Lady Gaga looking normal and performing a Led Zeppelin cover in 2006

Video has surfaced on YouTube of Stefani Germanotta – now known as Lady Gaga – performing a cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘D’yer Maker’ in New York City in January 2006. And she looks like a normal person! Nothing like the paper doll of little children’s nightmares like she sort of does now. Okay that’s harsh… but her look is unusual, and hard to describe. She’s always in costume, but not in a Barbie sort of way. Thus… paper dolls, I guess.

The video is really interesting to watch, partly because of how normal she looks and behave, and partly because you can see these bits of the performer she would eventually become. She’s really belting out the song, and at several points does some of her strange, Lady Gaga-esq dance moves. I’m not sure that they’re really dance moves here – it just seems like the way she’s getting really into the song. Which actually comes across as really awkward, cheesy, and overdone in the “I’m singing a cover of Led Zeppelin” context. But it is amusing, if nothing else.

She is famed for her outrageous costumes, bright blonde hair and kooky performances. But four years ago Lady GaGa looked rather ordinary. A recently discovered video shows the star, real name Stefani Germanotta, performing Led Zeppelin’s ‘D’yer Maker’ in New York in January 2006.

And with her long dark hair and unremarkable outfit of vest top, leggings and white heeled boots, there is little to show the outrageous star she would become. But her voice, keyboard skills and a little spark in her performance give a clue that she will become a huge chart-topping hit. The video shows her performing with a band at the Bitter End venue. Among her bandmates are Calvin Pia of Akudama on guitar, Alex Beckmann of Mem on drums, and Eli Silverman on bass.

The video, which has been posted on YouTube, was originally found on the band website of her former guitarist. They said: ‘Before the paparazzi, Akudama’s very own Calvin Pia had been blessed with the opportunity to take the stage with mega-star-to-be, Lady Gaga. The video might be a little toned down for all you “Gagas” out there.’ The band added: ‘The performance is as entertaining as watching Henry Fonda pick blueberries, which is honest to god a ten out of ten by Bitter End standards. Enjoy?’

The performance is in marked contrast to GaGa’s performance in Francesco Vezzoli’s ‘Ballets Russes Italian Style (The Shortest Musical You Will Never See Again)’ in Los Angeles on Saturday night. There she donned a huge silver hat, heavy eye make-up and a chiffon and crystal dress to sit down at a pink grand piano painted with blue butterflies.

[From the Daily Mail]

When I watched the video, part of me was actually sad for Lady Gaga. I get that she’s very into her character, but it seems like that’s come at the total expense of the real human being you can see in this video. I don’t even think of Lady Gaga is an actual living, breathing person. She’s this invented character. It’s bizarre to see a video of a girl I could pass on the street and not even notice. In a good way, of course.

A lot of people have said Lady Gaga dresses the way she does to hide the fact that her looks are plain. From this video, I wouldn’t say she’s plain, she just looks a little unusual. But like a normal person who has potential. I think the outfits and makeup are probably things she’s always aspired to and it’s just part of who she is, but they’re not a conscious attempt to distract us from some blandness.