Sporting the most intricate fashion piece in “Hot Ones” history, Lady Gaga took on the wings of death, went on a trip down memory lane and shared a surprising confession with host Sean Evans on the show’s Thursday episode.
“I do like spicy food, but I’m feeling like I’m saying that now and then it’s going to be really easy to make fun of me if I can’t handle this,” the “Abracadabra” singer told Evans when asked how she felt at the start of her “Hot Ones” adventure. “But I’m focused. I’m determined.”
While she didn’t handle the show’s spicy wings as unflinchingly as guests like Ariana Grande or Lorde, the “Joker: Folie à Deux” star mostly maintained her composure throughout the episode. That’s barring, of course, her initial, panicked reaction to Da Bomb, the hot sauce that has broken more than a few unsuspecting guests before her.
When asked at one point about her theatrical style as an artist, Gaga told a story about a “really cool” 3D sculpture she had built for one of her previous tours that proved to be unfeasible and “pretty expensive and a bad decision.”
“I definitely now try to be a lot more resourceful [by] just making less and not overproducing things,” she confessed to Evans. “I just want to be more resourceful… I’m growing up!” You can watch the full “Hot Ones” episode in the video, below.
Gaga was given a chance by Evans’ usual, deep-cut line of questioning to reflect on everything from her musical process to her residency years ago at The Slipper Room in New York. “I just look back on that time so fondly,” Gaga revealed. “My whole day was spent trying to get those gigs and I just would knock on door after door after door and say, ‘Can I please play here?’ or I would call and pretend I was my manager.”
“The facts that you have! The quotes!” the singer-songwriter remarked aloud when Evans also brought up her days performing in her high school cover band Mackin Pulsifer. In response to Evans’ interest in whatever early lessons she learned from her cover band era, the multi-hyphenate performer said, “I used to always say that you have to put music in the room to figure out how to be an artist, like you need an audience. So, yeah, I learned so much being in that band.”
“It was so funny when I met Bono for the first time, and I was like, ‘I used to sing ‘Pride’ in my rock band growing up,’” she added with a laugh. “It’s cool! You learn everything that came before you.”
While she admitted that she wants to avoid “overproducing” her performances and her work nowadays, Gaga also defended her continued interest in creating unique art and aesthetics to accompany her songs and albums.
“You know, music is something that you hear but then when you add the art to it, it really changes the way you feel and it changes the way you think about the song,” the “Mayhem” singer explained. “To me, it’s an awesome piece of music: the visuals.”
Having reached the end of her wings of death challenge with only a few red-in-the-face moments and tears shed, Gaga ultimately seemed happy with her “Hot Ones” performance. “My throat’s on fire, but I feel good. It was delicious,” she said. “I think I did pretty good.”
