Lady Gaga Shows Off New Rilke Tattoo

SEOUL, South Korea — Lady Gaga may sport an ever-changing series of risque outfits, but the pop singer says two things are permanent: her tattoos and her bow tie 'do.

The 23-year-old star, her real name Stefani Germanotta, showed off her newest body art Sunday night before performing the hit songs "Poker Face," "Just Dance" and "Paparazzi" at Seoul's Olympic Hall during the Asian leg of her "Fame Ball" tour.

The curling script on her left arm is a souvenir from a midnight session at a tattoo parlor in Osaka, Japan.

"It says 'In the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself that you would die if you were forbidden to write. And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots, the answer, and ask yourself, must I write?'" she said.

The quote, in German, comes from the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, whom she described as her "favorite philosopher."

Lady Gaga, whose single "LoveGame" is No. 9 on Billboard magazine's music chart this week, said Rilke's "philosophy of solitude" spoke to her.

The New York native called solitude "something you marry, as an artist. When you are an artist, your solitude is a lonely place that you embrace."

The singer, known for a dazzling array of outfits bridging 1970s glam, '80s pop art and sexy modern designs, has also embraced the power of iconography. She was dressed Sunday in a glittering gold dress by the South Korean designer Lie Sang Bong.

Lady Gaga professed to owning a large collection of wigs, from purple feather creations to an oversized button shape and stacked black bundles.

But underneath them all, she said she'll always have the retro white-blond 'do, the result of deciding to "go blonde" one day after being bored with her long hair and bangs. She's now known for the big bow tie she wears in her hair.

"And I guess that somehow became my signature look," she said. "But more importantly, I believe in the power of iconography, which was something that Andy Warhol did, and it's repeating an image over and over again. So I rarely change the shape of my hair."

Comments

[DocManhattan]

Don't really like her music - but I have to say the more I hear about her, the more I like her ... And Rilke's brilliant. More power to the lady.

[audadvnc]

Gaga is fab! Both my daughter and I love her!

[dharmawire]

Perhaps this is RMR's moment to overtake Rumi as the West's most-read poet. Or perhaps not.

[sydney01]

I love Lady Gaga! She is fun, she writes great songs (I just got her cd, and can't stop listening to it!), and she has a lot of guts. I like that she takes chances and does things that mainstream pop stars are to vain to do. I like the abstract style of her videos and choreography, they are just so much more interesting that what is out there. I also like that she works with her team Haus of Gaga to build her costumes and set pieces. Collaborative art is usually the best.

[Conk]

A story about a tattoo and no picture of the tattoo? That's ga-ga

[thebirdstheword]

for somebody supposedly so cutting edge, why does she make a point of a new tattoo. everybody and their grandma has tattoos these days. next thing you know, she'll rebel by having different color shoe laces in each shoe.

[Jebedella Johnson]

Woot! As Malte Laurids Brigge would say, "Let's drop another hit of X and do a dose of G and dance!" Music for the c r a ckies.

[blueskybigstar]

Really bright girl. Very impressed. She is going to be around for a long time.

[Gerard Maio]

That's not Lady Gaga. That's a man, baby!

[JeffmChicago]

My how times remain the same in pop culture. Lady Gaga ain't foolin' me with her ripoff of one of my favorite new wave bands of the 80's Dale Bozio of Missing Persons.

Have a look and see for yourself here > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goFmzF-R0jk&feature=related

I told you so.

[jerkzilla]

I do wish there was an actual picture of the actual tattoo that this article is all about.

[larry278]

Who blew this blog? Was it the writer or the editor? It would have been nice 2 c the ta2.

[ReesieKitty]

I actually have a Rilke quote tattooed on my arm. How weird to have something in common with Lady Gaga. I don't really know or care much about her either way. I think she has a good gimmick going on with the outfits and things, but that doesn't mean she isn't also talented. When you're young, you want to be 'deep'. There are worse models than Rilke to get you thinking

[eshesh]

yeah....calling rilke a philosopher is a bit...awkward. but it's a nice effort.

[wetdentist]

wow. some of these comments are so flippant; sounds like a lot of other comments i read about pop stars on Huff Post, i.e. they're talentless and stupid, or they are talentless and stupid but want to make us think they care about the history of Western Culture. i admit, i tried as hard as i could during the 90's - 00's to become a famous musician, but that didn't stop me from getting an MFA and taking graduate seminars in Blake, Browning, T.S. Elliott, William Carlos Williams, Tennyson, etc etc etc. so really, the two pursuits don't necessarily need to be mutually exclusive. from what i understand, Lady GaGa was a child prodigy on the piano, and she writes her own material, which is more than we can say about a lot of other artists. the fact that she is familiar with Rilke is cool, and that she got some verse tattooed on her body may very well point some of her fans in the direction to discover Rilke for themselves, or other literary giants for that matter. i remember when i was in high school, i developed my first inclinations to become an artist from listening to Dead Kennedys and the Damned (2 loathed bands from days of yore), etc etc

[situationcritical]

Rilke didn't say to "write" on your skin.

But thanks Gaga, at least you're up there trying to give us something more than a poledance.

[sheeshbrother]

He didn't presume to say where you should write if I recall correctly.