Amanda Palmer, Wonder Ballroom / All photos by John Rudoff
I have to admit, I am a relative newbie to the A.P. Fan Club having been introduced to Miz Amanda a couple of years ago by friends, Taylor and Andy. Walking into the Wonder Ballroom, with row upon row of folding chairs, one quickly realizes this isn’t the concert you thought you might be seeing, but in fact, a book tour as the title of the evening clearly states. The stage is set with a comfy couch, chair, table, lamp, and….. a keyboard. Yes! It looks like there will be music after all. The ballroom is packed with ardent fans, clutching their copy of Amanda’s newly released hardcover book, “The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help”, the follow up to her successful 2013 TED talk of the same name.
Amanda entered the stage wearing her signature kimono, carrying a bottle of Champagne, her book, ukulele, and a couple of wine glasses. She was exalted to be back in Portland and thrilled that her book was #8 on the UK
Palmer drinking with Storm Large
Bestsellers list and #7 on the New York Times’. Commenting on George W’s #1 slot, she said, “Just wait, hippies and ukuleles are gonna win!” She was feeling a little “under the weather” due to celebrating her bestseller spot the previous night, yet had been given the bottle of bubbles so she proceeded to uncork it on stage. Singing, “In My Mind“, she wove in the story of the last time she played in Portland. She had just broken up with a boyfriend that day, his sister gave her banana bread at the show, and his mother had written her a letter welcoming her into the family. She said she pretty much cried the entire show.
At times throughout the evening, Amanda would read excerpts from her book. She has a soothing storyteller’s voice, one that you could easily listen to, and we did, for hours. One story told of the years she busked as a living statue, “The Eight-Foot Bride”. During this time, “you learn how to be ignored but you have to learn how to get attention.” She wouldn’t look at the donor right away, never smiled with her mouth, but communicated with her eyes as she held out a flower for them to take after dropping a bill or two in her vessel. Sometimes they would take the flower, other times; they wouldn’t take it, especially the women, wanting her to give it to someone else instead.
How to make it in this business is a continual question among artists. Amanda is considered a crowdfunding pioneer and she shared one source with us, Patreon (empowering a new generation of content creators). It is a platform that allows patrons to donate a set amount of money every time an artist creates a work of art. Amanda mentioned one artist friend, Samantha Buckingham, whose patrons pledge anywhere from $1-100 for a song. As the pledge amounts rise, the perks the artist gives for that pledge increases, much like they do with Kickstarter. Unlike Kickstarter, however, Patreon doesn’t set a time limit, patrons can continue to pledge on a recurring basis for art, music, recipes, photos, writing, and so on.
Sitting at the keyboard, she performed, “Runs in the Family.” “I cannot run from my family/ they’re hiding inside me/corpses on ice/come in if you’d like/but just don’t tell my family.”
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Amanda spent a little time talking about her best friend, Anthony Martignetti, who has been battling leukemia. She has known him since she was nine and he lived next door with his wife. She read the part in her book where she pelted his house with snowballs one evening, trying to engage him in a snowball fight. Telling her to come back another time, he went inside where he and his wife were having a dinner party. Not long after, she pelted their picture window telling him, “I’m here to get gotten” when he asked why she’d returned. Another story she told was about the time she was 13, and hugged him for the first time. Not quite knowing how to hug, hers was like a “slowly falling pine tree” as her body leaned against his. He became her friend and confidant, never telling her what to do. Instead, he told her stories about his life, Zen masters, his father, grandfather, and so on. To this day, they talk most every day no matter where in the world they are. He will undergo treatment in a matter of days and Amanda intends on being there to support him and wife, Laura, for the duration, even if it means putting her tour on hold.
Friends since she sold merch for Amanda during the Dresden Dolls years, Whitney Moses came out to sing, “Delilah” from the “Yes, Virginia… album.” “And you thought you could change the world by opening your legs/well it isn’t very hard/try kicking them instead/by changing your perfume to the kind his mother wore/O god Delilah why?/I never met a more impossible girl.” If you’re interested in the back-story for this song, read here. Along with being a revered massage therapist, Whitney has her own band, Mid-Town Social, whose mission is to spread positive change through the means of culture, art, and music.
Amanda encourages community at each show by having a group come up onstage and ask for something. This evening, Connexus Dance Collective was featured. They are a non-profit partner dance center who facilitates connection and collaboration to explore body awareness. Their Nectar Fusion Project series was created as an experimental incubator for fusion partner dance to “push our creative edges, test new concepts, and strengthen community.” It is held every 2nd Friday from December through May.
Midway through the evening, musician, actor, playwright, and author, Storm Large, joined her onstage and remained for the rest of the show. If you have ever seen Storm, you know she is just as open as Amanda and thus, can imagine the raunchy, hilarious dialogue the two of them have together. You can hear their entertaining interview here.
Joining the two early on was freelance cartoonist, Erika Moen, (“Oh Joy Sex Toy”). The three women discussed everything from over sharing, women’s voice in the industry, menstrual periods, Lena Dunham, creativity/artistry, their mothers, and much more.
Despite a hangover, Palmer vividly re-created her ’8-foot bride’ encounters as a street performer.
The recurring theme of this tour is crowd sourcing, the downfall of the music industry, and what are we going to do about it. The issues are the same but the format is different, the delivery method has changed. We demand the act and we get it in real time with the advent of Twitter. Real news is now being viewed via Twitter. For example, on the day of the Boston Marathon bombing, Amanda was on Twitter for nine hours getting the news as it unfolded. This is a topic of great importance to Amanda and she’s doing what she can to change the landscape of it, sometimes to great backlash. Ever the pioneer, Amanda is not afraid of her detractors, and in fact, openly broadcasts and addresses their criticisms.
As all good things do, the evening came to an end. In a warm and fuzzy moment, Amanda shared that just that afternoon, 4 p.m. to be exact; someone twittered an article about a woman in Portland who runs a cuddling business. Deciding a cuddle was just what she needed, Amanda headed to Cuddle Up to Me on SE Burnside and for one hour, that is exactly what she received. Samantha Hess started this service because of the importance of touch on the human body. “Touch has the power to comfort us when we are sad, heal us when we are sick, encourage us when we feel lost, and above all else allow us to accept that we are not alone. When we experience touch it gives us physical, mental, and emotional well being.” Cuddle sessions are always platonic, filmed for the client’s protection, and are $1/minute for 15 minute sessions up to five hours. Amanda fell in love with the cuddle me concept and presented gift certificates to Storm and Erika, as well as one to be given randomly to someone during the book signing portion of the evening’s show.
Amanda closed out the show with her infamous “Ukele Anthem” to a standing ovation. Judging from audience reaction throughout the evening, I would say her fans were not disappointed, including this author. Amanda Palmer is loved fiercely in Portland. In response to her musings that she should move here, I would have to say, yes, Amanda, you should, you would fit right in here, and boy, would that give your fans something to Tweet about!!
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