What was it like as a little monster from 2008-11

[ReidOne 12,427]

Just now, Lord Temptation said:

Let me tell you a little known fact (and GGDs secret shame).

None of the monsters from 2008-2011 are on GGD. Well, only a few are left. They know who they are.

Sad to say, but it is a fact. 

[miju 375]

It was just crazy because she was doing so ****ing much

like I remember not being able to keep up with all of it during the BTW era

TFM era was probably the most fun era to be a fan and also during the lead up to BTW, so much hype and excitement and the meat dress and there were such enigmatic qualities about her for some reason that made her even more interesting, it looked like she was invincible 

[ReidOne 12,427]

For those feeling nostalgic, here's a picture thread I made about a month ago with several of the 2009-era candid photos I've had saved on my hard drive for years... Nothing revolutionary, but a nice stroll down memory lane.  

[RAMROD 102,380]

Then

"I just want to be a queen for them and sometimes I don't feel like one."

 

Now

 

Very recently

[ReidOne 12,427]

I'm loving this thread so much. 

[Zorrotek 282]

I got interested on her after the EPIC VMA Paparazzi performance.  Then Bad Romance leaked, which sounded odd BUT i can't help but listen to it, it was confusingly addicting and epic. Then the video came out, which again slayed my existence. From then on she just continued on topping herself with every move she made. The telephone video, alejandro video, the meat dress, BTW campaign, the vessel, Gaga was invincible back then, everything she touched turned into gold. 

[Luffy 25,408]

I became a fan during June 2010 and unfortunately I didn't know about fan forums or all the flop talk, I just loved it for the music, so I didn't really experience anything with fans and getting into her way more until ARTPOP arrived.

[Rimes 5]

Great thread!  I joined GGD in late December 2010 when it was at the old URL so I missed out on a lot of the earlier stuff.  People tend to romanticize the past, so I'd be a little skeptical of any attempts to sugar-coat how things used to be.  In 2011, I started taking more of an interest in Gaga's pre-fame history (after learning about her officially-unreleased pre-fame recordings) and dug around the net and saw some of the message board postings on www.ladygaga.com circa 2009, where some of the early fans were posting.  (Her official website had a message board section until around mid-2011, if memory serves, which wasn't moderated too well, which may be why it eventually closed down.)  Those posts might still be up at the Wayback Machine (www.archive.org) unless they've been scrubbed.  Those old posts might give a good idea of what it was like back then to be a Gaga fan during her initial fame.

[ReidOne 12,427]

10 minutes ago, Rimes said:

G(Her official website had a message board section until around mid-2011, if memory serves, which wasn't moderated too well, which may be why it eventually closed down.)  Those posts might still be up at the Wayback Machine (www.archive.org) unless they've been scrubbed.  Those old posts might give a good idea of what it was like back then to be a Gaga fan during her initial fame.

I remember that original LadyGaga.com forum!! The formatting was a MESS. I could never be bothered posting regularly because the formatting (and moderation) was so terrible. 

[Didymus 33,855]

Surprisingly similar to now lol

And very.. unstable? Like the majority of the forum hated BTW here until ARTPOP was released, and now that has switched completely. Also, meltdowns whenever Gaga didn't tweet once a day and the fans just had to sit and wait (you could make very interesting connections between her post-BTWB silence, her pre-DWUW cancellation silence, and her pre-LG5 silence).

And yet, the post-BTWB era was my favorite on the boards  We didn't really have anything to talk about in terms of charts and stuff, so the discussion topics were a lot more interesting and broad, and the community really came together.

[SamJ 8,008]

13 hours ago, Lord Temptation said:

Let me tell you a little known fact (and GGDs secret shame). Well, one of.

It is that almost none of the Original Monsters from 2008-2011 are still to be found on GGD.

Only a few managed to survive the hateful episode known as the Great Gaga Bashing of 2012-2015.

Those brave and loyal souls know who they are.

what about the gaga bashing of 2016 I joined this year in Feb and I know some members who have been pushed out of the Battlefield that is Ggd

[ryanripley 86,575]

15 hours ago, Zilla said:

2009-10 was the best time. Nobody was fighting that I can remember and we were able to have legit discussions without the attitude or sassy gifs. 

because that was right before/the start of the era of widespread easy internet access to younger ages and the domination of smart phones  

[BlackJudas 128]

Gaga from 2007-2009 was everything. Her performances were fun and we weren't called "Little Monsters" she would refer to us as "fans" and she also wasn't as preachy as she is now. She would perform, say hello to the fans and go into the next song and so on. She wouldn't stop every 10 minutes to tell a story of acceptance and tolerance. Definitely her prime era

[Mikey Monster 1,561]

16 hours ago, ReidOne said:

I've been a LM literally since the beginning... I remember falling in love with Just Dance in May/June 2008 and then becoming a full blown stan when the international edition of 'The Fame' was released in August. And first hearing "Poker Face"  

2008-2009-2010 was definitely the most exhilarating time. I also lived in Missouri at the time (midwest USA), so getting to see the shift take place from virtually NO dance music on Top 40 radio whatsoever, to Gaga's arrival, and then all the copycats that came after was truly mindblowing. 

I am a lifelong dance-pop music die hard. So this was like the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ to me. Gaga resurrected dance music on US pop radio!!! Right before my very eyes. 

The entire world was captivated by her outlandish fashion. She had as many haters as she did fans since the very beginning. But, there was something the haters could not deny --- EVERYONE in the pop game changed their approach after Gaga arrived. Suddenly all pop stars were wearing "crazy" outfits and spending lots more money on their music videos. 

Gaga's every move was literally followed by mainstream America. I would go to my office for work and I would have co-workers of all ages telling me about seeing her on TV, etc... And most of them saying how much they were surprised that they really enjoyed her music. 

---------

In summary, Gaga's "reign" at the top may have only sustained itself for 3 and a half years, but that was enough time to cement her place in history as one of the most impactful pop artists to ever emerge. We joke about "ha impact" but in all seriousness ---- Gaga's impact is matched by very few. 

Yaaaas so true!!!❤️ I was a monster since just dance came out.  I  was obsessed. She was talked about every where I went I remember hearing poker face and bad romance blasting in my hall ways in my high school and watching her music videos and we were dancing to the choreography. I remember when I was at the work out room exercising in gym class and mtv was on. Poker face music video came on and everyone was freaking out and staring at the screens saying "that's Lady Gaga!" "What is she wearing?" "What is she doing?" Lol those were the best times cuz those moments I knew this woman was a BIG deal and something special. ❤️❤️❤️ 

[Miracle 14,068]

As spiritual as it is right now!