Amanda Palmer: Who needs a label when you have fans?

Of course, not every four piece of denim-and-lager-lads from Oswestry can pull off Kickstarter to quite this extent, but Amanda Palmer has generated nearly half a million dollars to fan-fund an album, book and tour.

A further example of why trying to block torrent search engines will do nothing to stop the collapse of the major labels.

Embed and breakfast man: Evelyn Evelyn

I know we're supposed to pretend Evelyn Evelyn are conjoined twins, but we all know who they are.

But look: puppets!

The illustrated Hello: Vince Hilaire

Vince Hilaire was a black footballer in the First Division at a time when that wasn't always a comfortable thing to be:

"After about 20 minutes, the manager, then Terry Venables, told me to go and have a warm-up. I came out of the dug-out, and I started jogging around the touchline. I couldn't believe the abuse that was coming at me... animal noises and all the names you think of calling a black person. Any name under the sun. And it frightened me a bit, so I couldn't wait to get back in the dug-out. And I thought, 'Well, if this is the sort of reception I'm going to get, then I don't really want to know'"

He didn't back down, though, and went on to represent ChelseaCrystal Palace more than 200 times, played for England's Under 21 team, managed a spell in the American soccer scene and enjoyed a gentle career decline through Luton, Portsmouth, Leeds, Stoke and Exeter.

But he owes his big break to Terry Venables. Venables, who fancied himself as something of a singer back in the day:



That clip did feature some Robbie Williams. To offset it, here's Amanda Palmer with her... tribute... to Hilaire's Leeds United. Probably:



[Part of the Illustrated Hello]

[For more - much, much more - on football and music crossing over, Football and Music is your number one source. Which would make it the goalkeeper.]

[Update: Crystal Palace. Not Chelsea. I regret the error.]

Downloadable: Evelyn Evelyn

You're on the internet at the moment, so you'll already have heard of Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley's Evelyn Evelyn side-sorta-main project. Stereogum have got a free sample, MySpace, which is a bit like a We Are The World everyoneathon. Only not for charity. And with Andrew WK.

Oh, also in there is Frances Bean Cobain. Somewhere.

Decade Null: 2004 - The Dresden Dolls

One of the great things about the internet is that it has Amanda Palmer on it. It's six years now since the Dresden Dolls debut, The Dresden Dolls, and you can never tire of hearing this, Girl Anachronism:



[Part of Decade Null: 2004]

Embed and breakfast man: Tegan and Sara & Amanda Palmer

Amanda Palmer has knocked together a video for Tegan And Sara's Hell. Technically, it's a fan-made video. Or possibly user-generated content. But more accurately, it's an inventive approach to a cracking song:



And the Rage Against The Machine single wasn't the only interesting thing going on in the computers last week. Elsewhere, Amanda Palmer was writing a song - Gaga, Palmer, Madonna - and sharing that online, too:

Bookmarks: Some stuff to read on the internet - Amanda Palmer

Emily White talks to Hypebot about Amanda Palmer and her audience:

The attendance at those shows spiked in 2006 when a few Dolls songs were receiving airplay. Awesome, right? Well, now it's 2009 and we've returned to some of those markets. Many of those radio fans don't turn up anymore. Yet, the hardcores or "1000 true fans" are still there, just like they have been since they organically founded The Dresden Dolls back in the day. They still line up outside for hours, know every word of every song (whether or not it has been released), and wait around for Amanda's autograph. They don't need a top down marketing plan to tell them what to like. And who are the new hardcore Dolls/ Amanda fans? They are the younger siblings and friends of the original fans, who continue to spread the gospel about an artist who's work they love so much they can't not talk about.

I think major label marketing can be and is effective for the right kind of artist. But not with this fanbase, they are the definition of direct-to-fan. Of course expanding the audience is always a goal, but this is an artist whose fans don't need to see their hero in a magazine or hear a new song on the radio to keep them interested. Amanda will just email, tweet, or blog to them directly. And why not? The technology is there, so let's embrace it, not ignore it.

Twittergem: Trent_Reznor

Trent was online last night. Trent, not "Trent", as he explains:

Asshole alert: @trent__reznor is a fake.
about 8 hours ago from web

1 underscore = me (occasionally an asshole), 2 underscores = NOT me (full-time, internet-style, coward asshole)
about 8 hours ago from TweetDeck

In all seriousness, I have met a number of fragile personalities over the years who have had lengthy online friendships with impostors.
about 8 hours ago from TweetDeck

... that shit MAKES ME MAD.
about 8 hours ago from TweetDeck

Then they're pissed at me because I'm not who they've been talking to!
about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck

And why am I telling YOU and who am I talking to right now?? -losing my shit here. Step away from the TweetDeck, sir.
about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck

OK, just one more. FYI I can stop doing this any time I want to.
about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck

I figure as long as I TWEET (I feel stupid saying that) LESS times per day than @davenavarro6767 and @amandapalmer I'm OK. Right? Yeah.
about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck

SEE! She couldn't HELP but tweet. RT @amandapalmer: @trent_reznor good god. feeling your pain, brother.
about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck

And I know somewhere Dave's palms are sweaty... finger hovering over the RETURN button.
about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck

OKFUCKITMANIJUSTWENTANDSAWTHISMOVIESINNOMBREANDDRANKAWHOLESHITLOADOFDIETCOKEAND
I'MWIREDASALLHELLANDICAN'TSTOPMYSELFFROMBABBLINGONABOUTNOTHIN
about 7 hours ago from TweetDeck

[Follow: twitter.com/trent_reznor. One underscore.]

Twittergem: Amanda Palmer

very happy moment. DEVO just walked by and they were WEARING THE WEIRD ANGULAR FLOWERPOT HATS.

- twitter.com/amandapalmer

Don't get me wet because the bandages will all come off

Trooper of the week award must surely go to Amanda Palmer, run over in Belfast yesterday but still turning up on stage with a plaster cast, for all the world like a character in one of her own songs.

Embed and breakfast man: Creep

This does take a little while to turn into something interesting, so we'd suggest pausing it while it loads and whipping through to about one minute forty or so. It's Amanda from the Dresden Dolls playing Creep. On a bar. With ukulele accompaniment - it's what George Formby would have wanted...


[Via Brooklyn Vegan]