Punk cabaret goddess Amanda Palmer has finally released the long-promised music video for her Ukulele Anthem, filmed on a windy day in front of the Sydney Opera House, while she was in the country this year as a headliner for the Sydney Festival.
The video features a nappy/leotard clad Palmer, strapped in a harness and attached to the iconic Opera House with ribbons while strumming on her Ukulele, belting out the anthem. The video was shot on a windy day in early January this year, made in conjunction with the Sydney Opera House and directed by Melbourne filmmaker Jim Batt.
The former Dresden Dolls singer took to her Facebook page earlier this year, appealing to her fans to help her decide which song to perform at the iconic landmark. “[I] have a single day, a camera crew, a budget from the sydney opera house, and TOTAL ACCESS TO THE OPERA HOUSE TO MAKE A LIVE MUSIC VIDEO,” wrote the musician.
“Can be any song I want – old, new, cover, whatever. I don’t have the band, so…piano or ukulele. Can probably get a string section,” she explained. “The opera house has amazing insides but even more amazing outsides. WHAT DO I FUCKING DO???”
Fans following the process were given the inside scope just a few days later when Palmer dropped a few hints on her blog. “My recent shows at sydney festival have been absolutely SLAYING…and there’s a very good chance that i’m going to shoot a video for the “ukulele anthem” at the sydney opera house,” she wrote.
“Possibly naked, but probably body-painted. or in a bedazzled bikini. or who knows. anyway…THIS MAKES ME HAPPY,” she continued. Palmer has had a long and warm relationship with Australian audiences. “Australians, unlike Americans, seem to somehow treasure opinionated women,” the singer told Music Feeds in a recent podcast episode.
“It can be really refreshing, as a woman, to be somewhere where their loudness or aggressiveness or athleticness or brashness, whatever it is setting them apart from the feminine ideal, is actually cause for celebration, not scorn.”
Watch: Amanda Palmer – Ukulele Anthem
http://youtu.be/L3eF1w8az5U
