The Day We Met Gaga!
This is The Manifesto of Little Monster
There’s something heroic about the way my fans operate their cameras. So precisely, so intricately and so proudly.
Like Kings writing the history of their people. It’s their prolific nature that both creates and procures what will later be perceived as The Kingdom.
So, the real truth about Lady Gaga fans, my Little Monsters, lies in this sentence:
They are the Kings. They are the Queens. They write the history of The Kingdom, and I am something of a devoted jester.
It is in the thoery of perception that we have established our bond. Or the lie, I should say, for which we kill.
We are nothing without our image. Without our projection. Without the spiritual hologram of who we perceive ourselves to be, or rather to become, in the future.
When you’re lonely, I’ll be lonely too. And this is The Fame.
Love and art
12.18.1974
Lady GaGa
The day, December 21, 2009. The time, sometime shortly after 1:30 PM. There were two highly stressed, scared, and equally nervous fans rushing to get ready. If the events from earlier that day had any indication of the remainder of it, we were in for some unexpected surprises. Several hot glue burns, some ripped pants, and faulty velcro tape later, Noah and Dave were ready. They had planned for weeks and now not only did their outfits turn out a success, they would be a huge asset to the events that would play out later that day.
Every second in the car ride there was growing closer and closer to their dreams. As they sat in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway, time seemed to rush by. It was now 3:50 PM and they had a mere 10 minutes to get to their destination. They had 10 minutes to rush past traffic, 10 minutes to miraculously drive 5 miles, 10 minutes to get to the venue. As Dave rushed through the crowded city, he felt like everything was being put into his path to try and slow him down. That’s when he turned to Noah and said “Wait, we don’t need to be there till 4:30 don’t we?” They both laughed and enjoyed the rest of the drive there. Noah even took the time to stop and notice the beauty and art that was the sunset that particular evening. Shades of pink, orange, and red painted the evening sky. It was official, Gaga was in the area. Her spirit painted the skies. Her being inspired her surroundings. And there they were, driving deeper and deeper into….The Fame.
As they waiting in anticipation in line for their tickets, their hearts pumped. They walked to the window only to be informed that the Meet and Greet was going to be AFTER the show. How? Why? It was 5 and would they really need to wait another 7+ hours to meet her? Oh god, the anticipation was killing them. Luckily as they wait to be let into the VIP pre-party, they ran into a very familiar face….SEMI-PRECIOUS WEAPONS!
Food. Free Drinks. Music. Ambiance. Was all this really happening. The taste of the beef kabobs, the crisp taste of the cold sodas, the desperation of trying to find the small asian woman from the front desk who said she would hold our posters. The line to go inside began to form and “Margarine” was nowhere to be found. As they began to check for wristbands and let everyone in, out of the shadows emerged this particular asian woman. Noah and Dave lined up with the other Gaga “Fans” and anticipated the feelings of that night. As they got let in, they ran past whoever was too slow to make it through the double doors and down the stairs. There they were. In the front row of the pit. In the front and center. There they stood a mere 6 ft from the stage. They could see the pattern of the fabric in the Giant Gaga screen. They could see the refelection of themselves in the cold metal of the drumset on stage. They could feel the air conditioning which was probably aimed just for Gaga but because they were so close, they felt it too. They looked at each other and all they could mouth to each other was “Oh. My. God” Were they dreaming??
The lights dimmed down and out came Semi Precious Weapons. They were the new face of their rapidly growing obsession with Rock and Roll and Art. Again, they thought, Was this all real? They were living out a dream. Not only were they the only people in the crowd who knew the words, the dances to the songs, and showed any sign of visible excitement for their set, but they were also acknowledged for it. While the lead singer sang, Sticky with Champagne, Noah managed to be one of the lucky few to receive a swish of the highly sought after bottle. The concert was rapidly feeling like a private one for them two. It seemed as if they were beginning to be receiving all the attention. Two sings into the microphone later, it ended just as soon as it began. They managed to witness everyone one of the lead singers struts, everyone of the drummers snare beats, every nappy hair on the guitarist wig, and every one of the random jolts of the bassists spasms.
For the next 45 minutes or so, life itself seemed to pass ever so slowly. It wasn’t helping that behind them stood an unusually confident Gaga impersonator who insisted on letting everyone around her, how amazing she looked. “Oh my god, I hope she looks at me and goes……..DA DA DA DUH DUT.”
IT HAD BEGUN.
For the past month and a half, they had wondered everyday what today would be like. Their hearts raced, tears quickly swam up into their sweltering eyes, and at that moment, they held each others hand, half to show their love, and the other to make sure the other would pass out from the excitement.
It was a few minutes until the Golden Haired Goddess emerged from the fog. They could see every sequin on her outfit, every flickering light on her headpiece, every defined curl in her wig, and every single bit of passion behind her eyes. They were so close that they didn’t need the zoom lens on Noahs camera to capture the detail. People would die to be in their spots, and there they were, face to face with the beast herself.
It wasn’t long before she finished her first song and began one of her timeless monologues. Except this time, she wasn’t having it. She needed to hear how much she knew people wanted to be there. Noah and Dave both screamed at the top of their lungs, hoping maybe she could hear their voices out of the screams of 1000’s. They tried so hard to somehow get her attention. It wasn’t clear if at times she was looking at them, because it sure looked that way. Every song had that much more feeling and that much more significance because in a mere 2 hours, they were going to pour their hearts out to her directly. With every new outfit change, every new song, even every new piece to her already changing set, they were right there with her. No feather was gone unnoticed. No detail in her piano went unappreciated. Even the errors, her falling chin strap, her eye mask that didn’t stay on, and her inability to take of her disco jacket, weren’t seen as errors, they took them as things to appreciate because not everyone in the audience was that close to see it. They hadn’t really ever been able to witness the wide array of facial gestures during her concert until now. They hadn’t been able to appreciate the intensity of her dancers and choreography until now. They hadn’t witnessed her real beauty, until now. From where they were standing in the audience, every song grew more and more into inspiring works of art rather than sets. With a spin of her rings and a glimpse of her teeth, the show was over. But the memories were about to begin.
After the show, they were both escorted through a series of backdoor hallways and hidden boxes. This was all becoming far too real. They began to worry if the preparation up to that point was enough. They were herded into a strange transitional space from one building to another. It was half hallway, half private room, but every ounce the perfect place to meet her because over the ledge on the story below them were the double doors and the stairs they ran down in order to be front row. Everything was coming full circle. It was announced that she was backstage freshening up after her show, which was strange because not once did she break a sweat while dancing in her 4 inch heels and massive wig.
Noah and Dave began to get restless. As they sat with the other 20 “fans” waiting for her, it wasn’t about meeting her anymore; it was about letting her know and believe how much she meant to them. Minutes began to pile up and it was beginning to be too much. Just as soon as they were starting to grow extremely restless, they heard the crowd go crazy. Dave and Noah shot up from the floor, not caring about their skintight pants and if they would rip. Shit, that’s what fashion was all about. Only 25 ft from them was The Queen herself, tastefully drinking a diet coke and some champagne. Her hair, bone straight, her jacket, bedazzled, her spirit, uplifting. Every other person in there was only in it for the photo. They didn’t realize that they were coming face to face with an opportunity to tell your idol how much she truly means to you. And if they did, they were dumb for not taking it. The line was going along much too quickly and before anything, Dave was next in line. He turned to Noah, who was a pale white, shaking, and visibly terrified, and said “Are you sure you don’t want to go first” All he got was a jittery “no” and directions on what to do after he was done meeting her. The person in front of Dave was done and began walking to the exit.
There stood Dave, frozen in terror, about to talk to the very same angel who turned him into a stuttering fool only weeks before at Best Buy. As he managed to move his legs and walk them in her direction, all he heard were the words that would echo in his head for the rest of his life.
“Oh my god. You guys were in the front row. I was watching the both of you during my show because of how dapper the both of you looked. I didn’t know anyone got that dressed up to come to my show. You two look amazing!”
Dave’s head began to spin and his mouth dropped. He turned to Noah to see if he had heard those same words! As he presented her with his gift for her to sign, he looked at her and asked “While you’re signing that, may I read you something I wrote?”
“Sure” she said in her soft angelic voice.
Dave stood there, shaking, hoping not to pass out. He read from his sloppy index cards. He began to tell her that for the past year, his heart was being taken on an emotional rollercoaster. Two of the people he cared more about had flown back into heaven. And at one terrifying point in his year, for one second, he really did believe that a third, his mother, would find her premature way into heaven too after her diagnosis. He then explained his experience of coming out to his family. “I came out to my parents and didn’t exactly get the response I dreamt about” He compared her music to an escape to his problems. He told her that no matter what problem he was having, he could put in one of her CD’s, watch one of her interviews, see her performances, read her interviews, and be taken away into a world of make believe and art. All the while he was confessing his fears, she had turned to him and rested her left hand on his right shoulder. It was her way of letting him know how touched she was. It was her way of physically showing her love and appreciation. It was her way of letting her Halo shine. A good ten minutes went by before Dave ended his speech, and once again she gave truly inspiring words.
“Thank you so much David. I will never forget you or your kind words. I don’t think you know how much that really touched me and thank you for sharing that with me.”
Fifteen minutes of his life had now been shared with his inspiration. One monster photo later, they hugged, exchanged on last word, and Dave began to walk away. He turned to Noah who was already halfway through his speech. He stood and watched him pour out his heart and soul. Tears rolled down from his face the moment he began speaking to her as Gaga embraced him to try and calm him down. Within moments, every fear from before was gone, and now he spoke in such confidence that it was inspiring. Whereas Dave had index cards of what he wanted to say, Noah was speaking from the heart and making perfect sense.
Noah told Gaga, “You’ve inspired me with every single creative endeavor that I’ve done. You are my inspiration, you are my driving force, you are what keeps me going!” And then words again that would echo through their existence:
“No, tonight, you were my inspiration. I saw you in the audience and you were the one who kept me pushing. I was inspired by your fashion tonight. Thank you. I will never forget the two of you.”
Noah called over Dave but the security wasn’t letting him get through. “Gaga call over Dave” Noah said. Gaga signaled Dave over. There they both stood on either side of their leather studded angel as they shared a moment with the one person who had single-handedly changed their lives for the better. It was the most intimate moments the two have ever had and they got to share it with one of the world’s biggest superstars.
The three of them hugged each other closely and wiped away their tears. Gaga gave them each a hug and a kiss as they said goodbye to one another.
As they walked towards the exit, they turned to take a last glance at her. They couldn’t believe that not only was she the nicest sweetest angel they had ever met, but that she was as excited to meet them and they were to meet her. Everything at that moment fell into place. For once, they knew what it was like to be complete.
