DC’s Sixth & I Historic Synagogue has been around for a long time, but it has probably never seen anything quite like the Dresden Dolls. That will all change on December 27th, two days after the synagogue presents "A Very Happy Challah Day" and The Dresden Dolls kick off a short and sweet, month-long tour at one of DC’s holiest and prettiest performance halls.
The Dresden Dolls are a piano-percussion duo known for their jet-black humor and enlightened cynicism. With white-painted faces, striped tights, and bowler hats, their witty two-person burlesque act looks like Rock and Roll’s regurgitation of a Tim Burton movie. The Dresden Dolls replace cinematography with cryptic dissonance and broken melodies that harmonize pain and loneliness while exploring the subversive and taboo. “Life is no cabaret,” sings piano player, Amanda Palmer, “…join us anyway.”
Off-stage and behind the curtains of their dark cabaret act, the duo exudes friendly optimism and positive creative energy. I got the chance to speak with drummer, Brian Viglione, who phoned in from the endlessly snowy bowels of Boston, Massachusetts. Behind the white makeup and beneath the vaudeville get-up, I was happy to find a cheerful virtuoso who wears flannel pajamas and rocks out to Funkadelic in his spare time.
BYT: So what have you been up to today?
Brian: I’ve spent the past few hours sipping tea and going over email correspondence. I’ve also been working on some costume design for the upcoming Dresden Dolls tour—especially the New Years Eve show, which is going to be big.
BYT: What-cha wearing?
B: Laughter. I’m currently wearing a fine cotton baseball jersey, flannel pajama pants, and comfy wool socks.
BYT: Now, let’s go back a few years…Is it true that you and Amanda met at a Halloween party? Do you remember what you were wearing then?
B: It’s absolutely true. That party was the biggest turning point in both our lives. She played solo that night, and listening to her was just a mind-altering experience. I just knew that that was a scene I wanted to be a part of. The whole evening was just incredible—I met a lot of people that night who I still keep in touch with now. Amanda and I were both in our 20s, so at that age finding each other was the most substantial element in going to where we wanted to go. We became catalysts for each other.
BYT: You describe your band as “Brechtian punk cabaret.” Let’s start the dissection with—who the hell is Brecht? What makes it Brecht? What makes it punk, and what makes it cabaret?
B: Those were a combination of terms we put together in our early days to try to give people an idea of what the band was about. Amanda threw in Brecht for cultural reference. He was a German playwright who did politically edgy theater in the 1930s. He was very much about taking away the sentimentality of theater and eliminating the “lovey-dovey” reaction by using deliberate devices to rattle the audience so that the focus wasn’t on the characters and the story, but on the effect it had on the viewer. His mission was very present-minded, in that he wanted to engage people and have them leave the theater with a new perspective. I think Amanda wanted our shows to challenge people’s perspective in that same way.
As for the punk and cabaret elements—“punk,” to me, is symbolic of an attitude and a kind of confidence and sense of independence. It’s about being who you really are in the face of criticism. It’s about being self-sufficient, self-reliant, and living by your own ethics. I chose this description because I’m drawn to musicians and people who live by what they believe in. In Boston at the time there was this indie-rock conformist movement. Our music is described as punk because it’s non-conformist. The essence of punk is “this is who I am.”
When we refer to Dresden Dolls as cabaret, we’re talking about 1930’s cabaret. Back then cabaret was symbolic of being a forum for artists to get together and exchange ideas. It was an artistic movement and a form of inspiration for both the audience and performer.
BYT: What’s the inspiration for your name?
B: We came up with “Dresden Dolls” because it juxtaposes imagery that suits the music. It captures the fire-bombing of Dresden and pairs it with the image of delicate porcelain dolls.
BYT: You toured through Germany last year—did you get a chance to actually visit Dresden?
B: We did! We’ve only been there once, but it was a great and very welcoming atmosphere. There were banners everywhere welcoming the Dresden Dolls to town.
BYT: Did the fact that you were playing in cabaret holy-land make your shows in Germany any different? Were all your wildest cabaret fantasies fulfilled?
B: No, because I wouldn’t say that we represent some sort of cabaret revival—it’s not a flag-waving mission that we’re on. Our shows, in essence, are an extension of those house parties like the one I met Amanda at. Those parties were multimedia soirees for people to be together and inspire each other at—no matter where they came from. It was a really inclusive and creative atmosphere.
BYT: You recently took a break from touring—how did you entertain yourself during your down time?
B: I did a series of drum clinics with music students. This Spring I recorded with a Boston band called, HUMANWINE on an album called Fighting Naked. I went on a two-week trip to Berlin and Paris and got to see the Louvre for the first time. And then in July we got to go on the Cyndi Lauper “True Colors” tour. It was an amazing tour to be a part of. Everyone was a joy and a pleasure to worth with and there was this great, unifying spirit since it was all about allowing the GLBT community to be included in the hate crime bill. Later on I played with the Gil Aharon Trio, a cool jazz fusion group from New England. Then in October I did a three-week tour in the UK and Spain with Jesse Malin.
BYT: Back in September Dresden Dolls started working on a project called Post-War Trade for the work of selected artists to be featured online. What was the inspiration for this?
B: It was the fact that we got so many wonderful design submissions from our fan base. We thought it would be awesome to start circulating and promoting it. What’s really great is that the majority of the proceeds go straight back to the artists.
BYT: What kind of art did you end up receiving?
B: Everything from t-shirts and posters to sculptures, tattoos, and culinary delights.
BYT: I read in Amanda’s blog that she saw kangaroos fucking while on her solo tour in Australia—any idea on what else she’s been up to?
B: [Awkward silence and no response to kangaroo comment]
I think she’s having a great time. She loves being down there.
BYT: Are any creative adjustments going to be made to your DC performance considering you will be playing a cabaret show in a small historic synagogue?
B: The synagogue show in particular is going to be interesting. We are going to rework the set and approach the songs in a totally different way. I don’t want to say it will be acoustic—because it’ll still be electric, but we want it to sort of resemble a campfire. We’re going to pull out a lot of different material and we’re going to be out in the crowd, inviting everyone to sing along.
BYT: You’re going to be performing at the Grand Ballroom in New York City on December 31st—what’s the most appropriate song for you to end 2007 with?
B: Can it be a cover?
BYT: Sure.
B: Geez, there’s a song called “Shit! Goddamn! Get Off Your Ass and Jam!” by Funkadelic. Man, I love Funkadelic.
BYT: In a press release, Amanda said that the Dresden Dolls always wind up “…with a ton of people on stage, doing weird things.” What do these weird consist of? Are they spontaneous or programmed into the show?
B:It’s usually a healthy balance of both. We leave space for things to happen, and the way the universe is, they usually do.
We also build opportunities for collaboration by taking advantage of our friends who perform—but it’s a delicate balance. My primary focus and belief is that the substance of the band comes from the creation of the music. All that other stuff can be superfluous.
BYT: An Austrian jam and jelly company recently used your song, “Coin Operated Boy” in a commercial—how did they hear about you?
B: The record is obviously out over there. It’s a small world. Maybe someone was just driving to work, heard the song, and brought it to the board. Obviously we had a fan somewhere in that jam and jelly company.
BYT:Did you get some free jam and jelly?
B: No! Hopefully we get the total hook-up and swim in tubs of jelly next time we visit Austria.
Actually…that would be an exciting photo shoot—me and Amanda in a Jacuzzi full of raspberry jelly!
BYT: So on a similar subject…inevitably, as a co-ed two-person act, I must ask the quintessential question of whether you and Amanda are platonic comrades, lustful soul mates, frustrated ex-flames or thwarted lovers…
B: All of the above! I’ve never heard anyone summarize us so succinctly!!
BYT: What other duo would Dresden Dolls most want to take on a musical double date?
B: Oh god, great question. The Ditty Bops would be a joy. They are pretty wonderful and beautiful.
BYT: Any New Year’s resolutions?
B: To continue on the wonderful path of 2007. 2008 is going to be a tremendous and wonderful year.
Also keep your eyes peeled for a b-sides record with older Dresden Dolls songs that will be coming out soon!
Dresden Dolls
Sixth and Eye Historic Synagogue (600 Eye Street NW)
Thursday December 27, 5:30 pm
Tickets- $25
Opening Act- Meow Meow
God loves a cheerful giver.
One of my New Year's resolutions is going to be to try to be more positive; however it is not yet New Year's and everyone breaks resolutions anyway. That said:
Please tell me the "Who is Brecht" question was for the reader, in the off chance that there is one who did not know who Brecht was. Please?
At the very least everyone who has picked up a book should have read "Mother Courage." Also see "The Threepenny Opera" (which gave us the song "Mack the Knife") and also see "Alabama Song" which the Doors, Bowie, and others have covered.
Good interview though.
read Mother Courage and Threepenny Opera in my 20th Century German Literature english class at Oberlin, thank you undergrad education
familiar with Alabama Song, though i've heard the Doors cover it, not Bowie yet, but "see" it? know there's a book out there, haven't read it yet
thanks for the tips as always
on good cultural education
Who the hell is Brecht??? Who the hell are you to believe you can make an interview with a band without doing at least a quick google search?
Really, for the most part, I think this is a great site that is developing nicely into something that has been missing in DC which is a well-informed, hip and interesting city mag. However, yesterday's nail-polish article, the badly written coming out of age Lemonheads show review and todays "Who the hell is Brecht" interview question went way beyond my pain tolerance for shallowness and superficiality. Guys, do some quality control, please. Not all shit is fun.
For the record, I read this article and thought that the whole "who the hell is Brecht" question could cause some negative feedback, but since it was used in the introductory sense (and, sadly, most people may still be uninitiated about who Dresden Dolls are and what they're all about) I decided to leave it in.
Otherwise, I think it is obvious Andrea researched this article and did a great informative interview, for both fans and those not fully enthralled with th e Dolls yet...touring, personal blogs, anecdotes....they are all in there, in both questions and answers.
worst band. no care ever.
the sad fact is not that people might know who or what Dresden Dolls is about but that the Brecht question - in the way it was formulated - as uninformed and ignorant towards world literature and German culture. Frankly, I didn't even bother to read the rest of the article because I expected the next question to be "what the hell is Dresden".
Now I don't expect anyone to know about Brecht and I also don't expect interviews with Bands on this site to be at music magazine level but I do think that articles shouldn't put the authors at shame or insult the intellect of its average readers.
Svetlana, your blogs are among those I enjoy most reading, and without knowing you I can tell that you are an well-educated, well-cultured and poly-interested individual. And many kudos for taking the initiative to set up and maintain this site. But why would you as a creator and editor of this site go beneath your own standards?
Lily: "Manual of Piety" (Die Hauspostile).
Hauspostille with two ls that is.
Who the hell is Nietzsche?
The question on Brecht was a lowbrow and flippant inquiry that casually expressed my amusement with the band’s creative self-description and was meant to initiate its dissection. I did thoroughly research the Dresden Dolls, Brecht, and the lost art of German cabaret. It’s for that very reason that the rest of the interview is admittedly light-hearted, as I don’t think the Dresden Dolls seek to wear their edification on their sleeves and I didn’t want to speak to Brian as if they did. In the interview Brian also admitted that he was not familiar with Brecht until Amanda introduced him to his works and theories. This made the poorly-worded question seem valid and worth asking—though clearly it should’ve been approached more eloquently. It was not my intention to insult your, my own, or any other reader's intelligence.
Andrea - no need to apologize or explain yourself, the interview was great!
Then I was right. Sweet.