Lady Gaga Discussed the Historical Figure She’d Want to Meet the Most
Anyone who’s listened to Lady Gaga album tracks or watched her music videos knows she loves to reference the icons and iconic imagery of the past. Her clips feature everything from Greek mythological imagery to a “cameo” from Mahatma Gandhi. Here’s what she said about the historical figure she’d most like to have dinner with.
Lady Gaga’s dream dinner guest
In 2011, Contactmusic reported Gaga was asked about her fantasy dinner guest. She replied “Mary Magdalene. I’d go back in time, bring her to the future and take her for sushi.”
Mary Magdalene was the most prominent of Jesus Christ’s female followers discussed in the New Testament. For centuries, some Christians have held that she was a prostitute before becoming a follower of Christ. Other Christians believe this tradition to based on a misinterpretation of a Bible passage.
Mary Magdalene returned to the headlines in recent years thanks to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. The Da Vinci Code claimed Jesus and Mary Magdalene were secretly a married couple. The Daily Beast reported this idea is simply a conspiracy theory.
How Lady Gaga has referenced Mary Magdalene in her art
Around the same time Mary Magdalene became prominent in the public consciousness again, Gaga started incorporating her into her art. Her album Born This Way features two songs about Mary Magdalene: “Judas” and “Bloody Mary.” The latter is a lament over Jesus’ death from Mary Magdalene’s perspective.
Discussing the album with Metro.us, she said “For example, the religious themes I explore on the album are not necessarily religious in an institutional way but are about being fascinated with characters. I was taught my whole life about Judas and Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene fascinates me because she was, in my belief, both wholly human and wholly divine. So how can I be fully magical and fully human?”
Gaga’s claim that Mary Magdalene was divine and human doesn’t align with any Christian sect. However, Gaga doesn’t shy away from provoking controversy. Her video for “Judas” stars her as Mary Magdalene and portrays Jesus and his disciples as modern bikers.
The ‘Judas’ video
Discussing the “Judas” video with MTV in 2011, Gaga said “In my opinion, the only controversial thing about this video is that I’m wearing Christian Lacroix and Chanel in the same frame. This video is not meant to be an attack on religion. I respect and love everyone’s beliefs. I’m a religious and spiritual person who’s obsessed with religious art. I’m obsessed with it.”
She added “I believe I was put on this earth to cause a ruckus. At the beginning, when I came out with ‘Just Dance,’ I couldn’t get an interview. … I couldn’t get on the radio. I just want to keep making stuff that’s great and thought-provoking.”
Perhaps Gaga’s theology is unorthodox. Her views on Mary Magdalene might be considered heretical by some. However, she certainly knows how to make art that’s thought-provoking.
See also: Lady Gaga: Here’s What We Know About Her New Boyfriend
