“enjoymenteur”. greetings from oz. and WOODFORD FESTIVAL...! who’s here? (Patreon)

(public post)

HOLA!!

quickie important: IF YOU ARE A PATRON AND AT WOODFORD FESTIVAL, read way down and please comment so i can find you!!! also, tell me what to see! 

....

greetings, dear ones, from one of the most beautiful and gentle places on earth - woodford, australia. woodford is about an hour or so north of brisbane on the east coast of australia...inland in the hilly hills, where the trees all look like alien dr. seuss trees to an american and where the kangaroos and wallabys literally lope around your lawn acting as if they aren’t creatures from another planet. 

i’m staying in the same air bnb house we rented when i played the festival exactly 3 years ago... here’s the view this morning....

woodford folk festival (https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/)is a little-known festival even within australia, a lot of people i mentioned it to on melbourne hadn’t even heard of it. but to me and to many, it’s legendary. 

imagaine a glastonbury or a coachella that’s a tenth the size, with no super-famous headliners, very little media, no corporate branding, and no advertising. this has been a word of mouth festival for two decades. it always happens from december 27th-jan 1 no matter the days of week, and people have been bringing their families here as a ritual for ages. everybody camps (except the losers like me who rent places or stay in the best western down the road). there’s everything: music, spoken word, theater-y things, circus, cabaret. it’s heaven. 

on new year’s eve, as the clock strikes twelve, the entire festival - thousands of people - ring in the new year by observing three minutes of silence. no drunken whooping and awkward screaming; thousands of people in peaceful, reflective silence.  my kind of crowd. 

then, on the first day of the year , everybody hikes up to a cliff to watch a massive puppet show with fire put on by hundreds of people - including children. waaaaa. 

when i was here with ash three years ago (with justine), ash was only a year old and just too you g to actually interact or take everything in. i remember seeing the children running around everywhere and going absolutely nuts and thinking “i have to bring him back here when he can run.”

he can run. 

photos by beth hamilton 

morris dancers. ash loved them. 

the yuck circus. ash loved them too.  

i spent yesterday at the festival with a new friend, beth hamilton the eco-warrior from melbourne, just doing a little radio and walking around, following ash from place to place....watching him wonder-eyed. people tight-rope walking between trees, bawdy circuses, human spiders, popsicles, the little eco-lake, sand to play in, lit-up jellyfish in the sky... 

i noted something about myself as well, as i measured the difference in my mood watching people here at the festival - and also back in melbourne a few days ago - versus watching people in london walking down the street looking...on the down side. 

some of its the weather and some of it’s the cultural mandate, but this struck me: i am happiest when i am constantly exposed to People Enjoying Themselves. 

like; from now on if some journalist asks me that annoying question ”if you aren’t a musician then what would your job be” i have a feeling i would want to be a merry-go-round attendant. i always wanted to be a bartender. this explains why. look at the job i DID pick. it works out pretty well. 

i just love watching people fucking enjoy themselves so much. it’s why i throw big thanksgivings. it’s why i like parties. it’s why i like cities. it’s why i like hot sweaty yoga classes with a hundred people in them. it’s why i like going out to the movies. it’s why i get confused when i’m pinned down squarely as an extrovert. i don’t necessarily want to TALK to all these people. i just want to watch them enjoy themselves. 

im an enjoyment voyeur. 

i’m an enjoymenteur. 

.........

so speaking of which: IF YOU ARE A PATRON AND YOU’RE HERE AT WOODFORD, TALK TO ME !!! 

i have no idea if ANY OF YOU ARE HERE !!

i have four appearances at the festival starting tomorrow. monday and tuesday i’m going to do more thoroughfare-entertaining amanda palmer material (i may throw in a few selections from the “there will be no intermission show, but these are short sets and there’s a lotta noise)....

MONDAY 6:30pm @ the grande tent

TUEADAY i’m doing a little open Q&A @ the pineapple lounge from 7-8pm (*edited ! this was wrong in the original post*)

&

TUESDAY 10:00pm @ the grande tent 

and then....

WEDNESDAY LATE: ”amanda palmer’s intimate weep fest” is in the tiny parlor tent at 11pm. that’s gonna be the best one...this tent only fits about 100 people or so. i’m gonna play the dark stuff. come to this one if nothing else. 

AND 

if you’re here, tell me what to see! ill have ash with me a lot of the time so family-friendly stuff gets priority. but tell me if there’s anything i shouldn’t miss. i’m on my way right now to listen to archie roach talking about aboriginal culture, in conversation with rhoda roberts. if you see me there, or anywhere, don’t be afraid to come up and hug me. 

AND 

i want to do a patron-meet-up! i have no idea if there’s 2 of you here or 200....wave at me and i’m going to UPDATE THIS POST when i know how many of you there are - and i’ll post a good place and time for us to have a little inside-woodford patron ninja gig!!! even if there’s only one of you here. you’ll get a one-person-is-here show. 

WAVE AT ME, YALL!!!! headcount!! ill try to post updated info about the meet-up today or tomorrow. 

XXX

AFP

oz & aotearoa tour dates:

Mon Dec 30 - Jan 1 - WOODFORD, QLD - Woodford Folk Festival

Thu Jan 16 - 18 - LAUNCESTON, TAS - Mona Foma Confessional

Mon Jan 20 - LAUNCESTON, TAS - Princess Theatre, Mona Foma

Wed Jan 22 - MELBOURNE, VIC - Hamer Hall

Fri Jan 31 - BRISBANE, QLD - Brisbane Powerhouse

Sat Feb 1 - BRISBANE, QLD - Brisbane Powerhouse

Fri Feb 7 - CANBERRA, ACT - Canberra Theatre

Sat Feb 8 - SPRINGWOOD NSW - Blue Mountains Theatre

Fri Feb 14 & 15 - ADELAIDE, SA - Bonython Hall, Adelaide Fringe 

Thu Feb 20 - SYDNEY, NSW - Enmore Theatre

Sat Feb 22 - PERTH, WA - Perth Festival Hall

Sat Feb 29 - DARWIN, NT - Darwin Entertainment Centre

Thurs March 12th: Auckland Festival: Hollywood Avondale

Fri March 13th: Auckland Festival: Hollywood Avondale

Sat March 14th: The Piano, Christchurch

Mon 16th: Wellington Fringe - St Peters Church

all info:

https://nointermission.amandapalmer.net

------THE NEVER-ENDING AS ALWAYS---------

1. if you’re a patron, please click through to comment on this post. at the very least, if you’ve read it, indicate that by using the heart symbol.

2. see All the Things i've made so far on patreon: http://amandapalmer.net/patreon-things

3. join the official AFP-patron facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/afpland

4. new to my music and TOTALLY OVERWHELMED? TAKE A WALK THROUGH AMANDALANDA….we made a basic list of my greatest hits n stuff (at least up until a few years ago, this desperately needs updating) on this lovely page: http://amandalanda.amandapalmer.net/

5. general AFP/patreon-related questions? ask away, someone will answer: patronhelp@amandapalmer.net