Dresden Dolls oh my god
I was supposed to write this a week ago... oh well.
I used to have a very close relationship with music. I spent all of my time on forums for my favorite bands, i'd assiduously research every name i saw. Every. Name. As in i'd buy music magazines, and go cover-to-cover, looking up every single band mentioned. But sometime around 1-2 years ago (oh god what will happen to me when/if i'm an old lady), i discovered fashion blogs and with that, the blogosphere in general. So now i only know the bands that i knew three years ago.
It's a strange and sad feeling when i recognize a name - it carries not only the dregs of what i remember about the band, but the full, heavy void between when i Knew Music and now. It's like, loltbh, a veiled bride walking down the aisle. And weighing down on her train, following her path, is a huge cement slab. ........I know. I know.
Writing this has made me feel guilty enough to pull up Stereogum's current mix. But honestly, i haven't liked any of the songs so far. Why is "intelligence" so un-catchy?
ANYWAY OMFG. THE POINT OF THIS IS THAT LAST WEEK, I WENT TO BOSTON TO SEE THE DRESDEN DOLLS. AND IT WAS A PRETTY AWESOME TRIP IN THE STRESSFUL, I-WISH-I-WAS-BALD-SO-I-COULDN'T-PULL-ALL-THIS-HAIR-OUT WAY. I can count the number of bands who emotionally ~move~ me on one hand, and Amanda+Brian occupy TWO OF THOSE FINGERS (Amanda Palmer solo being one of them). They are an amazing, amazing band, and adorable lil opinionated me cannot understand why everyone doesn't feel this way.
So, my original travel plan was thus: wake up at 6:00am, take taxi to DC to catch a series of buses that would gently lay me down in Boston at 4:30pm, hang out with _skaters, go to concert, take more buses that would lovingly dance me back to DC at 9:00am.
This is what actually happened.
1. Wake up at 5:45am. REJOICE THAT I'M NOT LATE FOR ONCE.
2. Call taxi. Reported arrival time: 5-20 minutes.
3. An hour passes. By this time, i have called the taxi company five times ("He's 1.3 miles away now." "But i called ten minutes ago and you said he was 1 mile away." "-something unintelligible-" Un-PC opinion #26: people who don't speak the mainstream English dialect should not be hired to work telephone lines. It is not racism, for fuck's sake) and am completely hysterical. Every set of headlights i see whizzes past me, i look ridiculous sobbing all over my five layers of clothing, there is no one around and it is still dark outside.
4. I get to DC 30 minutes after the bus's departure time. The taxi ride costs $50 for nine miles. I duck into a nearby hotel and buy new tickets on my phone. I love my phone.
5. The bus ride is tranquil. It's a double-decker and SO COOL. Approaching bridges feels deliciously perilous and i feel so important. Surprisingly, i don't feel hungry. KOOL DIET TIP: sometimes, you don't get hungry until after you take the first bite.
Pretty New England foliage all the way, baby (my pictures are and will always be awkwardly huge; i do not particularly care):
6. Arrive in NYC fifteen minutes later than scheduled. Must buy new tickets for the second time.
This champion was doing pushups:
Oh, NY~
7. Do make-up in tiny bus bathroom by storing all my stuff in my pants like a kangaroo (tight boots + sweatpants over regular pants = really big pockets [Note: OMG I DID NOT ATTEND THE CONCERT IN SWEATPANTS OKAY THEY WERE JUST FOR THE BUS RIDE]). Arrive in Boston two hours later than planned. This means i don't get to meet up with my _skater bros, which breaks my heart more than it should. I also don't get to wait in line for an hour, which makes my paranoid super-fan brain want to stick needles in itself. However, MAGICAL THINGS START TO HAPPEN.
8. A girl who was on my bus offers to help me find my way. She leads me out of the huge station and looks at my Google Maps. She recommends a different, better-lighted path to take, and gives me directions as far as she can see.
9. I get lost. I ask a random man to please tell me where the hell i am, and he answers that he's not from Boston. However, he looks at my map with me for almost ten minutes (i even hope he'd give up so i can accost someone else), trying to figure out where we are and which way i should go. In the end, he tells me that there's a great Chinese restaurant right across the street, and the lady there is nice and can probably help me.
10. There is no lady to be found in the restaurant, only a ESL waiter whose vague pointing i can't understand, but still appreciate. I begin to leave the restaurant when a customer sitting at a table asks me where i'm going. "The Wilbur Theatre."
"Oh! Let me show you where that is!"
So he stands up from his food and follows me outside. Standing on the curb of the restaurant, he gives me directions to the Theatre, repeating himself until he is sure i understand.
I love Boston.
11. I finally get the theatre and plunk down in line. I start chatting with an older and younger woman in front of me; the younger one has mezzanine seats but wishes she had floor. The older woman happens to have an extra floor ticket, and gives it to her. A marching band and various performance artists are entertaining the crowd.
12. NO ONE IS SELLING EARPLUGS. But one lady tells me that toilet paper works in a pinch (and it does!).
13. I am the luckiest girl in the world, and get a spot in the front row even though i arrived so late. I'm with the older woman and this beautiful man wearing a bowler hat, all black, a long (black) skirt, combat boots, and multiple facial piercings that are so so elegant on him. We do the awkward small talk.
14. Amanda pops on stage before the show starts to urge us to buy Bitter Ruin's (the opening band) cds. They have flown from England just to open for the Dolls on one night; they are not making bank from this show whatsoever.
15. The marching band wanders around the theatre, playing and dancing until the show starts.
16. Bitter Ruin! Georgia, the singer, has the most beautiful blonde hair i've ever seen. Her voice is jazzy and powerful, and she is srsly dramatic on stage. Ben, the guitarist, is a cutie pie. They're a fledgling band and you can definitely tell by the overdramatics, but i mean, they're definitely not bad and i could see myself liking them in the future. FML WHY AM I SUCH A BITCH ;_;
FUCK I'M TIRED OF WRITING IN PRESENT TENSE
I LEARNED THAT MY PHONE HAS A NOMINAL ZOOM FEATURE.
CONTRARY TO THESE PICTURES, THEY DID MOST OF THEIR SET STANDING UP AND MOVED AROUND A HEALTHY AMOUNT.
17. Intermission! Band plays, whee
18. The Dresden Dolls. They came on stage tossing out cupcakes to the crowd, beseeching us to share. I don't have many photos of them; videos are infinitely better at capturing them. Videos thaaaaaaaaaat... i'm not going to post, because the quality sucks and i wouldn't want anyone to be introduced to the Dresden Dolls in this manner. But anyways. This band means so so so much to me; they broke up two years ago and i have a nice angsty LJ post about that somewhere buried in here. They got back together for a short tour for their 10 year anniversary, and for two nights in Boston, they would play the entirety of two of their albums (one album a night). I went to the "Yes, Virginia" night, which honestly probably wasn't as wonderful as the "The Dresden Dolls" night in terms of atmosphere - Amanda's and Brian's friends and parents were all there, Amanda told stories about each of the songs, they played a 2.5 hour set (A 2.5 HOUR SET). But i have a feeling that i wouldn't have gotten front row at the other night with my awful timing, so i can't complain.
The most amazing thing about the Dolls is their synchronization. Amanda and Brian tune into each other and can somehow know when the other person is going to play. So they can have long pauses, with a SUDDEN CRASH OF NOISE, then another long silence, ANOTHER CRASH, ANOTHER CRASH, PAUSE CRASH PAUSE CRASH AAAHHHHHASHGHWEI AND THE SONG CONTINUES. And the timing through all of this is completely perfect.
Also, Brian is the most amazing and underappreciated drummer in the entire fucking universe. When he plays, oh my god, you can tangibly (yes, tangibly) see the passion and pure energy radiating from him with this devastating intensity (HOW MANY MORE OF THESE WORDS CAN I CRAM IN A SENTENCE). He can drum subduedly, and it's so haunting and poignant, and he can create insane shattering cathartic drum solos, and it's... so beautiful. W/e i seriously can't describe it, if anyone is interested, ask me and i will send you videos and i promise, no irony whatsoever, that your life will be changed.
He's also really, really, really gorgeous. And the goofiest person ever when he's not playing.
Anyway, the show was... i don't know. Like Brian's drumming, it's not something you can write. And i swear i'm not being lazy! Suffice it to say that while i possibly would have been happier at the "The Dresden Dolls" night, screaming away in the front row, i definitely do not regret this trip.
Little things...
Before "Me and the Minibar" (an Amanda solo), Amanda said, "Brian! I think i need more wine!" And like the perfect French maid, Brian stood up, tittered "O-kay!", and flittered off. He later returned with a plastic crate filled with beer, wine, soy milk, and a stack of cups.
Before "Sing", one of my favorite songs of all time (and the reason i chose to go to the "Yes, Virginia" night), Amanda read the letter from Virginia O'Hanlon that inspired this album's title. She has a beautiful speaking voice, the lights were dim and blue, and it was such a haunting, wonderful experience.
During the final song, "War Pigs" (they only played three songs not from "Yes, Virginia" afterwards; that, something from Amanda's "Cabaret" project [Brian on stage, Amanda on the balcony!], and "Coin-Operated Boy" :( The set was only 2 hours long, i think the previous day had wore them out), Brian threw out a drumstick and it knocked someone on the head. He profusely apologized through pantomime, and proceeded to throw a flower (the stage was littered with them) to the person. Hearts in my EEYYYEEEEESSSS
19. The show ended, and they disappeared ;_; I waited for them a while with this nice couple; a stagehand threw them flowers as they cleared the stage. The boy saw that i didn't get any, and took a stem of blossoms out of his bunch and gave it to me. Seriously, you guys. Boston is filled with the most genuinely nice people i've ever met.
Post-concert ded euphoria. I swear my skin isn't actually that color irl O_o
20. Bus rides, bus rides, bus rides. I spent two hours in the Philadelphia station because, once again, my bus arrived late and i missed the connector (4/4 buses that i took throughout the trip arrived at their destination late). I got to skulk around the food court ([un]fortunately, "leave no stone unturned" is a dominating mantra in my brain), though, so it was okay; I ate a pumpkin muffin from Au Bon Pain and the "British Islander" coffee at Saxby's. My roommate had lent me Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk for the trip, which i managed to finish before arriving in DC. This was the first book i had read for leisure since... i honestly don't remember. Another cement slab in my life.
21. It was raining in Philly, and it was raining in DC. In neither of these cities were my boots waterproof; i could feel the water swishing around inside with every step. I trudged back to my dorm, skipped my French class to take a shower and recuperate with some Internet, and went to my Mozart seminar.
WHY DO ALL AWESOME THINGS END WITH BAD WEATHER AND DEPRESSING MUNDANENESS ;____;
Ofc, the only solution to that dilemma is to plan something else. SWITZERLAND, HERE I COME
I used to have a very close relationship with music. I spent all of my time on forums for my favorite bands, i'd assiduously research every name i saw. Every. Name. As in i'd buy music magazines, and go cover-to-cover, looking up every single band mentioned. But sometime around 1-2 years ago (oh god what will happen to me when/if i'm an old lady), i discovered fashion blogs and with that, the blogosphere in general. So now i only know the bands that i knew three years ago.
It's a strange and sad feeling when i recognize a name - it carries not only the dregs of what i remember about the band, but the full, heavy void between when i Knew Music and now. It's like, loltbh, a veiled bride walking down the aisle. And weighing down on her train, following her path, is a huge cement slab. ........I know. I know.
Writing this has made me feel guilty enough to pull up Stereogum's current mix. But honestly, i haven't liked any of the songs so far. Why is "intelligence" so un-catchy?
ANYWAY OMFG. THE POINT OF THIS IS THAT LAST WEEK, I WENT TO BOSTON TO SEE THE DRESDEN DOLLS. AND IT WAS A PRETTY AWESOME TRIP IN THE STRESSFUL, I-WISH-I-WAS-BALD-SO-I-COULDN'T-PULL-ALL-THIS-HAIR-OUT WAY. I can count the number of bands who emotionally ~move~ me on one hand, and Amanda+Brian occupy TWO OF THOSE FINGERS (Amanda Palmer solo being one of them). They are an amazing, amazing band, and adorable lil opinionated me cannot understand why everyone doesn't feel this way.
So, my original travel plan was thus: wake up at 6:00am, take taxi to DC to catch a series of buses that would gently lay me down in Boston at 4:30pm, hang out with _skaters, go to concert, take more buses that would lovingly dance me back to DC at 9:00am.
This is what actually happened.
1. Wake up at 5:45am. REJOICE THAT I'M NOT LATE FOR ONCE.
2. Call taxi. Reported arrival time: 5-20 minutes.
3. An hour passes. By this time, i have called the taxi company five times ("He's 1.3 miles away now." "But i called ten minutes ago and you said he was 1 mile away." "-something unintelligible-" Un-PC opinion #26: people who don't speak the mainstream English dialect should not be hired to work telephone lines. It is not racism, for fuck's sake) and am completely hysterical. Every set of headlights i see whizzes past me, i look ridiculous sobbing all over my five layers of clothing, there is no one around and it is still dark outside.
4. I get to DC 30 minutes after the bus's departure time. The taxi ride costs $50 for nine miles. I duck into a nearby hotel and buy new tickets on my phone. I love my phone.
5. The bus ride is tranquil. It's a double-decker and SO COOL. Approaching bridges feels deliciously perilous and i feel so important. Surprisingly, i don't feel hungry. KOOL DIET TIP: sometimes, you don't get hungry until after you take the first bite.
Pretty New England foliage all the way, baby (my pictures are and will always be awkwardly huge; i do not particularly care):
6. Arrive in NYC fifteen minutes later than scheduled. Must buy new tickets for the second time.
This champion was doing pushups:
Oh, NY~
7. Do make-up in tiny bus bathroom by storing all my stuff in my pants like a kangaroo (tight boots + sweatpants over regular pants = really big pockets [Note: OMG I DID NOT ATTEND THE CONCERT IN SWEATPANTS OKAY THEY WERE JUST FOR THE BUS RIDE]). Arrive in Boston two hours later than planned. This means i don't get to meet up with my _skater bros, which breaks my heart more than it should. I also don't get to wait in line for an hour, which makes my paranoid super-fan brain want to stick needles in itself. However, MAGICAL THINGS START TO HAPPEN.
8. A girl who was on my bus offers to help me find my way. She leads me out of the huge station and looks at my Google Maps. She recommends a different, better-lighted path to take, and gives me directions as far as she can see.
9. I get lost. I ask a random man to please tell me where the hell i am, and he answers that he's not from Boston. However, he looks at my map with me for almost ten minutes (i even hope he'd give up so i can accost someone else), trying to figure out where we are and which way i should go. In the end, he tells me that there's a great Chinese restaurant right across the street, and the lady there is nice and can probably help me.
10. There is no lady to be found in the restaurant, only a ESL waiter whose vague pointing i can't understand, but still appreciate. I begin to leave the restaurant when a customer sitting at a table asks me where i'm going. "The Wilbur Theatre."
"Oh! Let me show you where that is!"
So he stands up from his food and follows me outside. Standing on the curb of the restaurant, he gives me directions to the Theatre, repeating himself until he is sure i understand.
I love Boston.
11. I finally get the theatre and plunk down in line. I start chatting with an older and younger woman in front of me; the younger one has mezzanine seats but wishes she had floor. The older woman happens to have an extra floor ticket, and gives it to her. A marching band and various performance artists are entertaining the crowd.
12. NO ONE IS SELLING EARPLUGS. But one lady tells me that toilet paper works in a pinch (and it does!).
13. I am the luckiest girl in the world, and get a spot in the front row even though i arrived so late. I'm with the older woman and this beautiful man wearing a bowler hat, all black, a long (black) skirt, combat boots, and multiple facial piercings that are so so elegant on him. We do the awkward small talk.
14. Amanda pops on stage before the show starts to urge us to buy Bitter Ruin's (the opening band) cds. They have flown from England just to open for the Dolls on one night; they are not making bank from this show whatsoever.
15. The marching band wanders around the theatre, playing and dancing until the show starts.
16. Bitter Ruin! Georgia, the singer, has the most beautiful blonde hair i've ever seen. Her voice is jazzy and powerful, and she is srsly dramatic on stage. Ben, the guitarist, is a cutie pie. They're a fledgling band and you can definitely tell by the overdramatics, but i mean, they're definitely not bad and i could see myself liking them in the future. FML WHY AM I SUCH A BITCH ;_;
FUCK I'M TIRED OF WRITING IN PRESENT TENSE
I LEARNED THAT MY PHONE HAS A NOMINAL ZOOM FEATURE.
CONTRARY TO THESE PICTURES, THEY DID MOST OF THEIR SET STANDING UP AND MOVED AROUND A HEALTHY AMOUNT.
17. Intermission! Band plays, whee
18. The Dresden Dolls. They came on stage tossing out cupcakes to the crowd, beseeching us to share. I don't have many photos of them; videos are infinitely better at capturing them. Videos thaaaaaaaaaat... i'm not going to post, because the quality sucks and i wouldn't want anyone to be introduced to the Dresden Dolls in this manner. But anyways. This band means so so so much to me; they broke up two years ago and i have a nice angsty LJ post about that somewhere buried in here. They got back together for a short tour for their 10 year anniversary, and for two nights in Boston, they would play the entirety of two of their albums (one album a night). I went to the "Yes, Virginia" night, which honestly probably wasn't as wonderful as the "The Dresden Dolls" night in terms of atmosphere - Amanda's and Brian's friends and parents were all there, Amanda told stories about each of the songs, they played a 2.5 hour set (A 2.5 HOUR SET). But i have a feeling that i wouldn't have gotten front row at the other night with my awful timing, so i can't complain.
The most amazing thing about the Dolls is their synchronization. Amanda and Brian tune into each other and can somehow know when the other person is going to play. So they can have long pauses, with a SUDDEN CRASH OF NOISE, then another long silence, ANOTHER CRASH, ANOTHER CRASH, PAUSE CRASH PAUSE CRASH AAAHHHHHASHGHWEI AND THE SONG CONTINUES. And the timing through all of this is completely perfect.
Also, Brian is the most amazing and underappreciated drummer in the entire fucking universe. When he plays, oh my god, you can tangibly (yes, tangibly) see the passion and pure energy radiating from him with this devastating intensity (HOW MANY MORE OF THESE WORDS CAN I CRAM IN A SENTENCE). He can drum subduedly, and it's so haunting and poignant, and he can create insane shattering cathartic drum solos, and it's... so beautiful. W/e i seriously can't describe it, if anyone is interested, ask me and i will send you videos and i promise, no irony whatsoever, that your life will be changed.
He's also really, really, really gorgeous. And the goofiest person ever when he's not playing.
Anyway, the show was... i don't know. Like Brian's drumming, it's not something you can write. And i swear i'm not being lazy! Suffice it to say that while i possibly would have been happier at the "The Dresden Dolls" night, screaming away in the front row, i definitely do not regret this trip.
Little things...
Before "Me and the Minibar" (an Amanda solo), Amanda said, "Brian! I think i need more wine!" And like the perfect French maid, Brian stood up, tittered "O-kay!", and flittered off. He later returned with a plastic crate filled with beer, wine, soy milk, and a stack of cups.
Before "Sing", one of my favorite songs of all time (and the reason i chose to go to the "Yes, Virginia" night), Amanda read the letter from Virginia O'Hanlon that inspired this album's title. She has a beautiful speaking voice, the lights were dim and blue, and it was such a haunting, wonderful experience.
During the final song, "War Pigs" (they only played three songs not from "Yes, Virginia" afterwards; that, something from Amanda's "Cabaret" project [Brian on stage, Amanda on the balcony!], and "Coin-Operated Boy" :( The set was only 2 hours long, i think the previous day had wore them out), Brian threw out a drumstick and it knocked someone on the head. He profusely apologized through pantomime, and proceeded to throw a flower (the stage was littered with them) to the person. Hearts in my EEYYYEEEEESSSS
19. The show ended, and they disappeared ;_; I waited for them a while with this nice couple; a stagehand threw them flowers as they cleared the stage. The boy saw that i didn't get any, and took a stem of blossoms out of his bunch and gave it to me. Seriously, you guys. Boston is filled with the most genuinely nice people i've ever met.
Post-concert ded euphoria. I swear my skin isn't actually that color irl O_o
20. Bus rides, bus rides, bus rides. I spent two hours in the Philadelphia station because, once again, my bus arrived late and i missed the connector (4/4 buses that i took throughout the trip arrived at their destination late). I got to skulk around the food court ([un]fortunately, "leave no stone unturned" is a dominating mantra in my brain), though, so it was okay; I ate a pumpkin muffin from Au Bon Pain and the "British Islander" coffee at Saxby's. My roommate had lent me Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk for the trip, which i managed to finish before arriving in DC. This was the first book i had read for leisure since... i honestly don't remember. Another cement slab in my life.
21. It was raining in Philly, and it was raining in DC. In neither of these cities were my boots waterproof; i could feel the water swishing around inside with every step. I trudged back to my dorm, skipped my French class to take a shower and recuperate with some Internet, and went to my Mozart seminar.
WHY DO ALL AWESOME THINGS END WITH BAD WEATHER AND DEPRESSING MUNDANENESS ;____;
Ofc, the only solution to that dilemma is to plan something else. SWITZERLAND, HERE I COME