OH SNAP — It’s sort of upsetting that today’s youth generation will take one look at Grace Jones’ performance this week at London’s Albert Hall, and claim she’s ripping off Lady Gaga. But hey, at least that’s how you can tell which boys on Grindr are worth meeting.
Jeff
Grace Jones rules! If Lady Gaga had any integrity she would acknowledge her debt to Grace Jones, as would Madonna, Roisin Murphy, Goldfrapp, et al.
Jeff
Mike
Blah Blah Blah. Gaga is awesome and we all love her. Stop hating on her you jealous bitches!
PopCultureQueer
@Jeff: You must have missed the numerous times where Lady Gaga has cited Grace Jones as one of her biggest inspirations.
Dear Old Queens of Queerty:
Your golden days are over, please get over it and stop hating on those of us who still have plenty of things to enjoy about the here and now.
Thank you.
Chitown Kev
I like Gaga and all but will she be able to do this when she’s over 60.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcm0HxAMhL8
Queerty is obsessed with Jarret Barrios. ZZZ. (John from England)
@Jeff:
I hear you but in fairness to the not that great L Gaga, she DOES admit who she likes to copy. When she first hit the headlines and people were not biting, she was very talkative about all her influences and who she worships.
This was the time when she came to england first to launch her career because her poppy dancy music was not very American friendly..
And yep, all those singers are great that you’ve just listed!
TONYD
Why is it always women fighting for a place and not guys in music? Grace, Nina Hagan, Wendy O Williams, Patti Smith, Chrissy Hyndes, Joni Mitchell, Debbie Harry, M.I.A., Missy, Aretha, Tina, etc., don’t seem to have to defend their credibility like Michael Jackson, Elton John, Elvis, John Lennon, Bowie, etc. Women are made to feel insecure and defend their “part,” I guess…
Alfonzo
I LOVE Grace Jones and I LOVE Lady Gaga.
I do however, get irritated with the children that refuse to acknowlede that there are people who were around long before Lady Gaga and continue to produce some amazing work.
Lady Gaga is definitely not the first and I’m sure she won’t be the last.
I am getting a better understanding of why some of the older queens wanted to slap some of my friends, sometimes.
Jeff
@PopCultureQueer: Thank you for bringing the fact that Lady Gaga has cited Grace Jones as an influence to my attention. I stand corrected. I was questioning why Grace Jones hasn’t been cited as an inspiration or role model by the artists, including Lady Gaga, that I mentioned. Obviously she has influenced Lady Gaga. I listen to and enjoy all of the artists that I mentioned. I was merely criticizing what I perceived to be a failure on their part to acknowledge the influence that grace Jones has had on their respective styles. In a recent interview Grace Jones stated that she had rejected an offer to collaborate with Lady Gaga and dismissed her as an imitator. She did not have particularly kind words for Lady Gaga. That’s very Grace Jones. I guess that you missed that. Apparently imitation isn’t always viewed as the best form of flattery.
With regard to your message addressed to “Old Queens of Queerty” which presumably included me, I don’t view myself as an “Old Queen,” “A Queen” nor a “Queen of Queerty.” My “Golden Days” are not over by any stretch of the imagination – each day should hopefully brings its own rewards, consequently making it golden. I certainly have as much to enjoy in the here and now as you do – probably much more since I am unfettered by the prejudice and shortsightedness your message seems to imply encumbers your outlook on life as expressed in your message. I thanked you for bringing something to my attention and acknowledged my ignorance regarding the same. You bashed the “Old Queens of Queerty.” How sad. Hopefully your attitude will improve before you reach senility.
Best,
Jeff
rrr
@Jeff: Grace being bitchy about another’s success has nothing to do with whether homage was in fact respectfully payed (which it was).
Madonna was graceful about Gaga and Gaga’s homage to her.
If you are any good people who come after will take some inspiration from you.
Fitz
I think it’s actually the other way around, and I say this as a big old Grace Jones fan: if Twitter had existed in Grace Jones’ hayday, she would have had an even shorter career. She is terrible to her fans, and inconsistent with her performances. As hard as I am on her– I do want to tell you to check out her album from last year. It was so autobiographical, and not pretentious at all. It was almost “Grace Jones does Folk Music”
novacek
well…didnt Gaga mention Jones as an influence alongside Madonna and David Bowie in one of her interviews? so she DID give Jones some credit..
No offence, but Jones is such a bitch and a total diva…why cant she see the positive side and how Gaga is somehow paying tribute to her…gosh woman, get a grip…she’s just jealous that Gaga can pull it off better…i mean look at that horrible white outfit she’s wearing! looks like she just popped out of Cirque du Soleil mixed with the puke of Las Vegas
afrolito
Gaga has been around for 18 months….
zxc
She is the one and only oryginal freak. And yes I would say that what she does is the real art.
Derrick Mathis
You are kidding about Grace Jones being jealous of a neophyte like Lady GaGa—and I have nothing against GaGa.
Grace Jones is the queen of the theatre of the absurd. She was inconsistent, horrible to her fans, and we loved her. Nothing like a good cussing out by Jones aimed at her audience to kick off a great late night performance.
The 12″ release of Slave To The Rhythm is just…timeless, classic, orgasmic and such a lush dream-state ode to decadence and sensuality and jet-set sensibility.
Grace has certainly did her share in the creation in various meanings of the word “freak.”
I’m so glad I emerged from the era that I did. Her and others made it pretty damn special. To the Warhol years!
Blake okafor
I think that grace was very ungraceful to gaga.SHe is being arrogant and is neglecting her duties as a role model.DId she seriously think that she was gonna revoulutionize music and not have anybody use her as a source of influence.By the way gaga isn’t really copying her. if she was all grace fans would love her.Besides despite they are both weird they do it in their own way.I must say the woman turns 63 this month and has still been doing music before gaga was born(no wonder why she is arrogant, she almost deserves to)and that is admirable.Grace is weirder than gaga anyway.Why was she so rude about it?
Derrick Mathis
Am I missing something? Did Grace Jones say something about GaGa in the press? I don’t recall this.
andpet
I had heard of Grace before Gaga and enjoyed her song ‘pull up to my bumper’ but never really took the time to appreciate Ms Jones as anything more then the star of a ‘Conan’ movie and ‘ James Bond’ until the CLASSY Miss Gaga mentiond that she loved Grace, going so far as to call her “like Jesus”. Then I heard the cruel things Ms Jones said about her most famous admirer and felt slightly disgusted! I understand that Ms Jones is a diva and can be a bitch, but to throw shade at a young lady who has if anything turned people like myself onto Grace is sad. Gaga has obviously taken some ideas from Grace, but Grace jacked the legendary Josephine Baker and Salvador Dali. Gagas music is nothing like Graces and personally I prefer Gagas bubblegum. Grace is fab and a legend but ridiculous when it comes to Gaga. Grace is a thief, Gaga is a thief, and so is everyone in pop music since the Beatles and Chuck Berry. I think it is silly to rule Gaga out because she admitted to being influenced, and borrowing from her elders, it’s just sad that’s Grace won’t even acknowledge the lovely tribute!