14 DAY TRIAL // As she promised fans she would do a while back, Lady Gaga is staying at the top of her game, upping the shock factor and surprising just when the world thought there was little left she could do to even startle anyone. The singer has just released the official video for her single “Paparazzi” via blogger Perez Hilton’s TV channel and, useless to say, the short film, since that's what it is, is already causing waves of hysteria on the net.
Gaga has always been about the shock factor but, even for her, what esteemed director Jonas Akerlund did for her latest UK single is nothing short of breathtaking and jaw-dropping. With a track that focuses only on the lengths to which some people would go in order to get the attention of the paparazzi and what they see as fame, it was only understandable that the video also dwelt on the same theme. As celebrity culture has taught us, there are more ways of doing that, but Gaga chooses for her clip scandal and murder.
It is definitely not a music video in the true sense of the word, since it pretends to be a short film that takes a deep harsh look at celebrity culture, dissects it thoroughly and then presents it to the viewer as it is, with the “guts” spilling out. It is, at the same time, a satire as well, in the sense it uses glamour to mask the horrendous things that happen behind closed doors before the cameras start to snap away, the same kind of glamour that is now indiscriminately used by all stars to look “standardized.”
Filled with violence – the kind that shocks the most perhaps, precisely because it claims to be something else – the 7-minute long “Paparazzi” video sees Gaga as various characters, from innocent victim sucked in a world she doesn’t understand, to calculated murderer who would do anything to get the headlines, and heartless temptress who’s on the lookout for her next prey.
“It’s about everyone’s obsession with that idea of wooing the paparazzi and wanting fame. It’s not to be taken completely seriously. It’s also about wanting a guy to love you and the struggle of whether you can have success or love, or both.” Gaga told the media about the video. At the same time, she described it as “the most amazing creative work that I’ve put together so far. It has a real, genuine, powerful message about [selling out for fame] and death and the demise of the celebrity, and what that does to young people.”
As fans must know, the video was initially supposed to come out at the beginning of June but Gaga was forced to hurry the release, presumably because of leaks in the media. You can see the clip here, but caution is advised, since its graphic content might offend or be considered inappropriate.