My Latest Obsession

Hi Reader,

I'm completely obsessed with Lady Gaga these days. I started reading a short bio about her, not sure why, but I did, and I mentioned something that stuck with me to my voice teacher, Lorraine, and then Lorraine started telling me her story of meeting Lady Gaga (of Stefani), and how Lorraine had just known, right away, that she was going to be a superstar, mostly because Gaga had seemed like she just knew. There was neither self-aggrandizement nor fake humility. It was just matter-of-fact. I'm going to be a superstar.

Turns out, she studied fame intensively. Andy Warhol, it turns out, was a student of and obsessed with fame: How is it created, what does it mean, how to manage it. Lady Gaga studied Andy Warhol. And in just a few short lives, she went from living in a dinky $1100/month apartment on Stanton, a mere five blocks from where I live, and doing burlesque and heavy metal and hairspray burning shows, to selling out Madison Square Garden.

I went by her apartment building the other day. Stood in the doorway and tried to channel her energy. The more I learn about her, the more amazed I am. I think I first heard about her in 2010, and immediately fell for her music, but didn't really take her seriously as an artist or know much of anything about her until now.

And I'm blown away by what I learn. She's really something. She touches something deep inside of me. A pain, a sadness, a longing, a love, a beauty, a desire for expression. So many things all at once.

And the fact that it all happened within spitting distance from where I live makes it even more fun and interesting. I checked out where Andy Warhol had his Factory on Union Square as well. I love this city so much.

Here's a few resources I found valuable:

• Lady Gaga: A Briefly Told Life
• Rivington Was Ours
• Andy Warhol documentary part 1 and part 2
• The Monster Ball Tour at the Madison Square Garden
• Gaga interview at Google
• Lady Gaga - Inside the Outside
• Andy Warhol eating a hamburger (from a film by Jørgen Leth)
• 60 minutes interview and "behind" story
• Lady Gaga: On the Edge
• Click from Oprah interview (haven't managed to find the complete interview yet)