On '60 Minutes,' Lady Gaga greets Anderson Cooper in her underwear, says she 'smokes pot' while writing songs, and is 'a master of the art of fame'

By

Published on February 13, 2011 12:00PM EST

Lady Gaga’s 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper was a delightful segment in which the singer-songwriter-performance-artist proclaimed, “I art-direct every moment of my life.” She claimed to be “honest all the time,” and said, “I smoke a lot of pot when I write [music] and drink whiskey… and I’m not gonna sugar-coat it for 60 Minutes… I drink a lot of whiskey and I smoke a lot of weed when I write.” (Cooper prefaced the interview by saying that “her comments about drugs may concern some parents.”)

Gaga’s self-awareness, along with her catchy tunes, makes her an interesting case of 21st century fame-plus-talent. She greeted Cooper during one of their numerous interview sessions in her underwear, carrying what looked like a hand-saw covered in tin foil. “I just didn’t want to wear any clothes today,” she said, as Cooper giggled and goggled. Of her fans, she said, “If I am open with them about everything, and yet I art-direct every moment of my life, I can retain a sort of privacy; I maintain a certain soulfulness.”

As a lead-up to The Grammys, the 60 Minutes interview presented a portrait of a performer who labeled herself a student of “the sociology of fame” seeking to inspire: “Let go of all your insecurities!” she exhorted a crowd, even as she told Cooper, “I’m still very insecure in very many ways.”

She also knows the narrative of contemporary stardom: “Everybody wants to see the decay of the superstar… what’s she going to look like when she [falls], when she overdoses.” She added, “I’m not a vomit-in-the-club kind of girl.”

“Isn’t that the age that we live in, that we want to see people who have it all, lose it all? It’s a movie.”

Coyly allowing the 60 Minutes segment to play only a snippet from her new single “Born This Way,” Gaga came across smart, funny, and shrewd.

What did you think?

For more: Lady Gaga reveals what she prefers to be called in bed

Twitter: @kentucker