I don't follow Lady Gaga on Twitter or own any of her albums or know the pop icon's real name. (A quick Wikipedia search tells me its Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. That mouthful of words would have probably made me switch to Gaga, too.) Basically, my Gaga experience boils down to these two things: 1. I have "Poker Face" on my iPod and can sing the chorus like the rest of the galaxy, and 2. I vaguely recall dancing to "Alejandro" at a wedding. Also, I remember that Gaga once wore a dress made of raw meat to the VMAs.
It's safe to say I'm NOT a "Little Monster," a nickname the performer gives her fans, but I know somebody who most certainly is: my younger sister. Her name is Alyson Moss, and she's a dance instructor/choreographer/performer near Cincinnati. Aly will be in attendance at Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour this Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center — as of this posting Wednesday afternoon, a limited number of additional seats are on sale for $89 or $180 — and I gave her a call, hoping she could explain why Gaga has more Twitter followers than President Obama. One of the first things I asked: Will you be wearing a meat dress to the show? "I was thinking that," she said. "Either meat or some household items."
Josh Moss: I think you love Lady Gaga more than you loved 'N Sync as a kid.
Alyson Moss: Being a dancer and performer myself, I feel like Lady Gaga comes with an entire package. 'N Sync was my young obsession with a boy band. With Lady Gaga, I respect what she does as an artist. Plus, she writes her own music and can actually sing live.
JM: I have no clue what she looks like. If she walked through my office, I'd have no idea who she was because she's always in some crazy costume every time I see her.
AM: That's on purpose. I don't think she wants to be known for exactly what she looks like. She's making a point to say that it doesn't matter what she looks like.
JM: I think it's safe to say that she's the world's most popular pop star — although Justin Bieber may have an argument. Why has she been able to reach so many fans?
AM: Besides her talent, I think people look up to her and appreciate what she has to say. Her message is to be who you want to be and to screw everybody else.
If you've ever read any of her interviews in magazines, she is adamant about being who she is. I read an interview a couple months ago, and the interviewer said that when she got to the hotel room with Lady Gaga, she didn't expect to walk in on the persona that everybody knows. It was late at night — Lady Gaga had just finished a concert — and the interviewer said Lady Gaga, even while lounging, was still Gaga.
JM: So I saw her on "60 Minutes" a few weeks ago and she was drinking tea or something and she slipped a big diamond into her tea. Then she drank the tea and the diamond was in her mouth and she was sucking on the diamond. What the hell?
AM: I have no idea. With all of her quirky things, if she understands it and it makes sense to her, then I think that's the whole point.
JM: Why should I follow her on Twitter?
AM: I don't know why you should follow her on Twitter, but I follow her because she uses Twitter not just as a publicity stunt but as a way to put her beliefs out there. The majority of her fans relate to that.
JM: On a scale of 1 to 10 — 1 meaning "love" and 10 meaning "love so much it makes me want to cry" — how would you rank the new single, "Born This Way."
AM: Probably an eight. First of all, I just think it's a great song. The lyrics are ambitious, almost fearless. I mean, the chorus talks about all these different minorities. I respect her for that.
JM: Tell me about the time you saw her show in Chicago.
AM: It's a show, not just a concert. There are concepts to every routine. The dancing itself sort of masters this theme called the Monster Ball. In the audience, people come in the craziest outfits you've ever seen. People dress like they're trying to be Lady Gaga, like they're trying to embody what she would call this "monster persona."
The one thing I remember most about the Chicago show was when she lay on the stage and screamed at the top of her lungs and told everybody she was like Tinker Bell and needed applause to survive. Everybody was screaming for her.
JM: Sounds terrifying.
AM: If you're in the general-seating area, I'd probably be a little scared. The fans will be crazy when they see her, which is what she asks them to do.
