411Mania Exclusive Interview: Amanda Palmer Of The Dresden Dolls
Posted by Morgan Marx on 03.07.2006
“We’re tied together by a love of music and a passion for performance.”
I've mentioned the Dresden Dolls frequently during my stay at 411. As both the band and I hail from Boston, I've watched as singer/pianist Amanda Palmer and drummer Brain Viglione have grown from local phenomenon to international cult group. Now, the band sits at that precarious "breaking" point. Their second album Yes Virginia is slated to be released this April 18th. The band has been tabbed by publications like Under The Radar and Spin as a breakout act of 2006. They are set to take the fervor that is their live performance across the globe. By this time next year, I wouldn't be surprised if the Dresden Dolls, with their blend of Brechtian Punk Cabaret, have achieved Arcade Fire-like status.
Taking a time out from shows in northern New England, Ms. Palmer spoke with 411 on topics ranging from the weariness of constant touring to releasing albums in the age of downloading. Many thanks to Amanda (for sparing her time), Roadrunner Records (for setting this up), and Emily, the Dresden Dolls tour manager (for coordinating). And best wishes to Brian, who is hopefully recovering from a really really bad fever…
Morgan Marx: How quickly have the last three years gone by for you?
Amanda Palmer: (Laughs) It's gone by extremely quickly. One of my problems in life is I find it really hard to remember where I was any given month in the last couple years.
MM: Has the band's success come as a surprise, or did you have some sort of idea that it would catch on as it has?
Amanda: I think that a lot of our success is due to our absolutely stringent optimism. (Laughs) Things have turned out the way they did. I think it probably came more of a surprise to other people than it did to us, we had a really strong belief that the band was gonna be something special the first time we played together.
MM: You've mentioned that connection with Brian before, that you're in "Rock Love" so to speak. Has the relationship changed over the past three years?
Amanda: It's deepened, it's gotten more complicated, and certainly stronger. But it's as simple as it was in the beginning in a certain sense. Basically, we're tied together by a love of music and a passion for performance. And that sort of eclipses any other parts of our relationship that sort of get muddled in the mix. It's basically, the higher truth of any relationship we have is that we really love to play together, and as long as we keep coming back to that, all the other problems seem to go away.
MM: Have you seen a change in you audience, specifically since you've been opening for bands like Nine Inch Nails?
Amanda: I think it's expanded in a lot of directions, which is really good. We've certainly seen a lot of younger people at our shows, but we've also seen a lot of older people as well. It's sort of, its been equally expanding in a lot of directions at the same time. Nine Inch Nails definitely opened us up to a lot more black clothing and piercings. I think the same could be said with the Indie scene slowly being exposed to the band. People who are basically just music fans hearing the music but knowing nothing about the aesthetic and the scene but loving it.
MM: With that expansion, do you ever worry that you'll lose the connection you share with the fans?
Amanda: No, I don't think that ever has to happen. I think that's what's so magical about the Internet, that I could be anywhere and log on to the net and feel like I'm right in the same place with the fans and communicate with them. That's a miracle really, I think it's fucking awesome.
MM: Speaking of the Internet, you're so upfront about yourself with your Diary on the site, how have you managed to stay grounded and not fallen into the cliched "Rock Star" lifestyle?
Amanda: Yoga. (Laughs) Yoga, and meditating, and not drinking too much.
MM: Is there a negative side to that as well? You seem keenly aware of your place in Rock music, was there a heightened sense of making the second album (Yes Virginia, due out April 18th) and avoiding the "Sophomore Slump," so to speak?
Amanda: Luckily, I don't think Brain and I had the typical hurdles facing other artists when they get to that Sophomore album, simply because we had two albums ready to go almost when we recorded the first one. So we didn't need to worry about that because we had really strong material. And the chemistry of the band, performance wise, we were as tight as ever from having been on the road for so long. We actually felt really confident that the second record would possibly blow away the first.
MM: Speaking of the new material, is there a noticeable difference between this album and the self titled release, if the songs were culled from the same period?
Amanda: I think the noticeable difference is isn't even so much in the songwriting as it is in the production. The songwriting may sound a little bit more mature and that would make sense because the period spanned from which the songs were culled is sort of more 23 – 29 as opposed to 15 – 23. But production wise there's no contest with the second record.
MM: How was it working with produces like Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie?
Amanda: It was amazing. They were experts. They totally knew how to achieve what it was we were trying to achieve, which was to get a really live, raw sound, to capture the energy of what the band does on stage.
MM: Did Brian play a greater part in the musical aspect on this record? I know he plays multiple instruments live, and if you were going for that live sound…
Amanda: He does, he plays bass, he plays guitar on a couple of the songs, and actually sings vocals on half the songs on the record. He did one negligible background vocal on the first record, so he's definitely more involved.
MM: How did you guys decide on the title of the new album, Yes Virginia?
Amanda: That actually came from a lyric in "Mrs. O," which is on the record. The lyric in "Mrs. O" was just a reference to the famous letter-to-the-editor, written by a little girl who asks the editor if there's a Santa Claus. And the famous line in his response is, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause." He goes on to explain how Santa Claus is a philosophical idea, rather than an actual man, but he sorta says that without actually coming out and saying it, and it's a beautiful, beautiful letter. He basically says, "Yes, there is a Santa Clause, and just because you can't see it doesn't mean you don't believe in it." That the most beautiful things in the world, and the most real things in the world you can't see, like Love and Romance. I really liked tying that in because while the song itself is very dark but the idea is very hopeful.
MM: In that same song you mention world events, and historical events (ex: Chernobyl, the Holocaust), do you think that the song is more relevant in today's cultural climate?
Amanda: I think it's relevant as long as people are going to deny history. I do have to say that the timing is crazy what with what's been going on in the past couple months.
MM: Exactly, it just seems, not fortuitous obviously, it just works so perfectly.
MM: Totally switching gears now, how difficult was it choosing a record label to work with on this new album?
Amanda: We have luckily found that they have let us do what we wanted, which was really why we signed with them (Roadrunner) in the first place. It was really important to us to maintain total creative control over the new album, and for the most part they've been very good about that.
MM: How is it sharing a label with the likes of Slipknot and Opeth?
Amanda: Well, I don't know (Laughs). The closest connection I have with Slipknot is seeing the poster on the wall when I go into label meetings.
MM: One of the issues that's affecting the musical market so much is downloading, and you seem to take a very accommodating view of sharing your live tracks and some of the studio tracks before the release of the new album. Is that because of the trust you have in your fans?
Amanda: Absolutely. I think more bands would do well by their fans to pay attention to the fact that the world is changing very quickly and that trying to hang onto the old models is really just ridiculous. Music is going to be shared, for free, on the Internet, no matter what. Period. If you're not encouraging it, you're discouraging it and you're foolish.
MM: Was Roadrunner supportive of that band decision?
Amanda: Yeah, they've basically been uninvolved, which I think is the best thing they can do. They should really stick to what record labels do best and let us stick to what artists do best. As long as people understand that when the record comes out, they can get something totally unique when they go into a store and buy it. Which they can, because there's about 30 panels of artwork that are beautiful. There are going to be people who download the record who never would have bought it in the store, and those people have our music when they might not have and that's fine.
MM: That's artistic side is important to the Dresden Dolls, how did you develop that?
Amanda: That's just a natural outgrowth of who I am. I've always been a media arts person, a person who loves creating visual art as well.
MM: You had fans themselves contribute to the artwork on this album?
Amanda: Yeah, that was very exciting. Basically, a lot of our fans were familiar with the songs anyway, from us playing them live at shows. We streamed (the songs) on the Net, posted the lyrics, and asked people to come up with artwork inspired by each of the songs and we got about 400 or 500 entrees. Of those, some of them I mixed together, some of them I put just one in whole, and then the packaging is very postmodern, it's sort of like we took the artwork and then we hung it in virtual galleries.
MM: We'll look forward to seeing that. Recently, you appeared solo at the MFA in Boston, do you think that extracurricular stuff helps within the band dynamic?
Amanda: I think it does, because our philosophy in the band is that we'll be happy and the band will be healthy as long as we feel like we can follow our own impulses and do whatever we want. So Brian has always supported my solo shows because he knows it's my way of working on my songwriting. And I fully encourage him to go do other projects.
MM: Right, drumming with other local Boston bands. Speaking of Boston, do you ever think you'll have to face the choice of leaving the city, for a more centralized location like NY or LA?
Amanda: I think about that occasionally, but I'm so permanently on the road right now that the idea of moving anywhere is laughable (Laughs).
MM: What upcoming tour plans do you have?
Amanda: The world. The next year is going to be America, Europe, Japan, Australia, China, Russia, South America…
MM: Are you looking forward to playing anywhere you haven't before?
Amanda: I'm really looking forward to playing in Eastern Europe and Russia. I think that's going to be fucking awesome.
MM: Do you think those audiences react to your material different than, say, an American audience would?
Amanda: Not really. We've found that one of the really cool things about touring is the audiences are super enthusiastic everywhere we go. It's really encouraging to be in New Zealand and find a crowd that's just as loud and just as excited.
MM: Last year you performed at Coachella in the US, and this year you're scheduled at the Bonnaroo Music Festival I believe…
Amanda: Uh huh
MM: Do you like playing those lager festivals with a new audience?
Amanda: The festivals are really hit and miss. We've had some brilliant experiences, at Coachella last year, which was just mind-blowing. We've also had some really shitty experiences with European festivals that we've did, that were just abominable, like, 40 degrees, raining (Laughs), totally unenthused audiences with the wind whipping us around. Festivals have so many factors, you never know what you're going to get.
MM: Are you looking forward to playing on the same bill as Radiohead (at Bonnaroo) though?
Amanda: That's going to be amazing…
MM: Ahh, that's great, I figured…
Amanda: We love the Radiohead.
MM: If you have time, I just have a few questions I wanted to get back to.
Amanda: Shoot.
MM: Are you ever surprised at the number of younger people who are attached to your music, especially because your songs seem to be so mature in an emotional sense?
Amanda: It's not surprising to me when I think about the kind of music I was listening to when I was a teen, you know. When I was 14 and 15 I was listening to Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, The Legendary Pink Dots, The Cure, and what have you. And even if I didn't totally get it I emotionally related and I think that's the important part. You've got to give the kids the credit.
MM: Do you ever feel the need to step forward and explain one of your songs, or do you leave it entirely up to the audience, in the case of a song like "Bad Habit?"
Amanda: I generally don't have a problem sharing with people what the songs are about, especially if they're being misinterpreted the way "Bad Habit" was. The other thing that people need to realize is that it's art, songs aren't all fact or all fiction for me, ever. That's one of the things I find really peculiar about song writing, is that when a screen writer or a playwright, for instance, is writing about a particular subject people don't automatically assume that it's autobiographical and confessional…
MM: Exactly, right
Amanda: But with a songwriter it's like everything you say is going to get picked apart and held up to your view on life. That's a little unfair in a way, but it's also a tool, and it's a game that you can play. I enjoy that game.
MM: Speaking of the screenwriter/playwright, you're working on a songbook that goes into the lyrics and music of the band. Is it tough for you to switch from being a songwriter to being an essay writer?
Amanda: Yeah, actual, it is difficult, I don't think that prose is my strong suite. I had to write an introduction, or rather I wanted to write an introduction to the songbook and it was extraordinarily difficult because I'm so used to writing in a fragmented style, to have to sit down and really write long stories together was difficult. I, of course, was very disappointed with myself, but just as I do when I make a diary entry I try to excuse myself with the fact that I don't consider myself a writer writer. I consider myself a songwriter.
MM: You get so much attention because of your appearance on stage, is that a fixed thing, or do you think that will evolve with time? Could you imagine playing with out the face paint?
Amanda: Yeah, there are plenty of times we do actually. I think once again, the rule is we do what we want when we feel like it. So when we feel like loosing the make up, we do, and we will, and when we feel like dressing in drag, we will (Laughs), and when we feel like playing naked, we will. It's that freedom to do what we want that keeps us passionate about performing. I never want to feel like we're KISS.
Thanks so much once again to everyone involved with this interview.
