Why I Love Harry Potter

I just realized something.  I have never declared my undying love for Harry Potter on my blog.  I can't believe I haven't done it yet.  Harry Potter may just be my favorite books of all time (definitely up there with the likes of To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lord of the Rings, The Pillars of the Earth, The Princess Bride, The Help and Jurassic Park).

I started reading Harry Potter way back when, before it was even popular.  I remember by lovely aunt recommending Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to me because "I reminded her of Harry."  Yes, I was a scrawny little boy with huge glasses.  All I remember was that I couldn't get enough of it.  I quickly ate up the second book, but soon realized that I would have to wait for the third to get published.  Grrrr!!!! It still makes me mad at how long I had to wait between EACH AND EVERY book!  I would get the newest one, put my face into the pages and not stop till I was finished.  Then, after I was done and ready for more, would the fact that I would have to wait another year-and-a-half to two years for the next one.

J.K. Rowling certainly knows how to weave an intricate story with complex characters, enough to engage a young reader with such fervor.  Harry Potter certainly sparked my interest in reading.  Now, I just love picking up a book and devouring its pages.  All thanks to a young, scrawny wizard who taught a young, scrawny Muggle that it's not only cool to read, but an amazing and fun experience as well.

And yes, to this day, I still await my acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

(This post was inspired by my new friend, who blogs at www.dumbledoresdilemma.tumblr.com. Check it out.)

Lady Gaga - Time's Most Influential

Time magazine recently announced their annual Top 100 Most Influential People in the World.  And a big congrats goes out to Lady Gaga for topping the list in the Artists category.  Read what fellow singer Cyndi Lauper has to say about her.  It pretty much sums up my feelings about her too:

I first heard the name Lady Gaga through a mutual friend.  He couldn't stop talking about her.  Then I heard her music, and I thought, Wow, I love this kid.  

An artist's job is to take a snapshot - be it through words or sound, lyrics or song - that explains what it's like to be alive at the time.  Lady Gaga's art captures the period we're in right now.  These days, you go to a club and wonder who all these kids are.  They don't seem to have jobs.  How can they afford to be here? Her song "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" explains that scene.  It's about the New York prep-school party kids she grew up with.  It's where she came from.  Gaga's lyrics are incredibly literary.  When "Bad Romance" starts, the music grabs your ear immediately.  Then she opens with the line "I want your ugly / I want your disease," and all of a sudden you're listening.  Most of the stuff on the radio is not very clever, but Gaga presents her ideas in a sophisticated manner.  She has an incredible pop sensibility.  

People forget how young she is.  She is barely 24 - much younger than I was when I became famous.  It's very tough being where she is right now.  People are pulling her in all different directions.  It's hard to navigate that.  Try to imagine what you were like at her age, if you still can.  I can't wait to see how she grows and what she decides her next act will be.  She only has two albums out, but already she is inspiring other artists to go further in their own work.  

When I see somebody like Gaga, I sit back in admiration.  I'm inspired to pick up the torch again myself.  I did an interview with her once, and she showed up with a sculpture on her head.  I thought, How awesome.  Being around her, I felt like the dust was shaken off of me.  I find it very comforting to sit next to somebody and not have to worry that I look like the freak.  She isn't a pop act, she is a performance artist.  She herself is the art.  She is the sculpture.  

And then she records this video:  

How mature.  Out of all the superficial "heroes" that so many people cast as role models, she picks Deepak Chopra as her hero, a person who actually makes a difference in this world.  And listen to what she says about how she wants to "go beyond the music" and create music that inspires people and touches them spiritually.  I think this shows that Lady Gaga is not just another pop superstar.  She is a human being with something to say, who happens to be a pop superstar.

(If you want to read up on others who made Time's Most Influential List, click here)

Why We Love Lady Gaga

This post is in response to Quinn's question about why Lady Gaga is such a big deal in the gay world.  To be honest, I can't explain why she is such a phenomenon, but I will share with you the reasons why I love her so much.

First and foremost, she makes darn good music.  Plain and simple.  She is a genius at writing the most catchy tunes that will undoubtedly stay in your head for days afterward.  It takes a lot of talent to write so many unforgettable songs.  Most songs nowadays lack that power to stay with you; you hear them and once the next song comes on, you've already forgotten it.  I would not be exaggerating if I said that every song on Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster album has, at one point or another, gotten stuck in my mind.  The fact that she has 2 Grammy awards, 5 number one hits (4 in 2009 alone, the most ever in one calendar year), and has sold over 8 million records is impressive.  But to do it all by the time you are 23?  Now that takes some talent.

Second, she is a talented vocalist.  Lady Gaga is not some product of post-studio computerization like so many music "stars" today.  Have you ever heard Taylor Swift sing live?  She writes decent music, but she can't perform live.  Just take a look at her horrible showing at this year's Grammy's.  And Britney Spears, while her music is a guilty pleasure of mine, was caught lip syncing at a recent concert.  But Lady Gaga, on the other hand, can not only sing, but she can recreate her songs so they always sound new and fresh.  For example, check out this acoustic version of "Paparazzi."  And check out her piano skills!

Next, Lady Gaga absolutely refuses to play it safe.  Everything she does is a risk.  So far, she has not given in to the pressure to things "by the books."  That's why she has risen to the top so fast.  Her music is not the color-by-number songs that most of the music industry is used to doing.  She can pump it up on the dance floor with strong, upbeat songs like "Bad Romance" or "Poker Face."  She can also bring it down a notch and sing a song to evoke emotions out of the listener.  A great example is "Speechless" which she wrote to convince her father to undergo open-heart surgery.  Listen to it knowing that and I dare you not to feel greater appreciation for your parents.

Her cryptic and unusual mannerisms keep us guessing at every turn.  I still don't understand what she is all about, and I'm pretty sure that I don't want to.  Maybe once we understand why she is the way she is, we will no longer be intrigued by her.  In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lady Gaga said, "In truth, there's nothing to understand about what I do.  It's whatever you think it is.  So if it inspires a reckoning about pop culture, music, feminism, gay culture...the point is to make a point."  So, pretty much, we may never understand what she's all about, which would be ideal.  Take from her what you will, and I will take what I will, because that's exactly what she wants.

I absolutely love that she is working so intensely on HIV/AIDS awareness.  This is something that unfortunately has been under the radar in the entertainment industry since the early 90's and Lady Gaga is trying to get attention to the disease once again, because, guess what, it still kills people.

Last, her fashion.  Again, in this area, Lady Gaga refuses to do what society tells her to do.  She embodies the rebelliousness in all of us.  Whenever she makes an appearance, the world waits on pins and needles to see what outrageous and over-the-top costume she comes out with.  While her costumes may be outrageous and over-the-top, they certainly are fun.  Most of her outfits also carry social statements, like her Kermit the Frog outfit (a statement against fur) or her Fire Bra (a commentary on the female body as a weapon).  Here are some other of Lady Gaga's most outrageous costumes.

When asked in an interview about why she is so outrageous, Lady Gaga spoke of her earlier years in grade school.  "I just felt like a freak, I guess what I'm trying to say is I want to liberate them [kids who are different], I want to free them of their fears and make them feel that they can create their own space in the world."  Thank you Lady Gaga for those amazing words of encouragement.  Thank you for letting us realize, through you, that just because we are different, just because I am gay, we can still be ourselves and we shouldn't be afraid of it.

So, there are many aspects to Lady Gaga that make me adore her.  And it may be that these are reasons why you can't stand her, which I will respect.  There are many popular artists out there that I don't care for, but I am sure you could list reasons why you like them so, like I have done.

"And now, I'm just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time."  ~~ Lady Gaga ~~