Sometimes I just have to shake my head at some Facebook posts. A young friend of mine, the son of a h.s. classmate, had a post the other day: "Who is this Lady Gaga and why are so many people offended by her?"
I knew it was a loaded question, as the friend is a very talented singer who happens to be gay. (I say I know he knew who she was because she's been very vocal in her support of the LGBT - hope I did the abbreviation correctly community.) She's also commented that she considers herself to be bi-sexual. I replied that I had nothing against her, just that I thought her schtick was more about being outrageous than her talent. I mentioned Elton John as someone who was once considered outrageous for his dress (and enormous glasses!), but that his talent was so great that it overshadowed his costumes.
(I started to use Liberace as another example, but thought the gay references might be misconstrued, that I was using only gay performers to make my point. My young friend - and regular readers of this blog - know I don't have a problem with gay people. Well, except for lesbians and that's because that narrows the already narrow field - for me - of available women. -wink-)
I also thought of using - but didn't - the rock group KISS as an example of musical talent who relied upon a gimmick instead of talent. I like some KISS tunes, but never liked them well enough to purchase them. Tell the truth; when you think of Gene Simmons, do you consider him one of the greatest bass guitar players of all-time, one of the greatest singers, or does the first thing that comes to mind is his 7-in. tongue?
Back to the Facebook post: Well, I had several people, including the friend, say they thought Lady Gaga was as talented, if not more so than Elton John. I don't normally get offended if someone doesn't like who/what I like, only if they put ME down for my preferences. Still, it was hard for me to not say "Are you out of your rabid-ass mind?"
Sure, tastes in anything, be it food, music or hobbies, are subjective and if YOU like Lady Gaga, that's fine w/ me. I gave my honest opinion about her...well, tempered a bit, because I really don't much care for her music, but there's no way that she's better than EJ and I simply can't understand that opinion. Granted, my opinion is influenced by being an Elton John fan for 40+ years, growing up with his music and owning much of it, from 8-tracks to records to mp3's. Elton John did ALL kinds of music, from rock to pop to ballads as well as wrote songs for musicals. Off the top of my head, I could name at least a half-dozen movies that used his tunes, not to mention countless TV shows. Of course, he also re-wrote one of his most famous songs "Candle in the Wind" for the funeral of Lady Diana, making it another gold record in the process.
Elton John and Bernie Taupin are, IMHO, one of the best song-writing duos of all-time, up there with Lennon/McCartney, Rodgers /Hammerstein or Burt Bacharach / Hal David. It's not just MY opinion either; Google it to see what other people think. I'm not saying a consensus of opinion is correct, only that it lends some validity to my own opinion.
When Lady Gaga has been around for nearly 50 years and has sold a QUARTER BILLION records, then we can discuss who is the better musical talent. I'll be long cold in my grave and turned to dust before Elton John is forgotten. In fact, I would bet that Elton John's music will still be being played when Lady Gaga is but a footnote in musical history.
What next? Justin Bieber is better than Elvis? Good Grief.
September 30, 2011
Lady Gaga or Elton John?
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4 comments:
What? You don't think The Bebe has the chops that EJ does? The Bebe is a musical genius, right up there with Normand Greenbaum and Vanilla Ice!!! Geesh Mike...your taste is all in your mouth! ;-)
Thank God I know you're kidding. I don't know what Colleen thinks about Elvis, but you've told me she doesn't care f/ The Bebe.
Not sure all my taste is in my mouth; hell, I'll eat damn near anything, at least try it once. I haven't met a veggie I don't like and outside of a cockroach, if it's alive, I'll give it a taste.
BTW, the FB friend commented on my frog's leg post and I sort of gave Lady Gaga a little shot in my reply.
Thanks for posting!
Great post , have to agree , can't beat Elton , he was tops a real entertainer in every way , gotta mention F. Mercury bent as a ten bob bit and long gone but still loved and listened to by millions, Yes lets see if Gaga will be remembered so long , her famous naughty shoes she wore for her appearance on American Idol 2011 sure brought her plenty of attention in the tabloids the next day ,but you know I cannot tell you what she sang that night, im sure many other can't either .
Most of todays singers are just what we call 'flash in the pans '
Enjopy your weekend Mike .
I thought about Mercury and using him, but decided I'd used enough gay performer references. LOL
"bent as a ten bob bit" Too funny!
I think "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" is one of the best albums of all time, at least one of my all-time Top Ten. It's a double album, for one, but I can't think of a single song among all of them on it that I do not like.
I haven't done it...yet...but I've been thinking of making a post of my fav. 100 songs of all-time. I bet that at least five of them would be EJ tunes.
I put Lady Gaga in with the likes of Madonna. Talent? Sure, but relied upon the "shock" value more than their musical gifts. If you have to rely upon outrageous behavior to stay in the public eye... Many Hollywood actors do the same thing - make some critical statement about (usually) politics in order to draw attention to themselves.
The Dixie Chicks learned not to purposely offend their base of fans with their criticism of George Bush during a concert in London. Sure, they have the right to say what they think but what offended me is that they said it in England...and they didn't have the courage to say it in Lubbock.
Thanks f/ posting, Alison~
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