It seems stealing some stage time and smearing yourself in blood will do wonders for your career, as Kanye West and Lady Gaga discovered when both decided to postpone their joint world tour after alleged poor ticket sales.

The news comes after a truly chaotic series of events transpired at the recent MTV Awards in the US in which Kanye (should be general knowledge by now really) made, as Obama puts it, a “jackass” of himself, by yanking the mic out of a bewildered Taylor Swift’s hands as she tried to accept her award, followed by Lady Gaga playing the piano with her foot and smearing herself in fake blood as though she was the illegitimate love child of a baffled white witch and Ozzy Osbourne.

Rumours are flying as to the reasons behind the postponement, but no one’s talking. Both the Kanye and the Gaga camps have battened down communications. The best Lady Gaga’s people could offer was that it was a “mutual decision” and that she will embark on a solo tour while West takes time off.

The old standard has been trotted out too; creative differences may have been a factor, as both artists were reportedly sharing the stage and foregoing the painful experience of relegating one for the opening slot, which is an instant recipe for an ego-filled disaster.  And the cost of tickets has been touted as the straw that broke the camel’s proverbial back, with promoters hitting fans up for $US150 a ticket and a whopping $US500 for VIP tickets.

Watch this space, because this is bound to be only the beginning for this unravelling spectacle. With two of music’s biggest egos and most outspoken creative forces at the helm, it’s gonna get ugly.

- Carley Hall