The paralysis of Nostalgia

[giskardsb 12,565]

Much of this fanbase is literally paralyzed with Nostalgia.   Every single thing Gaga does has to be compared against previous accomplishments.  We've made golden statues of favorite Gaga's from times past, and worship those Gaga icons.  Our Gaga religious icons were perfect.  Everything they said was scripture.  She was god (or an alien) walking among us.  She was better than us in every way and we looked up to her with religious devotion.  She's frozen in time, unable to age, unable to change, unable to change her thoughts, unable to change her style, unable to change her music, unable to explore new directions, unable to change career direction, unable to show weakness, unable to show vulnerability.

Unable to be human.

If you don't let go of the nostalgia, you will find it impossible to enjoy anything about the current era, or anything going forward, as easily attested to the number of people that have been complaining about everything post TFM, or post BTW, or post ARTPOP.  Gaga is not the same now as she was then, this is a fact.  In fact it's true for everyone who looks back on what they were 8 years ago vs who they are now. 

Nostalgia keeps you blind to current possibilities, it keeps you looking backward rather than forward, it keeps you from seeing your favorite artists with new eyes and ears as they change and stuff happens in their own lives.  You can't learn anything new if you believe everything was perfect in the past.  You can't grow as an individual, you can't learn about new music forms, you can't learn vital lessons about the reality of the human experience.  Because your eyes don't see reality, all they see is the past, and the wish for some rose colored former glory.

Gaga is not nostalgic.  She changes, she grows, she experiments, she changes her career path, she experiences life.  She has changed her own definition of success because she is not the same person she was.

It would be nice if the fanbase would learn from her that life is not lived by reliving the past.  Life is lived through new experiences.

 

 

[MaryJaneHolland 77,348]

threads like this just spice up the things tho 

[REALITY 76,234]

I agree with much of your post, however, the only think I would contest is, "Gaga is not nostalgic". 

While I think she very much looking into the future, an album like Joanne is all about looking about the past and finding a deeper meaning within yourself. Joanne is about going to back your family history, and like I just said, just trying to find a deeper meaning within yourself. 

But, like I said, I agree with much of your post. We shouldn't be constantly comparing her newest albums with those of the past and just enjoy what we have at the present. I mean, she's still very young, are we just going to endlessly compare and compare until she goes into her 70s and stuff?

[juju 18,907]

I feel at odds with most of this fanbase because many of them came at the peak of her popularity (2009/2010/2011) and here I am, a fan since summer of 2008, since the beginning, and while the rest of these monsters can't move on or let go of what once was, I'm anxiously awaiting each new installment of her shape-shifting career.

It just blows my mind that they literally missed the point of the type of artist Gaga had always set herself out to be. Sure, it's fair to have a favorite era or whatever, but if you ever put Gaga in that metaphorical box, you really only played yourself.  

[The Surrealist 27,470]

[Pietro 1,068]

9 minutes ago, MaryJaneHolland said:

threads like this just spice up the things tho 

This. What is your actual motivation for this post @giskardsb?

Spoiler

 

[Drin Lon 7,875]

This post is beautiful and everyone saying otherwise is bitter and dumb.

That's what I want to believe so let me believe it, thank you 

[sipthistea 21,099]

All I wanna say at this moment is 

 

 

[REALITY 76,234]

5 minutes ago, jujubae said:

I feel at odds with most of this fanbase because many of them came at the peak of her popularity (2009/2010/2011) and here I am, a fan since summer of 2008, since the beginning, and while the rest of these monsters can't move on or let go of what once was, I'm anxiously awaiting each new installment of her shape-shifting career.

It just blows my mind that they literally missed the point of the type of artist Gaga had always set herself out to be. Sure, it's fair to have a favorite era or whatever, but if you ever put Gaga in that metaphorical box, you really only played yourself.  

I became a fan of hers during the ARTPOP era, literally her least-known era, at the time, so it's sort of difficult for me to fully understand why people constantly compare her work to her previous ones.

That being said, I completely agree with you. Putting her in this metaphorical box is not going to work, it's never going to work. Just because she's labeled as a "pop star" doesn't mean that she's limited to being a pop star. She's singing jazz with Tony Bennett, staring in relatively big acting roles, and has become one of the best musician-activists/advocates of this generation.

She's always going to push herself to make and create new things, which is a big reason why I love her and her work. 

[juju 18,907]

27 minutes ago, M Monstre said:

I became a fan of hers during the ARTPOP era, literally her least-known era, at the time, so it's sort of difficult for me to fully understand why people constantly compare her work to her previous ones.

That being said, I completely agree with you. Putting her in this metaphorical box is not going to work, it's never going to work. Just because she's labeled as a "pop star" doesn't mean that she's limited to being a pop star. She's singing jazz with Tony Bennett, staring in relatively big acting roles, and has become one of the best musician-activists/advocates of this generation.

She's always going to push herself to make and create new things, which is a big reason why I love her and her work. 

Precisely! I felt her showing more of herself during the ARTPOP era than even the BornThisWay era. The moment she started shedding the pristine pop image to reveal the bare artist underneath, people weren't buying it like they had been. These are the reasons I feel like people aren't as enamoured with this era and her last era: during the early days, and the BTW days, she was constantly bouncing from idea to idea, look to look. The videos were over-the-top, she was doing things that hadn't been done in decades, and she was making it look fresh while doing it. The following years saw other acts taking bits and pieces from the Gaga-Hype wagon, and I believe she started to feel like off-ish about continuing her career in the same way. Which is why we got ARTPOP. And Cheek to Cheek. And now Joanne.

And she isn't done changing. I mean, looking at it, The Fame Monster wasn't like The Fame. And Born This Way was like neither of them. Her evolution has been a very gradual one, a very natural one, and the fact that so many fans miss this just astounds me. Feels like we aren't stanning the same artist; like they don't actually like Gaga for who she is, but they like the idea of Gaga.

[giskardsb 12,565]

1 hour ago, Pietro said:

This. What is your actual motivation for this post @giskardsb?

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Nice one

[REALITY 76,234]

2 hours ago, jujubae said:

Precisely! I felt her showing more of herself during the ARTPOP era than even the BornThisWay era. The moment she started shedding the pristine pop image to reveal the bare artist underneath, people weren't buying it like they had been. These are the reasons I feel like people aren't as enamoured with this era and her last era: during the early days, and the BTW days, she was constantly bouncing from idea to idea, look to look. The videos were over-the-top, she was doing things that hadn't been done in decades, and she was making it look fresh while doing it. The following years saw other acts taking bits and pieces from the Gaga-Hype wagon, and I believe she started to feel like off-ish about continuing her career in the same way. Which is why we got ARTPOP. And Cheek to Cheek. And now Joanne.

And she isn't done changing. I mean, looking at it, The Fame Monster wasn't like The Fame. And Born This Way was like neither of them. Her evolution has been a very gradual one, a very natural one, and the fact that so many fans miss this just astounds me. Feels like we aren't stanning the same artist; like they don't actually like Gaga for who she is, but they like the idea of Gaga.

Everything you just said, I've been saying since Day 1, sis

I felt like, up until Joanne, ARTPOP was really her most "true" era, and that's not to say that her previous eras/albums weren't who she was. She's always evolving and changing, and every single album and every single era was something she was really passionate about at the time.

ARTPOP however, was Lady Gaga. It was about the culmination of art, fashion, and technology and putting that forward. Art takes place before pop, artists should put the art out first. That's what she's always been about. It's actually sort of interesting, because with Joanne, it's almost sort of the antithesis. While Gaga's still very much an artistic individual with Joanne, it's certainly not at the same level as ARTPOP. 

And, you know, I think that the reason why a lot of people want the "Old Gaga" is because that Gaga was more direct, fiercer, and, also, made a lot of success. 

A major reason why I feel like people want a lot of commercial success and the "Old Gaga" is because they may consciously, or subconsciously, want Gaga to be success because it makes them look good. I've always found this interesting, but why is there a constant want and need for Gaga to be the most famous pop star? I personally don't get it, but it may just be a mental thing that helps people with their own self-esteem. 

[juju 18,907]

12 minutes ago, M Monstre said:

Everything you just said, I've been saying since Day 1, sis

I felt like, up until Joanne, ARTPOP was really her most "true" era, and that's not to say that her previous eras/albums weren't who she was. She's always evolving and changing, and every single album and every single era was something she was really passionate about at the time.

ARTPOP however, was Lady Gaga. It was about the culmination of art, fashion, and technology and putting that forward. Art takes place before pop, artists should put the art out first. That's what she's always been about. It's actually sort of interesting, because with Joanne, it's almost sort of the antithesis. While Gaga's still very much an artistic individual with Joanne, it's certainly not at the same level as ARTPOP. 

And, you know, I think that the reason why a lot of people want the "Old Gaga" is because that Gaga was more direct, fiercer, and, also, made a lot of success. 

A major reason why I feel like people want a lot of commercial success and the "Old Gaga" is because they may consciously, or subconsciously, want Gaga to be success because it makes them look good. I've always found this interesting, but why is there a constant want and need for Gaga to be the most famous pop star? I personally don't get it, but it may just be a mental thing that helps people with their own self-esteem. 

IA with this whole post.  

It is very interesting, the last part of this post, about fans subconsciously being affected by Gaga's success in such a way that it almost boosts their self-esteem. And I'd put my money on it that this is the case for many of her fans, especially the younger ones around the ages of 14 to 20; she's really become integral in a lot of their youths and them coming into their own, that her success in a way became tied to their own successes. I mean, if it's their prerogative, then by all means... to be honest, I was turning 18 around the time The Fame was released, so I didn't really spend my childhood with Gaga, it was more of a part of becoming an adult for me. And I suppose I had just seen from the jump that she would be an artist with commercial triumphs and flops, but that she'd never sacrifice her visions. Which is, above all else, all I could ever ask for from such an amazing artist.

[REALITY 76,234]

1 minute ago, jujubae said:

IA with this whole post.  

It is very interesting, the last part of this post, about fans subconsciously being affected by Gaga's success in such a way that it almost boosts their self-esteem. And I'd put my money on it that this is the case for many of her fans, especially the younger ones around the ages of 14 to 20; she's really become integral in a lot of their youths and them coming into their own, that her success in a way became tied to their own successes. I mean, if it's their prerogative, then by all means... to be honest, I was turning 18 around the time The Fame was released, so I didn't really spend my childhood with Gaga, it was more of a part of becoming an adult for me. And I suppose I had just seen from the jump that she would be an artist with commercial triumphs and flops, but that she'd never sacrifice her visions. Which is, above all else, all I could ever ask for from such an amazing artist.

It's just something that I've been thinking about. I've been trying to figure out why people are so passionate and determined to have their favorite artist be at the top of the leader board, and while, it's obviously nice to have success. It's just downright unhealthy to want her to be the best of the best.

Also, I mean, it's not like you're personally affected by Gaga's success. You're not her parents, you're not her closest friends, you're not apart of her team, you're not getting her money, you're just a fan of her work. Why do you care so much about the charts and her perception? It baffles me, and I just tried to conclude that it's just a way to boost someone's self-esteem, whether they consciously think about it, or not. 

[Doncho 27,241]

I just want good visuals from her  Not nostalgia related for me