It was clear that Lady Gaga was not the typical guest for Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” this week. In addition to the frequently-aired promotional spots and reminders, the savvy, sharp-tongued host displayed a kind of appreciation and deference to the October 4 visit from Lady Gaga that he rarely displays. Their conversation made for memorable television.
Like the others in the starring cast of “A Star Is Born,” Lady Gaga has been “on the stump,” and making the rounds promoting today's October 5 premiere of the film. This time, however, there was no time wasted on what Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta preferred to be called.
The conversation quickly got down to more serious matters between the musical powerhouse and the political humorist, and it is fair to say that Lady Gaga left Stephen Colbert near speechless at one point.
Deeper than surface subjects
Stephen Colbert did include “fashion icon” in his introduction of Lady Gaga, along with her Grammy awards, and incoming accolades for her acting in “A Star Is Born,” and the leading lady did indeed look fabulous in her black and teal satin gown. The host expressed deep gratitude, not simply for the first-ever appearance, but for the film itself, that not only moved him as a person and as an artist but inspired him, and the whole audience, “to be better and to listen to the people around me, and to hear what people are going through, and what they need to express.”
Hearing that kind of sincere compliment quickly led to Lady Gaga heaping her own praise on director-writer, Bradley Cooper, who was her “one person” who believed in her for the project from the beginning.
Cooper was convinced that he had found his leading lady after hearing her perform “La Vie En Rose” at a cancer charity event, and the next day, the actor-director was at her door. Demonstrating her true Italian roots from the East,
Lady Gaga warmed up pasta for her guest, since “that's what you do,” she reiterates. The time of breaking bread soon turned into breaking out in song, as Cooper said he wanted to hear Lady Gaga do the Creedence Clearwater Revival version of “Midnight Special.” It was when Bradley Cooper “opened his mouth” that the lady who has been singing since age 14 was swept away, feeling how “he sings from his gut, he sings from his soul,” and how that supersedes any measure of a singer that merely hits all the notes, but has no story to tell.
“Bradley tells a story every time he sings,” insists Lady Gaga, and the same could be said of her unparalleled repertoire of songs reflecting self-truth.
A worthy toast
Barbra Streisand has already given her blessing to the 2018 retelling of “A Star Is Born,” and moved Lady Gaga to tears with her remarks on the set. Early on in her visit, Gaga had expressed her gratitude for the gift of this film project, and the depth of what it says about passion and music, and the artists who create it.
“We are living in pretty shallow times,” she stressed. Steven Colbert asked the superstar how she coped with the emotion of these days, beyond just her role as Ally, opposite Bradley Cooper's Jackson. She responded that she has a glass of wine and cries. “You've been reading my journal,” the host retorted.
Lady Gaga contrasted her character with her own real-life, describing how she would beat down doors and call prospective venues, playing her own agent, just to play and prove herself as an artist. Ally doesn't have that sense of self-trust or confidence, and Jackson tries to inspire it. “If I wasn't here with you know, I'd be at a club somewhere, singing my brains out, banging my heels on the keyboard,” declared the multiplatinum musician.
Ever the accommodating host, Stephen Colbert brings out wine and glasses, and Lady Gaga doesn’t shy away from a political discussion, saying that “with you, I say ‘Bring it on’.” She chooses to make a toast to the courage of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, applauding the courage of the psychologist who bravely came to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She called the proceedings of the last week “one of the most upsetting things I have ever witnessed,” she related as a sexual assault survivor.
The artist further commended Dr. Ford for bravely coming forward for the good of the country, feeling that seeing her alleged offender on a list for the possible lifetime appointment to SCOTUS likely triggered the box where trauma goes to be opened.
She asserted that Ford’s actions and motives were “to protect this country.” A pause came before the toast, and Stephen Colbert’s voice echoed in emotion as he said: “Thank you for being here.”
Lady Gaga makes the most of her public platform in advocacy for sexual assault victims, mental health, women's rights, and the LGBTQ community.
Life throws hardships and traumas that none of us can imagine along the journey, but fortunately, there are gifts of genuine friends and songs to ease the pain. Lady Gaga and Stephen Colbert know quite a bit about the power of both.