[media-credit name=”Photos by Bob Krasner” align=”aligncenter” width=”600″]
[/media-credit]BY BOB KRASNER | Lady Gaga may be the poster girl for outrageousness, but that’s not the reason for her success. She may only be 25, but as a singer and songwriter she’s got talent to burn. She is not afraid to stand up and advocate for the L.G.B.T. community, AIDS research or women’s rights and she contributes regularly to humanitarian causes.
Her song “Born This Way” is on its way to becoming an anthem for a generation. Hundreds of members of that generation camped out two weeks ago to preorder the new book “Lady Gaga X Terry Richardson,” a photographic collaboration between her and the provocative fashion photographer.
The fans drove in from all over, some spending 20 hours or more in front of the New Museum on the Bowery on Monday evening Nov. 14 into Tuesday morning Nov. 15. The outdoor overnighter was a bonding experience for some, like Amanda Beltran.
“We met lots of people who were just like us. It was great,” said the 23-year-old.
Three hundred of those people came back and stood in the rain a week later, waiting to get their books signed by both artists. They flashed the famous Gaga “monster claws” symbol for photographers. While the book is readily available elsewhere, only 300 were slated to be signed at the museum.
When asked why they were there, the fans’ answers ranged from, “We’ve been obsessed with her for years” to “It’s her message of acceptance and equality.”
Aaron Alomso, an 18-year-old F.I.T. student, summed it up succinctly: “We are in love with Lady Gaga.”
[media-credit id=1 align=”aligncenter” width=”600″]
