A Tale of Two New Yorkers: Ms. Gaga, Ms. Spektor

Picture this:

• You're a cute teenage girl living in New York City in the late 90's/early 00's.
• You have songs running through your head non-stop like a manic depressive.  Most people think your "musical talents" are more than strange, but you know it's a calling, and you gotta do it.
• You have $20 in your pocket.

What should you do?

 A. Head over to the used book store for a few romantic classics and a slice of vegan pizza

 B. Pick up The Best of Bowie triple-disc set and a tube of glitter lipstick

If you chose A, you picked Regina Spektor.  Here's a super sweet rendition of nervous Regina on a guitar rather than a piano.  Every show she played (before 2006, for god's sake*), she rocked these lovable gems of stories sung in a too-big-for-her-britches voice with velvety poetic words and silly staccatos where they didn't belong, all with scrunched shoulders and a big blushing smile.  She always felt like the rough draft of something great...

Choice B is Lady Gaga.  This bootlegged recording of Future Love from almost a year ago evokes much of the same story-telling emotion that Regina used to show, but, good god!  Gaga's confidence adds the extra layer to cutesy piano-pillow talk, transforming a sweet melody to an anthem she screams so strongly she can't even sit in her bench! 

*It's common knowledge that Regina's stuff has gone down the tubes because she's been pressured to stop fooling around and turn out records that most people would like and all that corporate record company hoopla.  I wish the ghost of Freddie Mercury had prescribed Regina a dose of awesome so she could belt out her heart's desires in a sequined jumpsuit with earth-shattering beats! 

Oh well. I'll take Gaga.

Comments

[Josh Boelter]

Speaking of before 2006, I assume you've seen this? http://www.celebyes.com/2009/11/stefani-germanotta-before-she-was-lady.html

[celebrities]

Well, and if we'll find out one day that Spektor's influence was in fact Bowie and Gaga's are those romantic books? interesting spin in the story!
Anyhow, I wish to open it up - there are people who are listening, and proudly, to them both, and enjoy it!

[t.rex]

Freddie did prescribe Regina a dose of awesomeness, something called "being true to yourself and not ripping off other artists". Something Gaga could sorely use right now. Anyway, didn't Gaga do exactly what you guys are accusing Regina of doing? She started out as the indie singer-songwriter type, but when that didn't get her much love from the major labels, she went the pop princess route. So it's kinda odd that you're sort-of slamming Regina, yet praising Gaga, hmm... seems to me that you shouldn't be the one to accurately judge Regina as a sellout.

But according to you guys, it seems that Regina could disguise the "selling out" by "belting out her heart's desires in a sequined jumpsuit with earth-shattering beats!" (sure, that's the much more authentic route :eyeroll:). Oh well, I'll take the "rough draft of greatness" (a term I'd rather ascribe to Gaga instead) over a Diet Madonna anyday. At least no one can credibly accuse Regina of being a Tori Amos ripoff or anything.

Sidenote: I'm not hating on Gaga, I do acknowledge that she is incredibly talented, but artistically, she leaves much to be desired. Her music is the same recycled pop music I've been hearing for the past decade on Top 40 radio now, and the only reason she gets comparisons to artists of real merit like David Bowie and Freddie Mercury is because of her costumes, and yes, the fact that she has actual musical talent. But let's not pretend that she is on their level in terms of music. Regina actually comes closer to approaching that than Gaga does.