Amanda Palmer’s naked ambition has never been in doubt. But at a show last Friday in London, she took it to another level.
Palmer has returned fire at an unflattering British tabloid review with a saucy strip-off protest song.
The de facto Dresden Dolls leader produced her unexpected riposte at the Roundhouse, having stayed-on in the U.K. after playing Glastonbury Festival.
The Daily Mail newspaper had reviewed her performance at the famous festival in late June, but failed to mention her music. Instead, under a headline “Making a boob of herself!,” the article scrutinized her “embarrassing wardrobe mistake” — a nipple escaping from her bra.
Palmer, who last year leveraged her social media might to raise $1.2 million for an album, companion book and tour, delivers a response that is as funny as it is scathing. In a song she says she’d finished just an hour before arriving on stage, she describes the paper as a “misogynist pile of twats,” and addresses some of the key themes of its article.
“Dear Daily Mail, it’s so sad what you tabloids are doing,” she sings. “Your focus on debasing womens’ appearances, it devolves our species as humans. But a rag is a rag, and far be it from me to go censoring anyone oh, no. It appears that my entire body is currently trying to escape this kimono.”
It’s at that point when the big reveal happens. Standing alone behind her keyboard, Palmer drops her gown and screams ensue. “Shhhh. It’s just a naked woman,” she tells the audience. Palmer wraps it all up with a typically British expression: “Dear Daily Mail…up yours.”
Palmer encouraged her fans to record and upload the video. Watch it below: