Lady Gaga and me....

I'm not particularly interested in celebrity photography.  For one thing I don't care all that much about them, and living here in Albany, NY, there's little if any opportunity.  But circumstance did allow for a chance encounter with Lady Gaga a few weeks ago when I wandered into the last, and I do mean last, retail "record store" in Albany by the name of FYE.  I'm pretty sure my niece, Leslie, worked there during high school.  Its the last store of its kind around here because downloaders don't seem to need them anymore, and there was a depressing feeling of morbidity in the place.  There was a dark somewhat gloomy feel in the air, one of neglect, resignation, and irrelevance that gave the place the appearance of a dusty flea market for music, DVDs and whatever else.  Everything seemed old and used.  The staff looked like they were in a daze, wandering, and wondering what they were doing there, and the smell of death was in the air.  It was no longer a pleasure in browsing through the sparse, depleted racks of CDs, and even I felt like a relic in doing so.

I saw this display and was sure that Lady Gaga was screaming loudly the despair I felt inside,  looking around at an institution I grew up with and knowing it would soon be dead.  I was sure Lady Gaga felt my pain.

                                                                     Pablo