"Coin-Operated Boy" by The Dresden Dolls

Today, we're taking a veer more towards the steampunk-y side with The Dresden Dolls. This was another of those songs I liked to listen to on repeat when I was in college. Dark Cabaret was one of those genres that made me ecstatic to learn it existed. Besides that, I'm a big fan of Amanda Palmer - she always seems so un-apologetically herself. She doesn't compromise who she is or pretend to be someone she's not just to please others and I really respect that. Her performances can be whimsical one moment, passionate and raw the next. Her tweets also give me a little comfort from time to time. I think her and Neil Gaiman's marriage is fascinating, because they're both on the road for large swathes of time, apart from each other. No, they're not always happy with that situation but they're both pursuing their dreams and support each other, regardless of how far away those dreams take them. Besides, the distance is temporary. It's all temporary.

Obviously, she wrote this song long before she met Neil Gaiman (though, I'm sure she knew who he was at the time, since he was a well-established author by then). In "Coin-Operated Boy," she longs for a love affair without the complications. Without the vulnerability, without having to expose her heart to destruction. Someone she can pull out when she's feeling lonely and wants the good things, no disappointing stuff (like catching feelings and wondering why they're not answering your phone calls). Ultimately, it's a song about loneliness, because she knows that a "coin-operated boy" would just be playing pretend. It wouldn't cure what ails her - the gut-wrenching feeling that she ruins all her relationships because she is fundamentally unlovable, and that's why the ones she loves always leave her. The sweet sing-song voice quickly turns to quiet rage during the bridge, almost sounding petulant. Like she knows it's a bratty, childish thing to want so much without having to sacrifice anything in return. But it would make things so much easier and less painful. The last verse is what gets me, though. She sounds so resigned to loneliness, it's heartbreaking just to hear.

Coin operated boy, he may not be real experienced with girls

But I know, he feels like a boy should feel, isn't that the point

That is why I want a coin operated boy

With a pretty coin operated voice saying

That he loves me, that he's thinking of me

Straight and to the point, that is why

I want a coin operated boy

This is just going to be a purely "song of the day" post. I haven't been really feeling like myself lately and writing sometimes takes a lot out of me. On the bright side, I've been writing some disturbingly dark poetry. Might fuck around and submit to a few contests. IDK. I'll probably write a few paragraphs on Steampunk later this week, when I'm feeling more focused, preferably after my next certification test. Finally, since I enjoy promoting the work of my favorite artists, I recommend reading Amanda Palmer's "The Art of Asking." I haven't read it yet but it's on my list. It's up there, along with "The Artist's Way," as a book I'm always being told to read by my creative friends. I've heard good things and, thinking about it now, I really should move it up higher on my list.....

"Coin-Operated Boy" Video