So last night I spent a considerable amount of time typing out a brief synopsis of my interpretation of Lady GaGa's VMA performance. I've had it all circling around in my head for a while but i've not actually ever committed anything to writing. Why last night you say? Well, it came up in conversation.

The way I see it, the performance is a portrayal of our fame culture. Fame is to a large extent, controlled by the paparazzi. They hound many celebrities and temporary stars, tirelessly hunting their prey. They build people a podium, place them upon it, only to take the entire structure down from underneath them. A case in point being Britney Spears.

You can watch Lady GaGa's VMA performance here on YouTube if you so wish. Here are my comments on it.

To start with GaGa sings the lyric" Amidst all of these flashing lights I pray that fame won't take my life" This immediately brings to mind martyrs of fame such as Princess Diana, and Jonh Lenon. More on this later.

She starts the performance, lying on the floor, asleep. She is then awoken and lifted to her feet abruptly by the back up dancers. I will refer to the back up dancers as the paparazzi from this point on as that is the part that I see they represent. The way in which GaGa rises to her feet is symbolic of two things. 1, a rapid rise to fame that would be somewhat dizzying, much like GaGa's own. 2, the paparazzi can make you famous with or without your permission.

The next noteworthy thing to happen is when her mask and cloak are removed. I see this as being symbolic of her loss of innocence. It is the paparazzi that the mask and cloak from her, after literally leading her astray. The loss of this clothing can be seen as her loss of decency in the public eye. Much like when Britney Spears suffered from her breakdown. The loss of her mask also representative of her growing fame, and her losing control of the situation. Her loss of her aforementioned poker face.

Then later on, a woman in a wheelchair is brought into the spotlight. The woman in the wheelchair is being directed by a member of the paparazzi, He has complete control over her movements and she has little power. She is also wearing a mask that hints towards the temporary nature of her fame. I think both of these things suggest that she is symbolic of perhaps a one hit wonder, or such like. She only briefly appears in the spotlight, before leaving as quickly as she arrived.

GaGa at this stage, starts walking with a crutch. The crutch is symbolic of the tiring effects that her fame is having on her. Much like how Princess Diana used to feel fatigued from the constant presence of the paparazzi.

After this, GaGa and a member of the paparazzi have a conflict of some sort. He becomes very personal, intimidating GaGa and intruding her personal space. She limps away from the incident, clearly weakened. I think this represents a diminishing popularity in the public eye. The fickle paparazzi have now turned on her after the conflict and she is visibly wounded as a result.

She retreats to the piano, at which she plays her swansong. Her time at the piano represents the event which leads to her death. It is open to interpretation whether her death was Princess Diana style killed by fame, or John Lenon killed by fan. Both have a similar message.

The most important thing after this is how she reacts. She walks away from the piano, bleeding profusely from her chest. She looks around pleading for help. This is the only time throughout the entire performance that she is actually on her own. The one time she needs help most, the paparazzi sit back and watch her die.

After it has reached the point of no return, the paparazzi spring back into action, surrounding GaGa in a media frenzy and showering her with mock apathy, Much like what happened when Jade Goody was diagnosed with Cancer.

They carry her away and then celebrate in their accomplishment. They have managed to take another life with their power, and get away with it. They dance in a frenzied state as GaGa is lifted above their heads, finally freezing in a celebratory pose.

The costumes are also noteworthy. The costumes are entirely white. White has connotations with innocence and purity. Yet the clothing of the paparazzi is distinctly "thuggish" they wear chains and bandannas. I think this presents the paradox of demons dressed as angles. I.e, the paparazzi pretend to be good people, but when push comes to shove, they're wicked.

Also, notice how GaGa loses control of the paparazzi throughout the song. To stat with, she is very much the leader of the choreography, but as the performance progresses, they are more and more outwith her control.

All in all, I think the performance was marvelous. I've watched it time and time again and I still admire it to this day. I can still remember the excitement I felt the first time I saw it. Emotive stuff to say the least.