After keeping journalists waiting for more than three hours at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Lady Gaga makes a mesmerizing appearance.(Photo by JUJIIN SAMONTE)

Lady Gaga sure knows how to work a crowd, even one on the brink of mutiny. Gliding across the room to meet a handful of reporters at an execrably overtime post-press conference roundtable, she is in her third costume change in an hour. This time, apart from a sequinned jacket and fishnets, she is sporting “Korea,” a custom-made platinum mane, with two pixie ponytails, from one of the “best wig makers” of that country. Suddenly docile, the reporters are in awe.

Never mind that she kept us all waiting the whole afternoon, three hours beyond fashionably late. Gaga isn’t just a dab hand at the odd “Love Game,” she, apparently, is a fast learner at this media circus, too: she immediately disarms even the most disgruntled journalist.

‘I’ve been talking about myself all day’, she says, charmingly, and with a grin, completely aware that everyone wants to know more about her. Who is this person that has invaded our lives, one “earworm”-inducing song after the next? A “monstrosity,” she refers to herself at one point.  “Schizophrenic,” complete with “crazy marbles.”

Yet we see more. We realize that her search for The Fame goes beyond an ambition for the life of the “rich and famous,” it’s an observation. “I read tabloids as if they were textbooks. I get inspiration from all over. Paris Hilton, Courtney Love, Lindsay Lohan with coke on her nose,” she says. The misfit in high school tells of how nothing has changed. “It’s not much different now. I’m not friends with celebrities and I don’t really like celebrities. I still feel like the weird girl.  Some of them seem to be a bit afraid of me. Or maybe they just don’t like me.”

None of this, she says, is new for her. “I felt famous five years ago. You just didn’t know about it. I lived this before my album was a success, I did this in New York City. I had wigs and makeup, so this is something that will always be with me.”

Gaga’s goal of longevity is evident in her future plans. From the sweaty dance clubs of New York, she is now bound for an arena tour in the Fall with Kanye West, and then a solo arena tour next year. “I will be ever changing,” she says, “and you will be watching.”  It is safe to say that we will.

Following are excerpts from the roundtable:

Your style has attracted global interest. Who are you wearing now? 

Lady Gaga: This is Vivienne Westwood, and these shoes are Yves Saint Laurent, and my hair is by a Korean hair designer. I have lots of wigs. I must have 30 wigs. It’s funny because in pop music it is very taboo to have hair extensions or wigs. A lot of female artists wear them but make an effort to hide it. I am very proud of my wigs. I have names for all of them.

You said recently in an interview that you didn’t have any influences. How possible is it to be 100 percent original?

Lady Gaga:  It is difficult to be original all of the time. But the challenge of an artist is to be contextually different. For instance, leather and bondage is not a new sexual thing for women. Madonna did it and she will forever be the one that did it and broke through. But I love bondage. I live in leather and lace, and I won’t deny myself from being able to express that. But the challenge is to do it in a new way, in a new context. I get inspiration from all over.

What’s the most boring thing about you?

Lady Gaga: There is nothing boring about me. Some people might think that I’m doing lines of cocaine in my bedroom or before I go on stage. The truth is I’m doing sit-ups and I’m praying.That’s probably the most boring thing.

You are very passionate about your family. Do you still have time to spend with them now that you’re on tour?

Lady Gaga:  Well, I haven’t seen them for a while but my family is my heart and soul. I’m very family-oriented. They’re very proud of me. Now what is so funny is that my father loves it now. Before it was kinda like… Well, I think he was worried for my sanity more than anything else. But they love my marbles, my crazy marbles. And the story I tell about my grandmother is true. She’s blind. She had a tumor several years ago and when she had surgery she woke up and couldn’t see anymore. But over time she developed an ability to see in certain spots. She can see light against dark. So when I wear no pants with a black leotard she can see my legs. She can watch TV, or my grandpa would put on the internet, and she can see my legs. So it became a funny, cute thing that I would wear no pants so my grandma can see me on TV.

Are you comfortable being called a “shock artist,” or do you feel that the word “shock” is too negative?

Lady Gaga: I don’t think “shock” is negative, but “shock” is not something that I’m in control of. It’s you. The audience is in control. Which is perhaps why my fans love my shows so much. It’s as shocking or not shocking as they choose to make it. But, to be perfectly honest, I think that work that is not provocative is boring. Provocation isn’t just limited to sexuality or nudity. It’s also political, it’s religious. It’s about defining what it means to be a lady. My fans tell me who I am every night.