A compliment makes a gal feel like a million bucks, and there’s no greater compliment than, well, a million bucks, which is what Amanda Palmer received via her fan-fueled Kickstarter fundraiser for her new album, “Theater is Evil.”
“I got 1.2 million in PRE-ORDERS,” corrects Palmer.
She’s speaking from New York, where she’s rehearsing with her band, the Grand Theft Orchestra. “It doesn’t mean I have a million dollars. It does mean that business is good.”
There’s no denying the validation when fans shell out before hearing a single note of music, though.
“It’s a big symbolic gesture on the part of my fans that tells me they have an enormous amount of faith in me. But this is the relationship I have developed … which isn’t about music. It’s about art and love and creating a community. The music is a bit of a red herring…”
Palmer catches herself and laughs at her last statement.
“Well, if I weren’t a performer, none of this would be happening,” she adds. “I’m not interested in having fans and admirers. I don’t want to be a pop star. I’m among those artists who use art and music to connect.”
Death, rebirth and ‘Evil’
For Amanda Palmer, calling an album “Theater Is Evil” is like Snoop calling a project “I Don’t Like Marijuana.”
“I do love theater, the title is highly ironic,” says Palmer. “But I struggle with the current manifestation of the theater world. It’s dying a strange death and hopefully experiencing a rebirth the same way music is. It’s not the artists creating it, but the way culture feels about it. So much is academic.”
