The Dresden Dolls paean to vibrators is a witty sweet nothing and the video typically disturbing Weimar Germany uber-Cabaret mash up with the modern time.
Dresden is, of course, the town in Germany blown to smithereens during WWII by Allied Forces for no strategic reason whatsoever, killing thousands of innocent Germans In the old days civilized countries slaughtered each other by finding a field somewhere and battering each other to pulp: you know, pre-civilized 14th century stuff.
But that couldn’t last.
Hitler, in a foul mood after Churchill snubbed him, lost his attention and attacked London instead of destroying the RAF thereby giving the RAF the chance to regroup. Good for Great Britain. Less wonderful for the civilians being slaughtered en masse through nightly air raids.
So Dresden can be seen as retaliation though the US were behind it.
And Dresden Dolls? Can be seen as a multi media extravaganza of modern and 40s times: they are all “life is a cabaret old chum” with tongue firmly in white powdered cheek. Indeed, as noted here awhile back, Amanda Palmer is portraying the MC in “Cabaret” for a month long stint later this year.
In the mean time, “Coin Operated Boy” makes the case for self-manipulated love in the most euphemistic manner imaginable and, since I was once close to a certain woman who was a genius at self imagination, I think of her when I hear it. As for Palmer? She’s a bit of a knock out. Brian I am less certain about.