I've been a huge fan of Amanda Palmer for many years. Her solo projects and work as part of The Dresden Dolls have served as inspiration for quite some time. The fact that she's from Boston gives her bonus points. That said...
Last night, I stumbled on a blog post which initially made me feel a little sick. Just why it was so unsettling is hard to explain, and before I do so, I'd like to provide you with some resources to understand what's going on.
Exhibit A: Here is the blog post in question. http://blog.amandapalmer.net/post/392050312/the-whole-story-behind-evelyn-evelyn
This article is an interesting read, and when I first read it I was a bit confused. Further research confirmed the assumption that this story is partially fictional. These conjoined twins are not real; they are a pair of alter-egos Amanda and Jason are adopting as part of an elaborate conceptual music project.
Exhibit B: Just to confirm that the story is fictional, I'm sharing some comments from the Facebook page of Amanda Palmer's fiance, Neil Gaiman.
Now that you're 100% clear on the fact that these twins are fictional, you can probably understand what the issue is here. It should also be noted that this elaborate tale isn't just for the sake of art---it's also allowing Amanda Palmer to release this album without going through her record label, Roadrunner.
Exhibit C: This is the reaction of one of Amanda Palmer's fans. It's a point of view I urge you all to consider.
http://disabledfeminists.com/2010/02/09/evelyn-evelyn-ableism-ableism/
With this background information, I hope that what I eventually write on the subject makes more sense. Ever since I read about this last night, I've been resisting the temptation to write about the issue, since there are so many angles to consider. I still need time to reflect on this before I can form a coherent argument for or against the implications of this project, but hopefully this background is enough to get you thinking about it yourselves.
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