Born That Way . . .

You stay classy, Lady Gaga.

So, I have loved Weird Al for most of my life. I may the only person in creation who has, for bizarre and mostly unknown reasons, almost memorized the lyrics of "Albuquerque". It can be easy to dismiss him as a parody artist, or "just a comedian", but the man is brilliant as a lyricist and performer. He takes something familiar, again and again, and doesn't just use the themes of the original song but the styling of the original artist to create something funny, biting, and often kinda brave. He has taken on such artists as Nirvana, Eminem, Green Day, and Michael Jackson,and skewered everything from the Star Wars Saga to silly diet trends. I respect him because of his talent and because he sometimes causes liquid to come out my nose.

Fast foward to just a few days ago, as Al readies his new album. Having recorded 11 of the 12 songs for it, he was waiting for that flash of inspiration, the one big parody piece to highlight the whole thing. Then came Lady Gaga's ridiculously dirivitive song "Born This Way". I dare you to listen to it and not hear Madonna singing "Express Yourself" (better, and more originally). As Al does each time he parodies a song, he sent the lyrics and proposal to Lady Gaga's people for approval. Remember, he can legally record and release this song without her okay; he does this to be polite. After a delay, Gaga's people declare she needs to hear the song first. Al records a version for her, which he never does for anyone. He waits some more. Finally, the word comnes back: No.

Lady Gaga is apparently uncomfortable being parodied: this from a woman who once famously wore a dress made of Kermit the Frog.

I don't like Lady Gaga; I find her music nearly unintelligible and not at all to my taste, and I think her off-stage antics are the worst kind of publicity whoredom. But, this latest move just shows that for a woman unafraid of appearing in a dress made of meat, she sure seems thin-skinned.