Amanda “Fucking” Palmer recorded a chilling cover of “Polly” for SPIN Magazine’s tribute issue & compilation to Nirvana’s Nevermind last year. Palmer saw “Polly” as the perfect opportunity to get in the studio together with two members of her live touring band, Chad Raines and Michael McQuilken, with McQuilken also on engineering duty. The record was cut at Yale University (using many of the theater department’s special effects instruments and toys) where Raines and McQuilken just completed the three-year graduate Yale School of Drama program. McQuilken and Raines will be joined by bassist Jherek Bischoff (and many others) this spring to break ground on Palmer’s new recording and touring project, entitled Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra.
True to her typical “pay what you will” business model, the “Polly” single is available via Amanda’s website today as well for a minimum donation of $.50, which will go toward PayPal transaction fees and royalties. The video for "Polly", directed by McQuilken and featuring actors Christopher M. McFarland and Jillian Taylor with a special guest appearance by Blake Brasher, was also just released. Check out the video below.
It is said that Kurt Kobain wrote “Polly” after reading a newspaper article about a young girl that had been abducted and tortured for several days. Palmer read about this and followed the Google trail… “Apparently there was a guy (a Nirvana fan) who bragged about raping a girl while the song played, and Kurt spoke out against it publicly. Kurt was, after all, a feminist.” She wanted the song and video to focus on the song’s history. “The video stand alone without the backstory, but the backstory brings the disturbing-ness to a whole new level,” said Palmer. "The actress who played the part of Polly had quite an emotional ride during shooting, that’s for sure."
