s one big problem, and in a cruel irony, it seems to stem from some within the Little Monster community. Bullying within our community is at an all-time high. While bullying is rife among every fan base out there, many media outlets have been quick to point out the hypocrisy of Little Monsters getting involved in this online cruelty culture, given who we look up to. Whether it’s through excluding somebody’s online presence in a deliberate, calculated manor, or it’s through the more direct, more “fashionable” way of making derogatory comments about a person’s appearance or personality, some fans taunt others within the fan base without a second thought to one’s feelings. This, of course, can sometimes lead to disastrous consequences. Some fans within the Little Monster community feel the need to bully other fan bases and other artists. Most recently, mock-up videos of worldwide superstar Adele have been made with a fake singer performing “I’m bootyful in my own way because Arby’s (an American restaurant) makes nooo mistakes, I’ve got the right order, baby, I was born this weight.” The perpetrators don’t seem to realize that their behavior is a contradiction of massive proportions when you take into account what their idol’s message is actually about. Through her inspiring messages in her smash hit records and her meetings to combat bullying with President Barack Obama, Lady Gaga’s uplifting message has never wavered. She wants us to love ourselves in a raw, honest, unapologetic way – for us to chase our dreams, and to never give up. She wants us to accept the fact that we are all different, and to celebrate our individuality. She wants us to come together to help create a kinder world. Most recently, Gaga, along with her mother, Cynthia, set up a non-profit organization called the Born This Way Foundation. This foundation will focus on self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring, and career development. All of this should be the perfect opportunity for a much needed morale boost within the Little Monster community, but the bullying remains evident. It’s no secret that Lady Gaga suffered at the hands of bullies when she was younger, but don’t be mistaken in thinking that this is the reason why her message is so important to her. On countless occasions, she has reiterated the fact that she feels that if you have revolutionary potential, then you have a moral obligation to make the world a better place. This isn’t a self indulgent cause here, in other words. She feels like she has the spirit and passion to drive forward a movement which some may feel is archaic, but yet, when we get down to it, is more prevalent than ever. From the stories which people from all over the world have shared online, it doesn’t take a lot to realize that Lady Gaga’s words can bring a bullied child hope. Her words can ignite inspiration in a disheartened teen. Her words can change the life of a tormented adult. Her words bring us together in a beautiful way that shouldn’t be ruined by the reckless actions of another person. Her message is so vital and important to millions of people around the world because, at the heart of it, when you strip everything away, one things remains – and that thing is love. In a world where so many inhumane, cruel things take place on a daily basis, that message of love which Gaga so passionately preaches about is sometimes the only thing which we have to hold onto. The changes which her message has brought about prove that this woman isn’t just about putting out number one records. Back in September 2011, an 18-year old law that prevented US personnel from disclosing that they were gay or lesbian was formally repealed. Lady Gaga’s efforts in driving home her message to this issue were undeniably influential, which was proven when the world witnessed her lead an extremely passionate rally against the controversial policy, along with making an online plea to the Senate. This was just over two years into her career, which can only beg the question, what’s to come? Lady Gaga’s message is going to be hammered into the public’s mind until change finally happens, and as she has previously pointed out, that’s not going to be an immediate thing. One thing which can and will help is the support of her Little Monsters. She wants us to rise above hate, and she wants us to take this journey with her. If we decide to not follow that path, if we decide to tarnish her message and let it become defunct, then ironically (there’s that painful word again), not only are we letting ourselves down, but we’re ultimately letting her down. As a fan base, that would be the biggest tragedy of them all.

ransport yourself back to 2008: “Just Dance” is dominating pop radio, fusing an electropop-dance-thud with whimsical live-in-the-moment lyrics. Such dance music as not been so culturally relevant in decades. At the time the general public are intrigued by the song itself, but as you would recall in memory, many casual pop listeners hardly regarded the pop starlet behind the tune as we do now. Sadly, in the era of new-age stardom, many pop stars come and go faster than the runtime of the reality hows they come from (literally). Now a few months have passed and “Just Dance” is beginning to die down. Lady Gaga announces that her second single, “Poker Face,” would be an even bigger hit than ts predecessor (Nova FM, 2009). Why had Gaga arranged the singles in such a manner? Wouldn’t one want to make the biggest splash possible with their pop debut? Andy Warhol, someone Gaga has admittedly idolized and studied, once stated that “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” and I am sure Gaga was well aware of this prophecy and its fruition in the early 21st century. When Gaga put out “Just Dance”, it’s conceivable that she was aware that if her next single could not match or was no better than her first, she would be forgotten and buried under the relevancy-drained corpses of countless past pop one-hit-wonders. The people want a star that can be consistent and top themselves – as a marketing major I have learned that the field’s ironclad rule #1 is to know what the people want and to deliver it. With this way of thinking, Gaga’s “Poker Face”, or rather “Love game INTUITION” cemented her pop status for at least the year of 2009. Concerning albums, the sophomore effort to the retrodance-funk infused pop The Fame had to arrive in the same vein. We now know Gaga as an articulate, well-rounded, educated and philanthropic marketing and sociological genius, but during “The Fame” era, “Gaga’s frothy disco confections could [and were] easily…mistaken for the mindless booty bait dangled by, say, the Pussycat Dolls” (Sarah Rodman, The Boston Globe. 2009). As a response, The Fame Monster could be seen in the same way as a ‘reaction to the reaction’ of the public in a sense and a perfect marketing ploy to maintain relevancy. The

album continued the critically and publicly acclaim dancegirl shtick but blended it with darker and more sociologically and psychologically intuitive subject matter. After The Fame Monster was done and dusted, Gaga had built up the image of the fun dance girl who was capable and unafraid to make insightful statements about life. Additionally, during much of late 2009 and 2010, Gaga began to foster the community of ‘Little Monsters’. She preached about not caring about success or money but only her fans. Yet, this sense of philanthropy did not illustrate in her work at all to the public. She spoke about the dialogue between her and her fans and her recognition of the struggles they faced, especially with bullying and coming to terms with sexuality (Oprah’s Next Chapter, March 2012). Cue Born This Way.

Although most monsters would agree that the music itself and overall artistic cohesiveness of the Born This Way album surpasses its predecessors, the era suffered unfortunate commercial demise. After the cultural supernova and one-can-only-dream-of 6 weeks at #1 that was the “Born This Way” single (Billboard 100, 2011), Gaga’s work could be seen as become less pop culturally pervasive. “Judas”, the single leading into the album release, was hardly the commercial and ‘cultural baptism’ Gaga’s team obviously anticipated, and it all came to a grinding and ironically nonexplosive halt with “Marry The Night”. Now let me begin to explain this descent - even though the metaphor laden “Judas” was a sonic advancement in Gaga’s artistic discography and the biographical music video for “Marry The Night” could arguably be Gaga’s most artistic videography release, neither were received well by the public. This lays testament to the superficial and uninformed pop era we live in now. The reason for this is that, although Gaga’s outrageous and weird image paved her way to stardom, it allowed countless attention-snaring but lazier and less talented copycats to gain relevance in the same way. Resultantly in 2012, an electro-dance number is almost immediately associated with talentless and manufactured pop and a slow pop ballad is instantaneously associated with talent.

The second reason for this decline is the fact that Gaga over exposed herself in 2011, with a plethora of promotional dates and releases of six singles plus an additional promo single. She ironically worked the pop world too hard. The novelty of her performances and appearances deteriorated rapidly. However, here is where it gets indubitably salivating for any little monster - Gaga has stated that this “decay of the blonde superstar” will be a theme for the fourth album she calls “the next one” (Access Hollywood, November 2011; Lady Gaga Twitter). Gaga is also in a media blackout. “I’m not going to speak to anyone for a very long ime,” she said on Oprah’s Next Chapter (March2012). She is reacting to the reaction once again.

There have been calls for Gaga to revert back to her The Fame image, to delve into the jazzy crispiness that burst out of her in her duet with Tony Bennett (“The Lady is a Tramp”), and even to flesh out her rock roots. Some monster ultimatums have been for Gaga to return to full commerciality, but we know Gaga is hardly going to abandon the ‘real artist’ image she has increasingly professed since her inception into the pop sphere. Monster speculation is also through the roof; The Element of Crime, Private in Public or “some people think we’re sick”. I could ramble endlessly about the snippets of information about the fourth album, but I’ll save it for another article. The point I mean to emphasize if that Gaga is already and will continue to respond to the world around her. This is because, when you look at Gaga’s career and the progression of her work from era to era, it’s as if she plans to confront the public’s underlying criticisms, demands, or dissatisfaction with her current work - or rather that the public’s reaction to each era intrigues her and becomes the subject of her future work. This is what makes Gaga’s artistry so intriguing and relevant. In a sense, the content of Gaga’s art is very much dictated by the world’s underlying

demands of her, yet one of these demands is that she remains artistically unpredictable and limitless. As she stated [in reference to her 2011 VMA performance], “I felt it necessary to imagine what the public expects of me…and how I might [artistically] destroy this expectation in a variety of ways” (V Magazine Memorandum 4). Gaga’s art must sonically, visually and culturally deliver exactly what the market wants, but she must present it in her own unexpected way and proclaim its complete and absolute artistic authenticity. She is art but she is pop. This is the irony and beauty that is Lady Gaga.