"Lavish Worlds, and the Headwear to Match" Review

In the article, “Lavish Worlds, and the Headwear to Match,” the author, Jon Pareles, used rhetoric to appeal to an audience who was interested in popular music and everything Lady Gaga. The author writes enthusiastically about Lady Gaga, as though he himself was very interested in the topic. Jon Pareles also wrote to give information, on what to expect from the rising pop star, to the audience in a creative and quirky way.

The author’s voice and word choice had a lot to do with the type of audience he wrote for. Right off the back, in the first sentence, the author used very descriptive, put-a-picture-in-your-mind types of words. He mentions how, “When Lady Gaga finished her thumping, strobing, razzle-dazzle song-and-dance numbers at Radio Music Hall on Wednesday night, she held her pose and kept the stage lights on, delighting her many camera-wielding fans.” The author also quoted Lady Gaga freely, never sugarcoating or censoring her colorful words. He did this when he quoted Lady Gaga saying, “I’m a free bitch,” and also when Lady Gaga explained how her fans were “sexy.”

Jon Pareles also gave insight on what to expect from a typical Lady Gaga concert. He explains how, “Her opening acts reflected her two main source genres: R&B from Jason Derülo and glam-rock from Semi Precious Weapons. Lady Gaga’s songs are solid, most often pumped up by hefty Eurodisco beats.” The author also gave a taste of how the pop star sounds to him. He appraises her and states that, “While showpeople like David Bowie and Madonna established this career path, Lady Gaga is strutting along it with larger-than-life style and, behind that, actual musical gifts. Her voice is strong enough to expose in a cappella singing, and she backed herself up with her own piano playing, sounding like a female Elton John when she played (and belted) “Speechless,” wearing a huge black-feather shawl.” The author also gave detailed descriptions of what Lady Gaga wore, “Onstage and in photos on video screens, she wore Egyptian-deity golden armor, antlers, a shiny red chauffeur’s hat, a spiked black hood and an exoskeletonlike helmet, not to mention bondage-style rings connecting her head to a bar held up by two men.” In order to understand what the author is talking about with mentioning all of these artists that he compares Lady Gaga to, he must assume that the reader has some sort of background knowldege.

There is no doubt of who the audience with the details and care that the author has enlaced throughout the article. The article is clearly written for Lady Gaga fanatics and pop music enthusiasts encluding Jon Pareles, himself.