Return to Amanda Palmer

Amanda Palmer, Jenny Owen Youngs
Date/Time:Thu., June 25, 8:00pm

Doll Revolution

By Falling James

Even with the Dresden Dolls on hiatus, singer-pianist Amanda Palmer has found plenty of ways of getting into trouble. The video for her song "Oasis," from her 2008 solo-album debut, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, was banned on British television, apparently because the powers that be were disturbed by its references to rape and religion. Another video, for "Leeds United," caused a fuss when Palmer claimed that her own label, Roadrunner Records, wanted to delete certain shots because it determined that she looked fat. This led to a grassroots campaign of fan-made, belly-centric videos sent to Roadrunner in the hopes that the label would release Palmer from her contract. She's always at the center of a whirlwind of activity, whether hammering out her alternately magnificent pop opuses or reveling in her doomy, moody balladry. And don't forget about her ongoing work as a performance artist, posing as a "living statue" in public places and organizing a crew of carny-minded allies. There's even a new book version of Who Killed Amanda Palmer, with photographs by Kyle Cassidy and accompanying text by the English graphic novelist/writer Neil Gaiman, who's reportedly dating Palmer.