Tori Amos is not in the public eye as much as she was 30 years ago. She's a well-known and respected singer/songwriter, but things change and the top level of fame is fleeting.
What I take from this interview is that she largely is the person she appears to be in her songs. The mix of Christian and pagan ideas, the reflectiveness sometimes leading to self-consciousness. This could easily be an act, and there's always a little added in a performer's presentation. But from most signs she comes by her quirkiness naturally.
Anyway, if you're not familiar with her here's a nice song from her early stuff.
2 comments:
You're right about Tori Amos being unfamiliar to us as a performer. I seem to recall someone in England once likened her to Kate Bush and that would have been enough for me. You likely won't be surprised I haven't been able to watch the whole video but the version she did of Smells Like Teen Spirit was interesting enough. Then I tried a few minutes of Happiness is a Warm Gun and didn't like it for her weird breathy delivery.
I suppose she's an acquired taste. The bit of her personal history I found most intriguing was that she began playing piano when her hands were far too little to span an octave (Do you remember little Louis, a friend you had in Vancouver? His parents both played in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and they allowed Louis a small violin but not the piano because his hands were still too small.) Then she was expelled from the Parsons school because she refused to learn to sight read. Can't blame her for that move.
Talula was a nice song to share with us. She does have some very good moments.
Amos probably is influenced by Kate Bush to a fair extent. When she first arose a lot of people made that comparison. Their voices are similar. The sort of Southern accent distinguishes her, though. I've heard her version of "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and have to agree with you. From what I recall it's from an all covers album, which increases the chances that one or two will be a bad fit.
The truth is that the nuts and bolts of music--things like chords and key changes--are only vaguely comprehensible to me. I know notes, and I know you play different notes at the same time or in succession, but I couldn't pick out which are being paired when. Which is to say that I have a great respect for musicians who can sight read and also for those who don't need to. I don't remember Louis all that well but I'm curious how the music thing worked out for him.
Thought you might enjoy something with harpsichord.
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