So yesterday really happened. I saw on Twitter that Good Records was hosting an "Amanda Palmer Ninja Gig." I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it's Amanda Palmer--so I wanted to go. I like her solo work and her previous band Dresden Dolls. Years ago, I first heard "Sex Changes" on KTCU, and I immediately went to iTunes for more.
When April and I arrived at Good Records (forever the best music store in Dallas, if not all of Texas), the place was already packed. People crowded the aisles. One guy in front of me leaned his hand heavily on the LPs, and it drove me crazy. You're hurting the vinyl! It was hard to see the stage. Amanda played the ukulele and talked about each song. Then, to my surprise, she called her husband Neil Gaiman to the stage.
Neil Gaiman is here?
That caught me off guard. I assumed she would travel solo. I don't know why. Neil Gaiman can write wherever he has access to a word processor, pen and paper, or his brain. They are married, why wouldn't he travel with her?
Dressed in black, crazy Tom Waits hair, tired eyes, Neil Gaiman stepped up and shared some of his writings. He has a voice built for nighttime fairy tales. I could have listened to him for hours. Then, he sang a song with Amanda assisting on the ukulele.
I admit, my geek-heart was smitten. This was very, very cool.
Afterward, April and I walked across the street for pizza. She listened while I rambled through an annotated bibliography of his greatest hits. Occasionally, I threw in comments about Amanda Palmer to be fair. "Wasn't that cool?"
I love April for many reasons. At the same time, my love for her needs no reason. I simply love her. I love that she's an artist, that she cares about creative and thoughtful expression. When I considered writing full time, it was April who most fervently supported this decision--not because it was the best economic choice (I'm giving up a stable teacher's salary), but because she understands the creative impulse. I've always wanted to be part of a creative duo, John and Yoko, Amanda and Neil, Charles and Ray, that we could support each other in our art.
I see Neil and Amanda in a loving and equitable relationship, where each partner has their own independent creative pursuits. And that's pretty cool.
D Magazine's FrontRow blog has photos from the event: click here.
