Amanda Palmer divides and polarises with ‘twisted behaviour’ toward journalist

Let’s be clear, Amanda Palmer has always taken the road less traveled. The singer-songwriter, performance artist and author of The Art of Asking has no qualms in enlisting her fanbase to lend a hand when she needs them most – and most of them are honoured to even be asked.

However, as revealed via a string of texts over the last few days, the independent Massachusetts-born artist has become more polarising than ever.

Palmer’s unique approach to her career seemed to really ignite the polarising fire pit when journalist Laura Snapes took to Twitter to detail Palmer’s “twisted behaviour”.

Snapes said following “a spat about that tour where [Palmer] offered to pay musicians in hugs and beer” – and the fact she didn’t pitch her editor at The Guardian to write about her latest album and tour – Palmer has named her to her 1.1 million Twitter fans.

Palmer had dedicated an entire Twitter thread to the fact The Guardian didn’t cover her album or tour in the way she wanted to and placed the fault of the fact entirely on the shoulders of Laura Snapes.

Source: Twitter

then i noticed that the guardian’s music editor had blocked me on twitter. weird, i thought. i googled. this person didn’t like my music, or, apparently, me, and had gone so far as to include me in disparaging reviews of other artists’ work as an example of What Else Was Bad.

— Amanda Palmer Is Touring Europe & the UK (@amandapalmer) November 21, 2019

Snapes said she heard Palmer “was planning on her UK tour to dedicate a section to how [she] had orchestrated a Guardian-wide ban on coverage of her album.”

“She believes I am the music editor – flattering, but that’s @ben_bt. I wouldn’t have the power to ban her if I wanted to (which I don’t),” Snapes tweeted.

Source: Twitter

Laura Snapes revealed that Palmer spoke of her on the Tim Ferriss podcast show, where she said Snapes had “cockblocked” her record, and said, “I can’t stop thinking about how I want to win her over, and change her mind, and force her to love me, and connect with me, and see the light. It’s almost bordering on a mental obsession.”

It turns out there’s more. From the Tim Ferriss show in April. “I can’t stop thinking about how I want to win her over, and change her mind, and force her to love me, and connect with me, and see the light. It’s almost bordering on a mental obsession.” https://t.co/WOuNhE1Md7 pic.twitter.com/1cFEpex0iP

— Laura Snapes (@laurasnapes) November 23, 2019

:: Read Laura Snapes’ full Twitter thread here

Amanda Palmer hired her own journalist to cover the album and tour. The article by Jack Nicholls was turned into a Medium post.

She has again spoken out publicly, detailing how she deserved coverage for her progressive, feminist work. She named Snapes multiple times to her followers, admitting she is aware the journalist feels harassed and targeted.

“So, my guardian/medium thread from yesterday escalated into a kerfuffle & i’d like to say a few things,” Palmer tweeted. “First, the journalist i was not referring to by name is laura snapes. she has me blocked here so i can’t tag her, but i understand that she felt harassed and targeted.”

Some have come out in support of Amanda Palmer:

1.@amandapalmer is a real artist. As much as people claim to love the maverick, the rebel and the person with new ideas, they usually want it in a nice box with a bow. Amanda is a REAL punk. She redefines the media and doing so ruffles the feathers of the establishment.

— ▁ ▂ ▃ ▄ SXIP SHIREY (@sxipshirey) November 22, 2019

Laura came out with her own thread before Amanda named her. Both sides lacked a little tact in the message at times, but I SEE they point Amanda was trying to make. To many people are jumping on without trying to see the whole picture. This is why the world is crumbling.

— Jason (@Connorsaurus_au) November 22, 2019

Some have come out in support of the journalist:

I mean you’re a millionaire complaining about not getting coverage for an album you released. There are loads of musicians with just as many listeners who are working class who don’t get any media coverage and rely on word of mouth. I can see why this read as entitled.

— Crywank – BOOKING FAREWELL TOUR!! (@CrywankBand) November 23, 2019

i don’t doubt your intentions are sincere, but saying the Guardian are letting the side down because they didn’t cover your album absolutely is a cynical move, especially when music journalists already get routinely harassed by artists’ fanbases.

— John Barbatos (@themetrobolist) November 21, 2019

Amanda Palmer, a millionaire married to another millionaire, throwing a tantrum over not getting coverage in a specific magazine and making a less famous woman of a lower economic class the focus of it just defies any joke I could crack. She’s a mean, small-minded idiot.

— Gretchen Felker-Martin (@scumbelievable) November 21, 2019

That’s it? That’s the apology? First you name the writer you harassed outright. Now you dismiss all who criticized you because of a handful of people who were particularly awful? Stop deflecting.

You’ve let down your patrons and lost the respect of some of your biggest fans.

— laugh luster✨ (@laughluster) November 22, 2019

I mean you’re a millionaire complaining about not getting coverage for an album you released. There are loads of musicians with just as many listeners who are working class who don’t get any media coverage and rely on word of mouth. I can see why this read as entitled.

— Crywank – BOOKING FAREWELL TOUR!! (@CrywankBand) November 23, 2019

Between the lines of attack and upset is a common thread which begs the question about the role of an artist and the role of music media.

Does a poignant, timely record and tour denote coverage by mass media? Possibly. But what warrants a poignant record in an industry brimming with talent releasing 40,000 tracks a week?

Does it denote the attack and ongoing harassment of a single journalist who is not only unbeholden to musicians, but also unable to arbitrate and commit to coverage? Absolutely not.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.