The new Lady Gaga video has arrived, and it should come as a surprise to no one that it's already stirring up controversy. The video is for a song called "Judas," and as the title would suggest, there's some serious religious imagery. In flashes throughout the video, Gaga appears dressed as Mary Magdalene and rides a motorcycle with a Christlike figure. The leaked version of the video is actually fairly tame, but nonetheless, Gaga's sure to offend some of her fans and provide more fodder for her detractors.
Of course, Lady Gaga has declared that she's not actually trying to offend anyone. Then again, she also claimed that comparisons between her and Madonna (the singer, not the religious figure) are unfounded, and in both cases, it's apparent that Gaga's either lying or has extremely poor self-awareness.
Like a host of artists including Madonna, David Bowie and even Marilyn Manson, a big part of Lady Gaga's art is its offensiveness. The "Judas" video contains images of Gaga being whipped in a manner that draws a mental connection to the crucifixion of Christ. Nonreligious fans will enjoy the controversy and Gaga will probably get a lot of extra attention thanks to the video's potentially sacrilegious tones. She'll alienate some sensitive Christian fans in the process, however, as well as anyone who's simply tired of Gaga's artistic sensibility, since there's nothing really new or unique about "Judas" as a song or a video.
Lady Gaga is an extremely talented musician. Anyone who claims differently should check out thisYouTube performance of "Poker Face," which features Gaga alone playing the piano. However, her videos have been ratcheting up in intensity with each new release. She's the closest thing that we have to a modern day Michael Jackson--everyone seems to anticipate her videos, either because they're genuinely interested in what outlandish stunt she'll pull next or because they're waiting for Gaga to finally go over the line.
The "Judas" video might disappoint both of those groups, but let the record show that it's definitely an attempt to offend. It's artistic, sure, and it's a nice break from the mass of oversexualized music videos out there (we're looking at you, Britney Spears).
Still, it'd be nice if Gaga's next release was a bit more entertaining and a little less focused on shocking her audience into buying her next CD. In the meantime, "Judas" just seems like another tune and another chance for Gaga to show off her ability to offend.
Do you think that "Judas" is offensive?
Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
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