I Met Amanda Fucking Palmer and Neil Gaiman Last Night

I would like to thank my husband who is not into these kinds of things but he accompanied me nevertheless. (girlkiss)

Last night was absolutely amazing. And surreal. And insane. Amanda Palmer is fucking insane.

The gig was to be held in Stereolab but when we arrived there, we were informed that they were running a bit late because Amanda was still at a photo shoot. So they opened Stereolounge first so that guests can relax a bit, have a drink or two before the show started. We claimed our free drinks and I looked at the merch that they were selling while waiting. I was hoping to buy the Who Killed Amanda Palmer book but unfortunately Ms. Palmer was not able to bring copies (which she later told us was kinda weird since they were here primarily for the Singapore Writers Festival). They had a browsing copy though so I was able to thumb through the amazing photos and bits of stories. There were shirts there as well but it was pricey (but were slashed down later in the evening to clear all items). I settled for a CD and a poster since there was going to be a signing session after the show.

At around 9PM, they opened the doors to Stereolab. We settled at the middle part of the floor since it was an intimate setting and we would be able to see Amanda from where we were. While waiting, I was observing the crowd since it was my first time to go to a local gig and I’ve heard stories how tame the locals are compared to people back home. The crowd was composed of mostly young people with a sprinkle of expatriates. They were quieter than the Saguijo din that I was used to.

We didn’t have to wait long before the people at the front stirred and cheered. Amanda Palmer took the stage and I was struck by how beautiful she was. Admittedly, I am not familiar with most of the songs she performed but I liked them. Her music is strange, some dark, some were deceiving with their uptempo melodies and twisty lyrics and some were to me just macabre in quality. Husband said it reminded him of Dracula’s Lament sang by Jason Segel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Haha.

Amanda Palmer plays a mean piano, ladies and gents. She is loads of fun to watch and she can really charm a crowd. She banters, tells funny anecdotes while sipping an alcoholic beverage in between. Highlights of the gig include:

• Neil Gaiman reading a story from the Who Killed Amanda Palmer book. That guy is amazing. He knows just the right tone and inflections to use during a reading.
• Amanda Palmer taking her Black Sabbath shirt off. She just… took it off. I told you, insane.
• Dildo moment while Amanda was singing Coin Operated Boy. LOL.
• Amanda playing her ukulele.
• Amanda singing I Google You. That’s a fun song.

We were the first in queue for the signing! I shook their hands (how formal) and went on to chat with Amanda while she and Neil signed my stuff. I asked if I can have a picture taken with them but Amanda decided that this had to be done after the signing so that we don’t hold the queue up. So, we hung around and had some drinks. Some time later, I saw Neil leaving the signing booth. I was really sad because I though he would be going back to their hotel. Fortunately, I saw him hanging around at the back and so we hurried and asked him if I can take a picture. He said yes! And I had a chat with him about his dog and how I thought her daughter was really pretty. Anyway, the proof.

And with Amanda.

Amanda and Neil are so nice, accommodating and adorable! I’m so glad we went to the show. <3