The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo hailing from Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 2000, the group comprises Amanda Palmer, who handles lead vocals and piano and also plays keyboards, harmonica, and ukulele, and Brian Viglione, responsible for drums, backing vocals, guitar, and bass guitar. Their unique style is often described as “Brechtian punk cabaret,” a term coined by Palmer to avoid media labeling with the term “gothic.” The essence of The Dresden Dolls revolves around the concept of dark cabaret.
The band’s inception occurred shortly after Brian Viglione witnessed Amanda Palmer’s solo performance at a Halloween party in 2000, leading to a devoted fanbase. During their live shows, both members don dramatic makeup and elegant attire, aligning with their cabaret and theatrical aesthetics. Audience engagement is encouraged, with fans contributing their talents, such as stilt walking, living statues, and fire breathing, seamlessly integrated into the performances through the coordination of The Dirty Business Brigade.
Originally known as “Out of Arms,” the duo eventually settled on “The Dresden Dolls” as their name. Amanda Palmer attributes the name’s inspiration to various elements, including the firebombing of Dresden, Germany, the porcelain dolls characteristic of pre-war Dresden industry, a song titled “The Dresden Dolls” by The Fall, and a reference to the protagonists in V. C. Andrews’ novel “Flowers in the Attic” known as “the Dresden dolls.”
The name also evokes the cabaret culture of Weimar Germany. Palmer appreciated the contrast between “Dresden” symbolizing destruction and “Dolls” representing innocence and delicacy, mirroring the dynamics of their music that can shift from childlike whispers to banshee-like screams in mere seconds.
The duo gained recognition with a webcast performance at the 2002 Ig Nobel Prize ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Following a self-promoted demo release in 2001, they unveiled their first compilation, “A Is for Accident,” mostly featuring live recordings, and subsequently launched their self-titled debut album in 2003. The debut was produced and recorded by Martin Bisi (known for his work with Swans and Sonic Youth) at The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn. They secured a deal with Roadrunner Records, thanks to David Bason.
The album featured fellow Boston-area musicians Ad Frank (guitar on “Good Day”) and Shawn Setaro (bass on “Good Day,” “Gravity,” and “Jeep Song”). Two songs from the album, “Girl Anachronism” and “Coin-Operated Boy,” ranked in the Triple J Hottest 100 in 2004, at number 30 and 12, respectively. In 2003, they were crowned winners of Boston’s long-running WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble.
On October 6, 2005, The Dresden Dolls were interviewed on the radio show Open Source by none other than Christopher Lydon, who happened to be the subject of one of their songs.
