MANILA, Philippines - It’s the kind of music video experience that stays with you forever. A “Thriller” for the YouTube generation, this is the kind of media event you’ll tell your kids about. You remember where you were when you first saw it. You remember the awe and glory of seeing two of today’s top divas sharing the limelight. You remember the Thelma & Louise and the numerous Tarantino references. Heck, you remember the diner and the steps to “The Sandwich Dance.”
But if you were thinking Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” video featuring Beyonce, you got it all wrong. I’m talking about the hottest thing to hit your Facebook feed since a Lady Gaga video. I’m talking about, well, “Telephone,” but as rendered by the extraordinary, stupefyingly fierce Lady Gagita and her spunky sidekick Haronce.
A frame by frame reenactment of the “Telephone” video, Lady Gagita’s version features, among many others, Lady Gagita’s flash-dancing in what looks like the backyard of a home along the riles, Haronce simmering in the world’s most fiercest carinderia, and the world’s most mobile electric fan. It’s the best example of Pinoy ingenuity in a long time, as well as the worst thing for Pinoy conservatives since the DOH gave out condoms.
Before you can say “honey bee,” the video has gotten over 750,000 hits and space in the local news. In a Supreme exclusive, we talked to the star of the moment and learned about editing, resourcefulness, Haronce’s unprofessionalism, and the power of the Gaga.
SUPREME: When most superstars collide, carnage and diva tantrums are expected to follow. For you two, though, it seems like a pretty harmonious match. How did Benzonce and Lady Gagita meet? Did you hit it off from the get go?
LADY GAGITA: To clarify, Benzonce and Lady Gagita are the same person — and that person is me. Before I mimicked Lady Gaga and became Lady Gagita, I played the role of Beyonce using the alter-ego name of “Benzonce.” My two alter egos met when Lady Gagita arrived on my entity and unexpectedly won by being a big hit on YouTube.
Who is Haronce? Is she also Benzonce? Why does Beyonce have two doppelgängers? Is this a Sasha Fierce split personality kind of thing?
Haronce is the alter ego of my friend Harold Palermo. She is not Benzonce; they’re different. The reason why Beyonce has two doppelgangers is that we’ve idolized Beyonce since we became best friends. We always argue over being Beyonce; that’s why two dopplegangers were born. Though confusing, it’s true.
In your music video’s credits, you acknowledge the “special participation” of a certain Tom Gibson and other Mayaman University talents. Who is Tom Gibson and who are the Mayaman University talents? It all sounds very Haus of Gaga of you.
Tom Gibson is a childhood friend, who always supports me on my videos. He played certain roles as a featured guest (in the past). Though he doesn’t play the main character, I still value him as my talent. Aside from him, I have many other talents. Kim Lanos, Dannel Arth Tancuan, Deo Eloi Cui, Nico Palma Gil, and other talents were in the credits.
Where is Mayaman University? How does one enroll? Is there an entrance test? Talent test? Do you have to be mayaman to study in the school?
To clarify, Mayaman University is not a school. It is just called Mayaman University because we are claiming that it is an academy for talents. One enrolls by showing an extraordinary talent that is relevant to filmmaking. I promote them by giving them appearances in my videos. The name mayaman doesnt mean that we are rich people. We mean mayaman sa talento. Nevertheless, it really is in contrast with our real lives.
What is Vinzon Pictures Fix? Is this the official producer for all Benzonce and Lady Gagita projects? How did you get involved with the company?
Vinzon Pictures Fix is the name I gave for the editing department. And the editor that does all the editing stuff is me, nobody but me.
Most big-budget music videos shoot in exotic locations and with “Telephone,” the mold-breakers that you are, you pushed the limits of what we know as “exotic.” Did you shoot “Telephone” on location? Did you encounter any problems during the shoot?
We shot “Telephone” in our very own compound. We did not go outside to have a superb location, we wanted to make it more native but still extraordinary.
Actually, there were problems on the shoot. Haronce is very unprofessional when it comes to time management. We always quarrel about her unprofessionalism.
What’s next for Lady Gagita and Benzonce? Any projects we should look out for? Any advice for your Fame Monsters?
There are still projects I want to make. We plan to make more parodies, particularly Lady Gaga and Beyonce music videos. And I want my little monsters to look forward to (them). I want to thank my little monsters for making my video a big hit, because without them, my video would not be epidemic and viral as it is today.