Amanda Palmer | |
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 Palmer in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | |
| Born | Amanda MacKinnon Palmer (1976-04-30)April 30, 1976 (age 49) New York City, U.S. |
| Origin | Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1999–present |
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Spouse | |
| Website | AmandaPalmer.net |
Amanda MacKinnon Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, andperformance artist who was the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duothe Dresden Dolls[3] and the ex-wife of author Neil Gaiman. She performs as a solo artist and was also a member of the duoEvelyn Evelyn and the lead singer and songwriter of Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra. She has gained acult fanbase and was one of the first musical artists to popularize the use ofcrowdfunding websites.[4]
Amanda MacKinnon Palmer was born in New York City and grew up inLexington, Massachusetts.[5] Her father Jack Palmer was a physicist and her mother Katharine Mockett was a computer programmer.[6][7] Her parents divorced when she was one year old, and as a child she rarely saw her father.[8] Her maternal grandfather Alfred E. Mockett was on the board of directors of theBeneficial Corporation.[9][10]
She attendedLexington High School, where she was active in the drama club,[11] and later attendedWesleyan University[12][6] where she studied theater and was a member of theEclectic Society.[13] In 1999, Palmer founded the Shadowbox Collective, a performance group devoted tostreet theatre and putting on theatrical shows (such as the 2002 play,Hotel Blanc,[14] which she directed).
Palmer graduated from Wesleyan University in 1998 with a BA in German Studies, later dropping out of a graduate program atHeidelberg University.[15] Palmer spent several yearsbusking as aliving statue called the Eight Foot Bride inCambridge, Massachusetts;Edinburgh;Berlin;Melbourne (where she met her future collaboratorJason Webley); and St. Petersburg in Russia.[16] She refers to her street performance work in theDresden Dolls song "The Perfect Fit", as well as on theA is for Accident track "Glass Slipper".[citation needed]
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At a Halloween party in 2000, Palmer met drummerBrian Viglione and afterwards they formed the Dresden Dolls. In an effort to expand the performance experience and interactivity, Palmer began invitingLexington 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.[17]
In 2002, the band recorded their debut album,The Dresden Dolls, with producerMartin Bisi. They produced the album before signing with the labelRoadrunner Records.
In 2006,The Dresden Dolls Companion[18] was published, with words, music and artwork by Amanda Palmer.[18] In it she has written a history of the albumThe Dresden Dolls and of the duo, as well as a partial autobiography. The book also contains the lyrics,sheet music, 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.[citation needed]
Palmer conceived the musical/productionThe Onion Cellar, based on a short story fromThe Tin Drum byGünter Grass. From December 9, 2006, through January 13, 2007, the Dresden Dolls performed the piece in conjunction with theAmerican Repertory Theater at the Zero Arrow Theatre inCambridge, Massachusetts. While Palmer was openly frustrated with the direction of the show, fan and critical reviews were positive.[19]
In June 2007, as part of the Dresden Dolls, she toured with theTrue Colors Tour 2007, including her debut in New York City'sRadio City Music Hall,[20] and her first review inThe New York Times.[20]
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.[21] In 2022, the Dresden Dolls reunited, and started work on a new album. In 2023, they toured the US.[22][23]
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 groupAberdeen City, who also opened along with Dixie Dirt. In August 2007, Palmer traveled to perform in theSpiegeltent and other venues at theEdinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, and also performed onBBC Two'sThe 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.
In September 2007, Palmer collaborated withJason Webley to launch the new projectEvelyn Evelyn with the EPElephant Elephant. In the project, the duo playconjoined twin sisters named Eva and Lyn, and through their music tell their fictional backstory.
In July 2008, the Dresden Dolls released a second book, theVirginia Companion, a follow-up toThe Dresden Dolls Companion, featuring the music and lyrics from theYes, Virginia...(2006) andNo, Virginia... (2008) albums, produced by Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie.[24]
In June 2008, Palmer established her solo career with two well-received performances with theBoston Pops.[25][26]
Her first solo studio album,Who Killed Amanda Palmer, was released on September 16, 2008.Ben Folds produced and also played on the album.[27][28] The title is a play on an expression used by fans duringTwin Peaks' original run, "Who killedLaura Palmer?" A companion book of photos of Palmer looking as if she were murdered was released in July 2009. TitledWho Killed Amanda Palmer a Collection of Photographic Evidence, it featured photography byKyle Cassidy and stories byNeil Gaiman, as well as lyrics from the album.[29]
In late 2008, she toured Europe with Jason Webley,Zoë Keating 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 inBelfast,Northern Ireland when a car ran over her foot as she stepped out into a street.[30] In April 2009, she played at theCoachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[31]
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 byNeutral Milk Hotel's albumIn the Aeroplane Over the Sea andThe Diary of Anne Frank. NPR's Avishay Artsy interviewed the cast onAll Things Considered.[32]
In 2010, Palmer returned to theA.R.T. for a two-month run ofCabaret, starring as the Emcee.[33] 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.[34] On March 30, 2010, Palmer and Webley released their debutself-titled album as Evelyn Evelyn. This was accompanied by a worldwide tour and graphic novel based on the story of the sisters.[35]
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.[36][37][38]
On April 20, 2012, Palmer announced on her blog that she launched a new album pre-order onKickstarter. The Kickstarter project was ultimately supported by 24,883 backers for a total of $1,192,793[39] — 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.[40][41][42][43][44][45][46]
After outcry from various music unions and professional musicians, Palmer responded publicly and changed her policy to one of paying local musicians cash.[47][48] The album,Theatre Is Evil, was recorded with the Grand Theft Orchestra, produced byJohn Congleton, and released in September 2012. On November 9, 2012, Palmer released the music video for "Do it With a Rockstar" onThe Flaming Lips' website. The video was co-created and directed byWayne Coyne, the singer ofthe Flaming Lips.[49] Subsequent videos were released for "The Killing Type" and "The Bed Song".
On August 9, 2013, Palmer made herLincoln Center debut.[50][51] In November 2014, Palmer released a memoir,The Art of Asking, which expands on aTED talk she gave in February 2013. The book madethe New York Times Best Seller list.[52][53] The book also received several critical reviews, most notably fromNPR.[54]
On March 3, 2015, Amanda began soliciting financial support on the crowdfunding platformPatreon.[55]Palmer spoke at the 2015Hay Festival about the prospect of reconciling art and motherhood. The talk was recorded for theBBC Radio 4 seriesFour Thought and broadcast on June 21, 2015.[56] 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 aDavid Bowie tribute EP, entitledStrung Out In Heaven: A Bowie String Quartet Tribute.[55][57] Palmer collaborated with her father, Jack Palmer, to record an album entitledYou Got Me Singing.[58] They performed concerts in July 2016 in support of the album.[59]
Amanda Palmer collaborated withLegendary Pink Dots frontmanEdward Ka-Spel to record an album,I Can Spin a Rainbow. The duo toured in May and June 2017 in support of the album, backed by Legendary Pink Dots' former violin player Patrick Q. Wright.[60]
On March 8, 2019, Palmer released her third solo studio album and first in seven years,There Will Be No Intermission. The album was promoted by an extensive world tour that was filmed for her patrons on Patreon.
In fall 2020, Palmer launched a podcast calledThe Art of Asking Everything.[61] On October 31, 2020, Palmer and Viglione performed "Science Fiction/Double Feature" to open theWisconsin Democrats Livestream fundraiser that reunited some originalRocky Horror Picture Show cast members to act out the show with additional stars and singers.[62]
For more than a decade, Palmer lived in an independent artists' cooperative named the Cloud Club inBoston, Massachusetts.[63]
Palmer has practiced yoga and meditation. In 2008, she wrote an article titled "Melody vs. Meditation" for theBuddhist publicationShambhala Sun (now known as 'Lion's Roar'), which described the struggle between songwriting and being able to clear the mind to meditate.[64]
Palmer has said that she is bisexual,[65] tellingafterellen.com in 2007: "I'm bisexual, but it's not the sort of thing I spent a lot of time thinking about."[66] She has spoken about her open relationships,[67] and has commented on feminist issues.[68]
Palmer has said that she once worked as a stripper under the name Berlin.[69] She wrote the song "Berlin" about this experience.[70]
Palmer has had three abortions, and her song "Voicemail for Jill" is about these experiences.[71]
Palmer, then 33, and the British authorNeil Gaiman, then 49, confirmed their engagement in 2010.[72] The couple married in a private ceremony in January 2011.[73] The wedding took place in the parlor of the writersAyelet Waldman andMichael Chabon.[74] The two had anopen marriage,[67] and encouraged one another to date and engage in sexual relationships, including with fans of their work.[75] Palmer and Gaiman have one child together, a son, born in 2015.[76][77]
In November 2022, Palmer and Gaiman announced in a joint statement that they would divorce.[78][79] Their divorce was finalized later that year.[80]
In July 2024, the sister of former British prime ministerBoris Johnson, reporter Rachel Johnson, released a seven-part audio documentary that included Palmer's alleged role in ongoing litigation against Palmer's former husband, Gaiman, for sexual abuse.[81]
In January 2025, aVulture article implicated Palmer as being complicit in the alleged sexual abuse by her ex-husbandGaiman of (according toThe Guardian) at least nine women.[82] When one, a former nanny, filed a police report in New Zealand, she said an officer told her that Palmer's cooperation was essential for the case; Palmer declined to speak with police.[75] In February 2025, she was sued for alleged human trafficking, conspiracy to commit human trafficking, and negligence. The suit was filed as a U.S. multi-state filing to be tried in February 2026, due to difficulty in determining her current state of residency.[83][84] Palmer denied the allegations made against her.[85]
In February 2025, theBBC reported that Palmer denied allegations of human trafficking and negligence[86] by her former domestic employee.[82]
In March 2025, the Brooklyn concert venueNational Sawdust cancelled her performance due to the allegations.[87] In May 2025 at a concert inSomerville, Massachusetts, Palmer appeared dressed as a maid wearing a black dress and apron, played new songs she called "Songs from the Cancel Kitchen"; when asked during the question and answer session if she had beencancelled or "soft-cancelled", she stated that she felt "overwhelmed" by watching the "court of public opinion tear me apart".[88]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Artifact | interviewee[106] |
| 2014 | Temple of Art | co-producer[107] |
| 2014 | Lennon or McCartney | Short documentary film; interview clip[108] |
| 2019 | Happy! | Leader of the Blue Feather (1 episode) |
In fall 2020, Palmer announced she would be releasing a podcast calledThe Art of Asking Everything.[61]
| Year | Title | Episode |
|---|---|---|
| April 11, 2016 | Design Matters | "Amanda Palmer" |
| May 22, 2018 | Love and Courage | "Amanda Palmer" |
| June 14, 2018 | Róisín Meets | "Amanda Palmer" |
| January 27, 2019 | Conversations with People Who Hate Me | "I Hate Amanda Palmer" |
| April 17, 2019 | The Tim Ferriss Show | "Amanda Palmer on Creativity, Pain, and Art" |
| April 2019 | The Working Songwriter | "Amanda Palmer" |
| July 23, 2019 | KEXP Live Room | "Amanda Palmer" |
| November 15, 2019 | Against Everyone withConner Habib | "AEWCH 90: Amanda Palmer or We Are All Here For Each Other" |
| January 17, 2020 | 'Creative Rebels' with Adam Brazier & David Speed | "The Art of Asking with Amanda Palmer" |
Some of the books written in full, or collaboratively, by Amanda Palmer:
Amanda (Fucking) Palmer is one of ...
Last night in Symphony Hall, Amanda Palmer brought some spark and much-needed edge to the Boston Pops' EdgeFest. On her own terms, Palmer, in strong gravelly voice, gave a richly satisfying performance that had this crowd roaring far more than most in Symphony Hall. But even she couldn't overcome the deeper tensions that make the EdgeFest a strained format.
The Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer chats with SPIN.com about her forthcoming solo effort.
.. i am recording the solo album....in nashville, at ben folds' studio, with ben, who is producing the record and playing on it.
'I watch people proselytize this record all over the world, and it's like this secret brotherhood of awesome music that's never had any kind of big mainstream publicity,' Palmer says. 'It's just this sacred record that people connect through.'
Around the corner, at the bandshell in Damrosch Park, you can catch Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra,...
On the final weekend of Lincoln Center's "Out Of Doors" Summer concert series, Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra brought their "punk cabaret" for a free show in a public park ...
I figured out that I was bisexual when I was a teenager.
In the 2005 WFNX /Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll, Palmer won Best Female Vocalist.
In the 2005 WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll The Dresden Dolls won Best Local Act and Best Local Album. Amanda Palmer also won Best Female Vocalist.
Amanda Palmer – The pianist and singer of Brechtian Boston duo Dresden Dolls mashes up punk rock and cabaret, sings about transsexuals and explores the elaborate deceptions that alcoholics commit daily.
Dresden Dolls lead singer Amanda Palmer, quite literally, has a rockstar wardrobe.
Who: Amanda Palmer Birthplace: Lexington, Mass. Sound: Cabaret punk Palmer – one-half of Boston's Brechtian punk cabaret duo the Dresden Dolls – ain't no damsel in distress. The former street artist chokeholds her demons, teetering between sinister screeches and whimsical whispers of alcohol, self-mutilation and sexual exploration, while discordantly pummeling the piano – stocking-clad legs akimbo – in a sultry, sinful self-deprecation exorcism.
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