About twice a week, I get in a fight with Benjie here in the office about Lady Gaga. He thinks she’s wack, that her routine’s all processed and gimmicky and a slap in the face to true innovative pioneering women in music like Bjork. Okay fine. But I’ll admit, I think Lady Gaga’s kinda cool. (Did you hear that? That was the sound of 40,000 of you jumping to another site). You’re right, I’m not a pop music aficionado. But the fact that the newest music queen isn’t all body glitter and cherry chapstick, as it’s been since Britney Spears danced in high school hallways, is encouraging.

Gaga makes catchy tunes (thus, pop music), plays the piano (rather well), cites David Bowie as an influence, makes music videos with charred skeletons in Russian bath houses, she (and/or her stylist) has great taste in fashion. She can be shocking and scary, blood and broken glass and androgyny. You gotta admit, it’s refreshing to see teenybopper girls latch onto someone who’s pushing the envelope in a new direction. Maybe deliberately, yes, but still. The industry likens her to the new Madonna, but I think we should let Madonna be Madonna. I think Gaga can still be Gaga.

And hey, you best believe I still love Bjork.

Here are some shots I took of Lady Gaga at a signing tonight with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine (Beats by Dre).

by bobbyhundreds