In case you weren’t in middle school during the second Bush administration, let me refresh you: MTV’s Boiling Points was a show that put celebrities in hyper-stressful situations to see how long they would last. In a Season 3 episode, Gaga—then still two years away from releasing her debut studio album—ultimately lost her cool at the thought of eating a trash-covered meal at a New York City restaurant, which, I must say, is kind of fair.
2006: Live musical performance with the Stefani Germanotta Band at the Bitter End in New York City
The artist now know as Lady Gaga’s delivery of the words “Hey, guys…WHAT’S UP?” in this video will likely remain with me until the end of my days. Back in the early aughts, she was known for performing regularly at downtown New York City fixtures including the Bitter End and the Cutting Room, and if you went to NYU at any point around 2006, you probably saw her perform without knowing it. (I, of course, am seething with jealousy.)