CD101 Big Room (US, radio) WWCD, Columbus, Ohio (101.1 FM)
November 23, 2002
Tori Amos interview and live performance
songs: Crazy, Pancake and Mrs. Jesus
transcript
Andyman: We are live in the CD101 Big Room (Applause.) Big thank you to Amp energy drink, get amped, for sponsoring the CD101 big room. Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in welcoming, give a big hand for Tori Amos (Applause.)
-Tori Amos enters Big Room-
Andyman: They are very happy to see you.
Tori Amos: I'm happy to see them too.
Andyman: That's very nice, thank you very much for coming here today.
Tori Amos: Thanks for having us.
Andyman: Well congratulations on your new record, Scarlet's Walk. I always love to say congratulations on a record because I know it is an awful amount work.
Tori Amos: (Laughs)
Andyman: Now we've got these fans that are lucky enough to come into the big room, and on behalf of them thank you. And we also had the fans that weren't as lucky to get in here, so we asked them to ask you some questions. Can I go ahead and ask you some of these questions?
Tori Amos: Yeah
Andyman: Amanda, she e-mailed us and wanted to know if you were going to bring the harpsicord back on your tour, or back to your records.
Tori Amos: Um, the engineers have sort of put a mandate on this, so, no. Just because I think our talking is louder than the harpsicord itself. The Harp Sicord is a very quiet instrument and when your micing it, you can imagine, with a bunch of drums going down the microphones it gives them a real headache. So I get hate mail about the Harp Sicord from my crew.
Andyman: Do you enjoy the whole technical part of the performing, or is it just the performing and the artistic release what you love the most?
Tori Amos: No I think you have to kind of respect the other side because this record, for example, to make it sound very organic, we used a lot of knobs. So you can use technology to you favor. And we didn't have any crap compressors or anything in the room. They were these beautiful compressors and we were working with the best of the best, it's not like we did it in the garage, eating wieners in between.
Andyman: (Laughs) Tonight's show at The Palace is sold out and I was wondering if those who are listening and those not able to go to the show, maybe you could share a song for them.
Tori Amos: Yes.
Andyman: Very good, Tori Amos in the CD101 big room (Cheering.)
(Tori Amos plays 'Crazy')
Andyman: (Cheering) Absolutely wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! I'm just going to go with these fans questions.
Tori Amos: Yeah
Andyman: Lucy, who is listening, she is streaming the audio from CD101 in Wales, she knows you love to read. And she is wondering if you read any books during the making of Scarlet's Walk that helped you define the vision of the album.
Tori Amos: Well I'm reading books now. I was looking at a lot of photography books. So what I usually do when I'm writing a work, is I have this metaphorical pallet and it usually changes every few weeks. So I'll get twenty things in, I kind of surround myself with that and it could be uh ya know a motorcycle magazine and I don't know, Manuel Alvarez Bravo. It could be how to plant the lavender garden, it could be some odd comic book, so I get loads of different things. And for whatever reason, they all kind of come together in that grouping. And so I kind of excavate that pallet. And then some things will stay within that circle. Not a lot usually because the idea is to get them and get them out. And this Manuel Bravo book stayed with me this whole time and his photographs kind of, I don't know, what would you say? Kind of a template for everything. When we chose Kurt Markus as the photographer, that choice came from loving this other great photographers work. And it was kind of, I don't know, a benchmark, I guess, for me.
Andyman: Very good. From the album "No I Didn't hear the Motor Cycle Magazine" on the album.
Tori Amos: Yeah, but you don't know the references it could be what he was wearing.
Andyman: Yeah, It's all in there somehow.
Tori Amos: It's in there.
Andyman: One direction brings it up towards the top. Palace Theatre again tonight. Thank your very much for coming. Can your play another song?
Tori Amos: Yes, I know I'm singing for my supper.
Andyman and Crowd: (Laugh)
(Tori Amos Plays 'Pancake')
Andyman: (Cheers) Tori Amos in the CD101 big room. You look like you had a question.
Tori Amos: I was about to secretly tell my engineer that I was going to change songs for the next one. So of course no one was going to notice. I was going to give them a little sign.
Andyman: Sorry I blew that! But you know what? This is the big room; we just have at it, say whatever you need to say.
Tori Amos: I just decided to change my mind. So you'll know what I'm going to do when I do it, you'll know, I do a little signal.
Andyman: Ok. Here at CD101, you have been a part of our pallet of music for ten years. I thank you very much for coming down and spending this time with us. We pride ourselves on playing all kinds of music. And I was just curious, as you play these two beautiful songs so far, sometimes I know you want to rock out, you want music to be loud, or guitar heavy, who do you like right now? That's putting out straight rock n' roll.
Tori Amos: That's a very good question because I've been in a cave, sort of like a bear, writing this record. And now of course, this in-take time. So when I go in and make a record that is sort of out-put time, and I kind of close ranks because I have to focus. And then in between the writing of work, then that's when I take it in. So now I am just beginning to do that. So honestly I've just started that kind of opening... that again.
Andyman: Karac, lets get her a couple of CD's, some rock n' roll that we could pass on to you.
Tori Amos: Yeah! Why not?
Andyman: Here's another question that came through the e-mail: the video for A Sorta Fairytale you said was "the weirdest thing you have ever done", now I'm assuming you said that. Like I said, this is an e-mail. Did you ever say that this video was the weirdest thing you have ever done?
Tori Amos: It's the weirdest video I have ever done.
Crowd and Andyman: (laugh)
Andyman: Okay. Now I'm going to let you decide what part of that you want to answer, either the video, or the actual weirdest thing you have ever done.
Tori Amos: We'll talk about the video.
Crowd: (laughs)
Andyman: That'd be fine.
Tori Amos: So I guess when Songi sent me this treatment of appendages and love. I like that idea, just because I am a piano player, so I am going to like appendages. And I loved that she was a leg lady just like that and he was a hand-man, it's all very useful. And so it being Scarlet's Walk I kind of thought he was spot on, and I also like the idea that when you come into a relationship with somebody that we all have imperfections. We're not all Cinderella. So I think that a lot of us have these magical moments with somebody, you don't always end up with your soul mate, but you might have a dance with them, and that dance might last many, many moons. So that's kinda what happens.
Andyman: That might be one of the most wonderful thoughts I have ever heard.
Crowd: (Laughs)
Andyman: Thanks. I'm kind of at a loss right now, Palace Theatre tonight, I'm going to ask you if you'll do one more for us.
Tori Amos: Yeah, but I just gonna tell ya something that I love your kitchen here.
Andyman: Thank you!
Tori Amos: I think that's very good. Most radio stations don't have a kitchen like that.
Andyman: We are very family oriented here. We really are, we are independent. The owner of the radio station works in our offices with us. Were not tied to any giant cooperation. We are a family. We are very proud of that. I am very glad that you like the station, and the kitchen. And we like you in the big room.
Tori Amos: Yeah, I like the kitchen.
Crowd: (Cheers)
(Tori Amos- Improv: So you know. What you know. And you go, with this mind and you use it well, cause you know. Would you know? Until, you don't... Plays 'Mrs. Jesus')
Crowd: (Cheers)
Tori Amos rises from piano bench, waves to crowd.
Andyman: Tori Amos in the CD101 big room. Show tonight at the Palace Theatre. Bless you, thank you very much. Folks, one more time.
Tori Amos hugs Andyman and exits Big Room.
Crowd: (Cheers)
Andyman: A big thank you for coming out and being part of the big room. Once again a big thanks Tori, her album his called Scarlet's Walk it's available now. And also the show tonight, is sold out. If you're going good for you. If not, we'll keep our fingers crossed for another appearance sometime soon. Thanks to Amp, for Sponsoring the CD101 big room, Amp energy drink, get Amped. And that's it! I turn it back over to command central.
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