That’s the question posed to fans of Amanda Palmer (formerly of the ‘Brechtian punk cabaret’ duo Dresden Dolls) in the title of her new solo album. And though Amanda says the question was posed ‘more as a clever title than a concept record,’ the title has become almost metaphorically self-fulfilling.
The story goes like this. Back in 2002, when the Dresden Dolls were just beginning to garner attention, Amanda sat down one day and penned a somewhat tongue-in-cheek song, about a girl who is date raped, becomes pregnant, has an abortion, and then shrugs the whole ugly experience off because she receives an autographed picture from the band Oasis.
The song never made it into the Dresden Dolls material and was tucked away until 2007, when Amanda decided to put it onto her solo album. She collaborated with Ben Folds (who has plenty of experience when it comes to songs about abortion – remember the mega-hit Brick?), and Oasis, as the song was now known, was put out as a single with a music video that gives a very literal visual interpretation to the song’s storyline.
Which brings us to the present-day, where the UK music media are nearly slaying Amanda Palmer with censorship. From MTV to NME, almost every station (ironically, the typically conservative BBC is the exception) has banned the song for ‘making light of rape, religion and abortion.’
When Amanda was told she’d been banned, she ranted, raved and blogged:
‘i could try to win points by talking about how i’ve been date raped (i have been, when i was 20) or how i have every right to joke about this if i want to because i’ve had an abortion myself (i have, when i was 17), but i actually DON’T believe those experiences should lend me any credibility…
‘in the united states in 1996, about 1.3 MILLION women had an abortion. about half those women were under 25. and i can assure you, there were approximately 1.3 million different reactions, experiences and stories behind those abortions. countless girls have been raped or date-raped. are we allowed to talk about it, joke about it, turn it over from every side and try [to] figure out our own confused reaction to it? Or is that just too icky, uncomfortable… and shameful? should we just cry about it demurely and hope that the proper reaction, the one society deems appropriate, will make it go away?
‘fuck that shit.’
A few days later, calling OiP from London where she kicked off her UK tour amid the controversy, Amanda Palmer is calmer about the situation. Either she’s had one hell of a sedative between writing her blog and talking to the press, or she remembered that she’s Amanda ‘Fucking’ Palmer and she doesn’t need the mainstream media or really care what they think.
‘It’s very surprising to me that the UK of all places would have an issue with a song like this… this is the land of black humour and they aren’t embracing the irony,’ she says. ‘People are going to find the song on the net… That’s the beautiful thing about the way things work nowadays. We don’t have to rely on mainstream media.’
Yes, indeed, Amanda Palmer does not need to rely on the mainstream. After all, from the start, she has spurned stereotypes and cast aside clichés as she defines her music, her image and her sexuality outside the bounds of the accepted definitions.
‘With women it is constantly disappointing to see women, especially in music and entertainment wielding their power really powerlessly and feeling like if they want to be sexual they have to totally slut it up or they have to fit into a certain sexual stereotype. Sexuality can be so much more powerful than that if you own it… One of the things that comes up all the time is that people are confused because I’m not following the guidelines and I’m not shaving my legs, but I’m also wearing high heels and lipstick. [But] that’s the point – everything is up for grabs and you can make any choice on any given day about who you are and what you are going to be.’
She is alluring, she is appealing and, fuck it, she is not like any other woman you have seen on stage or off, and this modern-day Lazarus is bringing her very live show to Fremantle’s Fly By Night March 6 and 7. Check out amandapalmer.net for details (and blog rants).
Megan Smith
