Lady Gaga Day!
Since we had actually gotten on the plane and flew to New York City, I figured this grand-prize thing wasn’t a hoax, but still, I wasn’t sure what to expect on Tuesday. Jim pointed out to me that this wasn’t going to be a concert from noon to one and an interview during the following hour, as I had assumed, but purely an interview. Hmm. I should really learn to read the fine print better, wouldn’t you say?
Anyhow, we had free flights to New York City and a free night at the Milford Plaza. The Lady Gaga thing was icing on the cake. So, although I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect that day, I decided not to worry about it.
We had to report to the studio at noon, so at 11:00 a.m. we checked out of the hotel and took our luggage to the baggage department downstairs, which would hold our belongings for us until 11:00 p.m. We plotted out our route to the studio using the navigation app on my Droid. The McGraw-Hill Building at 1221 Avenue of the Americas was two long blocks and three short blocks away from our hotel.
Lunch at Café Metro—Mmm, Good!
We arrived at our destination at about 11:30 a.m., and I suggested we eat something since we would be at the studio from noon until 2:00 p.m. There’s a subway stop right at the McGraw Hill Building and a Metro Café http://www.cafemetrony.com/, whose motto is “Eat Well, Live Well.” We decided to try the Create Your Own Salad for $7.95. First,
you pick your variety of lettuce, baby spinach, crispy romaine, or organic field greens. We chose the latter. Then, you select your main ingredient, chicken, steak, shrimp, or tofu. I picked the tofu, and Jim decided on the grilled chicken. Next, you pick two main ingredients, such as apples, artichokes, sundried tomatoes, broccoli, among others. You were only supposed to pick two, but they were generous, encouraging us to pick more items. Last, you decide on toppings, like olives, onions, croutons, or cranberries, or any of the more than 20 other items. I selected the egg-free Caesar dressing, and Jim had Italian. Now, of course, this doesn’t differ much from a salad bar, but the difference is, that every Tom, Dick, and Harry doesn’t have their mitts on the food, nor are they able to sneeze on the ingredients. Salads and drinks in hand, we ate outside in the courtyard and watched people while we ate. Our food was fresh and tasty and left us very satisfied.
Special Treatment for the Grand Prize Winners
Now, it was time to report to security. We had to have our photo ID ready. We traveled up the escalator to the lobby and the information desk. We told one of the three people manning the desk that we were there for the Lady Gaga interview. Once through security, we met Sophia, the young woman who had called me on Saturday to tell me I had won the contest. Sophia has dark hair and black studious-looking glasses. We were introduced to several people as the grand-prize winners, and because of that, we didn’t need to wait in line for our VIP badges that hung from lanyards.
Sophia took us up to the 37th floor and into the reception area where she invited us to partake in the plentiful array of sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks, and desserts. Damn. We had already eaten that excellent salad.
We were also shown our seats, which were in the first of three rows of eleven chairs each. Our names were printed on papers placed on the chairs, and we were invited to put our belongings down. Our seats were not quite front and center, because the day before, I had been given the opportunity to ask Lady Gaga a question, to be vetted through her publicists. My question was, “What would you say to other young people who might have big dreams, but who might be too afraid to take the risks to make them happen?” The question had been approved and was written on a 4” x 6” index card. So our seats were the third and fourth into the row to allow me easy access to the microphone. It wasn’t guaranteed that I’d actually get to ask the question. It all depended on how much time was available. In the end, I didn’t get to ask my question, but that’s okay.
The SiriusXM Fishbowl is where it Happens.
We stood in the reception area before the interview just watching the hustle and bustle of the people who worked there and the other people who had won the opportunity to sit in the audience for the interview. At about 12:30 p.m., Gayle King and her people came through the reception area, headed for the “fishbowl” where the interview would take place. The fishbowl is a room surrounded by two layers of glass. Something that looks like a trampoline hangs from the ceiling with lights attached to it.
On the left, two interview chairs sit in front of panels with the SiriusXM logo plastered over them. A tall table with two chairs are set up over to the right. It appeared that Gayle was looking over her questions and probably testing the sound equipment to make sure everything was in place. After a few minutes, she went back to wherever she came from.
At about 12:50 p.m., Jim and I decided to go to our seats. While there, we struck up a conversation with a woman, Paula Silverman, and her mother. They live in New Jersey, so Paula had already been to a few of these gatherings for other artists.
Soon, Gayle King came back to the fishbowl. At 1:00 p.m. , Gayle went on the air and gave the audience an update on the whereabouts of Lady Gaga. The star was running a little bit late, we later found out because she had been mobbed downstairs and was giving out autographs to her fans. Soon, we heard that Lady Gaga was in the hallway. Being at the end of the row, Paula and her mother could see her. Then we spotted Lady Gaga inside the fishbowl, peeking around one of the panels at Gayle. When Gayle spotted her, Gaga emerged, tottering on ten-inch black platform boots to her chair. She was wearing a sea-foam bobbed wig, black shorts that looked as small as underwear, and a black bra under a long black blazer.
Lady Gaga is Just a Girl
Gaga looked slight and fragile, young and vulnerable, not like the fearless, flamboyant diva who’s ready to shock her audience with one over-the-top fantasy after another. Gaga has big brown eyes, with a makeup application that makes them look even huger. Her teeth and nose are prominent, but do not appear as much so in person as they do in the media. She speaks slowly and distinctly, like an English teacher. Other than using her
extra-long fingernails to frequently scratch her legs, she was quite poised and relaxed with Gayle.
The answers she gave to the questions posed seemed thoughtful and sincere. She was not out to shock anyone that day. She loves her fans and wants to be an inspiration to them, making it okay for them to be different. She says she is not in the business to have people adore her.
It’s interesting that most of the ideas for her costumes and sets come from her own imagination. In fact, she was late for the red carpet for an awards show the night before the interview, because she and her assistant were still sewing her costume. She said that she sometimes has elaborate ideas and fantasies that are impossible to manifest and that she likes fantasy better than reality.
When she comes off the road, her dad doesn’t tell her to get changed. He just tells her to sit down and eat something. She loves her family deeply. Sometimes they call her Gaga and sometimes they call her Stefani. She loves that they respect the fact that she doesn’t like reality nearly as much as she likes fantasy.
Lady Gaga does not seem to have a big head. When asked about the ruckus she caused at Mets stadium when she took a friend there to celebrate his birthday, she says we have to remember that she hasn’t been famous for very long, and sometimes she forgets she’s Lady Gaga.
Although she declined to perform one of her songs, I wasn’t disappointed. I would much rather hear her answer another question or two than hear her sing. I can hear her sing on a CD or on YouTube. It’s not every day that I can see someone ask her a question and watch how she answers to get an idea of what makes her tick.
Lady Gaga is only 25 years old. That’s the age of one of my kids. I couldn’t help but think how proud her parents must be of her. But also, how much they love her to let her choose her own path and to respect her talent and art.
A Meet and Greet with Gayle and Gaga
And so, before we knew it, the hour-long interview was over. To our surprise, one of the SiriusXM staff said that were invited to a meet and greet. They wanted to get most of the people out of the studio, and we should stick around. We would have our picture taken with Lady Gaga and Gayle King. They wouldn’t be signing autographs, and we couldn’t take our own pictures. Their photographer would take the picture and send it to us. When the studio had cleared out a bit, only the people who had a special blue tag on their lanyards were allowed in line. They identified me as the grand prize winner and escorted Jim and I to the front of the line. I was going to be the first to meet Lady Gaga!
They said it would be fast, in and out. Lady Gaga was flying to Germany right afterward and couldn’t spare much time. I certainly didn’t want to do anything to hold her up. Soon, they were ready for us, and it was as if we were jumping out of a plane. “Go! Go! Go!” they said. They rushed into the fishbowl, and there they were standing there waiting for us. My first instinct was to give Lady Gaga a hug, like I would do with one of my kids’ friends. Then I thought that might be weird. Maybe Lady Gaga wouldn’t want to be hugged, so I stepped back, but then I gave her a hug anyway, and she let me. I told her how pleased I was to meet her and wished her a safe trip to Germany.
Then I moved onto Gayle King, who said, “You’re the grand prize winner!” and gave me a hug. Jim and I then stood on either side of the pair and they took three pictures of us. For the third picture, Gayle said, “Put your paws up.” So we had to act like we were clawing at the air. They will send us a picture, and I can’t wait to see which one they choose.
And then it was over. We exited the fishbowl and for a while watched and took pictures of other people who were posing with Lady Gaga and Gayle King.
I had all of the forms (tax documents and releases) I had signed in my bag because on the way to the airport the day before, the UPS facility that I was going to drop them at turned out to be a FedEx place. So I asked Sophia if she wanted to just take them from me before I left. When I gave her the envelope, she asked me if we’d like to go upstairs with her and give a testimonial. Why not?
While waiting to be taken upstairs, we talked a little about how odd it was that I had a feeling I would win the contest. Sophia said that was the first time a winner had actually told her that. She said there were more than 15,000 entries, she used a software product to randomize a winner, and my name popped up. But when I said I had a feeling I would win, for a minute, she thought I might have hacked into her computer.
A Testimonial? It’s the Least I Could Do!
We walked up the glass staircase that led to the SiriusXM studios and passed the receptionist, who I overheard answering the phone, “Good afternoon, SiriusXM.” We saw offices with glass walls, and staff walking around doing their jobs, like it’s just a normal thing to work there. So different from working in Erie, PA. We entered a boardroom where other people who had been at the interview were sitting waiting to be interviewed. I was last to go and stood in front of a logo-filled backdrop answering questions such as, “What
would it be like if you had to go back to AM/FM radio?” and “Do you have a SiriusXM story?”
Do I ever! I shared the story of how in 2008, I embarked on a 19-day solo cross-country trip on Route 66. Along the way, I had constant friends on my satellite radio and didn’t have to constantly find a signal. I could listen to The Broads on SiriusXM Stars, CNN, and the various Oprah Channel shows. After I gave my testimonial, we chatted with the marketing director and some other staff.
After a bit, Sophia and another employee named, Aubrey, took us down to the lobby where we were given goodie bags containing hats and mugs. We said our goodbyes and headed out the door of the McGraw-Hill Building to walk around a bit before picking up our bags at the hotel and heading to the airport and back home to our ordinary life in Erie, PA.
All Posts About the Lady Gaga Experience:
Lady Gaga Trip: Monday Daytime
Lady Gaga Trip: Monday Evening
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