Lady Gaga has been on the cover of magazines, led performances at the MTV VMAs and “Good Morning America” and is all over radio with her new single “Applause” these days. And, frankly, she was all over the place during Andy Cohen’s Bravo show “Watch What Happens Live” and the after-show this week, partially due to that magic white wine she was drinking.
I’ll admit, I’m very entertained by the performer here, getting a sniff of realness and fun. But — as I do all things — I think of Cyndi Lauper, high priestess, in instances like these, where in even the most laid back, unsober, unscripted circumstances, I’d expect her to maintain control and earn her audience. Gaga kinda loses it at times, as she’s dressed in her mermaid/siren gear with shell-cup bra and wave-wrought wig.
Still, some good new (or at least interesting) facts learned. Play along, and watch the clips below plus all the others on “WWHL’s” website. Gaga’s new album “ARTPOP” is due Nov. 11.
Here are 10 things we learned from Lady Gaga’s Watch What Happens Live interview:
1. The cover for her album “ARTPOP” was photographed. She is not yet allowed to reveal who shot it.
2. She has no hate for Christina Aguilera, and seemingly only love. A few years ago, “the press” pitted the two pop stars against each other, she said, and “I always felt it was very unfair to her. It’s very unfair of anyone to pit another woman against another woman.” She observed that she and Aguilera are striving to be taken seriously as musicians, and Gaga even looked to Aguilera to make herself into a better artist. “She was an inspiration to me to have a wider vocal range.”
3. Similarly, Lady Gaga thinks people need to lay off of Miley Cyrus, after her racy performance at the 2013 MTV VMAs (at which Gaga also performed).
“I don’t understand the incessant need to constantly go on and on about hating things all the time because, what, she’s 20 years old? And if anything, I give her props. You know, she’s growing up in front of the entire world and maybe she’s not so happy with stuff she did in her career when she was younger and she wants to be free, so let her do what she wants.”
4. Artists Jeff Koons, Robert Wilson and Marina Abramovich inspire Lady Gaga greatly; working with them were an indication, to her, that she “made it.” She even name-checks Koons in her latest single applause. “I feel like we’re from the same planet,” she said.
5. During an artist retreat with Abramovich, Gaga revealed that, “at the time, I was addicted to a lot of things.” Abramovich’s exercise to Gaga was to drop her off in the middle of a forest, naked and blindfolded, and told to find her way home for three hours. She said she learn to “be sober for your art” from the experience (though, on Cohen’s show, she admitted “I’m not totally sober”), and said that she felt strengthened because “I felt like no one was watching. I feel quite strong when no one’s looking.” Then, sarcastically, she grabbed her boobs underneath her shell bikini. Super deep.
6. Gaga admitted to using molly (at Bonnaroo, of all places), though “I definitely wouldn’t encourage it. Be careful with molly,” she advised drug users. Because if you become to familiar with molly, “You might turn out like me!” Gaga grips the strings of her enormous wig at this juncture.
7. The headpiece for the “Bad Romance” video — during the “walk walk fashion baby” bridge — was the most uncomfortable things she’s ever had to wear. She wears nothing at all when she goes to bed, if not a t-shirt of one of her favorite rock bands.
“I always have a soft spot in my heart for the meat dress,” Gaga said, recalling the time at the MTV VMAs where she asked Cher to “please hold my meat purse.”
8. During the “Edge of Glory Hole” game, it was revealed that Gaga can barely tell the difference between a “d*ck” or a hot dog, and a breast implant or a water balloon.
9. Lady Gaga’s favorite housewives from “The Real Housewives of…” series include Karent, Nene, Kandy and Lisa, the latter of whom “doesn’t give any f*cks.” If Gaga had a “Real Housewives” tagline, it’d be (cheekily), “They may say I’m a woman, but underneath I’m all man.”
10. Lady Gaga wants Beyonce back, to appear in her Jonas Akerlund music video series, in order to round out the “Paparazzi”/”Telephone” trilogy. Of course she would. We all would. Bey famously helped out on the latter clip.
“Beyoncé’s very busy,” Gaga told Cohen. “Anytime [she wants to work together], I love Beyoncé. We had such a great time making ‘Telephone.'”
BONUS. “Where is the most interesting place you’ve taken a ride on a disco stick?”
“The woods.” On the “floor.” In the grass. Glug.