A South Coast teenager has sparked an international media frenzy by publishing intimate backstage photos of Lady Gaga's dressing room after her Wollongong concert.Luke Bartle helped prepare for the concert, before photographing the performer's inner sanctum using his mobile phone, and taking her itinerary.Posting it all on the internet, the teenager said he "stalkerishly touched" the belongings, and "molested" an item of clothing.
GALLERY: Lady Gaga in WollongongThe material was originally posted on gossip blog Oh No You Didn't, but has since gone viral on several celebrity websites around the world.In an interview with the Mercury yesterday, the 17-year-old from Culburra Beach labelled the incident a massive "backfire". "Those words I used were just jokes. They were taken out of context ... Reading them made me think I was a freak," he said. "It's so embarrassing ... I've sort of invaded her privacy, which wasn't my intentions. It was just meant to be for her big fans".The teen was originally hired to help Lady Gaga's assistants in setting up the performer's dressing room for the Wollongong show."My friends at university were offered the job and I just tagged along with them," he said.About half an hour after Lady Gaga's departure from WIN Entertainment Centre last Monday night, he and a small group of others went to the dressing room."I didn't sneak in ... we were encouraged by the crew to walk around to make us look busy," he said.The teenager then proceeded to photograph different items in the room, before taking an itinerary which detailed schedules, hotels and sightseeing trips, including a visit to Nan Tien Temple."I blurred it (details on the itinerary) out so it wasn't so intrusive. I didn't expect it to be taken out of context so much," he said.Illawarra Venues Authority general manager Stuart Barnes said it was up to Lady Gaga's entourage whether any action would be taken."We followed through with our procedures," Mr Barnes said."When a staff member is accredited, they're allowed to be in certain parts of the building. If he'd got in the dressing room while she was in there, it would be completely different."The company responsible for Lady Gaga's tour declined to comment.
