NOT POP
CULTURE
Books, movies, music and pop culture that's probably not hip cause I like it
Scriptorium I 2016 3
A painted spectacle interrupts pedestrian flow in a Boston public square. A human statue asks for money in exchange for a flower. A lonely mock bride looks to connect with humanity.
Amanda Palmer is a friend to the world. Her words of insight, comfort and encouragement are gifts to strangers as much as they are to supporters of her music. Her book is a gesture of universal respect and kindness and a guide to being human.
The Art of Asking is about asking, but it’s also about giving. It’s a memoir, essentially, that journeys through Amanda’s career as a musician. Amazingly, however, the book isn’t about music. It’s about connecting with people. Amanda starts candidly by discussing her connection to famous sci-fi writer/husband, Neil Gaimen, and issues regarding their financial dynamic. When they met he was rich and quasi-famous and she was underground famous. He always paid for dinner and she always felt bad. He always insisted it was fine; she always felt bad.
The crux to this issue prompts Amanda to move us back in time to the point in her life where she learned to trust and connect with people, which happened to be in the most oddest of ways: as a painted, mute 8-foot bride human statue. The premise was simple: drop a dollar in her hat and she will give you a flower. Never a word to be spoken. The power of this simple exchange of kindness was profound. Amanda learned how
easy it is to connect with someone, to see someone, and be seen by them. It all comes down to eye contact.
So Amanda takes this lesson into her music career and shatters all expectations. She redefines the relationship between artist and fan, and she builds a working model that stands to this day. Forget the old days when recording labels were the conduit between creating and consuming, and where neither group had much of a say in what they were giving or taking. Amanda helped usher in a new paradigm, abolishing the recording label in favor of a communal experience. In this brave new world both musicians and supporters get more from each other because the direct connection is that much more meaningful.
The Art of Asking is an empowering tool for any creative or compassionate mind. In one stroke it speaks of the genius gift we all have to share by opening ourselves to others, while in another it elicits contemplation over better systems and more inspiring business models. This book has changed the way I look at the film industry. It’s opened a room in my mind with all sorts of possibilities in how I can release my movies and connect with my supporters. This magazine, if it’s not obvious, was inspired by Amanda’s incredible journey and the encouragement found in her book! It’s not just for music lovers, it’s not just for entrepreneurs, it’s not just for feminists, it’s not just for people learning “how to adult”. It’s for the individual who walks by a street performer and stops, even if for a moment, to appreciate the uniqueness of what’s being shared. It’s for anyone of us looking to connect.