As part of the celebration for the 20th anniversary of it’s release, punk duo The Dresden Dolls have been preparing a new release of their 2006 album Yes, Virginia… titled Yes, Virginia… (Tailor’s Version). Today, the duo comprised of singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer and drummer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Viglione shared the latest of the re-recorded tracks off this new version. “My Alcoholic Friends (Tailor’s Version)” was released today. A lyric video can be found on the duo’s YouTube channel.
The lyric video splices together vignettes of performances by the duo with the lyrics overlaid over. The new version of the song comes as a steady and catchy track with a unique vocal structure lead by Palmer. The original version of “My Alcoholic Friends” has gone on to be a classic for the band, receiving millions of streams and view son YouTube, and even recently receiving a RIAA Platinum certification, the first for the band.
“The Dolls have been smashing out ‘My Alcoholic Friends’ on live stages for over two decades now,” Palmer stated, “so re-recording it a few months ago was less of a scary challenge and more of a fun circus ride: it’s so inside of our blood that the song almost plays itself at this point. This song (and this band, for that matter) was never about perfection. It was supposed to hit the listener like a sonic car crash. The fact that it blew up on TikTok absolutely delighted us, and it’s been a real trip to watch a whole new generation of listeners paste their own weird and personal meanings onto the lyrics. I’ve always loved songwriting as a game of emotional Marco Polo between the writer and the listener, and I even found myself creating new meanings in the words of ‘My Alcoholic Friends’ as I sang them into the mic, officially, for the second time. Music is a beautiful Rorschach and emotional conversation that way, not just between the band members, but between the listeners themselves as they take the words and attach their own designs on top…and I consider us really lucky to be able to re-record this music while we’re still in our prime as players.”
Yes, Virginia… (Tailor’s Version) is set for a release on Friday, August 7th, featuring all new recordings of the tracks off the 2006 original.
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