Music Muse: The Dog Days Are Over

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It's important to say that it takes a lot to impress me. Now with that said...let's continue. The MTV Video Music Awards have already come and gone...by several weeks...but there was a performance at the VMA's that captivated me. No it was the whiny Taylor Swift, the selfish Kayne West, the lip-syncing Usher or even his lip-syncing prodigy Justin Beiber. It was a group from across the ocean named Florence and The Machine.

At the VMA's, the lovely (when not covered in white makeup) Florence and her dancing crew made their Stateside debut with "Dog Days Are Over". I kind of get an Aborigine vibe from this song because of the drums and the dancers. Am I the only one? Anyways, Florence's enchanting voice may paint her as an angel, but she is far from it. Apparently her best work comes to her when she is drunk or when she has a hangover. That's just a tad bit strange, but it pales in comparison to that other Lady.

I don't know if all of Florence's songs are this good, but I'm happy with One Hit Wonders. I hope to be hearing more from Florence in the near future.

FYI: This video won a VMA award off screen for Best Art Direction.


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Music Muse: She's Got Me Like Nobody

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When I first stumbled upon Stefani Germanotta, she was singing about red wine and dancing. It was all good fun, it was a catchy little tune and I moved on with my life. And then there was that fateful car ride with Leah Mitchener, Carlos Robles and I think Patrick Donawho was there too. Well anyways...we were jamming to some radio station (trying to avoid hitting a pedestrian from Whitley) and on came a little number by Miss Germanotta about reading her "Po-Po-Po-Poker Face". Consider me intrigued as I tried (still trying) to get that song out of my head days later. So I did a little investigating and found the cult following of "Lady Gaga". Actually, the cult following was in early bloom. I moved on with my life (with "Poker Face" playing on a constant loop in iTunes).

And then the 2009 Video Music Awards happened. Lady Gaga was scheduled to perform later in the show, so I decided to check out her performance and see what she was all about. I had no idea what to expect. Well, it started off with a scream and a crash. Whaaaaatttt??? A curtain rises, and a fallen Gaga is revealed. From that moment on, I was enthralled as she belted out "Paparazzi" with immense passion. Her singing was real (opposed to lip-synching), her performance was stunning and she made millions gasp (you can actually hear it). It's usually at that gasping point where my hair stands on end....don't judge me.

It was at this point where the cult truly began, and the name Lady Gaga became a household name whether anyone liked it or not. She is known for her music, her eccentricity (that includes her outfits inspired by Amazonian Grace Jones), her political/social standpoints and her lifestyle. She certainly is not "normal" by society's standards as she makes her cultural imprint on us all. Yes, there is an imprint. She is #4 on Forbes Celebrity 100 list of influential people. Forbes also listed Gaga as #1 on web rank and #1 in social rank.

And the main point about this post is that I am going to see her tomorrow night in Dallas. I'm not sure what to expect, but believe me, I will let you know what happens!!!

This is THE PERFORMANCE that sucked me into her mad little world:

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