Cheese on Toast

With songs on previous works including the topic of a organist raping a church goer, mechanical children and a plethora of numbers inspired by Brechtian-dark-cabaret, you kind of get the feeling you're in for perhaps a pretentious conversation when talking to Dresden Doll Amanda Palmer, who is currently touring the globe with her solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer (originally to be titled Who The Fuck Is Amanda Palmer .)

Upon discovering how open her life is to her fan base, including a Facebook page and regularly updated blog, you sort of ease up - especially when learning that Ms. Palmer at one point was searching for someone in Camden Town (near London) to allow her to practice piano at their house, with the promise of cups of tea and stries of the road... Minutes after coming off stage in Switzerland, a mobile phone was hurridly placed in her hands and I'm met with a warm "Hello?" Without missing a beat, we make our introductions and quickly treat generic territory - how are you, how was the show four minutes ago and, of course, how was the UK leg of the tour?


THAT'S AMANDA FUCKING PALMER TO YOU... AN INTERVIEW By Benjii Jackson Cheese on Toast contributor Benjii Jackson talked to Amanda Palmer a couple of weeks back just as she got off stage in Switzerland. He confessed, just moments after hanging up the phone that he may have just fallen in love with her a little bit... [Note Amanda was on a cell phone so bear with some of the audio]
With songs on previous works including the topic of a organist raping a church goer, mechanical children and a plethora of numbers inspired by Brechtian-dark-cabaret, you kind of get the feeling you're in for perhaps a pretentious conversation when talking to Dresden Doll Amanda Palmer, who is currently touring the globe with her solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer (originally to be titled Who The Fuck Is Amanda Palmer .) Upon discovering how open her life is to her fan base, including a Facebook page and regularly updated blog, you sort of ease up - especially when learning that Ms. Palmer at one point was searching for someone in Camden Town (near London) to allow her to practice piano at their house, with the promise of cups of tea and stries of the road... Minutes after coming off stage in Switzerland, a mobile phone was hurridly placed in her hands and I'm met with a warm "Hello?" Without missing a beat, we make our introductions and quickly treat generic territory - how are you, how was the show four minutes ago and, of course, how was the UK leg of the tour?

		"Oasis" happens to be the controversial track in question. While the song has a sense of social awareness, that which she indicates isn't something she sets out to make obvious within her works, it verges more on the uncomfortable black humor - something she felt the UK would be more accustomed to... Citing works such as comedic institution Monty Python and the more current works of Little Britain, which she argues push the envelope of good taste and humor to a limit and with both are viewed as big British successes, it would seem that the current trend in many art-forms is to not rock the boat. As she detailed the Russell Brand/Jonathan Ross/Andrew Sachs scandal which stirred such a moral panic in the country, Palmer understands the costs of such political correctness "gone wrong" In a recent blog posting detailing what had happened to the track and the current problems faced in the United Kingdom over the song, Amanda detailed a number of other reasons the song is under fire - one of which involving the melody of the song itself!
Surely, however, The ReBellyon would help out? They helped when scenes were cut from the "Leeds United" video because Palmer was apparently 'too fat' by sending photos in of their bellys in protest. Could the internet help again? The Rebellyon's work surpassed just helping Palmer out - they went on to launch a campaign against advertisers who subject the public to what they feel is their idea sense of body image. Amanda Palmer - socially aware musician? Intending to open up dialogues through controversy?

	On a more positive note, however, was the popularity of Palmer's Black Cab Session version of Radiohead's "Creep", performed on of all instruments... a ukulele. There is an upmost reason for this choice of instrument? It wasn't just the blogosphere that picked up on the cover either. US 'shock jock' Howard Stern played a version taken from a live DAT tape of her American leg of the tour on his satellite radio show. Amanda's reaction was that of joy, meanwhile still labeling Stern as a sexist. So with this large interest in "Creep", would there be a recorded version on the cards?
	SEE AMANDA PALMER @ THE STUDIO ON TUESDAY 3 MARCH 2009. Her solo album Who Killed Amanda Palmer is out now