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Yahoo Chat with Tori Amos (Articles
at the Atlantic Records web site and in the Live Daily section of the
Ticketmaster web site report that Tori’s chat at Yahoo on April 13th
set several chat world records. 5400 Toriphiles attended and over 12,000
questions were asked) Tori: “Hi. This is Tori.” Tori: “You know it’s me, because someone’s
cooking in the kitchen and it smells wonderful.” Q: “Are you nervous at how some of
your fans may react to the new album?” Tori: “Nervous is a feeling that I
usually have before I play live...When you finish the work on record, I’ve always
made peace with it before I let it go or I don’t let it go. They’re always
things that when I look back I would change about everything I’ve ever done... However,
at a certain point, you have to send the girls off down the lane with their lunch
boxes...some put mild in their lunch boxes...and some have a bottle of Krug in
their lunchboxes...and wave them goodbye and they’re not yours anymore.” Q: “Tori-what was your fav. album to
make?” Tori: “Each album has turmoil, and
magical moments... Each record is a friend... some friends rather go on
holiday, some friends you ...you’d rather be with when you’re going through a
bad time... and the records are so different, that it’s like you’re asking me
to choose between friends. Q: “Where did you get the inspiration
for the song “Hey Jupiter”?” Tori:”I was going through something in
my life, and I felt the presence at the end of my bed of a ghost of someone I
recognized. I was in a hotel room in Arizona during the UtP tour. I followed
this ghost into the bathroom. I turned on all the water...the shower...I let
the room steam up...the water became part of the sound, almost like an orchestra...and
this ghost drew a picture for me in the mirror in the steam. The way I interpreted
the picture was that earth and jupiter were in love billions of years ago, then
they were separated, and now they are billions of miles apart, and this is earth’s
love song to jupiter.” Q: “Why did you choose England as the
site for choirgirl?” Tori: “The engineers, Mark and Marcel,
they work as a team, wanted me to have more of a controlled environment so that
they could achieve what I was demanding of them. I was asking them to take the
next step into exploring the sonic frontier, and we needed to be in rooms
geometrically designed for acoustics.” Q: “How old were you when you moved
away from Classical Piano, and do you think it was an instinctual or conscious
decision?” Tori: “Classical Piano is the language
that runs through my blood as a concept. I think I was a T-boy to some of the
great composers. So therefore, the language is something I see in geometrical
shapes. And I hear it. It always underlies what I do on some level, but I’m not
trying to repeat anything the Masters have done. They did it in a way that 1) can’t
be repeated and that music was a reflection of that time. That music is not a
reflection of this time; it was written before airplanes were invented, it was
written before women could be pregnant, single and run their own business.
Therefore, I know I had to compose music that is a reflection of this time.” Q: “How is this release different
from your previous work?” Tori: “Hopefully all of them are
different from each other. This album has more rhythm integrated more into its
song structure. I recorded live with the drummer Matt Chamberlain, except the
song “Jackie’s Strength” which was built around my piano vocal. The sound
effects became very much a part of the arrangements.” Q: “Do you read? If so, what are your
favorite books?” Tori: “I’ll take you over to my little
library...we’ll pull some out. I’ve just purchased some to read on tour-The
Paperboy by Pete Dexter, An Underachievers Diary by Benjamin Anastis, History of the World by JM Roberts, An Egyptian Hyroglyphic Dictionary by
Wallis Budge, The Code Of Kings, The
Language of Seven May Temples and Tombs by Linda Schele and Peter
Matthews, In the Land of Winter
by Richard Grant, The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich, and we’ve picked two
talked about books, Quarantine
by Jim Earce and An Ocean in Iowa
by Hedges. These are the things we’ll read on the road this week. And of course
Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas
Copeland and The Spiritual Tourist.
What we do, see is we get a lot and
then if anyone wants to pick a book up... It’s not like “GET YOUR HANDS OFF!!!”
It’s for everybody. These are the books for the next 3 weeks...and when we go
to Europe, we’ll pick up another batch. Q: “Tori, if you were stranded on a
desert island, what 3 things would you want with you?” Tori: “My lipgloss. My husband. A picnic
basket with olive oil.” Q: “Do you find some of your fans
scary with their devotion?” Tori: “I really don’t think it’s any of
my business what the people who like the music are up to. I trust they will use
their balanced judgment and we will respect each other’s rights. As I wouldn’t
intrude on your home, I wouldn’t appreciate someone intruding in mine.” Q: “I notice you use your left foot
on the petal. Are you Left Handed?” Tori: “No, I’m not left-handed, but my
left hand as a player is stronger than my right hand. However, I use my left
foot because my right foot is supporting the alignment of my spine. Playing
this way gives me three times the strength. I’m not just playing, I also have
to sing, so I have to keep the diaphragm open, or I can’t reach the notes. The
down side of this is I’m twisted like a pretzel half the time, and now I’ve
started taking Geritol at 34.” Q: “Is the band going to be a permanent
change?” Tori: “Nothing is ever a permanent
change, not even your hair color! The work has to keep growing and changing
constantly. The band is very much about this record and this tour, and I haven’t
even thought of what comes next. I’ve tried to start living very much in the
present, not diffuse my energies into projects that haven’t even been birthed
yet. This new baby, love, feeding,
attention, so it’s taking up all my time.” Q: “Will your duet with Michael Stipe
ever see the light of day?” Tori: “That’s a very interesting
question, I don’t really know the answer to that. I can’t say yes.” Q: “What is the significance of the
title of the new album?” Tori: “I wanted a space for these girls,
metaphorically, to be in. There will be a map, as part of the artwork. It gets
you a taste of the world they were taking me into when they came to visit me.
These songs seemed much more independent than others on the other records. Not
that being dependent is a negative thing for a song. It just means when the
songs are dependant, you have to be careful how you order the work. This work I
saw much more as girls that hang out together, kinda like they are in a singing
group, but they have their own solar systems that revolve around them,
uniquely. So I put them in their own hotel and they let me visit them
sometimes. But they’re extremely independent, even of me.” Q: “Are you surprised by the fame you’ve
received?” Tori: “Yeah.” Q: “Tori, is there any chance you’ll
play the guitar again?” Tori: “I’ve never played the guitar,
except throwing it against the wall cause it was pissed off I couldn’t play it.”
Q: “Tori, what is happening with your
record label, Igloo Records?” Tori: “Arthur and I are taking it step
by step. We’re keeping it at a grass roots level at this point in time.
Hopefully you’ll see some new music out of there soon. Because of my
commitments to this new music, I’ve had to turn over responsibility to Arthur
completely at this time.” Q: “What do you want to be remembered
for?” Tori: “Being a good friend is really
important to me at this point in my life. Obviously, you can’t be a good friend
to everyone, friendship takes time. You can be respectful to strangers, but the
friends that call me a friend, I would like to think that we don’t make each other
feel bad or guilty, or that we’re not enough for each other. Real friends have
to be understanding of each other, and their faults. Forgiveness is the most
important thing about friendship.” Q: “I heard a rumor that you might
record a song with Van Morrison. Is it true?” Tori: “That’s definitely a rumor. Van is
very good at what he does, but we’ve never had a margarita together, and you
can’t record a song if you haven’t had a margarita together.” Q: “Why such a small, short club tour
this year?” Tori: “The club tour is only a sneak
preview. We’ll be back for a proper tour. The shows I want to put on are not
really geared for clubs. But I put that aside in order to have the intimacy.
Comfortable on our feet as players.” Q: “Are you going to participate in Lilith
Fair this year?” Tori: “I don’t see that happening. Our
tour is already being booked for the summer.” Q: “Do you have a favorite movie?” Tori: “That’s a hard one. Ummm... I love
All About Eve, Breakfast at Tiffany’s,
and I hate when people give old movies, it’s such a cop out. I did love Fargo.” Q: “How did you come about with the
concept of the photography on your new album?” Tori: “I saw both of the photographers
books, Catrina Jebb and she did the cover and some of the inner photos. The
cover is me being on a photocopier and how you accomplish this is by snogging a
machine, you have to spend it in mid air because it’s not as big as your body,
and for 7 minutes it’s photocopying your thoughts. The strange thing is, there
are only 2 of these machines in Europe and they are in actual photocopy shops;
so I’m on this machine while Tom and Peter are on their computers, and I’m
suctioned to it in a corner as they continue doing their thing. It’s all a bit
strange. The other photographer, Martina Hoogland-Ivanov, her work really
touched me in a deep way.” Q: “How did you come up with your
name for fans: Ears with Feet?” Tori: “I don’t remember. It was just a
reaction to the word “fan”. I appreciate it and understand it, but I really
didn’t see some of the people as fans, but they were there for the music. I
wanted to make a distinction between that and the over used word “Fan”.” Q: “If you could give just one piece
of advice to girls growing up today, what would it be?” Tori: “For girls and boys, study your
mythology. In that are ancient secrets, rites and mysteries that you probably
aren’t taught by your teachers and parents. In the different mythologies of
cultures you begin to see mirrors, and possibilities of what might be lurking
in your soul. Some mythologies won’t
resonate with you, so you observe them, respect them and move on. Once you
begin to resonate, it’s probably telling you something. A clue to that vastness
that is your soul. When people talk about “girl-power”, I think a parallel
thought to go with that is Women’s Wisdom. That is not something you can buy at
the store. That is by learning from your experiences and being awake enough to
not pretend they never happened. All these little experiences are your
diamonds. Which becomes your wisdom, if
you choose.” Q: “Tori, if you weren’t a musical
artist, what do you think you’d be?” Tori: “I think I would have been a
sewage specialist. I’m fascinated with where all this waste on this planet is
going. It’s parallel to music, emotional waste. I will not talk potty talk with
anyone, not even Beenie. However, on a scientific level I’m curious and
concerned about what we are doing with this stuff, and I hope someone out there
is concerned and doing their job. In 20 years we’re going to wake up in a tidal
wave of crap, it’s going to hit us in our face as we eat our anti-paste, and it’s
not going to be attractive.” Q: “What color hair color do you use
now? I heard you stopped Torrid Torch?” Tori: “How do you Know This?!?! Please
tell me what cellulite cream I should use before I get the wrong one! My
hair...Nicki Clark in London is sorting me out. It’s a special brew and he’ll
never tell! Q: “If you were to compare yourself
with an animal, what animal would you choose?” Tori: “It would have to be feline—is
there such a thing as a water buffalo-cat? That means I’ve been eating too
much. Obviously, I’m a Leo. In many
Chinese beliefs, this is the year of the cat. That’s funny cause I played that
for Al Stewart many years ago. I’m a Leo in a cat year-Double Cat. I’ve always
tried to be patient with dogs, but I really don’t have the patience for all
that licking and jumping. It doesn’t come from nowhere; Double cat really
defines my nature. Perhaps a cat with fins? I’m very much about living under
water—a murk-cat.” Q: “Tori, do you consider yourself to
be a sex symbol?” Tori: “Of course not. If you’re going to
be a librarian, why not have a pencil skirt and high heels? You still have to
know your catalogues, or you shouldn’t be able to keep the job, no matter how
sexy the leg is. It feels really wonderful not to have to be so hard as a
woman, yet be independent and equal in a mans world, which I feel I am, as far
as being a negotiator, but I don’t have to cut off my femininity to do it.” Q: “What do you think about your
enormous presence on the internet (web pages, chat rooms, etc)?” Tori: “The reason I do is because they
know I don’t know how to turn one of those things on! It’s private, they can
talk about the music with no interference from me. I respect their space. If
the music helps insight people, they talk about subjects in their own way, then
I feel I’ve done my job. I really feel the music should just be a springboard
to get other peoples points of view going, and those points may become central,
and to me, that is what the domino theory is about.” Q: “Any plans for working with Trent
Reznor in the future?” Tori: “Trent and I are working on separate
things, we have our own worlds. And
yet, I think his world has developed in a wonderful way and I’m very proud of
him.” Q: “Tori, what influences do you
think/hope your music has on people?” Tori: “My hope is that in some small way
as a writer...you set off lightbulbs for other people and their wholeness. That
means their shadows, parts of themselves they amputated out of shame. This done
by many many people, many claiming our wholeness is what makes a conscious planet.
And to me, that’s really what Utopia is, people exploring their uniqueness and
having respect for each others uniqueness. Not One of us has The magic; all of
us have the unique magic. If I can remind one person of this, maybe they can
remind me, when I’m having a bad day, and I’ve forgotten my uniqueness.” Q: “With such a hectic tour schedule,
how do you keep your energy up and keep from burning out?” Tori: “Keeping fit is a constant discipline.
The Voice is a muscle and I have to take care of it...I’m really not supposed
to have any dairy...You’ve gotta watch the red wine (dries up the vocal
cords)...You gotta watch the bread, make a lot of phlegm. I had to rethink my approach,
I’m working out with someone on the road. I’ve been bad the last 3 days. You
have to get the heart rate up. To really put on a good show, it’s about
physical fact. I’m having to put my body into shape. There are some people on the road who are really extreme in their
diet. I can’t
exist without decadence; it has to be balanced with temperance. Alcohol dries the throat out, so does vinegar,
even Balsamic, but you have to have a little of these things or you walk around
with a frown. My secret is ginger,
organic honey...olive oil, extra virgin, lubricates those cords; Protein, Major
Buddy. Brown Rice? Give it to the Divas! Lubrication is the key, but works for passion, doesn’t work for
the throat!” Tori Final Comment: “I’d like to make a request. The
sneak preview shows are going to be jammed with people in a very small space.
If someone is being pushed and shoved, you have to rally together so you don’t
get hurt. And if they are a bad apple, you need to let Joel know, there will be
security everywhere. These concerts are not about violence. It is no good to
say you are spiritually growing and you don’t want violence, and then you start
kicking to get a better seat. However, if someone kicks you, Clock ‘em! No
victims here, but try and support each other. If you have gotten in, that’s a
huge accomplishment and let’s make it magical—A Magical Seance. Not a night of
brutality. I’m sending my love, and we have many months ahead of us, so if you
don’t make this tour, we’ll be back in the summer, much improved so you won’t
have missed much, And that’s all!” |