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Tyler Redick
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Mike Bolow
This is Mike Bolow of Lexicon Valley
Bob Garfield
and I'm Bob Garfield. Are you one of those people who sometimes uses words?
Mike Bolow
Do you communicate or acquire information with, you know, language?
Bob Garfield
Hey, us too. So join us on Lexicon Valley to true over the history, culture and many mysteries of English, plus some lice cracks.
Mike Bolow
Find us on one of those apps where people listen to podcasts. Get it?
Lady Gaga
The Bird Show.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
What a thing to do.
Interviewer/Co-host
Jen, come on. I was trying to be your wingman.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
We're in the halls for the last two hours or whatever and I've been doing a show with these guys for four and a half hours. And you walk in the door and 30 seconds before that she tells me I have some big leaf in my teeth.
Lady Gaga
That's not nice.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
It's a setup, man. She could have told me that at 7:30 this morning.
Lady Gaga
Did you have a leaf?
Interviewer/Co-host
It wasn't a setup.
Lady Gaga
Either a lie or true.
Interviewer/Co-host
No, it was true. He really did have stuff in his teeth. But I didn't see it until just when you were walking in the door.
Lady Gaga
But I would say that's very nice of her, isn't it?
Interviewer/Co-host
See?
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Yeah, but she could have told me four hours ago. Now it's stuck in my nail.
Interviewer/Co-host
I didn't see it before.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
How are you today?
Lady Gaga
I'm all right, thank you very much.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
You just drove in from Florida?
Lady Gaga
Yes, we got right on the bus from the show. I fell asleep in my fishnets.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Nice. Okay.
Lady Gaga
And then I rolled off the bus this morning.
Interviewer/Co-host
That'll leave some good marks.
Lady Gaga
Yeah, it's rock and roll.
Interviewer/Co-host
Yeah, we've done. Yeah, we've. I think all girls have done that before. You wake up with the pantyhose marks, but the fishnets, it's extra special.
Lady Gaga
You have to. Is that how your schedule is? Yes. And it has been for over a year now. A year and a half.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Is that the one thing that you weren't expecting when you started, you know, like in the industry? Because you've been doing music for a while, but now we're talking mainstream stuff.
Lady Gaga
Well, actually, to be honest, I was quite disciplined on my own in New York. Yeah. So I used to play shows once or twice a week. And then when I wasn't playing shows, I was hustling. Record labels, or I was doing showcases or I was making flyers, or I used to go, go dance to make extra cash to pay for demos and things. So I always, like, was so fearless and wanted it so bad. And now it's just great because I get to do what I love every day. And of course, I get tired once in a while. I'm a human being. But whenever I get on that stage and I see those fans, it's like, bang. It's like eight cups of coffee.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Is it easier for you now, actually, than it was when you were in New York doing the whole go, go, moving Hustlin's?
Lady Gaga
It's not easy waking up every morning thinking how you can please your fans. I mean, I'm quite obsessive, actually, about the show. And I want everyone to have a good time and leave with vomit on their shirts.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Is that the sign of a good time right there? Nobody leaves the studio until we all
Lady Gaga
have vomit on our shirts.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
So we know if it's a good interview or not.
Mike Bolow
Or spinach in our teeth.
Interviewer/Co-host
Well, you create shock art performances is what it's being called.
Lady Gaga
I don't think that's particularly shocking. I guess it's other people that think it's shocking. It's just. It's a complete visual with the fashion and the dance and the music. That's all meant to represent my lifestyle in New York.
Interviewer/Co-host
Do you have a stylist or is this like your personal style, just the way you always dress?
Lady Gaga
This is my personal style. I like it. And then the show, I designed some of the pieces. Some of the other pieces are inspired by other designers or made by other designers. But the overall concept, that's me and the house, which is about five to six young friends of mine. They're all about my age, and we're all really bossy, and we make.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
You labeled yourself as bossy.
Lady Gaga
I'm a little bossy. A little bossy.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Or do you have to have control of all this? Are you sort of like a control freak?
Lady Gaga
You could say I'm a control freak. Or you could just say that I'm not a lazy pop singer. I like that. I like that.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Would people around you, would they label you as high maintenance because you're such a perfectionist?
Lady Gaga
No. Well, I am a perfectionist, but I'm not. Something that's very important to me on my team is that everybody is kind to one another. Everybody appreciates one another. Everyone plays a part on that stage. And everybody knows that I like things to be done in a Certain methodical way, but it's just because I really care. And to be completely honest, the show is quite complicated. So it's like if my mannequin is not lit properly with my bubble piano and my bubble dress, it's like, yes, of course I got upset because I spend every dollar that I make on itunes and everywhere else on my music and my show because I don't care about buying fancy cars and condominiums. So I take it very seriously.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Are you a yeller? If the bubble wrap's not working, are
Lady Gaga
you like, I'm not a yeller. The only time I've ever yelled is when my sound is bad. Because when you're standing in front of 3,000 people and you can't hear yourself. Excuse me. That's all right. It's not live entertainment. That is like the worst. And I. And I just. That is. You'll just hear me. Why? But, you know, I'm not a diva at all. You know, I'm a pop singer who knows how to make a show off both a beer and a champagne budget. So, like, I'm a real chick, and I really love what I do, and it's all about my fans.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Is the rest of the industry. Do you think it's just sort of like it's boring?
Lady Gaga
It's not that. It's. I think that there's some really remarkable artists, and I think that there's artists that do care about their show and all those things. But I do think that some artists are perhaps victimized by their labels and they don't have the relationship that I have with Interscope, which is amazing. I mean, we designed that entire American Idol performance and never told anybody what we were going to do in front of 20 million people. So the label showed up and they said, all right, Gaga, let's see what you did right as it went to air. I mean, as far as they knew, I could have gone on stage with like a tampon string strapped on my back and saying, happy birthday. They don't know, right? They don't know. But they trust me and they. They trust that my pop sensibilities as well as my abilities as an artist. Listen, I'm not trying to teach Picasso to America. I just want to do something different.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
So it's Lady Gaga on The Birch Show. Q100.
Mike Bolow
So what is the most self indulgent thing that you bought with your first check?
Lady Gaga
My bubble piano.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Yeah, it all goes back into the show.
Lady Gaga
That bubble piano. When I told everyone how much that piano cost before I built it, they were like, you are on drugs. What are you thinking?
Mike Bolow
Where do you go to have a bubble piano built? Like, what do you Google search to find that?
Lady Gaga
I have very, very smart young friends that are artists, and I just. I say, you know, we sit. We sit down, and I say, I want to make a piano entirely inspired by this dress. And I showed them a photo of the Hussein Shillane dress, and I said, let's make it light up. And we need to have reflective materials in it so that it produces light when it's on the stage. And that's it. And then we built it.
Interviewer/Co-host
That's an artistry.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Yeah.
Interviewer/Co-host
That is so cool.
Lady Gaga
It's great. But that's like, when you say to me, is it easier now? It's not easier because, of course, all the. My schedule's more difficult, you know, all of that. But what is easier is that when I have a creative dream in my room at night, I can wake up and I can make it a reality.
Interviewer/Co-host
Now, you were just talking about coming up in the Lower east side in New York City. Is it impossible for you to play there now? Like, do you have, like, a million groupies who all say, I knew her when.
Lady Gaga
No, it's. I went home, and I was welcomed with open arms by my friends, and they're very cool. It's like, I go home and they close the bar down, and, you know, I DJ or whatever, and it's just like, it's a good time. And we're able to really celebrate the fact that kids all over the world want to be a part of the scene that we created in that neighborhood. And that feels really cool. It's like, it's a new story and a new vibe, and everybody down there just lives for music and fashion, and it's just so. It's just a beautiful thing. I really think all you need is love and art and your friends.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
You know, this picture that you're sort of painting of this club scene and the Lower east side is so different from the pop world that. Did you have any kind of inner struggle at one point going, well, if I do that, if I go into the pop world, I'm sort of. I feel like I'm selling out to myself.
Lady Gaga
Actually, it was the opposite.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Yeah.
Lady Gaga
I thought to myself, what could I do that would be so radical in this innately radical neighborhood? I could sing pop music. Pop music is like the antithesis of all things cool. If you're a hipster, right? If you're a hipster, it's like, ugh, the Industry, and I hate it. And it's plastic, and me and my spikes are gonna deflate your fake boobs. Like, it's so punk, you know? And I thought, what if I did a pop show that these rock and roll kids would want to go see? And it was always my intention to crack the pop market. Yeah. And it was always my intention to give everybody the flu.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Did anybody along the way go, look, you're just. You're hitting this from the wrong angle. There's just no way that this is going to work.
Lady Gaga
Everybody.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Yeah.
Lady Gaga
I got dropped from, like, record labels. My parents were, like, saying Hail Marys, you know, everyone was like, this is a little theatrical, but isn't really that what showmanship is all about? You know, some people might really hate me, but I don't think that vanity is a bad thing. I think it's something that can really make you know exactly who you are and love yourself. And I want my fans to love themselves.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
You said that there are some people that might hate you. Are you having a tough time at all with any kind of criticisms that have come your way?
Lady Gaga
You know, to be perfectly honest, a lot of it's true. The negative things that they say.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Like what?
Lady Gaga
Well, they say that I'm pretentious, and I am quite pretentious about my work. And they say that I'm disgusting, and I'm quite disgusting, and I'm okay with that. It's like, I'm not a squeaky clean individual.
Interviewer/Co-host
Good for you.
Lady Gaga
And it's like,
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
what's your definition of disgusting?
Lady Gaga
I don't know. I'm just saying, you know, I don't even know what that really means. But when I hear that word, it's not something that I wouldn't necessarily not associate with myself. That's awesome. So I'm just kind of like, okay, you know, it's. But. But I don't think. I think that there would be something very wrong with this, with me and with this whole project and my music if everybody in the world thought that I was like a little doll. Because I'm a real girl. I'm a real girl with a very strange name who makes art, and that's it. And I'm sorry that people aren't used to that, but I'm not going anywhere.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
I don't think you're sorry at all. I don't think you're sorry. Not even a little bit. We had this dude, Spencer Pratt on with us a couple of days ago, and, you know, this is the guy from the hills, right? Do you know who this dude is?
Lady Gaga
We can say no.
Interviewer/Co-host
You can say no.
Mike Bolow
Yeah, we called it before.
Interviewer/Co-host
You wouldn't even know.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Have you heard of the Hills? It's a show on mtv.
Lady Gaga
Of course, yes.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Okay. This guy is. He's the lead dude on the show, and he was on the other day and Wendy had read some comments that he made about you in the tabloids, and she asked him about it. And I want to play you his comments because while you're saying that in some cases you agree with what they're saying. I think in a case like this, you're probably not.
Interviewer/Co-host
Hold on. She's choking.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
She's already gagging.
Lady Gaga
What's his name?
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
He's named Spencer Pratt. And he's got. His wife Heidi has just put out her first. Heidi. Okay, now it's ringing a bell.
Lady Gaga
Well, because she sang my song Fashion. She did her own version of it.
Interviewer/Co-host
That's where the beef originally started. Because Heidi was supposed to sing this song.
Lady Gaga
I wrote this song. Yeah. And a long time ago, I wrote it for the Sex and City movie.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
But he was on with us and
Interviewer/Co-host
he was telling us.
Lady Gaga
I was flattered when she did it. I thought, I've got the reality's television star.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
He thinks that his wife is more talented than Beyonce and Madonna and Britney Spears. So when your name came up, these were the comments that he made about you.
Bob Garfield
I just can't get over that she's like, new pop icon of the world. I'm not trying to hate. I like, just dance. It's a good song. You know, Poker Face is a good song, but people acting like she's like the new Britney Spears. It's like Britney's still in the game. So I don't even know why this girl gets so much attention and press. But hey, I guess if you dress like a fool and have crazy, ridiculous haircuts, people start paying attention.
Lady Gaga
That's quite a statement to make about his wife, which is very nice of him to say, but I think it's lovely that he's so supportive of her. I mean, I don't. To be perfectly honest. It's like, I don't want to say anything bad about anyone, but I think that when you're an artist or when you're a public figure, you should be a gentleman and be a lady. I don't say bad things about other people, and I don't think that other people should. He's completely entitled to his opinion. And if he thinks I dress foolish, then he thinks I dress foolish. If I cared about what Spencer Pratt thought about my fashion more than I cared about what Jeremy Scott thinks of my fashion. I. I would be foolish. Okay. It's like. And I'm just. The truth of it is you have to empower people in your life that you know will teach you things. And I have to stay focused on those people close to me that believe in what I do. He's completely entitled to his opinion, and he's completely right in his opinion. And I think it's wonderful that he's so supportive of his wife. You know, I just think it's silly to have, like, beef with people. I'm sure he's very nice.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
You seem like such the rebellious rebel. You don't even. You're not even a good rebel because you're so cool.
Lady Gaga
Well, I am. You know, I'm just who I am.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Yeah.
Lady Gaga
You know, I'm on my music and I'm my show. That's it.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
And it's obviously working because you're sold out here. You're sold out all over the country.
Lady Gaga
It's very exciting. Wow. I love my fans so much. You don't even. I cry on stage like a child. That's so cool.
Mike Bolow
That's awesome.
Lady Gaga
I keep cry.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Lady Gaga on the Birch Show Q100.
Interviewer/Co-host
Do people expect you to be like, this hardcore rocker when they first meet you and then they meet you and they're like, this girl has so much confidence in herself. And when she performs, do you get that reaction? Like, people are like, why isn't she, like, tearing stuff up and throwing fits and going crazy because of all this paparazzi attention?
Lady Gaga
Oh, you mean, like, why aren't I self destructing? Yeah.
Interviewer/Co-host
I think that's what people, like, really first expect.
Lady Gaga
Well, I think that what the press does is they, in an attempt to humanize artists, try to highlight their flaws, make artists and celebrities look weak because they're in such a position of power. I don't really think I'm all that powerful. I just make music just like, you guys are on the radio. This is my destiny. This is your destiny. So it's like. It's just. I think about how you think about things, and I don't totally agree with you. I think a lot of people think I'm a ridiculous mess. It's very nice of you to say. It's very nice of you to say. And sometimes I am a ridiculous mess, and sometimes I'm not. And it's like, at the end of the day, it is much more important to me to do a good job and have great music and a great show than to have a bunch of models at a table in a nightclub. I'm just not that girl.
Interviewer/Co-host
Can I ask a superficial question? How did you learn to walk in 6 inch stilettos?
Lady Gaga
Because I was learning.
Mike Bolow
I was just about to ask that.
Lady Gaga
Well, I think it's a gift.
Interviewer/Co-host
I think so too.
Lady Gaga
But you know, it's so funny because when I played with the Pussycat Dolls. I'm so sorry you're blown up.
Mike Bolow
That's your alarm. Because that's the same alarm. It's your BlackBerry.
Lady Gaga
Just dance. Then you really would have crucified me that when I played with Pussycat Dolls in Europe, I had a much smaller stage in the front of the arena. And one night my creative guy comes to me and he's like, gaga, tonight we've got to either use your backstrap or your screens. And I said, why? He said, well, if we use both the backdrop and your screens, you're only gonna have three feet of stage. But if you get rid of one of them, you'll have almost four. So I looked at him and I said, I think we should use both. And he goes, but Ganga, how are you gonna dance in heels on three feet of stage? And I said to him, well, it's a good thing. I've been dancing on bars for years. Good point.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
That's part of your destiny.
Lady Gaga
And it's true. Don't downplay anything in your life. Cause, you know, maybe I never thought that when I was getting dollar bills shoved in my panties at clubs that it would ever repurpose itself.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Lady Gaga on the Birch show on Q100. Really enjoyed our time with you. Thank you. Yeah.
Tyler Redick
For hanging out.
Lady Gaga
Spin my records.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Yeah, we're spinning them every six minutes on this radio show.
Lady Gaga
Well, that's very kind. Six minutes every six.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
That's the only thing we play here.
Lady Gaga
Lana's going to throw tomatoes at me.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Hey, congratulations on all the success.
Lady Gaga
Thank you so much.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
It's going to be around for a while.
Lady Gaga
Thank you.
Interviewer/Co-host
Can't wait for the show.
Bob Garfield
Thank you.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
Well, good luck. It's going to be a great show and thanks for joining us. We appreciate your time.
Lady Gaga
Thank you.
Interviewer (Birch Show Host)
All right, Lady Gaga.
Bob Garfield
Get it. The Birch Show.
Tyler Redick
Tyler redick here from 2311 racing another checkered flag for the books. Time to celebrate with Chumba. Jump in@chumbacasino.com. let's Chumba. No purchase necessary BTW group void where prohibited by law. CTNC 21+ sponsored by Chumba Casino. Tyler Redick here from 2311 Racing Victory Lane. Yeah, it's even better with Chumba by my side. Race to chumbacasino.com let's Chumba. No purchase necessary VTW Group void where prohibited by law. CTNCs21+ Sponsored by Chumba Casino Every day
Cool Stuff Daily Host
the world gets a little weirder and
Lady Gaga
a lot more awesome.
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Cool Stuff Daily takes a look at everything from mining in space to the latest in the fight against cancer to how AI is basically changing everything. It's all the cool stuff you didn't know you needed to know. Join us for Cool Stuff Daily as we take a quick look at science, tech and the.
Lady Gaga
Wait, what?
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Stories that make you sound way smarter at dinner. Subscribe to Cool Stuff Daily now because the future's happening fast and it's way too fun to miss.
Original Air Date: March 30, 2026
Guests: Lady Gaga
Main Episode Theme:
This episode centers on Lady Gaga’s response to criticism from Spencer Pratt (of “The Hills”), her philosophy on showmanship and fame, and authentic insights into how she navigates the music industry, criticism from peers, and the demands of her career.
[00:45 – 01:41]
“I fell asleep in my fishnets. And then I rolled off the bus this morning… Yeah, it’s rock and roll.” (Lady Gaga, 01:28 – 01:38)
[02:03 – 05:39]
“It’s not easy waking up every morning thinking how you can please your fans... Whenever I get on that stage and I see those fans, it’s like, bang. It’s like eight cups of coffee.” (Lady Gaga, 02:51 – 03:03)
“You could say I’m a control freak. Or you could just say that I’m not a lazy pop singer.” (Lady Gaga, 04:05 – 04:09)
“…I spend every dollar that I make on iTunes and everywhere else on my music and my show because I don’t care about buying fancy cars and condominiums.” (Lady Gaga, 04:37 – 04:55)
[03:12 – 03:57]
[05:39 – 06:34]
“We designed that entire American Idol performance and never told anybody what we were going to do in front of 20 million people. … But they trust me… I’m not trying to teach Picasso to America. I just want to do something different.” (Lady Gaga, 05:48 – 06:29)
[06:36 – 07:26]
“My bubble piano. … When I told everyone how much that piano cost before I built it, they were like, you are on drugs.” (Lady Gaga, 06:42 – 06:45, 06:56 – 06:58)
[07:43 – 08:31]
[08:31 – 09:36]
“Pop music is like the antithesis of all things cool. … What if I did a pop show that these rock and roll kids would want to go see?” (Lady Gaga, 08:48 – 09:03)
[10:12 – 11:31]
“They say I’m pretentious, and I am quite pretentious about my work. … I think that there would be something very wrong … if everybody in the world thought that I was like a little doll. Because I’m a real girl.” (Lady Gaga, 10:26 – 11:09)
[11:31 – 14:24]
“If I cared about what Spencer Pratt thought about my fashion more than I cared about what Jeremy Scott thinks of my fashion… I would be foolish.” (Lady Gaga, 13:20 – 14:06)
[14:24 – 16:12]
“It is much more important to me to do a good job and have great music and a great show than to have a bunch of models at a table in a nightclub. I’m just not that girl.” (Lady Gaga, 15:05 – 16:08)
[16:12 – 17:48]
The hosts ask how Gaga mastered six-inch stilettos—she credits years of dancing on bar tops and club stages:
“I think we should use both [backdrop]. … How are you gonna dance in heels on three feet of stage? And I said to him, well, it’s a good thing. I’ve been dancing on bars for years.” (Lady Gaga, 16:38 – 17:32)
She encourages listeners not to “downplay” their life experiences, suggesting humble beginnings can become invaluable.
On her creative drive:
“I’m not a diva at all. You know, I’m a pop singer who knows how to make a show off both a beer and a champagne budget. So, like, I’m a real chick, and I really love what I do, and it’s all about my fans.” (Lady Gaga, 05:04 – 05:39)
On authenticity:
“I’m a real girl with a very strange name who makes art, and that’s it. … I’m not going anywhere.” (Lady Gaga, 10:46 – 11:09)
Clapping back with poise:
“He's completely entitled to his opinion… If I cared about what Spencer Pratt thought about my fashion more than what Jeremy Scott thinks… I would be foolish.” (Lady Gaga, 13:20 – 14:06)
On her roots and making an impact:
“All you need is love and art and your friends.” (Lady Gaga, 07:52 – 08:31)
In classic Gaga style, the tone is playful, candid, and empowering. She meets criticism with intelligence and humor, reinforcing her position as an unapologetically original artist—never spiteful, always self-aware and fiercely protective of her art, her team, and her fans. The episode leaves listeners with a window into Gaga’s process and mindset beneath her public persona, and a healthy dose of “real-chick” wisdom about staying true to oneself under the spotlight.