I am musician, performance artist, blogger, writer, street performer and weirdo Amanda Palmer. AMA.

wait I HAVE A QUESTION....Aha i figured out what the issue with my two usernames was...reddit created a new account for me to do this AMA (amanda_palmer) but i was signed in with my user name from WAY back in the day (amandapalmer) when i first signed up. which one should i use? and do i get any cred for having signed up for reddit four years ago :) ?

tellllll meeeee

I'd use amanda_palmer since it's the one they verified. Either that, or get /u/wil to vouch for your other one :p

got it. thank you.

Hi Amanda!

I'm someone who recently went from being a serial monogamist to being somewhere in the open-relationship/polyamory territory. So: what can you share about how you and Neil ended up being in an open marriage and how you guys make it work so well?

Tangentially I am so happy that I briefly got to hug you at SXSW 2013 - I almost didn't due to a near-complete absence of awesome-celebrity bothering technique so I'm glad my friends egged me into it :)

heya.

both neil and i wanted to be in an open relationship from the word go, and it was one of the fundamental building blocks of our life together. it may change - but for now, it works for us. i'd had many friends in open relationships and i've seen it work, and i always felt very stuck and wrong in monogamous relationships...and usually felt like the selfish asshole for wanting to be able to sleep with random people/lovers/friends. so when neil and i discovered we were on the same page about that, it was, i think, one of the things that attracted us to each other.

how to make it work well is a lonnnnng conversation, but i can summarize: you have to communicate, heavily. this is why i think open relationships are often, if done right, healthier in some way than closed ones where there's a lot of secrets, fear and jealously that could be avoided. we have our general guidelines (don't sleep with this ex! don't sleep with truly crazy and psychically dangerous people! etc) but the one fundamental guideline is that we tell each other EVERYHING, there's no hiding. if we sleep with someone, we disclose it, and we do it kindly and in a way that won't be harmful, and then we fill in as many details as the other person wants.

it works for us. but that being said: everybody's really different. and things change. i've known a few couples to go from closed to open, and from open to closed, because that's what their marriages needed. like so many other things in my life:

whatever works in the moment. and don't forget, the moment changes.

Do you get flak about it from media outlets, e.g. at interviews? Or is it kinda under the radar? And -- love the song Melody Dean, can't remember the last time I heard a happy song about non-monogamy!

Thanks, have a great day.

you know...for all the things i get flak about, that isn't one of them. i'm sure if i were a giant pop artist (think: celine dion) i think conservative people might do haywire and yap yap yap ahhh why why why....but since i'm a bohemian cult rock star i think people are just like: eh, yeah, makes sense. same thing bisexuality. people just shrug. which i really like. it makes me happy that people don't make a big deal out of these things....they shouldn't.

OKAY QUESTIONS:

1. Eyebrow tips?
2. Does Neil brush his hair in the mornings or does he leave the bedhead and call it "artistic tousling"?
3. Your body confidence is a fucking inspiration, madam, bless

Not a question, but I had this friend who picked up piano because he found your music and realized that being able to read music is not the be-all end-all of making music. He died late last year, but I can honestly say the reason he lived as long as he did was because he had music-making to live off of. Thanks.

Also, I am still linking your response to that Daily Mail bullshit to people. A+, four for you.

1) eyebrow tips...like, if you don't have any because you're a freak like me who shaves them off? this is what i draw them on with. it's practically indestructible. and a hint, if you buy it, the felt tip is reversible. so when it frays, FLIP IT. http://www.amazon.com/NARS-Eyeliner-Stylo-Nuits-Blanches/dp/B002Q5Q6WS

2) neil almost NEVER brushes his hair. he puts gunk in it, plays with it, fails, looks glumly in the mirror, yells "darling will you do my hair" into the other room and i come and tame that shit. i'm a good wife. he's not aggressive enough with it. he doesn't understand the value of letting it get dirty and clumpy and then TAMING IT. on that note: i never wash my hair. the end.

3) thank you

Amanda -- a lot I want to ask...

You were sort of late compared to a lot of people, getting into the 'game.' How did you manage to not lose steam when you were in your late 20s/early 30s doing living statue stuff and busking?

Also, apart from writing stuff like "Drop Me", did you have any choice words for Warner Execs when they told you to cover up in your video for Leeds United?

Any chance of a studio version of "I Google You?"

Is "Meow Meow" from Theatre Is Evil also Patricia Quinn from RHPS?

What's the creepiest fan encounter you've ever had?

Lastly...You're a good sport.

...thank you.

this is meow meow: http://www.meowmeowrevolution.com/

choice words for roadrunner/warner? not really...though someday i'll write a memoir about those fuckers. it was unpleasant. i have a great email from them that i keep meaning to blog from around that time, it's filed in my email drafts as "david rathbone's 'fat' email".

the creepiest fan encounter? i've had too many to mention. this hickey story is pretty good: http://amandapalmer.net/blog/anatomy-of-a-hickey/

and regarding not giving up....i don't know. i just kept working. a lot of credit should actually go to brian viglione, the amazing drummer of the dresden dolls. when i was 26 and he was 23 and we were just starting to tour and tour and tour...i was like "THIS IS HARD. TOURING SUCKS." and he looked at me and was like "DONT BE A PUSSY. BEING IN A BAND IS HARD." and i...agreed. and decided never to look back. i love brian.

hey guys - logged in from the wrong account, just FYI, i was posting as amandapalmer now i'm posting as amanda_palmer....ONWARDS

Just to cross reference /u/amandapalmer

thank you.....

Is it hard to find the time/space to masturbate when you're on tour?

i'm not a huge masturbator...i usually forget that i even can, and then i'll be lying in bed reading a book and go "oh right!! masturbating! i forgot i can do that! let's do that!!" i tend to use it as a replacement for ambien if i need to get to sleep. and weirdly enough, it seems to ease a hangover a little. but i probably don't masturbate more than once a week on average. when i'm on tour i whack off in my bunk if i need to get to sleep and am not already drifting. if you haven't read "thor's rules of tour" i recommend it HIGHLY. http://beenlookingforthemagic.tumblr.com/post/1427157150/how-to-tour-in-a-band-or-whatever-by-thor-harris this is my favorite rule: rule #8: "Masturbate. Duh… Where & when? Be creative. You’re an artist right?"

I just wanna say I love you. Thanks for making beautiful music.

i love you too. you're welcome.

:') maybe she loves me too!

she does.

It's too hard to think of questions when you are so open with everything.

Godammit.

GOTCHA

Are the astronauts in Dear Jenny the same astronauts that are in Sing and/or Astronaut?

all astronauts are the same to me. not to diminish their worth. they are pure gold.

You've mentioned that one of your biggest influences in piano playing is Thelonious Monk—specifically when it comes to incorporating dissonance and treating the piano like an extension of the self.

What about your influences in writing lyrics? You have a great ear for alliteration and assonance, a strong command of meter and rhythm, and a tendency to write darkly personal, confessional pieces which nevertheless have a sprinkling of almost joyful cleverness and wordplay. Where do you think that style comes from?

---

Some examples for those less familiar with your work:

---

But with every Jeep I see

My broken heart still skips a beat

I guess it's just my stupid luck

That all of Boston drives that same black fucking truck

---

And the butcher stops and winds his watch he

lays their lives down on the block he

raises up his hatchet and the

big hand strikes a

compromise

---

I picked up the pieces of my broken ego

I have finally made my peace as far as you and me go

But I'd love to have you up to see the place

I'd like to do more than survive; I'd like to rub it in your face

---

There's the crosswalk where a milk truck almost ran me down

The day I finally saw you when you got back into town

I don't know if you saw me, 'cause I turned so quick around

Hiding into traffic, clearly dying to be found

that's a great question....and these are great lyrics pulls.

when trying to piece together my lyrics influences, i think it's probably wisest to look at the ingredients of my favorite bands when i was a teenager, and also keep in mind that i had a musical theater (read: LITERAL LYRICS) background. i listened to things like the soundtrack to "evita", "cats" and "the music man" on my WALKMAN for christs sake. picture it: i'm smoking a clove cigarette and walking down the streets of lexington center with my greem hair and blue doc martens in 1991 and in my headphones is not the sex pistols or some riot grrl shit but "seventy six trombones". i was a dork. but i also loved the cure, especially because robert smiths lyrics spoke to me so deeply. funny enough i was discussing that with an australian journalist last night who was asking if siouxie sioux, lene lovich and nina hagen were influences. and mostly, they WEREN'T. i tried to love siouxie but i couldn't get into the lyrics - they weren't resonating. so robert smith is up there. leonard cohen, lyric god. robyn hitchcock was a big one for teaching me i could follow my stream of consciousness and it was ALLOWED. and my favorite band of all time WAS SO because the lyrics engulfed me: the legendary pinks dots, with edward ka-spel on lyrics duty. still some of my favorite lyrics in the world.

Do you have a favorite Cure album?

it's a tie between boys don't cry and disintegration. i also have a special love for seventeen seconds/faith on either side of a worn-our 90 minute cassette tape.

Hi Amanda! So, I know you’ve always been very honest with your fan group, and never pretended to have your shit together when you didn’t. But all in all you seem to be happy with who you are, a feat that most people can’t really say they’ve accomplished…so what’s your advice? Not just for me, but for everybody: how does Amanda Palmer think we should approach life?
Personally I’m just heading out into the world (about to leave for half a year of traveling alone this weekend, then college next year), and I have no idea what I want to accomplish. I’m not asking for advice with career choices or any of that, but just this: how do I love myself, physically and mentally, and just in general, what’s your best life advice?

P.S. how do you come up with your eyebrow designs?

1. keep good company. don't hang out with negative, bitchy, judgemental assholes (or...don't hang out with them too much. sometimes you gotta, especailly if they're family).
2. don't do too many drugs or drink too much. (do shit, but everything in moderation.)
3. floss
4. hydrate
5. unplug. we're all too fucking plugged in, including me. put your phone in a drawer the next time you're hanging out with someone. it feels amazing.
6. yoga, mediation, or any kind of mindfulness practice is gold. it keeps me sane, at least. i don't think i'd be here, where i am, without those things.
7. i've been doing this one lately and finding it incredibly handy...occasionally look around, or wake up, and ask: "how can i be helpful" instead of "what do i want". it re-focuses you.
8. don't take shit too seriously. everything changes.
9. remember every so often that you're going to die. sounds weird, but it helps. lastly....
10. don't watch stupid television, and especially stay away from advertising. it rots your time and your brain and your soul.

Have you ever considered attending Burning Man incognito, setting up a piano in a random tent and performing for whoever happens to drop in?

yep. and almost did this year :)

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this has happened plenty of times. it's part of the job. but nothing TRULY awful has ever happened, a la "crazy fan driving her car into the side of eddie vedder's house". i was just talking to a friend about this this morning, on a hike we took. my threshold is insanely high. and i also understand that people love to have ideas about me, project onto me, and create stories around me, and that's fine...it's a part of this position i have as an artist. so it doesn't bother me. people CAN be sometimes really irksome (i once had a suicidal fan who emailed my personal meail every other day for a solid few months) and i've just developed strategies to deal with those people...and gotten good at it. and my team helps.

Hi Amanda I love everything you do, that being said, will we ever get a new Evelyn Evelyn album?

it's possible. that was a wonderful project....(everybody, if you're unaware, it was a side project i did with jason webley):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Evelyn

according to jason, who knows them better, they're still hanging in walla walla, being very mysetrious. but it's possible they'll go through a tumultous band break up and each release a split 7" single. it'll end in tears, believe me.

Hi Amanda, my question is simple, how does a girl from Boston MA end up writing a song called "Leeds United"?

I have heard tell this is something to do with Ricky Wilson from Kaiser Chiefs, is this true?

Also, thanks for all the great music and entertainment over the years!

yep it's true. we dated for like 5 seconds. the story behind the song is a good one actually. i was visiting ricky in leeds and he gave me a leeds united shirt, which i thought was very sweet. and i wore it on stage the next night, and promptly lost it. and was so upset with myself i wound up wanting to write a song about how i lose everything meaningful, including ...non physical things. but then it morphed into a song about other things....that happens. it would up being a mish-mash of things that were happening to me at the time, with ricky, with brian, with touring, with feeling generally out of sorts.

and then i finally wrote the song "lost", about that feeling. ideas for songs sometimes wind up migrating to other songs. once you have a fundamental idea, it can stick around. i love "lost", it's one of my favoeite songs off the new record:

I lost my wallet I lost my wallet And I'm lost, dear I swear I had it I had it on me when we got here

Let's go to Vegas Let's get a karaoke back room I'll never find it I wanna shout into the vacuum

That nothing's ever lost forever It's just caught inside the cushions of your couch And when you find it You'll have such a nice surprise Nothing's ever lost forever It's just hiding in the recess of your mind And when you need it It will come to you at night

Ho

I miss the yellow I miss the yelling and the shakedown I'm not complaining I got a better set of knives now

I miss my drummer My dead stepbrother And the pit crowd And Chuck and Matty If they could see me, they'd be so proud

But nothing's ever lost forever It's just caught inside the cushions of your couch And when you find it You'll have such a nice surprise Nothing's ever lost forever It's just hiding in the recess of your mind And when you need it It will come to you at night

The wake is over We gotta leave because they said so I want to tell you I want to tell you But you're dead, so

Golden light So way up high So wave goodbye

Tonight you'll find That nothing's ever lost forever It's just caught inside the cushions of your couch And when you find it You'll have such a nice surprise Nothing's ever lost forever It's just hiding in the recess of your mind And when you need it It will come to you at night

No one's ever lost forever When they die they go away But they will visit you occasionally Do not be afraid No one's ever lost forever They are caught inside your heart If you garden them and water them They make you what you are No one's ever lost forever When they die they go away But they will visit you occasionally Do not be afraid No one's ever lost forever They are caught inside your heart If you garden them and water them They make you what you are

link to song on my site (it's free):

http://amandapalmer.net/products/theatre-is-evil-digital/

If the producers/writers of Glee wanted to use one of your songs, would you let them?

probably. glee is weird. i just finally watched an episode all the way through, on a plane a few weeks ago. i'd been hoping to love it more than i did...it was "rocky horror" episode. after watching it and feeling conflicted and kinda disappointed, i was emailing with richard o'brien, the creator of rocky (and riff raff!) and i asked him if he'd seen it and how he felt about it...and he said he had no intention of ever watching it.

i think i'm weirdly protected from the horrible things glee COULD do. i don't make fun pop music for teenagers. so if glee decided to use songs like "missed me" and "coin-operated boy" and "do it with a rock star", etc, even if they delivered when in some terribly watered-down way, i would probably just look at it as a gateway drug for kids who would really connect with the music. and the kids who didn't would peek over the fence, go "eek. that's weird and deep and strange and not for me" and go away. my music is nice and darwinian that way, it definitely chases the right people away - mostly because the lyrics aren't easily digestable. and that's fine with me. i don't want to be a pop star, and i am very happy at my comfy level of fame where i feel free to do what i want, and loved as a real artist,...and not oppressed when i go outside to buy a cup of coffee. you couldn't give me any amount of money (or anything at all) in the world to be madonna, gaga or miley cyrus. i'd cry...i couldn't stand being that disconnected from the public sphere.

[deleted]

compassion.

Do you ever worry about the controversy you generate overshadowing your music?

no. if i worry about that...game over. the only solution to avoid that becoming a problem is to NOT worry about it and forge ahead making things. if i spend time worrying, the controversy wins.

Hi Amanda! I remember you had a thing on twitter a while ago on "fuck plan B". What do you say to someone who pusued plan a, but needs to support themselves with plan b, and now is too far away from plan a to go back?

sounds like it's time for plan c.

Amanda! I've been a huge fan since my college radio station received Yes, Virginia. I played the shit out of it on my radio shows. Your blog about your friend becca brought me to tears. She was my favorite part of your oasis video. She reminded me a bit like myself in regards to wanting to share new music with friends. I have a couple friends who I make mixes for of my favorite new music. When I heard of her passing and how she shared music with you, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could help fill the large void she left by sharing music with you. I started making mixes and uploading them to my website. If you'd like the link, just pm me. You don't even understand how excited it would be if I could do this for you since your music has done so much for me in the past. Also, did they ever find out how she died? I'm sorry if that sounds nosy, I know it's none of my business and you don't have to answer. I'm just curious because I get so freaked out when someone my age dies suddenly. I'm very truly sorry for your loss.

Ok since this is an AMA here's a few q's.

What's been your musical "I can die happy" moment?

I love hearing songs I know in tv commercials, shows, or movies. Is there any product or show/movie you'd happily contribute a song to? Would you write a song for the sole purpose of putting it in a movie if the right person would ask?

What's your relationship with Neil's kids? I'm not sure but I assume you're pretty close in age with his oldest?

Would you ever consider doing house parties again when you release your next album? At the time I was helping to raise money for a pittsburgh party. I just bought a house (which you can always crash at if you're in the area!) and would try really hard to get the funds and bring you here. They look like so much fun.

1) i don't think i'd ever die happily.

2) i actually chased down dr bronners castille soap about 8 years ago in hopes that the dresden dolls could endorse them. because we both loved their soap. they wrote a really nice letter back saying they didn't do much marketing and didn't need any musicians to endorse them. and they sent us 16 bottles of soap. i fucking love those guys.

3) my relationship with neil's kids is really good. i posted this on the forum the other day....

"it's been interesting. i met all of them at different times, and at first it was definitely awkward. and funny in retrospect. neil was the most worried about holly not liking me, because she's the harshest critic. but holly and i bonded pretty hardcore and have become close over these years. maddy and i are further apart in age and have less in common, so i feel more like a big sister to her than a peer. and watching her grow from a kid to a middle school kid at 14 to a college kid at 18 has been amazing. she's such a sharp girl...i find myself always envious of her constantly enthusiastic outlook. she's so happy i want to bottle her and take her with me. and mike, who's actually closer in age to me than neil, is just....a really nice guy. like neil, he's sort of shy and not over-talkative and we've never had a chance to really bond or get personal. but i really love all his kids, and mostly, i love how neil loves them. he's a beautiful dad."

from: http://www.theshadowbox.net/forum/index.php?topic=47802.15

4) i love doing house parties. i am SURE i'll continue to do some version of them in the future. the toughest part is just a time/energy question. it's really hard to roll into and out of a city and only play for 50 people when i know there are 1000 more who want to see a show. so finding that balance will be a lifelong project. i love what prince does: after playing to 30,000 at an arena, he'll show up at a local club that fits 350 and do a secret aftershow. STAMINA, PRINCE, STAMINA

• You have one of the most amazing "fan art" communities on the internet. What's the weirdest piece you've seen? Most amazing?

• How much do you agree with the statement that your life is one giant interconnected performance piece called Amanda Palmer?

• You're often criticized for ridiculous out of context things. What's your favorite "Really? They're mad about that?" story.

p.s. I think you are brave.

1) oh my god, i've seen some amazing things. i got a beautiful crocheted vagina recently. and the BOOB CAKE a weeks ago was pretty epic: http://bbs.boingboing.net/t/omg-nipple-cake-in-honor-of-amanda-palmers-daily-mail-song/7643

a fan once mailed a giant styrofoam sculpture of a human head t my house, back in teh early days of the dresden dolls when it was just me and brian running the show out of my apartment. it was like a 3-foot box and we lifted the thing out and were horrified. it was covered in something like 45 pristine razor blades. we left it as a talisman in our rehearsal room until it decomposed.

2) 100%. but i'd change that to "amanda fucking palmer"

3) the poem for dzhokhar blog. i couldn't believe what happened with that one. didn't see it coming 137873 miles away.

"Boston", "Australia", "New Zealand", "Berlin" (well, that doesn't really count)... After all those songs about cities/places, have you ever considered writing a song about Edinburgh? I know you love the city as much as I do!

haha, i DID! it's called "doctor oz" from the "amanda palmer goes down under" album, and it's about being stuck in freezing edinburgh and having a crush on an australian!!! written write near the meadows in a freezing rental flat in summer of 2008, mofo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkavg9weBgQ

I want to say thank you, for the bed song. I shared it with a long time friend of mine that always disliked your music, and I watched him cry and goosebump-up, as soon as you sang "If you'd only asked me" He has been listening ever since. What has been your most meaningful song on this album so far and why?

the bed song probably wins...but they all have different deep meanings for me at different times. "trout heart replica" is actually more personal than the bed song, and i sometimes have a hard time playing that one without weeping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvbwia6OOkU

LAST CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm out soon

Hi Amanda! What book do you think every woman should read?

here's a couple.

naomi wolf: "vagina, a new biography" http://www.amazon.com/Vagina-New-Biography-Naomi-Wolf/dp/0061989169

caitlan moran: "how to be a woman" (HILARRRRRIOUS and a must-read, seriously) http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Woman-Caitlin-Moran/dp/0062124293/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377629160&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+be+a+woman

and this, "the new feminine brain" is also FASCINATING and taught me a lot about my own behavior. i made neil read it in the first year of our realtionship and i honestly think it helped him to understand me, hormones, moods, and emotions:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Feminine-Brain-Developing-Intuitive/dp/0743243072/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377629216&sr=1-1&keywords=the+new+feminine+brain

This is more of a tell than an ask, but I wanted to share with you that my son and daughter(who just turned 18 this year) and I are fervent fans.

We drove from Knoxville to Phoenix this Christmas to spend time with my mom, and on those marathon driving sessions, we absolutely wore out the Theatre is Evil cd. My son and I now want to play the ukelele, and my daughter has already received a mandolin, and is learning to play that.

Thanks for getting us through 4 solid days of driving (2 there, 2 back), and for the joy of singing along with my kids, to your music.

Oh, and if I must ask a question, it would be: what are your favorite pizza toppings?

thank you. that's wonderful.

and my favorite pizza toppings, preferably ALL TOGETHER: broccoli, pineapple, sun-dried tomato, spinach.

uke power.

If you could duet/play with anyone, ever, who would you choose?

i'd probably go for john lennon.

Hi and thanks for doing the AmA. I must admit, I was interested in your Ted Talk and am a supporter of Kickstarter. I just find it hypocritical that high-profile and wealthier artists use it rather than what i perceive as the original intent of supporting unknown talent/projects. Your thoughts?

i think you should read some of the blogs that kickstarter has posted about the subject, where they actually break down the numbers. the ironic thing is that when larger artists (like me, spike lee, etc) use kickstarter, it actually DRIVES traffic and funding for smaller artists. people come to kickstarter for the stars and stay for the unknowns. which makes for a great eco-system if you ask me...

I just wanted to say that your role at the end of With The Needle That Sings in Her Heart was amazing! Do you have any plans/interest in doing any other live theater projects?

yes. i'm actually secretly (well, not anymore) breaking ground on an original theater project starting in fall 2014. it will be a collaboration from scratch with my beloved director steve bogart (who co-created and directed needle). verrrry exciting.

Hi Amanda!
I learned about your music through you're ukulele playing at the 99% demonstrations, it was really inspirational!
Anyway, what uke do you play the most/is your favorite?

that's a wonderful way to have found me. i have a bunch of ukes that i'd bought or gotten as gifts over the years, but funny enough the one i still travel and tour with is the one that cost $19.99 the day i decided to play one at a benefit show that night as a joke. it's a hilo. most pictures of my playing ukulele, the red one...that's the gal.

Hi there Ms. Fucking Palmer!

I'd like to start by saying I'm a huge fan and you've been a great inspiration to me artistically. Your music makes me happy and I believe that that's the most important thing one can hope to do with their music, to make others feel. I also enjoyed reading your comments on the philosophy of actually making art. I'm very glad you're finally doing an AMA!

I'd like to ask you something deep and profound but alas, my brain is overcome with excitement and I don't have something great. I do however have some little ones:

Are there any other strong female musicians that you think everyone should listen to, or perhaps don't get enough recognition?

What was the songwriting process like with the Grand Theft Orchestra? How did it differ from writing solo or with the Dolls?

I feel there is a noticeable difference in the tone of Theatre is Evil compared to Who Killed Amanda Palmer. Is that due to the influence of other band mates or something personal?

Again, thanks for doing this AMA and doing what you do!

strong females...i'd love to recommend a few. i am a huge fan of laurie anderson and i think everyone should hear "big science" at least once in their life. so go download that. she's amazing. meow meow, mentioned elsewhere in this AMA, is a fucking stellar post-modern cabaret artist who must be seen live. and lastly...if anyone wants to get acquinted with two of my influences at once, check out dagmar krause's "supply and demand" collection of kurt weill songs. it changed my life at 16 years old. she sings like pure truth.

This is probably silly, but I've been following you since I was an angsty teen singing and crying along to Glass Slipper and Bad Habit. I've grown so much through your music-- with your music. I cranced with you and hundreds of strangers. I sang my heart out to a couple in the park about my idolized substance of a sister on my ukulele named Palmer. I blogged angrily about your critics and shared countless videos of your influence to my friends. I shrugged off when my Kickstarter art book was stolen from my doorstep because you taught me that they clearly need it more. I love you. Your music and your words are my family. They've mended many wounds and I just... I love you.

No questions. Just gratitude.

thank you.

My question is rather basic: Do you have a favorite animal?

i'm really fond of sloths.

You wrote 672 and placed it on The Dresden Dolls self-titled album and skipped posting commentary on the song and the lyrics in the Dresden Dolls Companion book, where you shared stories and talked about the origins of each track on the record.

Did you intentionally place 672 on the album to have an enigma that you knowingly would never divulge the meaning of? Do you have any intention to ever share where the number and song meaning come from? It's a very emotional track, with seemingly a dark theme, brief but very poignant. (note, this is not a question to ask what it means, but your feelings and intentions on it being kept mystery).

it wasn't meant to be a curveball. it just was.

Amanda Fucking Palmer!

Thank you for doing this AMA and all the wonderful entertainment you've provided over the years!

• What is going on with The Dresden Dolls and Evelyn Evelyn? Are there any plans for something new with either of these projects?
• What is something that you nerd out about?
• I must ask, how did you and Neil meet?
• I host a podcast where we have celebrity guests geek out about TV, games, music, etc. Kevin Smith will be on soon. We'd love for you to be a guest too! Would you be interested?

Thank you again for the AMA and look forward to your responses!

1) the dresden dolls - i consider TDD an ongoing project between me and the wonderful brian viglione. sometimes we play, sometimes we don't the band isn't dead, but it's often hibernating. we love to play with each other and won't ever not, imho. and if you missed the news, brian just took a gig playing drums for the fucking VIOLENT FEMMES which is awesome.

2) nothing. i'm a terrible nerd. i had to actually stop and think about that question for a minute and i couldn't come up with anything. and i'm sure i'm wrong. you should ask neil. actually, i'll text him and see what he says. i'll check back.

3) funny enough this article was published today. it's the longest interview about neil i've ever given: http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2013/08/amanda_palmer_on_neil_gaiman_he_desperately_loves_to_be_surprised.php

4) my schedule is nuts but drop eric@amandapalmer.net a line with the info, sounds awesome.

Do you have a mantra?

Thank you so much for your art and your bravery, you are a huge inspiration!

i don't have a mantra per se, ie one that i meditate on and repeat, but i have a couple of inner taglines. one of my favorites is a situation international slogan: vivez sans temps mort. it means LIVE WITHOUT DEAD TIME. i love that.