you for a while

Australians just cannot get enough of Tori Amos. A week after she left the beautiful, welcoming continent they are still broadcasting interviews with our orange-wigged goddess. This one is from Oz TV’s “Sunday.”

The topic: American Doll Posse (of course).

The video opens with Tori divulging that music is her “first language.” That she could hear and pick out music before she could even speak fluidly, suggesting that music is her “first choice” as far as expressing herself is concerned. The interviewer then goes on to ask her about the political undertones of ADP. Tori answers that she and a lot of other Americans were stunned by the outcome of the last election. “How could they support something that was destroying the country that you love? I mean its heartbreaking to me that there are people there who are dragging our spiritual mother by her knees.”

Tori goes on to tell the Aussie interviewer that the Christianization of our government must be combated for freedom to truly exist. As the daughter of a minister, Tori hated being told what to do and what to think, and she believes that this is what the American government is doing to its people. And it is through music, she says, that she (and all of us, really) can challenge the status quo.

Enter the Greek mythos part of any and all ADP-related interviews. Tori again explains the concept behind American Doll Posse and, bless her heart, she appears to never tire of doing so no matter how many interviews she conducts. She tells the interviewer that all women “carry” the female Greek archetypes (Demeter, Athena, Aphrodite, Persephone, and Artemus) as part of our personalities–that we embrace creation, anger, love, justice, and sexuality. However, in today’s world, women think they have to be one or the other. The career woman OR the mother OR the red-carpet-loving tart. American Doll Posse, she says, is an attempt to reunite women with the various parts of themselves that this world has severed them from. To give young women access to a more “complete” role model.

To illustrate her point, she again turns to Christianity stating that, in the West, we are given 2 female role models: The Mother Mary…the pure, innocent, creator and The Magdalene, the sexually liberated one. She admits that this dichotomy is pretty myopic. And, in other interviews, she has stated that to not explore the naughty side of Mary or the compassionate, loving side of the Magdalene is equally unfair.

The voice-over announces that Tori is “weird” in believing that it is her characters, not her, who write the songs. Tori explains that she serves as a scribe and that these women, who are very real, use her as their vehicle. While it makes sense to many of us, many people still find this very hard to swallow.

And my favorite part of the interview: When Tori Amos speaks about her “fans.” Tori tells the interviewer that she does not like to call those that appreciate her music “fans.” She does not approve of the hierarchy that this word projects. Tori states that when she goes on stage she does not like to believe that she is “above” her audience, but rather a part of a collective entity who appreciates and contributes to the music.

Tori ends with a metaphor describing her art–which has less mass appeal (”caramel sauce”) but much more longevity (”red wine”). Here, here Tori!

Thanks to Beth for posting this update on undented.com.

Click here to see the video…but you have to have IE 6.

Filed under: Tori Appearances on October 8th, 2007