Lady Gaga's Dad Paid Half Her Rent, And Other Fun Facts

Photoshop composite of what it probably looked like when Lady Gaga moved to the LES in the early aughts. Bad old days!

Recently Lady Gaga documented her return to the Lower East Side, traveling back to her old digs at 176 Stanton Street... and now she digs even deeper to her roots in this mini documentary, Inside the Outside, which aired on MTV.

In her little rock doc, she explains the perils of growing up wealthy and living four blocks from Lincoln Center, saying, "I became rebellious... I was kinda bad, I would go down to all kinds of places with my friends in the Village. When I grew up by Lincoln Center I wasn't able to access all of the things that were on the Lower East Side [ed. note: MTA]... it was like I needed to go fuck myself up and go lick the ground for a couple of years to understand New York City, and understand a whole different side of the pavement." Back in the early aughts that Lower East Side was rough!

Still, Gaga braved the mean streets on her own, and eventually even moved there, barely able to support herself with her dad only paying half of her $1,100 rent. Check out more of her sob story below.

Meanwhile, this Saturday the Lower East Side streets of her past will be flooded with Gaga look-a-likes, at least if all goes according to plan. The Go Gaga Look-A-Like Competition will be taking place at 6:30 p.m., but the party starts three hours earlier (more details in the below flyer).

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on June 2, 2011 11:56 AM

Comments [rss]

longislandicedshe

yall mad cos yalls daddys don't pay yur rent and no one knows who the h-u-r.

Guest

I hate this woman. Her phony blue blood accent infuriates me. Her phony stories are infuriating, too.

unretrofiedforu

I know PLENTY of girls like this. All little wannabe pseudo performers with way too much money and property upstate while not having enough talent to match.

Surprised even with that mug she was able to get where she is.

luke_1

perfect. I'm loving hating everything about this. It is the archetypical "sheltered rich kid leaves home" narrative.

randomtransplant

"I was kinda bad, I would go down"

So disappointed by the second half of this sentence. So, so disappointed.

Guest

The best part of this is that she probably had a roommate or two, so that 1100 was most likely only a third of the rent in her LES slum apt. Poor Gaga. And yes, I work in real estate, most kids these days have their parents paying their rent. The thing about her is that she tries to make it seem like LES was so awful when she lived there. It was already as safe as a playground overrun by toddlers. Not the craziness it was in the eighties.

iam draize

This is such a made biography...'I lived on the lower east side...' which is somehow supposed to remind you oh what...like Madonna? Pattie Smith?

Please...how long did she live in the LES...6 months? By the mid-nighties the whole area was already filled with schmancy rich people.

Daniel

Nah that happened sometime around the mid aughts, but there were signs of pioneers moving in earlier. Lower East side full on gentrification was a later mid aughts byproduct of Soho and the East Village filling up.

jibbly

I'd say by 99-00 the LES was still somewhat artist friendly - or at least music friendly. Then the venues started closing shop or moving elsewhere. What was it first? Brownies? Luna Lounge?

holdinicedteas

i can't watch the video because i'm at work, but isn't she only 24? when did she even live there? she would have been 18 or 19 in 2005 so...

J_Temperance

Yeah, I didn't truly understand the city until I licked its pavement. This woman is a fucktard.

TheOtherBob

In her defense, you will learn a lot from licking the pavement in New York City.

For example, that you shouldn't lick the pavement in New York City. (And that tongue herpes is for life.)

ihearttomjones

why is this shocking? most kids have their parents' paying for their entire rent these days. especially in this city.

Roncore

i feel nauseous.

ktinnyc

I'm probably the only person in American that cares but I think you wanted to write, "I feel nauseated."

There's a big difference.

yello10

"only person in American"? Correcting grammar while not checking your own writing is a bit, well, never mind.

Awesomer

OED: 1.a. Of a person, the stomach, etc.: inclined to sickness or nausea; squeamish. Obs. rare.
b. orig. U.S. Of a person: affected with nausea; having an unsettled stomach; (fig.) disgusted, affected with distaste or loathing.
Merriam Webster: 1: causing nausea or disgust : nauseating 2: affected with nausea or disgust
Of course, what do they know about what words mean?

TheOtherBob

Wait a gol-darned second...ain't that thar a furrin' dic-sho-nary? Dem furrin' books ain't never knowed nutin' bout how ter speak English, son.

Awesomer

Haha! Indeed. Although Merriam Webster is, let's face it, American.

For what it's worth Merriam Webster adds this usage note:
"Those who insist that nauseous can properly be used only in sense 1 and that in sense 2 it is an error for nauseated are mistaken."
I don't think that'll change anyone's mind, though.