Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

I am uncharacteristically somewhat lost for words when it comes to Amanda Palmer and her band The Dresden Dolls. I LOVE everything about them except maybe that they don't play at the Empty Glass every week.

It's possible that I might have lost my objectivity when it comes to her. I think she might be able to release a totally worthless album and burn my apartment down and I'd probably still think she was the greatest thing that had ever happened to music in the last 10 years.

I briefly met Amanda after a show in Columbus a few years ago. This is a bit of an embarrassing story but its one that I tell over and over again because of how it ends.

I KISSED HER MOTHERFUCKING HAND.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. The embarrassing part is that I got really really really drunk at this show. I'm talking 6-vodka-tonics-in-45-min-on-an-empty-stomach drunk. Falling down, leaning on Reannan the whole time drunk. I remember exactly two parts of the whole night - the cover of War Pigs and meeting Ms. Palmer and her amazing band mate Brian Viglione.

They were standing outside in the lobby of the venue signing autographs and meeting every single person who wanted to talk to them. As we waited in line, I slowly sobered up enough to stand on my own. By the time we said hello to them, I was really just loud and happy.

I was wearing a black bowler hat which I took off with an elaborate, old-fashioned, and very silly manner, lowering myself into a bow. She extended her hand which I grasped and promptly kissed. If she was shocked, offended or put put in anyway, I had no idea (on the other hand, I was drunk). They were both very gracious and friendly.

I heard an interview with them on NPR a while back. All about being a working band and the struggles that you deal with. I had never thought about how NOT RICH these guys were. Turns out that they were not clearing much more than I do a month, and quite a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get it. I had an epiphany about supporting artists that I care about. I have never been a big illegal downloader or anything. But I realized that it actually really made a difference to Brian and Amanda what I did to support thier music which I love so much.

So the actual change in my behaviour is fairly small for the most part. Then I see the come on for pre-ordering the new Amanda solo album. I really almost never do this. I am content to wait for things to come out in the store. She made a persuasive case though, sweetened the pot with the promise of special unreleased tracks, and made me feel good about supporting the music. So I pre-order.

And the album is GREAT. Highly extraordinary. Lovely. Just exactly what I wanted it to be; obviously an Amanda Palmer album, but also obviously not a Dresden Dolls one.

If you love the piano, if you love dark but whimsical music, if you just like chick singers, you could do a whole lot worse and not much better than "Who Killed Amanda Palmer."

Guess that is not much of a record review, but then again this isn't Rolling Fucking Stone either.