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Charlotte Observer (US)
Charlotte, North Carolina, newspaper
Thursday, November 8, 2007

5 Questions for Tori Amos

by Courtney Devores

The Newton-born singer-songwriter-pianist brings her American Doll Posse tour to Ovens Auditorium at 8 p.m. Tuesday. She'll perform both straight-up and as one of the Doll Posse characters she created for her current album. $38.50-$48.50. 704-522-6500; www.ticketmaster.com.

How much time did you spend in the Carolinas as a kid?

Every Christmas, Easter, and three months in the summer. My grandfather, who was of Eastern Cherokee descent, would smoke a pipe and sit on the porch in Newton and tell stories based on town gossip. He was one of these weavers of a tale. If he hadn't done that, I might have been a musician, but I don't know if I would have been a songwriter.

Do you still have family here?

My cousins are there, and they all come to see me. My brother moved there. He unfortunately died a couple of years ago in a car accident. He felt the need to go back to the Carolinas. It was something spiritual. He had incredible memories of my grandparents.

What do you remember and miss most about the Carolinas?

Everybody sitting down for a meal, Nanny getting up every morning at 5 to make biscuits homemade, and then she would make lunch and all my cousins would show up. This is when they lived in Newton, and the mills were rolling. ... There's an ingenuous nurturing spirit that I associate with North Carolina.

I read your 7-year-old daughter Tash is a big fan of the TV show Charmed. Are you concerned about the images she sees on TV?

Of course. (But) I find if you make a big deal of something, people just dig their heels in the dirt. ... There are some things that are natural and normal, and if you treat it as if it's not, you have a kid that's trying to prove a point. Tash can make her own judgment. I trust her.

What could she do that would shock you?

If she decided to become a right-wing Christian, it would shock Mom. Tash goes to a private school and all private schools in England (where Amos lives, with husband Mark Hawley) are funded by the Anglican church. They're forced to go to church at school. Tash has decided she has no interest in devoting her life to the church.

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