Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo

The Dresden Dolls The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer (lead vocals and piano; additional: keyboards, harmonica, ukulele) and Brian Viglione (drums and backing vocals; ad ...

. She performs as a solo artist and was also a member of the duo

Evelyn Evelyn Evelyn Evelyn are a fictional musical duo created by Amanda Palmer (of The Dresden Dolls) and Jason Webley. According to the backstory provided by Palmer and Webley, the duo consists of conjoined twin sisters (aka "Eva" and "Lyn"), Evelyn and ...

, and the lead singer and songwriter of Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra. She has gained a cult fanbase throughout her career, and was one of the first musical artists to popularise the use of crowdfunding websites.

Early life

Palmer was born Amanda MacKinnon Palmer in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

's Mount Sinai Hospital, and grew up in

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...

. Her parents divorced when she was one year old, and as a child she rarely saw her father. She attended Lexington High School, where she was involved in the drama department, and later attended

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

where she studied theater and was a member of the Eclectic Society. In 1999, Palmer founded the Shadowbox Collective, a performance group devoted to

street theatre Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves, college or university c ...

and putting on theatrical shows (such as the 2002 play, ''Hotel Blanc'', which she directed). Palmer briefly studied under

Marcel Marceau Marcel Marceau (; born Marcel Mangel; 22 March 1923 – 22 September 2007) was a French actor and mime artist most famous for his stage persona, "Bip the Clown". He referred to mime as the "art of silence", and he performed professionally worldw ...

in 2000. Palmer graduated from Wesleyan University with a BA in 1998. Palmer then spent several years

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

as a

living statue A living statue is a performer who poses as a statue or mannequin, usually with realistic statue-like makeup, Performances are commonly on the street busking but may also be at events where the artist is paid. A living statue attraction, as a pe ...

called "The Eight Foot Bride" in

Harvard Square Harvard Square is a triangular plaza at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street near the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The term "Harvard Square" is also used to delineate the busin ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

;

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland;

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Germany and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia (where she met future collaborator

Jason Webley Jason Webley is an American musician known for his sincere fusion of folk, experimental, and alternative music. Webley plays the guitar and accordion, sometimes providing percussion by stomping or shaking a plastic vodka bottle filled with coins ...

); and many other locations. She refers to her street performance work in

song "The Perfect Fit", as well as on the ''

A is for Accident ''A Is for Accident'' is the debut live album by American dark cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, a collection of live and studio recordings from 2001–2003, which was released on May 27, 2003 by Important Records. Future pressings were handled b ...

'' track "Glass Slipper".

Career

2000–2007: The Dresden Dolls and ''The Onion Cellar''

Amanda Palmer - Dresden Dolls (241481991)

At a

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

party in 2000, Palmer met drummer

Brian Viglione Brian Viglione (born May 16, 1979, in Greenville, New Hampshire) is an American drummer best known for his work with The Dresden Dolls and Violent Femmes. He was also a prominent member of New York City's cabaret punk orchestra The World/Inferno F ...

and afterwards they formed The Dresden Dolls. In an effort to expand the performance experience and interactivity, Palmer began inviting Lexington High School students to perform drama pieces at the Dresden Dolls' live shows. This evolved to The Dirty Business Brigade, a troupe of seasoned and new artists, performing at many gigs. In 2002, after developing a

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

, the band recorded their

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

debut album, ''

'', with producer

Martin Bisi Martin Bisi (born 1961) is an American producer and songwriter. He is known for recording important records by Sonic Youth, Swans, John Zorn, Material, Bill Laswell, Helmet, Unsane, The Dresden Dolls, Cop Shoot Cop, White Zombie, Boredoms, Ang ...

(of Indie, Brooklyn, New York fame). They produced the album before signing with the label

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in t ...

. In 2006, ''

The Dresden Dolls Companion ''The Dresden Dolls'' is the debut studio album by American dark cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls. It was recorded by Brooklyn producer Martin Bisi and released on September 26, 2003 on 8 ft. Records, the band's personal label. Upon signing wi ...

''The Dresden Dolls Companion, by Amanda Palmer, eight foot music publishing, June 2006, was published, with words, music and artwork by Amanda Palmer. In it she has written a history of the album ''The Dresden Dolls'' and of the duo, as well as a partial autobiography. The book also contains the lyrics,

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

, and notes on each song in the album, all written by Palmer, as well as a DVD with a 20-minute interview of Amanda about making the book. Palmer conceived the musical/production ''

The Onion Cellar ''The Onion Cellar'' is a play that premiered at the American Repertory Theater's venue, the Zero Arrow Theater (now Club Oberon), in Cambridge, Massachusetts from December 9, 2006 to January 13, 2007. It is a cross between a musical, cabaret s ...

'', based on a short story from ''

The Tin Drum ''The Tin Drum'' (german: Die Blechtrommel, ) is a 1959 novel by Günter Grass. The novel is the first book of Grass's ' (''Danzig Trilogy''). It was adapted into a 1979 film, which won both the 1979 Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best ...

'' by

Günter Grass Günter Wilhelm Grass (born Graß; ; 16 October 1927 – 13 April 2015) was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in the Free City of Da ...

. From December 9, 2006, through January 13, 2007, The Dresden Dolls performed the piece in conjunction with the

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

at the Zero Arrow Theatre in

. While Palmer was openly frustrated with the direction of the show, fan and critical reviews were very positive. In June 2007, as part of the Dresden Dolls, she toured with the

True Colors Tour 2007 True Colors was an annual music event created by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper. The concerts were headlined by Lauper and featured various music and comedy acts. Beginning in 2007, the trek supported the Human Rights Campaign, Parents, F ...

, including her debut in New York City's

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...

, and her first review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Though the Dresden Dolls broke up in 2008, Palmer and Viglione have continued to collaborate, and have had several minor reunions under the band name in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

2007–2010: ''Who Killed Amanda Palmer'', ''Evelyn Evelyn'', and theatrical work

In July 2007, Palmer played three sold-out shows (in Boston, Hoboken, and NYC) in a new "with band" format. Her backing band was Boston alternative rock group

Aberdeen City gd, Comhairle Cathair Obar Dheathain , native_name_lang = , other_name = , image_skyline = Town House, Municipal Offices and Court Houses in Aberdeen.jpg , image_caption ...

, who also opened along with Dixie Dirt. In August 2007, Palmer traveled to perform in the

Spiegeltent A spiegeltent (Dutch for "mirror tent", from '' spiegel''+''tent'') is a large travelling tent, constructed from wood and canvas and decorated with mirrors and stained glass, intended as an entertainment venue. Originally built in Belgium during ...

and other venues at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

in Scotland, and also performed on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

's ''The Edinburgh Show''. She collaborated with Australian theater company The Danger Ensemble; both again appeared at the Spiegeltent in Melbourne and at other venues around Australia in December 2007. Evelyn Evelyn by Kyle Cassidy

In September 2007, Palmer collaborated with

to launch the new project

with the EP '' Elephant Elephant''. In the project, the duo play conjoined twin sisters named Eva and Lyn, and through their music tell their fictional backstory. In July 2008, the Dresden Dolls released a second book, the ''Virginia Companion'', a follow-up to ''The Dresden Dolls Companion'', featuring the music and lyrics from the '' Yes, Virginia...''(2006) and '' No, Virginia...'' (2008) albums, produced by Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie. In June 2008, Palmer established her solo career with two well-received performances with the

Boston Pops The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...

Her first solo studio album, ''

Who Killed Amanda Palmer ''Who Killed Amanda Palmer'' is the first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer. The album was largely recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, with collaborator Ben Folds and was released on Roadrunner Records (also home to T ...

'', was released on September 16, 2008.

Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...

produced and also played on the album. The title is a play on an expression used by fans during ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...

'' original run, "Who killed

Laura Palmer Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC original series ''Twin Peaks''. A high schoo ...

?" A companion book of photos of Palmer looking as if she were murdered was released in July 2009. Titled ''Who Killed Amanda Palmer a Collection of Photographic Evidence'', it featured photography by

Kyle Cassidy Kyle Cassidy (born October 31, 1966) is an American photographer and videographer who lives in West Philadelphia. He holds a BA in English from Rowan University, and also holds an MCSE. He is the author of the book ''Armed America: Portraits o ...

and stories by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

, as well as lyrics from the album. In late 2008, she toured Europe with Jason Webley,

Zoë Keating Zoë Clare Keating (born February 2, 1972) is a Canadian-American cellist and composer once based in San Francisco, California, now based in Vermont. Music career Keating performed from 2002 to 2006 as second chair cellist in the cello rock band ...

and The Danger Ensemble, performing songs mostly from her debut solo album. She did most of the shows with a broken foot she had sustained in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

when a car ran over her foot as she stepped out into a street. In April 2009, she played at the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

. In 2009, Palmer went back to her alma mater, Lexington High School in Massachusetts, to collaborate with her old director and mentor Steven Bogart on a workshop piece for the department's spring production. The play, ''With The Needle That Sings In Her Heart'', was inspired by

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock ...

's album ''

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea ''In the Aeroplane Over the Sea'' is the second studio album by American rock band Neutral Milk Hotel, released on February 10, 1998, by Merge Records. The music is predominantly indie rock and psychedelic folk, and is characterized by an inte ...

'' and ''

The Diary of Anne Frank ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...

''. NPR's Avishay Artsy interviewed the cast on

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

. In 2010 Palmer returned to the A.R.T. for a two-month run of ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...

'', starring as the Emcee. The same year The Dresden Dolls reunited for a United States tour starting on Halloween in New York City and ending in San Francisco on New Year's Eve. On March 30, 2010 Palmer and Webley released their debut self-titled album as Evelyn Evelyn. This was accompanied by a worldwide tour and graphic novel based on the story of the sisters. Palmer began using the ukulele during a concert as a goof, but soon it became a regular part of her repertoire. Later, she recorded a full album with ukulele accompaniment: ''Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele''.

2012–2014:''Theatre Is Evil'' and ''The Art of Asking''

On April 20, 2012, Palmer announced on her blog that she launched a new album pre-order on

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

. The Kickstarter project was ultimately supported by 24,883 backers for a grand total of $1,192,793 — at the time, the most funds ever raised for a musical project on Kickstarter. A widely reported and commented upon controversy emerged from the related tour when Palmer blogged asking for "semi-professional" local musicians (fans who were already planning on attending various stops on the tour) to volunteer to play a couple of songs with her and her band, The Grand Theft Orchestra, during their live shows for "exposure, fun, beer and hugs" instead of money. After outcry from various music unions and professional musicians, Palmer responded publicly and changed her policy to one of paying local musicians cash (in addition to the aforementioned fun, beer and hugs). The album, ''

Theatre Is Evil ''Theatre Is Evil'' is the second studio album by Amanda Palmer, and first with her band The Grand Theft Orchestra. It was released on September 7, 2012 in Australia, on September 10, 2012 in the United Kingdom and Europe, and September 11, 201 ...

'', was recorded with The Grand Theft Orchestra, produced by

John Congleton John Congleton is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, engineer, mixer, writer and musician. In addition to his production work, Congleton has fronted the alternative rock band the Paper Chase, and writes music for a newer project e ...

, and released in September 2012. On November 9, 2012, Palmer released the music video for "Do it With a Rockstar" on

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyb ...

' website. The video was co-created and directed by

Wayne Coyne Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, theremin player and songwriter for the band the Flaming Lips. Early life Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...

, lead singer of The Flaming Lips. Subsequent videos were released for "The Killing Type" and "The Bed Song". On August 9, 2013, Palmer made her

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

debut. In November 2014, Palmer released her

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

, ''

The Art of Asking ''The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help'' is a 2014 memoir by American musician Amanda Palmer with a foreword by Brené Brown. It covers Palmer's early days as a performer through to her musical career then. Palme ...

'' (), which expands on a

TED talk TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

she gave in February 2013. The book made

the New York Times Best Seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

. The book also received several critical reviews, most notably from

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

2015–2018: ''You Got Me Singing'', ''I Can Spin a Rainbow'', and Patreon

On March 3, 2015, Amanda began soliciting financial support on the crowdfunding platform

Patreon Patreon (, ) is a membership platform that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service. It helps creators and artists earn a monthly income by providing rewards and perks to their subscribers. Patreon charges a co ...

."Amanda Palmer answers to herself and her fans"
''Toronto Star'', November 11, 2016. Ben Rayner. Palmer spoke at the 2015

Hay Festival The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, better known as the Hay Festival ( cy, Gŵyl Y Gelli), is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for 10 days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, t ...

about the prospect of reconciling art and motherhood. The talk was recorded for the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

series ''Four Thought'' and broadcast on June 21, 2015. Also in 2015, she served as a judge for The 14th Annual Independent Music Awards. During the first months of 2016, she released the completely Patreon-funded song "Machete", and a

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

tribute EP, entitled ''Strung Out In Heaven: A Bowie String Quartet Tribute''. Amanda Palmer collaborated with her father, Jack Palmer, to record an album entitled ''You Got Me Singing''. They performed concerts in July 2016 in support of the album. Amanda Palmer collaborated with

Legendary Pink Dots The Legendary Pink Dots (LPD) are an Anglo-Dutch experimental rock band formed in London in August 1980. In 1984, the band moved to Amsterdam, playing with rotating musicians and having, as core members, singer/songwriter/keyboardist Edward Ka- ...

frontman

Edward Ka-Spel Edward Sharp, better known by his stage name Edward Ka-Spel, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, born in London on 23 January 1954, to a family with East Anglia connections. He is best known for his work with the band The Legendary Pin ...

to record an album, ''

I Can Spin a Rainbow ''I Can Spin a Rainbow'' is a collaborative studio album by American singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer and English singer-songwriter Edward Ka-Spel of The Legendary Pink Dots. In a blog post on her official website, Palmer explained the backstory o ...

''. The duo toured in May and June 2017 in support of the album, backed by Legendary Pink Dots' former violin player Patrick Q. Wright.

2019–present: ''There Will Be No Intermission'' and podcast

On March 8, 2019, Palmer released her third solo studio album and first in seven years, ''

There Will Be No Intermission ''There Will Be No Intermission'' is the third solo studio album by American musician Amanda Palmer. It was released on March 8, 2019, through Cooking Vinyl. It was crowdfunded through Patreon and recorded by Palmer in collaboration with John Con ...

''. The album was promoted by an extensive world tour that was filmed for her patrons on Patreon. In fall 2020, Palmer launched a podcast called ''The Art of Asking Everything''. On October 31, 2020, Palmer and Viglione performed "

Science Fiction/Double Feature "Science Fiction/Double Feature" is the opening song to the original 1973 musical stage production, ''The Rocky Horror Show'' as well as its 1975 film counterpart ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'', book, music and lyrics by Richard O'Brien, music ...

" to open the

Wisconsin Democrats The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public educa ...

Livestream fundraiser that reunited some original ''

Rocky Horror Picture Show ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' is a 1975 Musical film, musical comedy horror film by 20th Century Fox, produced by Lou Adler and Michael White (producer), Michael White and directed by Jim Sharman. The screenplay was written by Sharman an ...

'' cast members to act out the show with additional stars and singers.

Personal life

Amanda Palmer - Arena Vienna 2011 a10 Neil Gaiman

Palmer lived for more than a decade in an independent artists cooperative named The Cloud Club in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts. Palmer is

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

, telling

afterellen.com AfterEllen (also known as AfterEllen.com) is an American culture website founded in 2002, with a focus on entertainment, interviews, reviews, and news of interest to the lesbian and bisexual women's community. The site covers pop culture and lifes ...

in 2007: "I'm bisexual, but it's not the sort of thing I spent a lot of time thinking about," Palmer said. "I've slept with girls; I've slept with guys, so I guess that's what they call it! I'm not anti trying to use language to simplify our lives." Palmer has spoken out on feminist issues and about her open relationships, stating in one interview that "I've never been comfortable in a monogamous relationship in my life. I feel like I was built for open relationships just because of the way I function. It's not a reactive decision like, 'Hey I'm on the road, you're on the road, let's just find other people.' It was a fundamental building block of our relationship. We both like things this way." Palmer has said that she once worked as a

stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. M ...

under the name Berlin. She has stated that the song "Berlin" was written about this experience. Palmer has had three abortions, and her song "Voicemail for Jill" is about these experiences. Palmer and author

confirmed their engagement in 2010. The couple married in a private ceremony in January 2011. The wedding took place in the parlor of writers

Ayelet Waldman Ayelet Waldman ( he, איילת ולדמן, born December 11, 1964) is an Israeli-American novelist and essayist. She has written seven mystery novels in the series ''The Mommy-Track Mysteries'' and four other novels. She has also written autobio ...

and

Michael Chabon Michael Chabon ( ; born May 24, 1963) is an American novelist, screenwriter, columnist, and short story writer. Born in Washington, DC, he spent a year studying at Carnegie Mellon University before transferring to the University of Pittsburgh, gr ...

. They have a son, Anthony "Ash", born on September 16, 2015, named for Palmer's close friend and mentor (and childhood next-door neighbor), the author and psychotherapist Dr. C. Anthony Martignetti, who died on June 22, 2015. In March 2020, Palmer was on the final leg of her international tour in support of her latest album, ''

'', when countries started grounding flights and locking down borders due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Palmer, Gaiman, and their son were in

Havelock North Havelock North ( mi, Te Hemo-a-Te Atonga) is a town in the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, situated less than 2 km south-east of the city of Hastings. It was a borough for many years until the 1989 reorganisation of local ...

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

when on 25 March 2020, New Zealand's government announced that the whole country would move to COVID-19 Alert Level 4: complete lockdown and quarantining of people within their own homes. In May 2020, Gaiman traveled from New Zealand to his holiday home on the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

, breaking lockdown rules imposed during the

. Ross, Skye and Lochaber MP

Ian Blackford Ian Blackford (born 14 May 1961) is a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the House of Commons from 2017 to 2022. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ross, Skye and Lochaber since 2015. Or ...

described his behaviour as unacceptable and dangerous. Gaiman published an apology on his website, saying he had endangered the local community. After Gaiman's departure, Palmer announced on her Patreon that she and Gaiman had separated and requested privacy. Gaiman stated in a blog post that their split was "my fault, I'm afraid" and also requesting privacy. The couple later released a joint statement clarifying that they were not, however, getting divorced. They reconciled in 2021. In November 2022, Palmer and Gaiman announced in a joint statement that they were going to divorce. Palmer practices yoga and

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

and wrote an article titled "Melody vs. Meditation" for the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

publication ''

Shambhala Sun ''Lion's Roar'' (previously ''Shambhala Sun'') is an independent, bimonthly magazine (in print and online) that offers a nonsectarian view of "Buddhism, Culture, Meditation, and Life". Presented are teachings from the Buddhist and other contemplat ...

'', which described the struggle between songwriting and being able to clear the mind to meditate.

Awards and honors

* 2012: Artist & Manager Awards - Pioneer Award * 2012: Twitter Feed @amandapalmer in the ''

Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' and ...

''s Best 2012 * 2011: Actress in a local production: Cabaret – Boston's Best, ''Improper Bostonian'' * 2010: Artist of the Year –

Boston Music Awards Founded in 1987, the Boston Music Awards are a set of music awards given annually that showcase talent in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. Past shows have featured such notable talent as Aerosmith, Paula Cole, Esperanza Spalding, Boston, Rubyhor ...

* 2010: Cover of "Fake Plastic Trees" (Radiohead) named 13th of '' Paste'' magazine's 20 Best Cover Songs of 2010 * 2009: No. 100 on After Ellen's Hot 100 of 2009. * 2008: No. 6 on the Best Solo artist list in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''s Readers' Poll of 2008. * 2007: No. 6 on Spinner.com's "Women Who Rock Right Now". * 2006: ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' named her the most stylish woman in Boston. * 2006: Listed in ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...

'' magazine's hottest women of rock. * 2005: Best Female Vocalist in the WFNX/''

'' Best Music Poll.

Discography

Solo studio albums

* ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2012) (with The Grand Theft Orchestra) * ''

'' (2019)

Collaborative studio albums

* ''

You Got Me Singing ''You Got Me Singing'' is a collaborative studio album by American singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer, recorded with her father Jack Palmer. It was released on July 15, 2016, through Amanda Palmer's label 8 ft. Records and Cooking Vinyl. It p ...

'' (2016) (with Jack Palmer) * ''

'' (2017) (with Edward Ka-Spel) * ''

Forty-Five Degrees - A Bushfire Charity Flash Record ''Amanda Palmer & Friends Present Forty-Five Degrees: Bushfire Charity Flash Record'' is a collaborative studio album by American singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer along with Brian Viglione, Clare Bowditch, Fred Leone, Missy Higgins, Jherek Bisc ...

'' (2020) (with various artists)

Other albums

* ''

Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele ''Amanda Palmer Performs the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele'' is an EP. by musician Amanda Palmer. It is composed entirely of cover versions of songs by the band Radiohead, performed by Palmer on the ukulele. It was released ...

'' (2010) * ''

Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under ''Amanda Palmer Goes Down Under'' is the first live album by Amanda Palmer, released on January 21, 2011, through Liberator Music in Australia and New Zealand and self-released worldwide via Palmer's Bandcamp and through her merchandise company ...

'' (2011) * ''An Evening With Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer'' (2013) (with Neil Gaiman) * '' Piano Is Evil'' (2016)

Tours

* ''

True Colors Tour The True Colors Tour was a headlining concert tour by Russian-German music producer Zedd, launched in support of his studio album '' True Colors''. The tour visited Asia, Europe, and North America from 6 August 2015 to 11 January 2016. Set l ...

'' (2007) *Who Killed Amanda Palmer Tour (2008–2009) *Amanda Palmer: Live in Australia (2010) *Evelyn Evelyn Tour (2010) *Dresden Dolls 10th Anniversary Tour (2010–2011) *Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra: Theatre Is Evil Tour (2012) *An Evening with Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer (2013) *The Music of David Byrne & The Talking Heads (2014–2015) *An Evening with Amanda Fucking Palmer (2015) *The Art of Asking Book Tour (2015) *You Got Me Singing Tour (with Jack Palmer) (2016) *I Can Spin a Rainbow Tour (with Edward Ka-Spel) (2017) *Dresden Dolls Reunion Tour (2017–2018) * There Will Be No Intermission World Tour (2019–2020) *An Evening with Amanda Palmer: New Zealand Tour (2020)

Filmography

Podcasts

''The Art of Asking Everything''

In fall 2020, Palmer announced she would be releasing a podcast called ''The Art of Asking Everything''.

Other

Bibliography

Some of the books written in full, or collaboratively, by Amanda Palmer: * * * * * * Palmer also has a chapter giving advice in

Tim Ferriss Timothy Ferriss (born July 20, 1977) is an American entrepreneur, investor, author, podcaster, and lifestyle guru. He became well-known through his ''4-Hour'' self-help book series—including ''The 4-Hour Work Week'', ''The 4-Hour Body'', and '' ...

' book ''

Tools of Titans ''Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers'' (2016) is a self-help book by Timothy Ferriss, an American writer, educational activist, and entrepreneur. He interviewed more than 100 "wor ...

''.

References

External links

Amanda Palmer's official site
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Amanda 1976 births Living people 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Alternative rock pianists Alternative rock singers American alternative rock musicians American bloggers American street performers American women rock singers American feminists American people of Scottish descent American rock pianists American women pianists American ukulele players American women dramatists and playwrights American women performance artists American performance artists Bisexual feminists Bisexual musicians Bisexual women Dark cabaret musicians Evelyn Evelyn members Women punk rock singers Feminist musicians LGBT people from Massachusetts LGBT people from New York (state) LGBT rights activists from the United States LGBT singers from the United States Neil Gaiman LGBT songwriters Musicians from Boston People from Lexington, Massachusetts Singers from Massachusetts Songwriters from Massachusetts The Dresden Dolls members Wesleyan University alumni American women bloggers Lexington High School alumni 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers Roadrunner Records artists Cooking Vinyl artists 8in8 members Patreon creators 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people

Early life

Career

2000–2007: The Dresden Dolls and ''The Onion Cellar''

2007–2010: ''Who Killed Amanda Palmer'', ''Evelyn Evelyn'', and theatrical work

2012–2014:''Theatre Is Evil'' and ''The Art of Asking''

2015–2018: ''You Got Me Singing'', ''I Can Spin a Rainbow'', and Patreon

2019–present: ''There Will Be No Intermission'' and podcast

Personal life

Awards and honors

Discography

Solo studio albums

Collaborative studio albums

Other albums

Tours

Filmography

Podcasts

''The Art of Asking Everything''

Other

Bibliography

See also

References

External links