Tori Amos: Piece by Piece
I just finished reading Tori's memoir this weekend. I've had it for awhile, but I wanted to savor the experience of getting to know Tori (the artist, the mother, the person) better.
Here's my immediate reaction to each chapter:
Corn Mother: Genealogies
Most Tori fans know that Tori is the daughter of a minister and that she's also got some Cherokee blood. However, of all the chapters, I found the writing of this one to be the richest in historical connection, in both to her voice for her ancestry and to history itself. I think Tori has come out with the best balance of both spiritual worlds.
Mary Magdalene: The Erotic Muse
This chapter focuses on Mary Magdalene and how understanding this mythical woman has helped to form the woman Tori is today, touching on her religious upbringing meshed with her relationship experiences. It's very informative, and I completely agree: the publishers should be getting The Gospel of Mary Magdalene out there.
Saraswati: The Art Of Composition
Reading about how Tori's personal life has weaved itself into her music isn't totally out there, but the way she does it is so revealing. She knows that creativity isn't given to her, that it comes from hard work (being observant about other art, artists, and people in general) and a higher place/plan. Tori says something that I absolutely agree with, especially being a creative person myself; and I'm not sure if it's in this chapter or not, so I have to paraphrase: Regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs, I think it's conceited to say your creativity all comes from you. If anyone can find that direct quote, please refresh me on the page. I'd like to be accurate in my reference to it. In any event, I think it's important to show how you've gotten to where you are, whether that's from your belief from a higher being, other people and their art, or just life in general. I don't think it can all spring forth from within without having some outside influence.
Demeter: The Journey Into Motherhood
Hardest chapter to get through. Most Tori fans are aware of the miscarriages she's gone through before finally being successful with Tash, but this was just painful. I mean, thankfully we all know how it turns out, but by Tori putting her readers right there with her when her unborn daughters were being purged from her is just so sad. I don't want to "spoil" anything else from this chapter, but one of the interesting things is that by Tori going through all of this, she's got even stronger roots to family and what it means to be a mother, both from the earth and from genes.
Dionysus: Bringing The Music Forth
We all know Tori is a sexy musician on stage. But what makes her so is because she really bonds with her piano, her other band members, and her audience. Her piano is obvious because it's nearly an extension of her hands or a physical expression of her soul. Her band members' connection is key because Tori realizes that she knows NOTHING of what Matt and Jon (drummer and bass, respectively) can do, so she puts implicit trust that can improv with her because they trust her as well.
The most fascinating thing that Tori does in relation to touring is her preparation of her setlists. As a fan, I never knew that she extent she makes each setlist be reflective of the times in the particular city she happens to be in. Of course, there are the staples that she did for Scarlet's Walk: "wampum prayer" and "Take To The Sky"/"Sweet Dreams," which she felt was key to making the thread of Scarlet connect with America and her people.
Sane Satyrs And Balanced Bacchantes: The Touring Life's Gypsy Caravan
Tori as a "boss" is as diplomatic and generous as mine is. She has her own personal chef that caters to what works best for her as a performer, but this chef provides excellent food for the rest of the tour family as well. She also tries to provide "privacy and space" for them with a curtain over their beds, where she doesn't care what they do there so long as they get the job done, which she says is a lot more than most musicians get. On tour, she also to make sure that do excellent work on stage too. If sound sucks, then that's reflective of her. So, she has to be positive that everyone working for her is REALLY working for her, even if that means letting some people go. Like, if someone's late repeatedly, then that means if they play over their allotted time at a venue, then they get a penalty fee of $5,000. Overall, she believes that if she and the rest of her team is happy, then they'll be successful on stage as well.
Venus: Creating A Public Self
IMHO, Tori's never really been fashion-driven, but because she feels that her stage image is just as important as the performance, she wants her wardrobe to be complementary to what she's accomplishing in a performance. She may recycle an outfit, but she says good shoes at every show is a must. (Really?!)
The chapter further talks about how photographers and make-up artists have worked with her to ultimately be reflective of her art, which I think is the most commendable thing any woman as an artist can do.
Here's a section of this chapter that I think is directly relevant to a post that valentinemichel wrote about:
"I've begun to firmly believe true compassion is a tough skill to wield and it takes a strong resolve to listen, be understanding, and then still be able to say, 'We've given this relationship chance after chance after chance of working together, of creating together, but it just isn't working out.' . . . As hard as you try to be diplomatic and fair, other people may not see you as fair at all but as a manipulator, a crusher of their dreams. But what was their dream based on? A fantasy combined with an image they had of you (as a girlfriend, as a working partner, as someone who could fix their life . . .). Did you buy into this image they had, because, frankly, for a while, it pulled you in? Let's be honest. You let yourself be pulled in because it felt good to be wanted, needed. But then it went too far, as projected images always do. If it's not a real image, but one that has been projected onto you, then you can keep up the masquerade for only so long before the mask cracks and the paint on the mask peels away." (p. 298-99)
The Lionness: Surviving The Music Business
Who knew that record labels were so vicious and possessive? Two key things that Tori writes that I deem important to repeat here. In this day and age, if you're a musician and you're scouting the four major labels, you better hope that you don't want to make music longterm. These labels are wanting instant gratification, instant sales . . .
Back in the day, they used to foster artists for the longterm, but as with Tori's case . . . it's not true. Even if they think your stuff sucks, Atlantic did a crappy job (or no job at all) promoting her music. So, what does any good musician do to promote their work? They tour. And said artist has to pay for EVERYTHING. Then, the label gets a major portion of the earnings (depending on if you've signed for gross or net), so most artists are lucky to break even.
The thing that kills me most about these labels is that they get comped tix to use to promote said artist's music on a radio station in exchange for the tix. Well, Atlantic did give the tix away, but they said, "We want you to play [younger, shinier artist here] instead." Talk about being in a prison and being anally raped!
So, while a lot of Tori fans thought Strange Little Girls was an crap album that she put out to get out of the contract, that is true. Tori even said that she didn't want them having any more of her creative Song Beings. Yet, with this concept of covering well-known male songs, this was her way of saying "fuck you" to the label, which I think is so clever.
*****************
All in all, I think that even if you're not a hardcore fan of Tori Amos, this book is informative and comes highly recommended just the same. She delves into so much, and if you're an aspiring musician, I recommend this to you as well!
Here's my immediate reaction to each chapter:
Corn Mother: Genealogies
Most Tori fans know that Tori is the daughter of a minister and that she's also got some Cherokee blood. However, of all the chapters, I found the writing of this one to be the richest in historical connection, in both to her voice for her ancestry and to history itself. I think Tori has come out with the best balance of both spiritual worlds.
Mary Magdalene: The Erotic Muse
This chapter focuses on Mary Magdalene and how understanding this mythical woman has helped to form the woman Tori is today, touching on her religious upbringing meshed with her relationship experiences. It's very informative, and I completely agree: the publishers should be getting The Gospel of Mary Magdalene out there.
Saraswati: The Art Of Composition
Reading about how Tori's personal life has weaved itself into her music isn't totally out there, but the way she does it is so revealing. She knows that creativity isn't given to her, that it comes from hard work (being observant about other art, artists, and people in general) and a higher place/plan. Tori says something that I absolutely agree with, especially being a creative person myself; and I'm not sure if it's in this chapter or not, so I have to paraphrase: Regardless of your religious or spiritual beliefs, I think it's conceited to say your creativity all comes from you. If anyone can find that direct quote, please refresh me on the page. I'd like to be accurate in my reference to it. In any event, I think it's important to show how you've gotten to where you are, whether that's from your belief from a higher being, other people and their art, or just life in general. I don't think it can all spring forth from within without having some outside influence.
Demeter: The Journey Into Motherhood
Hardest chapter to get through. Most Tori fans are aware of the miscarriages she's gone through before finally being successful with Tash, but this was just painful. I mean, thankfully we all know how it turns out, but by Tori putting her readers right there with her when her unborn daughters were being purged from her is just so sad. I don't want to "spoil" anything else from this chapter, but one of the interesting things is that by Tori going through all of this, she's got even stronger roots to family and what it means to be a mother, both from the earth and from genes.
Dionysus: Bringing The Music Forth
We all know Tori is a sexy musician on stage. But what makes her so is because she really bonds with her piano, her other band members, and her audience. Her piano is obvious because it's nearly an extension of her hands or a physical expression of her soul. Her band members' connection is key because Tori realizes that she knows NOTHING of what Matt and Jon (drummer and bass, respectively) can do, so she puts implicit trust that can improv with her because they trust her as well.
The most fascinating thing that Tori does in relation to touring is her preparation of her setlists. As a fan, I never knew that she extent she makes each setlist be reflective of the times in the particular city she happens to be in. Of course, there are the staples that she did for Scarlet's Walk: "wampum prayer" and "Take To The Sky"/"Sweet Dreams," which she felt was key to making the thread of Scarlet connect with America and her people.
Sane Satyrs And Balanced Bacchantes: The Touring Life's Gypsy Caravan
Tori as a "boss" is as diplomatic and generous as mine is. She has her own personal chef that caters to what works best for her as a performer, but this chef provides excellent food for the rest of the tour family as well. She also tries to provide "privacy and space" for them with a curtain over their beds, where she doesn't care what they do there so long as they get the job done, which she says is a lot more than most musicians get. On tour, she also to make sure that do excellent work on stage too. If sound sucks, then that's reflective of her. So, she has to be positive that everyone working for her is REALLY working for her, even if that means letting some people go. Like, if someone's late repeatedly, then that means if they play over their allotted time at a venue, then they get a penalty fee of $5,000. Overall, she believes that if she and the rest of her team is happy, then they'll be successful on stage as well.
Venus: Creating A Public Self
IMHO, Tori's never really been fashion-driven, but because she feels that her stage image is just as important as the performance, she wants her wardrobe to be complementary to what she's accomplishing in a performance. She may recycle an outfit, but she says good shoes at every show is a must. (Really?!)
The chapter further talks about how photographers and make-up artists have worked with her to ultimately be reflective of her art, which I think is the most commendable thing any woman as an artist can do.
Here's a section of this chapter that I think is directly relevant to a post that valentinemichel wrote about:
"I've begun to firmly believe true compassion is a tough skill to wield and it takes a strong resolve to listen, be understanding, and then still be able to say, 'We've given this relationship chance after chance after chance of working together, of creating together, but it just isn't working out.' . . . As hard as you try to be diplomatic and fair, other people may not see you as fair at all but as a manipulator, a crusher of their dreams. But what was their dream based on? A fantasy combined with an image they had of you (as a girlfriend, as a working partner, as someone who could fix their life . . .). Did you buy into this image they had, because, frankly, for a while, it pulled you in? Let's be honest. You let yourself be pulled in because it felt good to be wanted, needed. But then it went too far, as projected images always do. If it's not a real image, but one that has been projected onto you, then you can keep up the masquerade for only so long before the mask cracks and the paint on the mask peels away." (p. 298-99)
The Lionness: Surviving The Music Business
Who knew that record labels were so vicious and possessive? Two key things that Tori writes that I deem important to repeat here. In this day and age, if you're a musician and you're scouting the four major labels, you better hope that you don't want to make music longterm. These labels are wanting instant gratification, instant sales . . .
Back in the day, they used to foster artists for the longterm, but as with Tori's case . . . it's not true. Even if they think your stuff sucks, Atlantic did a crappy job (or no job at all) promoting her music. So, what does any good musician do to promote their work? They tour. And said artist has to pay for EVERYTHING. Then, the label gets a major portion of the earnings (depending on if you've signed for gross or net), so most artists are lucky to break even.
The thing that kills me most about these labels is that they get comped tix to use to promote said artist's music on a radio station in exchange for the tix. Well, Atlantic did give the tix away, but they said, "We want you to play [younger, shinier artist here] instead." Talk about being in a prison and being anally raped!
So, while a lot of Tori fans thought Strange Little Girls was an crap album that she put out to get out of the contract, that is true. Tori even said that she didn't want them having any more of her creative Song Beings. Yet, with this concept of covering well-known male songs, this was her way of saying "fuck you" to the label, which I think is so clever.
*****************
All in all, I think that even if you're not a hardcore fan of Tori Amos, this book is informative and comes highly recommended just the same. She delves into so much, and if you're an aspiring musician, I recommend this to you as well!