There is a certain subset of the human race for whom viewing David Bowie’s performance in 1986’s Labyrinth was a coming-of-age experience that defined not only sensuality, but life itself. In fact, had the universe not dictated, before its inception, that fourteen billion years later there would be a David-Bowie-as-Jareth, these folks assert, there never would have been a Big Bang. In the same way Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter inspired and inspires star-struck fandangos in the delirious faithful, The Goblin King, with his mullet and his eye makeup, is what it’s all about. And when I say what it’s all about, I mean what. It’s. ALL. About.
Weirdly, all those people seem to also love Neil Gaiman.
Well, leave it to Amanda Palmer of Boston’s Weimarpunk outfit the Dresden Dolls to ask Gaiman, who happens to be her new husband, to walk a mile in Bowie’s schlong, alongside sock puppets — in Edinburgh, no less — in this hilarious fan video/parody that damn near tops the Original Pink Five. It is featured prominently on Palmer’s YouTube channel, and was also distributed by Twitter, Twitter, Facebook, Facebook and blog post, in the kind of social-publishing “Take this! And that! And this! And some of this! And one of these!” that the pair specializes in. If you’re one of the faithful, you got it a couple of days earlier, on Palmer’s email list, which you should join if you’re into that sort of thing.
By the way, get your mind out of the gutter! A “schlong” is a mullet — that’s all! I have no idea if Bowie rents out his actual schlong, but I wouldn’t count on it. Besides, the line would be around the block.
As I was saying before I was interrupted by your filthy ruminations, Gaiman and Palmer are both known for dishing out beaucoups fan service — obsessive blogging and Tweeting, free songs, free stories, videos, personal messages and interactions, and frequent responses to fan questions — even, painstakingly, the rude ones. The two of them are poster children for social networking and new media as iconoclastic art forms, not to mention an ongoing Blitz of fan-appreciation.
This particular bit of iconoclasm is presented by Palmer, Gaiman, and the rest of the video’s crew with a hearty “A Very Bowie Xmas Gift… Love, AFP, Mr. Neil Gaiman, and Team Chaos Merry Xmas and Kwanzaa to all!!!” — perhaps in lieu of a wedding reception where they could invite all their fans. As I mentioned, the G-man is Palmer’s new husband. The pair announced their engagement back in January, 2010 in a co-Tweeting, multi-blogging jitterbug orgy. According to Offbeat Bride, they tied the knot in New Orleans last month for Gaiman’s birthday, with Gaiman in top hat and Palmer in statue-drag, as revealed in this video shot by Cat Mihos:
…but then, as it turns out from Gaiman’s blog post on the wedding, the whole thing was a surprise to him. He writes:
Next time we get married, I’ll marry the lady, not the statue, and there will be invited people and not a flash mob, and I’ll know it’s happening in advance, and there will be a paper and it will be legally recognised, but I cannot imagine it will be any more joyous than this was.
Surprise wedding, eh? Well, when you’re marrying the MC from Cabaret, such things tend to happen; Palmer recently completed a two-month run in that role at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge. Having not seen it, I can only offer unsupported speculation, but that’s my specialty; Bigfoot (who attended the premier) just texted me that Palmer was born to play that role as surely as Bowie was born to play The Goblin King.
Offbeat Bride directs me to Palmer’s blog post on the wedding, which is absolutely uproarious (as is much of Palmer’s blogging), as well as Kyle Cassidy’s wedding album.
A Techyum congratulations to the lot of ’em!