If you caught the Grammy's last night, then you'll have seen the David Bowie tribute. Although pop chameleon Lady Gaga was the perfect choice for the homage to the late legend, she pissed off a lot of viewers - including Bowie's son - for turning the performance into a giant ad for Intel.
"I like to do things that integrate technology and art with powerful experiences," said the 29-year-old Grammy winner. "[Intel] have really given me so much amazing technology to play with."
It's just too bad that play had to come at the expense of Bowie's memory. This is not the Super Bowl, after all.
Advertising bombards every aspect of our lives. And while I don't expect awards shows to be exempt, some exceptions should be made. Out of basic human decency.
Admittedly Gaga used a bunch of cool trickery by Intel throughout her performance, one which saw a digital spider tracking across her face. Still, sandwiching her performance in between two commercials for Intel was tacky at best and "shameless" at worst.
Interjecting a memorial - to honour the career of an artist who recently passed away - with commercials is crass and tasteless. Surely there could have been a more discreet way for Intel and Gaga to show off their commercial collaboration without detracting from the tribute.
Gaga had all the costumes in place as she ploughed through a 10-song medley, but I have to admit, something was missing. Soul? Emotion?
Even Duncan Jones, Bowie's son, wasn't impressed, as he tweeted the textbook definition of 'gaga.'
"overexcited or irrational, typically as a result of infatuation or excessive enthusiasm; mentally confused." Damn it! What IS that word!?
— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) February 16, 2016
"I don't know who I'd be if I didn't have (him as) a figure in my life," said Gaga. "I don't know what my identity would be."
Though Gaga claims Bowie was her idol - heck, she even got a tattoo of him before the Grammys - it seems the real tribute of the night was to Gaga herself.
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