As I headed toward the fountain at Doheny on the edge of tony Beverly Hills, I spied an excited throng of tarted-up teenage girls hyped-up over a concert about to flash across the stage at the old Troubadour nightclub.
When I asked one pretty young thing who was playing, she eyed me somewhat suspiciously for a second or two, then sighed -
"Amanda Palmer".
Ah, teen flavor of the week!
Actually, Amanda MacKinnon Palmer is a talented songstress most noted for being the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the "Brechtian Punk Cabaret" duo known as "The Dresden Dolls".
Back in her home town in the early days, Amanda staged shows based on the creative musings of the legendary "Pink Dots".
Once Ms. Palmer found herself actively involved with the - "Shadowbox Collective" - the talented musician began devoting herself to staging theatrical shows (Hotel Blanc).
Brief stints in street theatre at Harvard Square were well-received by a growing number of admiring fans, too.
Once "The Dresden Dolls" (formed in 2000) were launched, Palmer invited artists to perform drama pieces at her live shows which ended up quite the novelty for her fans.
For example, ticket-holders have been treated to a wild array of colorful costumed characters - life-sized marionettes, coin-operated boys, living statues - who often mingle with the crowd before the curtain goes up.
In fact - the circus-like atmosphere and burlesque-style antics - draw the audience into the Dolls' music, and likewise, create a participatory atmosphere which amounts to a sensory smorgasbord.
A "True Colors Tour" in 2007 included a debut at New York City's Radio City Music Hall.
Allegedly, Amanda Palmer has an online following of 60,000 fans!
On a personal note, Ms. Palmer confesses -
"I'm bisexual, but it's not the sort of thing I spent a lot of time thinking about."
"I've slept with girls; I've slept with guys, so I guess that's what they call it! I'm not anti trying to use language to simplify our lives."
"I actually tend to like really femmey girls," Palmer said. "You can deconstruct this with armchair psychology and really nail me, but I like girls about my body type and about my mix of masculine and feminine."
In my day, Amanda, we called 'em "lipstick lesbians".
They turn me on, too.
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