Amanda Palmer recently broke a million dollars on the Kickstarter for her latest album, Theatre Is Evil. The original fundraising goal of the Kickstarter was $100,000. Here is a blog post wherein she talks about what she did with all that money. It involved a lot of wiggle room.

Now she's going on tour, and she's not paying her backing musicians. When people reacted badly to this, she wrote this blog post basically saying, "it's not about the money, it shouldn't be about the money, don't be mad because some musicians are happy to play for hugs and free drinks."

This intrigues me because of what it implies about her psychologically. I think the underlying problem here is that AFP doesn't understand how her social position has changed over time. She broke into the music scene in Boston, where there's a strong creative community that values art for art's sake and ideas like "it's not about the money." As she makes clear in that blog post, she used to be one of those struggling musicians who would happily play for bar peanuts. That's the kind of worldview she's coming from, and she's never shaken it off. She takes a lot of pride in that.

Which is fine, from an ideological perspective, but from a practical perspective, it means she acts like she's still a broke street performer. The way she talks about bumming off friends and family for eight months while putting together this record in the "what I did with my million bucks" post leads me to believe that she actually still thinks of herself as a broke street performer. Sure, she makes shit-tons of money, but then she spends it all on elaborate stage shows and music videos and Kickstarter rewards for her fans. If she pours everything she earns back into the art, I think she feels like it doesn't really count.

What it seems like she's missing, kind of ironically, is that social status isn't all about the money. She can spend every last cent in the bank on wigs and turntable decorations if she wants, as it sounds like she may have in fact done, and she'll still have fame, fans, and resources that put her in a position where it's very easy to take advantage of people. Yes, I'm sure there are many musicians out there who would jump at the chance to make music with Amanda Fucking Palmer on whatever terms she cares to specify. They might be the same people who would be perfectly willing to play a bar gig for free because a buddy asked them to. These situations are not the same, and the fact that AFP thinks they are makes it abundantly clear that she doesn't understand the influence she has. She uses it, constantly--did you see the part of that blog post about how she asks fans to bring free home-cooked dinner for her and her band at all the shows they play?--but she doesn't understand it.

Man, if you have a chance to see Tim Minchin live, do it. But maybe don't watch all his videos first, because his show is pretty much greatest-hits-of-YouTube. Which is totally fine! He put little twists on all his well-known stuff, and he did play a couple of songs I hadn't heard. And the standup was all new to me. But even if I'd already seen it all, his charisma in person makes his live show immeasurably better than the videos. It probably helped that the audience was so into it--I don't think I've ever seen a more enthusiastic crowd, they gave him three standing ovations.

The venue asked us not to take video, and I mostly didn't? But he started singing "Hallelujah," and after the first chorus with the whole audience singing, I couldn't help recording the rest. But there isn't any actual video, I kept it pointed at the floor so I wouldn't get nabbed by the security dudes. (Speaking of the security dudes, he got two of them to hug each other. It was adorable.)



Mike and I had a blast. Thanks, Mom and Bill! (And now I have the one song he didn't play, "Canvas Bags," stuck in my head because I spent the whole show expecting it.)

Poor vito_excalibur is currently host to a parasite that was supposed to depart her body some time ago, and asked for soundtrack suggestions to convey a message to her imminent offspring. So here's a mix.

YouSendIt download

Tracklist

Born Too Slow - Crystal Method
Born just a little too slow
Just a little too slow
Just a little too

Dans mon corps - Les Trois Accords
Dans mon corps, dans mon corps de jeune fille
Dans mon corps de jeune fille, il y a des changements
(In my body, in my body girl
In my body girl, there are changes)

There Is Life Outside Your Apartment - Avenue Q
I know it’s hard to conceive
But there’s life outside your apartment
And you’re only gonna see it if you leave

Don't Wait - Dashboard Confessional
Don't wait, don't wait
The road is now a sudden sea
And suddenly, you're deep enough

Don't Stay - Linkin Park
Sometimes I’m in disbelief I didn’t know
Somehow I need you to go
Don't stay

Leave - Barenaked Ladies
I've informed you to leave
'Cause I can't afford to lose more sleep

Here Comes The Flood - Divine Comedy
Here comes the flood
Rivers of blood, baby

The Great Escape - We Are Scientists
I got a great idea
I'm gonna wait right here

This Too Shall Pass - OK Go
You know you can't keep letting it get you down
And you can't keep dragging that dead weight around

The Finish Line - Snow Patrol
I think the finish line's a good place we could start
Take a deep breath, take in all that you could want

Mike: Back in Florida, there was an ad for John Hall Chevrolet. That would have amused me greatly if I'd known about King Missile back then.
Me: Dude, you know what would be awesome? A John S. Hall GPS voice. "At the next right, tie three hamsters in balloons to your belt."
Mike: "You have missed your turn. Turn around or I'll cut your balls off."
Me: "If what you just did was gay, turn left in one-half mile. Otherwise, continue straight."

This makes me insane amounts of happy, for serious and for true.



Yeah, I'm following the Killjoys stuff. I think concept albums are MCR's strength--I don't like most of their early stuff (they worked hard to deserve that reputation as the emo band), but Black Parade is pretty good, and the universe they're building around Danger Days is actually seeming really fantastic. I'm looking forward to the comic book even more than the album.

[Poll #1632217]

EDIT: Whoops, I forgot there are people who don't have crazybutsound and imagines on their flists, and therefore may not know who Ryan Ross is. He was the lyricist and guitarist for Panic! At The Disco, but he blew that joint a year ago and is now making what I consider to be some pretty respectable music as the lead singer and guitarist for The Young Veins, a "retro-inspired rock" group that kind of tries to be the Beatles and the Beach Boys at the same time. Here's one of my favorite TYV songs on YouTube.

( The list )

This is probably meant to mean the music I listen to, but really, my musical tastes aren't that interesting to talk about, so I am interpreting to my satisfaction.

I think I was about six when I decided I wanted to learn to play the violin. I have a rather impressively scattered history of teachers from all over the map stylewise. I started out learning from a UC Davis student looking to earn some cash who taught me whatever sheet music she happened to run across. This meant I kicked off my musical career with "Hall of the Mountain King," a few random classical pieces, an Irish jig, and the Star Wars theme song. I had a few lessons in the back room of a local music store with a guy I don't remember at all, then I moved on to Florie Brown. I knew her from the Celtic band Golden Bough, which I'd seen play at ren fests, and I was really excited to learn that style of music, but she turned out to teach by the Suzuki method. By that time, I'd learned enough of a variety of music that I had no patience whatsoever for Suzuki--you only got to work on one song at a time! Ridiculous!

Around then, or perhaps a few years later, I started taking community college classes. I happened to start the first semester that a particular class called World Music Ensemble was offered. It turned out to be the least structured and possibly the most fun class I've ever taken. We all showed up every Sunday, sat in a circle, and jammed for five hours. We played traditional music from around the globe, all painstakingly written out from memory by the teacher, an extreme hippie and very cool guy named Bob Wren. Halfway through the semester, we got our first paid gig. I kept playing with them until I left California--we usually used the money from gigs for pizza parties and so forth. I just googled for them, and it looks like the Sacramento Press did an article about them this year, so I guess they're still going after more than eight years. Which is totally awesome.

In Kansas City, I was led deep into several varieties of trouble by a girl named Leeanne, whom I met in French class. One of the many hijinks we got into was a "band" named Seoul (get it? Soul? Yeah, that was her idea) which consisted of her on the guitar and me on the bass. We formed the band because Leeanne wanted to enter a talent competition. I had never actually played the bass, but she assured me that this would not be a problem. I got in one ten-minute practice session at her house before she dragged me onstage and into what I'm sure was a truly awful rendition of "Cold Feelings" by Social Distortion, a song I had never even heard. I was hooked, and begged for a bass guitar for Christmas that year, which I received and named Milo.

The violin is currently in California at my grandpa's house. Milo is in Chicago with Clayton, who has been using it since I moved out three years ago and looked absolutely devastated when I mentioned the possibility of bringing it to Seattle now that I have room for it. I'd like to play music again; I'll probably retrieve the violin next time I visit CA.

I just heard this cute little song on Pandora. It includes a bunch of banter, as Barenaked Ladies are wont to do, but I've pared out most of it here.

A is for "aisle"
B is for "bdellium"
C is for "czar"
And if you see him, would you mind telling him
D is for "djinn"
E for "Euphrates"
F is for "fohn"
But not like when I call the ladies
G is for "gnarly"
H is for "hour"
I is for "irk"
J is for "jalapeno"
Good in either corn or flour... tortillas
K is for "knickknack"
L is for "llama"
(What's so strange about "llama"?
It starts with two Ls.
What's the second one for?
No idea.)
M is for "mnemonic"
N is for "ngomo"
O is for "ouija" board
P for "pneumonia," "pterodactyl," and "psychosis"
Q is for "qat"
R is for "argyle"
(No, it isn't.
Okay, you're right, I couldn't find a good R word.)
S is for "Saar"
A lovely German river
T for "tsunami"
A wave that makes me quiver
U is for "urn"
But not like earning money
V for "vraisemblance"
From French and therefore kind of funny
W for "wren," "wrinkly," and "who"
X is for "Xian"
An ancient Chinese city, true
Y is for "yiperite"
A very nasty gas
And zed's the final letter
And by final I mean last
(Okay, when you say "zed," for the benefit of our American friends, you really mean Z, right?
No, I mean zed. Like, Zed Zed Top.)

THE OLDER MEMBER OF HARRY AND THE POTTERS GOES TO CLARK

WHY DID NO ONE THINK TO TELL ME THIS BEFORE NOW

OMG

OMG

OMG

EDIT: He is actually the younger member. I was too excited to do math.

Wouldn't it be great if no one ever got offended?
And wouldn't it be great to say what's really on your mind?
I have always said all the rules are made for bending
And if I let my hair down, would that be such a crime?

I wanna be consequence free
I wanna be where nothing needs to matter
I wanna be consequence free

I could really use to lose my Catholic conscience
'Cause I'm getting sick of feeling guilty all the time
And I won't abuse it, yeah, I've got the best intentions
For a little bit of anarchy but not the hurting kind

I wanna be consequence free
I wanna be where nothing needs to matter
I wanna be consequence free

I couldn't sleep at all last night
'Cause I had so much on my mind
And I'd like to leave it all behind,
But you know it's not that easy
Oh, for just one night

Wouldn't it be great, if the band just never ended
We could stay out late and we would never hear life's call
We wouldn't need to worry about approval or permission,
We could slip off the edge and never worry about the fall

I wanna be consequence free
I wanna be where nothing needs to matter
I wanna be consequence free

--"Consequence Free" by Great Big Sea