Tori Amos interview and live performance
Songs: Losing My Religion, I'm on Fire, Sugar and Over the Rainbow
transcript (Tori quotes only)
"What is normal anymore? I'm scared of normal. Normal, I'm like ugh. I'm going left. Normal, no."
"To me anger is only one small splatch on the palette. If you're looking at when you are writing, and emotions are part of the palette, which translates into tone, rhythms, voicings, how you use this stuff [gestures to the piano]. Whether it's humor, which is kind of a big part of my palette..."
[Tori performs "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.]
"I was working at 13, but I didn't make enough to support myself until I was 15. And I could support myself from fifteen years on. And I think it's good I played clubs for so long, because it makes you appreciate when people aren't pouring dry martinis all over your piano, you know."
"...There is a very set idea, no different than a song. It has its form and yet where you take that breath in that millisecond can change the whole thing. So once you begin to understand the power of a breath, or just that you wait that extra second to put that hand down on the bottom end. That changes... I mean basically, you know, you're not making love to a metronome. If you do that, why even try?"
[Tori performs "I'm on Fire" by Bruce Springsteen]
[Tori performs "Sugar"]
"The intention was, wait a minute, we're communicating in a language that other people speak, but might not be able to play themselves."
[Tori performs "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz]
"As a singer, I go to another instrument to learn my instrument. As a piano player, I went to the guitar players, I went to Jimmy Page. I go to other mediums. I mean, even if I'm dealing with rhythm, a lot of times I'll just go listen to race cars. I'll listen to how the engines rev. So I always go to another medium sometimes to understand mine better."
screen shots
Note: Tori's performance of "I'm on Fire" was included on the VH1 Crossroads compilation CD.
t o r i p h o r i a tori amos digital archive yessaid.com
