OK, as many (most?) of you will have noticed, I've been using Coin-Operated Boy by The Dresden Dolls as my theme song for these sets for a long time. But it has recently come to my attention that while the whole Prop. 8 thing was going on in California (and a disgusting, hateful law it is), Amanda Palmer (the female half of The Dresden Dolls, Evelyn Evelyn, and one of the partners in the 8in8 project) staged a protest of the proposition at one of her solo shows. This I approve of. What I can't approve of (and, in fact, was disgusted by) was the form of that protest.
It seems that she, aided Margaret Cho, felt the best way to protest for marriage equality was stage a rape and forced marriage of "Katy Perry". I put this in quotes because it was a Katy-Perry lookalike that she (Amanda) introduced and had start to sing that obnoxious track, "I Kissed a Girl". Various women started coming out on stage, dressed in various stereotypical outfits seen as 'lesbian' to be toyed with and rebuffed by "Katy". Then out comes Margaret Cho wearing a strap-on and a big grin, and she forces "Katy" to fondle the strap on while Amanda has now come out on the other side of "Katy", who is by now getting really freaked out and trying to get away. Amanda forces "Katy" into a kiss while Margaret starts to move the dildo under "Katy's" skirt. At this point a sheet is raised in front of them by some of the show's cast members while Amanda, Margaret & "Katy" go through what appears to be an enthusiastic rape scene, but is in reality a costume change resulting in the sheet in front of them being dropped to reveal Margaret now in Clerical garb, Amanda in a punk wedding dress and "Katy" tied up with duct tape across her mouth trying to hop away and being restrained by Amanda while a sign reading "Fuck Prop. 8" being raised behind them.
I only found out about this just this month, a sign that the forecast singularity is not yet here because this happened 3 years ago. I have tried to find some,
any, indication that either Amanda &/or Margaret have said or done anything to indicate they have some remorse for using rape imagery to promote marriage equality. But I haven't been able to find any. They have both declined to respond to anything negative that has been said to or about them on this topic. This has led me to the feeling that Amanda & Margaret somehow feel that rape is okay, if it happens to someone you don't like or believes in something you disagree with.
I struggled with this for several days before coming to a decision. Which leads to this announcement. Until such a time as Amanda Palmer and Margaret Cho make some sort of repudiation of their use of rape as a tool of revenge, I will no longer do anything to promote them or generate income for them. That means, as a DJ, I will no longer play anything I know either of them were involved with, and as a consumer, I will not buy anything they have produced or go see them at a show. I will leave it to you what your actions will be, but I will recommend you do the same.
You will notice I have not provided any links to these things. If you wish to learn more, go to Google.com and enter the search terms "Amanda Palmer Katy Perry Rape" and check out the various links. I watched a video of it once and that was enough for me. I don't want to see it again.
And on that somber note, I will sign off for today. There will be no Chai Me Up post for the May 23 show because the record button didn't get pushed for the entire show (oops), but we'll be back with the Geared-Up Jazz show on the 26th.
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