When in Rome, of course you must do as the Romans do. And when in Afghanistan fighting Operation Enduring Freedom, do, in your downtime, as Gaga does.
Members of the 82nd Airborne Division have posted their remake of her bonanza “Telephone” video, and considering their severely limited resources, it’s pretty ingenious—no Marlboro Lights eyewear or Miracle Whip, just duct tape, fatigues, and a plywood-and-garbage-bag set. Watch the boys getting k-kinda bizz-ay in the barracks:
What do you think, viewers? It may not have the production values of other recent “Telephone” parodies (or even the double-x chromosomes), but Mr. Big Stuff had me at the handclap/heart-pump at 0:54, and the whole scene goes pretty fearlessly Desert Storm Village People at 1:38.
The Smoking Gun reached out to the video’s poster, married 24-year-old soldier Aaron Melcher, who declined to answer questions, saying the video was only intended for friends and family, “and you can see that it has blown up way more than that … nobody in the video would like any further media coverage.” Participant James Conley (a.k.a. “Beyonce”) wrote on Facebook, “this is what people do with they free time in Afghanistan. Its crazy out here. And yeah i’m in it too.”
Considering the danger, tedium, and general stress these guys face over there every day, I applaud their use of extracurricular Gaga-based activities. “Just Dance” marines, you’ve been served.
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)
More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Christina Aguilera’s ‘Not Myself Tonight’ video: Gone totally (Lady) Gaga, Madonna, or just desperate for relevance?
New Christina Aguilera, ‘Not Myself Tonight’: Listen and weigh in here!
The Killers’ Brandon Flowers announces solo album: ‘Flamingo’
Eminem is ‘Not Afraid’: first ‘Recovery’ single hits the web
Hear a spunky new track from our favorite recent alt-country discovery, Elizabeth Cook!
Glee’s Madonna tribute knocks Justin Bieber off No. 1 spot








funny. God Bless the mean green machine!!!
AMEN! So hot. Made my day.
…and if people don’t like it, then the terrorists win.
So wait. Tell me again why, when you even quote the guy as saying that he would like no further media coverage, you still post the video. C’mon guys. It’s not huge, breaking news, and there is plenty of other stuff to talk about. Why disrespect their wishes so blatantly?
Don’t ask. Don’t tell.
That’s exactly what I was thinking!
who says there are no gays in the military???
Honey, we don’t have to ask and they don’t have to tell
I really like the big one in the background wearing the giant black signed with “telephone” in yellow letters.
But honey, gay people should be able to serve with dignity and honor like everyone else in the military, right?
These guys are AWESOME! WTG guys!
As a gay man, my gaydar is going BEEP BEEP BEEP, especially for the skinnier guy in the first couple scenes.
My gaydar didn’t go off.
All I saw was a group of guys trying to have fun and combat the pressures of living in a stressful environment.
To which I say: great for them! The video made me smile.
You’re an idiot. Who cares what your gaydar says? I think it’s cool as hell.
how is he an idiot for expressing what he thinks/feels? It’s neanderthal knuckledragger @$$holes like you that so many gay men in the military won’t come out. The video IS cool as hell and it doesn’t/shouldn’t matter whether those in the video are gay or straight.
LOL, wtf.
It’s awesome to see they’re having fun while they’re over there. God bless.
Seriously, props! The rounder one with the solo has moves! See you guys in a few months!
Considering they’re over there in that god forsaken wasteland, fighting god knows who for god knows what reason, and i’m sitting here in my cubicle wondering if i’m going to have to push my tee time back til 5:30… yeah, they can pretty much do whatever they want to let off a little steam!
Amen jeff
Very well said! Glad to see that they find ways to have fun and be lighthearted.
agree!
I love these guys. After all the stress they encounter over there, it is good to see them use creative humor. Stay safe!
LOVE THIS. Why can’t we live in a polyandrous society where I can take each of them as my husband, in addition to the husband I already have?? I hope they complete their missions and stay safe! And I feel sort of bad that this has gone so public when they apparently don’t want it to…maybe that’s the price of being so awesome? Take care, guys.
I LOVE IT!
I’m so proud of them keeping their sense of humor and just having fun. Keep up the morale, all!
Sending love and support to you all.
This is awesome.
It’s really great to see them doing stuff like this with all the crap they have to go through. I also applaud them for everything.
Love it! Have fun and to any generals who want to repremand – I will agree to contribute if you let these guys do a telethon for the war effort. Love the US military!
Put a smile on my face.
Gross. Nothing uglier than gay men.
Nothing uglier than ignorance.
You’re gross. Don’t be a hater.
re, you clearly haven’t looked in a mirror recently…
You’re not even close to being a decent troll. Grade: F
You MUST be from Kansas!
I guess you don’t count?
Wake up, you’re in a new world now. The gays are all right.
Actually, a lot of hot guys are gay. Shame for me.