Local Academics to Debate Rich Symbolism of “Poker Face” Lyrics

Duluth, MN, August 13
It’s an almost inarguable fact acknowledged by most experts who have contemplated the lyrics of the Lady GaGa hit: Poker Face is a game-changer. It’s a song crafted with such divine lyrical wisdom that it seems to have dripped from the very lips of some omniscient being.

St. Scholastica will play host to a meeting of some of the nation’s foremost poets and linguistic analysts this Sunday, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Mitchell Auditorium. 
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The “P-p-p-poetry and P-p-p-Politics of Poker Face Symposium” will feature a lively debate between experts, followed by a panel discussion centering on questions and discussion points posed by audience members.

Dr. Les Arntesen, PhD. of the University of Arizona is a twenty-year veteran of poetry and lyrical studies, and was among the first to place his name on the symposium roster.

“You just hear these words… ‘Can’t read my, can’t read my, no he can’t read my poker face,’ and you realize that what Lady GaGa’s expressing is something that speaks to the tragedy of global illiteracy. Not many people want to talk about that issue right now,” Arntesen stated.

Anne Lansing from the Philadelphia Academy of Songwriters furthered,
“…’I’m bluffin’ with my muffin’, I’m not lyin’, I’m just stunnin’ with my love glue-gunnin’. This is like early Dylan- it’s rough, it’s honest, it says things that we—we as a culture-- are afraid to acknowledge, despite the fact that we share these experiences.”

Previous symposiums on the subject have presented a great deal of controversy for sponsoring institutions. As recently as June, a heated debate occurred at Penn State University, and several angry audience members had to be tasered and removed from the premises.

St. Scholastica staff indicate that they are confident the event will proceed uneventfully. Spokeswoman Bonnie Blatz told the Bunyan that the college will temporarily step up security during the symposium.

“Our main concern is that we encourage the free-flow of discussion. There is a lot to be learned by studying and sharing the meaning behind these lyrics. We want to be part of fostering positive change in the world, and that kind of thing only happens when we lift up our voices in tune with those of people like Ghandi, the Dalai Llama, and Lady GaGa.”

Free chips and Snapple will be served at the symposium, thanks to the generosity of Duluth-area Little Stores.