Is Lady Gaga's Rolling Stone Interview A Sign She Needs A Break?

Gaga takes the critics to task in her latest "Rolling Stone" interview

Lady Gaga, hot off the heels of an album that has launched an all-out war between Apple and Amazon, is featured in this month's Rolling Stone, where she talks again about the criticism of her authenticity as a real artist. She had this to say:

Is it that you believe that I am attention-seeking or shock for shock's sake, or is it just that it's been a long time since someone has embraced the art form the way that I have? Perhaps it's been a couple of decades since there's been an artist that's been as vocal about culture, religion, human rights, politics. I'm so passionate about what I do, every bass line, every EQ. Why is it that you don't want more from the artist, why is it that you expect so little, so when I give and give, you assume it's narcissistic?

While there are certain parts of that quote I do agree with, I am actually really concerned about Gaga. Like the NME interview a month or so ago, Gaga was incredibly defensive and arrogant in a way that is unlike her and unbecoming of her. I can understand her frustration, but it seems like she is psyching herself out. Reading over the key parts of that quote, there is a line between confidence and egotism that she's crossing the wrong way over.

What I chalk it up to is exhaustion and stress. Both interviews were from the most hectic period of her life; the end of the Monster Ball Tour. I don't understand how someone couldn't be at the end of their rope after a 200-date tour of the world. When people are running low on their batteries, it helps to psych yourself up, which requires a heavy dose of arrogance and defense. I think that it is seeping though in those interviews. If you've seen Gaga in public as of late, you could see how happy and joyous she is, probably because she's been able to get some sleep.

My advice to Gaga is to spend a few months away from the bright glare of the stage. She is a millionaire, she has friends and family. Take a vacation or something. Write a whole new album. Just relax and enjoy the success she's fought hard for. DO NOT tour until 2012. If this current album era has proven, Gaga's "little monsters" aren't going anywhere.