Review: Lady Gaga's Bad Romance music video

That squeal you just heard? That’s hundreds of gay men who just reached the 3:27 mark of Lady Gaga’s new Bad Romance music video – the part where she prances about in outrageous, runway-fresh heels by Alexander McQueen.

That groan? That’s me struggling to put aside my disdian for pop culture long enough to enjoy the video for what it is: a bombastic orgy of fashion-cum-concept art with a side of dancing.

I’ll say it right up front. I think the song itself is down right atrocious. Fortunately the video is so wild that if you watch it on mute you might not even miss the audio.

In just five minutes Ms. Gaga manages to send up a flurry of pop culture references including Michael Jackson’s Thriller , Japanese anime and The Matrix. Influences range from Alice in Wonderland to artist Matthew Barney’s Cremaster cycle.

The real attraction though is Ms. Gaga’s wardrobe. She appears in no less than 12 outfits. Well, make that 11. In one scene she appears to be nude.

The outlandish nature of her clothes is only surpassed by her accessories. The opening shot of the video includes glasses made of razor blades. A polar bear rug, a flame-throwing bra and what can only be described as an oversized gyroscope also adorn her body in various scenes. To my dismay, not all three are worn simultaneously.

These outfits and acoutrements make even more of a splash against the stark white, institutional setting of the video.

The plot, if you can call it that, makes a vague allusion to human trafficking but by the time she’s auctioned to the highest bidder I’m only interested what she’s going to wear next.

Ms. Gaga has made her short career by promoting a kooky, mysterious image, and Bad Romance is no departure. It’s the kind of video I’d love to hate, but really, did you see that cotton candy pink wig?