Mr. Weinstein Will See You Now...
I have posted about this on Facebook, but I needed to do something more...
I have followed Amanda Palmer for years, since before she was a solo artist in most of our minds, when she was one half of the fantastic Dresden Dolls. Her brand of leftfield, strong, dark, joyful art has always moved me, and over time I have come to realise that she is possibly one of the most important voices in my life, and Ihave to tell you she is that in so many other people's lives as well.
She may not be the most talked about, famous, lauded musician in the World, but get talking to someone who is a fan, and you will hear stories of sharing and emotion and shared creativity and fellowship, sisterhood and brotherhood and a safe, warm extended family of like-minded people. The work that she does speaks to people who are on the margins, but there is a thread running through a lot of her work that speaks to a wider and deeper set of ideas about honesty, authenticity, consent and indeed Feminism.
Hold on, here is a white, cis, guy talking about Feminism; warning, warning! Look, I am not going to claim that I have my hands around the whole set of issues, and I am not perfect, I am no saint, and I try every day to be a better man and a better ally to women. So when I say that I am truly shocked by the staggering wall of silence from the online Feminist world with regard to this song and this video, I realise it might come off as way outisde my bailliewicke, but overall I feel it needs to be said by whoever.
Here is a proudly Feminist, female artist, who is beholden to no company run by old white men, who is making music and art by gathering her online family to her and doing the work that they care about and that moves them. On top of that she has, by chance, created this beautiful song with another radiant, creative woman, in an outpouring of anger and pain and solidarity in the face of the #meetoo phenomenon. And then, taking the money that she raises every month by fostering the patronage of people who get her and want to make it possible for her to do work that matters, she gathers together a cast and crew of women and makes a staggering, harrowing, moving, dangerous, rebellious music video to go along with that song and releases it to the World on the anniversary of #metoo, to do what she can to keep that fire alive and keep the discussion front and centre in the zeitgeist, so that no one can hide from it.
Where is the Feminist media?
This story writes itself. Feminist takes charge of her own destiny and creates Feminist Art to confront society over the greatest issue facing Women; that Women are still subject to constant fear of violence and sexual violence now in the twenty-first century. Here is a powerful, talented, creative woman standing up with a whole bunch of other great, creative women and taking their turn to say "No More!" without asking anyone's permission, with no apology, no timid, shrinking voice...
Why are Jezebel and Teen Vogue and Feministing and Bustle and many more and indeed any number of bloggers saying NOTHING?
It's been covered by the mainstream online music press, Hell it's been mentioned on CNN!
She's out there, doing this work. If #metoo moved you at all, if you are a survivor or an ally to a survivor, if you are as angry about the wrongs done to women that are simply dismissed by our society, in general, as Amanda is, as Lady Gaga is (see her interview with Colbert), as Rose McGowan is, as any of the millions of unknown women are, then this song, this video is for you, and you need to tell other people about it, and you need to ask the outlets that usually speak for you why they are not all the heck over this..?
(Please note, this video is not suitable for young kids and is in no way Safe for Work)