In preparing for this vlog, it’s been really interesting to see just how selective coverage of Amanda Palmer’s “not paying the musicians” coverage has been. First, agree with her or not, she does seem to have a philosophical basis for her original decision to ask people to volunteer, nicely outlined in her famous TED talk (when are they going to let me give one of these talks?:) )
It sounds a lot like her real mistake was not realizing how differently everyone sees you and interprets your actions when they consider you to be rich. I remember when I was about to “come out” as a conductor- a violinist friend of mine wisely warned me that for many people, once they see you as an authority figure, they can’t see you as a human being any more. Anyway, not paying the players when you can (or when people assume you can) is always a bad idea.
What I like about Amanda Palmer is her willingness to speak truth to power while simultaneously channeling the spirit of Tom Lehrer. (Would TL ever have dropped the kimono?)
(Warning- Contains nudity)
Read more from the Guardian here and here. An extended piece in the New Yorker (less positive) is here
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