(NOTE: Post edited March 29, 2010, so "last summer" would be the summer of 2009.)
For rather a long time, my avatar on a number of sites was a photo I snapped of Amanda Palmer (1/2 of the Dresden Dolls and a successful solo performer), holding the first 2 Trent Reznor Rock Star Dolls I knitted in the spring/summer of 2005. (You thought I was kidding about the artsy-craftsy fangirl bit, right?) I had gotten back into knitting after many years away earlier that year, and when I came across Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n Bitch Nation and saw the pattern for Rock Star Dolls, I knew immediately what I needed to do (right after I damn near pissed myself laughing, that is)...
Let me state for the record right now that Nine Inch Nails fans are some of the cleverest, most creative, and funniest fuckers on the planet, bar none--it's too long and convoluted a story to tell in its entirety here, but suffice to say that 15 years of NIN fandom have been most entertaining, and not just because of the music. I don't know if the hardcore fans of any other performers out there get quite as wacky as NINnies do--does Bono have to put up with fans Photoshopping his face onto, say, Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music or Steve Carrell in The 40-Year-Old Virgin (to name only two of literally thousands of 'shops)? T-shirt designs? Check. (Been there, done that, sold the shirt, will write about it later) Paintings? Check. Short stories? Check. Song parodies (known as BFPTs on alt.music.nin back in the day, which is also another story...)? Check. Tattoos? Check. My friend Julia/Cthulhia was one of the first to dive headlong into artsy fandom with her Infinite Halo series of postcards, which started out as "ways to depict the NIN logo" (mardi gras beads, Barbie doll legs, 9" acrylic fingernails--which were apparently a real bitch to deal with, plus you can't wipe your ass while you have them--fishnet-clad legs, Little Gator's Deep Shit cookies in a litterbox--that was my idea, I'm afraid; I shot it with my late lamented cat Mojo posing in the background, looking fairly pleased with himself--ramen noodles powdered up to look like cocaine, Prozac...you get the idea), and has since blossomed into more elaborate Photoshops for a tarot card deck she's designing. So, when I saw the knitted doll pattern, I bought the book and several hanks of yarn (Tahki Cotton Classic), and got down to business.
The first doll (the one in the brown tank top) was modeled after Trent's appearance onstage at the Orpheum in May '05, and Julia got that one (he still goes to shows with her when I can't come along, and IIRC had his photo taken with none other than Adrienne Curry at one of the very last NIN shows in LA last summer); the second one I did for myself, and was supposed to be Trent in his "working in the studio/screwing around playing video games" mode, but he didn't turn out quite as well that time around. I ended up making two more dolls; one in classic "Closer" video style, complete with ratty sweater knit out of twine, for my friend Izzy, and Coachella '05 Trent, complete with hand-sewn button-down white shirt, which I intended to give to the man himself as a friendly tongue-in-cheek joke during the fall '05 tour. (Of course, the one show where I didn't bring him was the one where we got a meet & greet--would you believe Madison Square Garden?--and I ended up entrusting the little guy to the care of Brandi the Spiral rep in Montreal, who took wonderful care of all of us sillyassed fan club members throughout the With Teeth tours. Alas, I have no idea if Trent ever actually did get his Mini-Me, or if it met some kind of horrible fate at the hands of the crew.) I've had a number of people beg for their own Trent, but although I've considered getting back into the doll business as an art project of sorts, and doing other performers as well (at the top of the list: the Dresden Dolls, of course), I only made the ones I did for myself and a couple of friends. They're way too labor-intensive to make and sell, plus I wouldn't be able to charge what my time would be worth; also...how do I put this? I only did them for people I knew wouldn't *ahem* have a little too much fun with them, ifyouknowwhatImeanandIthinkyoudo....I just couldn't let that happen to the poor man, even if it was in cotton yarn and not in the flesh.
Anyway, back to the picture of Amanda...it was taken at the late lamented Grand Opening adult toy store in early July of '05, when the Dresden Dolls were doing an in-store appearance to promote both themselves and the Audi-Oh, a wonderful little device that would pick up on any ambient sounds and turn them into vibrations--you could plug your iPod into it, or just crank the sound system and let 'er rip, so to speak. (Yes, I tried it out--over my clothes, I'll have you know--and yes, it's quite effective, if I do say so myself. For a split second I contemplated buying one to wear to a concert some time, until I realized that (a) security would probably think it was a recording device and confiscate it; and (b) if I actually managed to keep AND wear it throughout an entire show, it would probably be the death of me, with it taking the mortician a good 48 hours to get the big, shit-eating grin off my face.) Since the Dolls had opened up for NIN only a couple of months earlier, I figured they'd get a kick out of the little guys, and I was right. (Note to self, however: never hand anyone a doll to check out when there's an entire shelf just full of dildos within easy arm's reach. Virtue was preserved, but only just barely...)
I keep thinking I should get back into doll-knitting, but I'm not sure who I'd want to do...suggestions, anyone?
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