The Dresden Dolls
What are your hopes and plans for 2007?
Brian Viglione: To collaborate with the list of people that I’ve been waiting to work with, all the people I’ve had to hold off on working with for the past few years. To engage myself in other projects that will keep me learning throughout the year. To work with bands like HUMANWINE, Faun Fables, and Zoë Keating. I’m excited to start giving drum clinics. To finally get some recording gear of my own. To take drum lessons. To work on my cooking skills. I know Amanda has a lot of other projects in mind as well.
What was the best album released in 2006 that few people heard?
Brian: Jelly Roll Morton’s Library of Congress Recordings. Essential American history.
What do you hope to hear more of in 2007? Less of?
Brian: I’d like to hear more bands that focus on playing as the basis of their performance. And less flavor-of the-week oriented. I’d love to see some more strong role models for younger musicians to emerge.
With the rise of MySpace and the ever-increasing presence of bloggers, what is your feeling about using the Internet as a promotional tool? Will MySpace last and are you actively involved in your band’s MySpace page? With the music blogs seen as an increasingly influential source for breaking new artists, do you read them and are they a positive influence that bypasses the industry machinery or just empty hype?
Amanda Palmer: A blog is only as relevant and important as the content within it. Some are useless promotional tools and some are valid, profound writing outlets. I’ve had people recently writing to me and saying: “I’m not into your band, but I read your blog religiously.” That's incredibly flattering. If you blog well, you keep your fans personally connected to the band, which is worth its weight in gold. No promotional budget can buy or create that. As far as MySpace goes, it will exist in some form even if myspace.com dies out. People want easy, instant access to music, and someone will provide it.
If you were president, how would you handle the current situation in Iraq?
Amanda: I’d get out of there quickly, no doubt.
Who would you like to see run for president in 2008? What are the Democrats doing wrong, how can they take back the White House?
Amanda: I’d like to see my high school Latin teacher, Dr. Fiveash, in office.
Be honest: Did you watch any episodes of Rock Star: Supernova?
Brian: Hell no.
In 2006, what was the best movie you saw, book you read, and/or TV show you watched?
Brian: The best book I read was The Secret Garden.
1/2007