# Amanda Palmer vs. the Daily Mail **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 18, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810 "2013-07-18T03:01:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/1 "2013-07-18T03:01:26Z")
Amanda Palmer is a singer/songwriter with a definitely skewed sensibility, and who has very few inhibitions when it comes to performing. A few days ago, the British newspaper _The Daily Mail_ ran a sensationalist photo which showed her bra slipping out of place as she performed, with a rather puerile commentary about it all. Palmer fought back in provocative fashion, with the song “Dear Daily Mail.” [http://amandapalmer.net/blog/20130713](http://amandapalmer.net/blog/20130713/)/ Editors for the Mail don’t seem to have replied in kind. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/2 "2013-07-18T03:08:43Z")
Good for her. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/3 "2013-07-18T03:27:54Z")
This is barely a shallow turn on the funny, self-indulgent, annoying, entertaining roller coaster that is Amanda Palmer’s public presence. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/4 "2013-07-18T03:27:58Z")
Brilliant! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/5 "2013-07-18T06:55:32Z")
So over Palmer. I liked the Dresden Dolls well enough, but since, I just plain don’t like her or her work. The gang-rape-of-Katy-Perry and play-on-my-massively-pre-funded-tour-for-free and lets-make-fun-of-disabled-people scandals (amongst others) didn’t help things much. Calling her an attention whore is an insult - to whores. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/6 "2013-07-18T09:04:22Z")
Incidentally, she’s married to Neil Gaiman: > **[Amanda Palmer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Palmer)** > > Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and performance artist who is the lead vocalist, pianist, and lyricist of the duo The Dresden Dolls. She performs as a solo artist and was also a member of the duo Evelyn Evelyn, and the lead singer and songwriter of Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra. She has gained a cult fanbase throughout her career, and was one of the first musical artists to popularise the use of crowdfunding Palmer w... ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/7 "2013-07-18T09:34:32Z")
Whilst she’s right that the Mail is a sensationalist rag, to get naked for publicity then complain about said publicity is a touch hypocritical. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/8 "2013-07-18T09:54:40Z")
Looks a lot like Amy Winehouse. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/9 "2013-07-18T10:14:27Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Whilst she’s right that the Mail is a sensationalist rag, to get naked for publicity then complain about said publicity is a touch hypocritical. While I generally agree that she’s an attention whore (albeit an amusing one), I see no evidence that this particular self-exposure was anything but a genuine wardrobe malfunction, and it’s a legitimate criticism to point out that the Mail article about her performance was entirely “OMG Nipple!” to the exclusion of anything else. She even mentions in the song that views of her breasts are only a Google away, so it’s not like this is news (but then again, what in the Mail is?). ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/10 "2013-07-18T11:12:14Z")
As if there is anyone who hasn’t yet seen Amanda Fucking Palmer’s titties already… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/11 "2013-07-18T12:02:48Z")
There is a reason it gets called the Daily Fail. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/12 "2013-07-18T13:54:26Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > As if there is anyone who hasn’t yet seen Amanda Fucking Palmer’s titties already… She’s not exactly _that_ famous. Anyone who knows who she is has probably seen them, but I expect that number more than doubled with the Daily Heil article and subsequent kerfuffle, including more nudity. She’s completely entitled to get her baps out for publicity, but she’s not entitled to complain that some people find said mammaries more interesting than her music. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/13 "2013-07-18T14:14:38Z")
Sure she is. When the only coverage of her concert is one photo of her nipple, then the reporting is seriously screwed up. The _Daily Mail_ story was one of immense immaturity (“I saw titties! \ \ Haw haw haw”) and she’s absolutely right to call them out. Her point is a valid one: why do people think that an exposed breast (or other parts of a woman’s body) is so important that a newspaper will run “gotcha” photos whenever they can find one, with paparazzi running around like peeping toms at keyholes. The stunt, BTW, is similar to one in the[second season of SNL](http://www.hulu.com/watch/1462), though with nudity, and makes the same point (and it’s sad that after almost 30 years, it still has to be made): > [@SNL](#): > > Jane Curtin: Before I begin my regular news broadcast tonight, I’d like to read you a letter. [holds letter] “Dear Jane Curtin: I certainly miss Chevy, he is real sexy. You can’t hold a candle to him. Would you please send me his photograph? Yours sincerely, Margie Kaufman.” [puts letter down] I’ve been getting letters about News Update lately with phrases like “Going Downhill”, “Not What It Used To Be”, and “Just Plain Boring.” Mostly the letters are about how Update isn’t as good as when that “sexy Chevy Chase” did it. The network says the ratings are slipping, and they’re putting a lot of pressure on Lorne to try somebody new, like that new kid Murray, or whatever his name is. You see, I just assumed it was responsible journalism you wanted, not sex. I gave you more credit than that. But I was wrong. What can I say, besides… “Try THESE on for size, Connie Chung!” [she rips open her blouse and exposes her black bra] If it’s raw news you want, it’s raw news you get! I actually never heard of Amanda Palmer until about a month ago, but quickly discovered she’s a good songwriter and an excellent lyricist. As for “attention whore,” that’s the inevitable result of file sharing (something I predicted when Napster first appeared). It’s the main way for anyone to find out about your music, and if you don’t constantly self-promote, you lose. If you don’t like it – remember that’s the price you chose to pay. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/14 "2013-07-18T14:27:49Z")
What **Gyrate** and **RealityChuck** said. The belief that it’s news to show crotch shots, nipple slips and women without, horror of horrors, make up, just shows how brain dead, lascivious and degrading to women the media really is. I say score one for Amanda and a lot of stupid points for the Daily Fail. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/15 "2013-07-18T14:52:00Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > As if there is anyone who hasn’t yet seen Amanda Fucking Palmer’s titties already… As if this wasn’t completely missing the point of Palmer’s rebuttal… ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/16 "2013-07-18T15:14:44Z")
> [@Tanbarkie](#): > > As if this wasn’t completely missing the point of Palmer’s rebuttal… At work, haven’t looked to the rebuttal, and given her history I cannot guarantee that it is Safe for Work. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/17 "2013-07-18T15:17:44Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Looks a lot like Amy Winehouse. What!? No she doesn’t. The only thing they have in common is that they are both English singers. You might as well say Jerry Seinfeld and Patton Oswalt look a lot like each other, since they are both American comedians. ETA: my mistake, Amanda Palmer is American. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/18 "2013-07-18T15:17:54Z")
Then maybe you shouldn’t comment? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/19 "2013-07-18T15:29:10Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Then maybe you shouldn’t comment? My snark was directed against the newspaper for acting as if this were newsworthy, not against Amanda for her self-promoting activities. I fully support Ms Palmer’s choices of when she feels like exposing her breasts, and find the newspaper to be sophomoric at best. What she may have said is irrelevant to the fact that the Mail is being run by assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810/20 "2013-07-18T15:44:42Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > My snark was directed against the newspaper for acting as if this were newsworthy, not against Amanda for her self-promoting activities. I fully support Ms Palmer’s choices of when she feels like exposing her breasts, and find the newspaper to be sophomoric at best. What she may have said is irrelevant to the fact that the Mail is being run by assholes. I feel like I read something expressing sentiments similar to this recently. It seems eerily familiar, almost as if it were linked to in the OP of this very thread. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amanda-palmer-vs-the-daily-mail/663810.md?page=2)