Feminist singer Amanda Palmer is getting dragged on Twitter for criticizing the lack of coverage she has received from the Guardian and other publications.
Laura Snapes, the Guardian’s deputy music editor, explained the “bizarre situation” regarding Palmer in a tweet thread on Thursday.
“I blocked her years ago, I think we had a spat about that tour where she offered to pay musicians in hugs and beer. She recently became fixated by this and asked her 1m fans to find out why I had,” Snapes stated, beginning her thread.
https://twitter.com/laurasnapes/status/1197572693081698310
She goes on to explain the various efforts Palmer exerted in order to interact with Snapes, including inviting Snapes to the White House Correspondents’ dinner. Palmer also allegedly was planning on dedicating a section of her Europe tour to how Snapes “orchestrated a Guardian-wide ban on coverage of her album.”
Snapes explained that as the deputy music editor, she does not hold that power.
Then, Snapes said a journalist requested a response from Snapes as to why she was not a fan of Palmer. That journalist, she later found out, allegedly was hired by Palmer to specifically report on her tour.
https://twitter.com/laurasnapes/status/1197572717987409921
The hired journalist is also explained in Palmer’s thread, which seemingly kicked Snapes’ thread off.
“The Guardian‘s music editor snubber the most feminist album and tour of my career,” Palmer stated, beginning her thread.
the guardian’s music editor snubbed the most feminist album and tour of my career, and you’ll never believe what happened next…
— Amanda Palmer 🎹 (@amandapalmer) November 21, 2019
(or: how to fight clickbait – and other stuff – using patronage.)
{thread. please RT this one. i thank you.}
photo: @gmotophotos pic.twitter.com/zcxyDDYNiZ
Palmer explains that due to the lack of coverage, she hired her own journalist in order to provide content directly to her fans. (She even has a TED Talk about direct dissemination of content.)
“WHERE IS MY NEW YORKER PROFILE?” Palmer tweeted. “WHY IS THE ATLANTIC NOT BANGING ON MY DOOR TO WRITE A TWELVE-PAGE PIECE ABOUT MY INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY?”
Ben Beaumont-Thomas, the Guardian’s music editor, even chimed in to clear the air about the Guardian’s music coverage.
“You are not automatically entitled to coverage. There are tens of albums we would like to cover each week but can’t because of space restrictions–we need to make sure there is a spread of genres while also covering the biggest releases. Ditto tour reviews. No vendetta here,” Beaumont-Thomas wrote to Palmer.
You are not automatically entitled to coverage. There are tens of albums we would like to cover each week but can’t because of space restrictions – we need to make sure there is a spread of genres while also covering the biggest releases. Ditto tour reviews. No vendetta here.
— Ben Beaumont-Thomas (@ben_bt) November 21, 2019
Snapes described Palmer’s actions as harassment and not what she expected from a feminist artist.
“It was disturbing. I have been harassed in this way before by male musicians; I don’t expect it of a woman,” Snapes tweeted.
It is more common than not for the journalist to fall under public scrutiny. But on Thursday, Twitter sided with the Guardian and Snapes.
“I’m sorry but this is the most embarrassing thing I’ve seen in quite a while, this blatant attacking of music journalists for not giving publicity to your album is disgusting,” Twitter user @clockworkcrypt wrote.
I’m sorry but this is the most embarrassing thing I’ve seen in quite a while, this blatant attacking of music journalists for not giving publicity to your album is disgusting. Those of you who know me know I bop to the occasional Amanda Palmer track, but this is just… gross pic.twitter.com/8EPyDIP0jY
— Femme Fatale Amalgamation (@clockworkcrypt) November 21, 2019
One Twitter user compared Palmer to the stereotypical “can I speak to your manager” white woman.
Amanda Palmer has always had the biggest “Can I Speak to Your Manager” White Woman™ Energy and honestly she sucks so much https://t.co/I8nCRFaWOJ
— Kat (@KattyCorner) November 21, 2019
Another criticized Palmer’s use of feminism to entice media coverage.
“It’s me, Amanda Palmer. Please behold my ten-part play about a trio of French mimes having a mournful orgy inside a rusty harmonium. If you do not cover this you’re an enemy of women,” Twitter user @annamerlan wrote.
It’s me, Amanda Palmer. Please behold my ten-part play about a trio of French mimes having a mournful orgy inside a rusty harmonium. If you do not cover this you’re an enemy of women
— Anna Merlan (@annamerlan) November 21, 2019
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