From: owner-precious-things-digest To: precious-things-digest@smoe.org Subject: precious-things-digest V1 #226 Reply-To: precious-things@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-precious-things-digest Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "precious-things-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. precious-things-digest Sunday, 10 November 1996 Volume 01 : Number 226 Today's Subjects: ----------------- The Tori VALVE Tori on Acoustic Cafe Re: not the red baron, i'm sure, not charlie's wonderful dog Re: not the red baron, i'm sure, not charlie's wonderful dog Re: Froggies!! Davenport Concert Review the quick brown fox... various ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jewpiter" Date: Sat, 9 Nov 1996 14:37:23 +0200 Subject: The Tori VALVE Hi everyone! In case you haven't heard by now, I (Jewpiter) have put together a new Tori website called the Tori VALVE - Vault of Amos Lyrics and Various Entities at http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/2568 . The site has two features - one, a collectin of practically all Tori lyrics . This is, though, a UNIQUE site because the lyrics aren't the official ones, but are the correct ones that are actually on the track . They include all backing vocals and various stuff you might've missed. This is my proudest accomplishment 'coz it's taken me 3 (!) years to compile and revise and rerevise all the lyrics. Check it out. The second feature is a listing of all the Tori stuff there is - singles, special editions, radio and tv interview, video bootlegs, magazine articles - - everything! It aims to be the most comprehensive listing of Tori stuff on the web. If you have any corrections to make about any of the lyrics, or have additions to the 'Stuff' section, then please email me. Thanks alot! Jewpiter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jewpiter - eric@netvision.net.il I am the muffin. Past the mission, I smell the roses. Visit the Tori VALVE - Vault of Amos Lyrics and Various Entities: http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/2568 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ From: Charlie Poole Date: Sat, 9 Nov 1996 09:22:55 -0500 (EST) Subject: Tori on Acoustic Cafe Hi Everyone, First, my apologies to all of you who will receive multiple copies of this message. I wanted to get the word out to as many of you as possible and I don't know who subscribes to what lists. Here in Bloomington IN on WTTS radio there is a Saturday morning prerecorded show called Acoustic Cafe. Some of you may receive it on one of your local stations. Today they announced that Tori would be on next week, Nov. 16th, singing THREE of her NEW songs. The show airs at 7:00 a.m. locally. I an assuming that this is not a rerun but that Tori will be doing some of the music that she's reportedly written on the BfP tour. I'll be up at 6 AM. Hope you all get a chance to listen. In Tori, Charlie - -- +-------------------+-----------------+--------------------------+ | C.W. Poole | "Charlie" | cpoole@indiana.edu | +-------------------+-----------------+--------------------------+ | To me happiness, true happiness is when you can really dance | | with sad. --Tori Amos | | I have spent a lifetime learning how to cry. --Janis Ian | *----------------------------------------------------------------* ------------------------------ From: tabitha901@juno.com (Tabitha Brady) Date: Sat, 09 Nov 1996 15:08:29 EST Subject: Re: not the red baron, i'm sure, not charlie's wonderful dog On Wed, 6 Nov 1996 17:36:45 -0500 (EST) "J. Hustadt" writes: >I think space dog , winter and frog on my toe are a trio of sorts. It > >took me a year to figure out space dog. I think Mr. Microphone is her > >father. > >JEn. > Just a thought. Did you think that Tori's "Poppa" in Frog On My Toe was her father? It's her grandfather. Reference: Cornflake Girl, Page 6. tabby (-: http://members.aol.com/tabitha901/tabby.htm ------------------------------ From: tabitha901@juno.com (Tabitha Brady) Date: Sat, 09 Nov 1996 15:08:29 EST Subject: Re: not the red baron, i'm sure, not charlie's wonderful dog On Wed, 6 Nov 1996 17:36:45 -0500 (EST) "J. Hustadt" writes: >I think space dog , winter and frog on my toe are a trio of sorts. It > >took me a year to figure out space dog. I think Mr. Microphone is her > >father. > >JEn. > I still don't get it, maybe I will a year from now? Or is there something you have to say to me? Now that you mention it, I could see her father as Mr. Microphone. tabby (-: http://members.aol.com/tabitha901/tabby.htm ------------------------------ From: tabitha901@juno.com (Tabitha Brady) Date: Sat, 09 Nov 1996 15:08:29 EST Subject: Re: Froggies!! On Thu, 7 Nov 96 18:37:59 UT "Mickey Sun" writes: >>>I know that Frog on My Toe was written for her goddaughter<< > > >I heard that Tori wrote Frog on My Toe while she was kind of drunk and >that it >was dedicated to her Poppa. Someone please enlighten me. Mickey, that's a very astute observaion since her Poppa is mentioned in the song. But I heard it was her grandfather on her mother's side. As for being drunk at the time, who can say. :) tabby (-: http://members.aol.com/tabitha901/tabby.htm ------------------------------ From: mikewhy@iglou.com (Michael L. Whitehead) Date: Sat, 9 Nov 1996 16:04:25 -0500 Subject: Davenport Concert Review I experience joy, sorrow, self-reflection, and potato bread during my last Tori concert on this tour. It is the night following Tori's concert in Davenport, Iowa on November 6, 1996. I am sitting alone in a Shoneys Restaurant back in Louisville, and I'm writing the first draft of this concert review. The weather outside is rainy, cold, and bleak. It seems appropriate to me at first, because that is the way I have felt inside since the end of the show. NOT because it was a bad show, on the contrary, it was a stellar performance. No, I have the blues because it will most likely be 2 years before I see Tori again, and that can be a painful thought. But I also have hope, and you will see why by the end of this review. The other unhappy side effect of the tour ending is that I will no longer get to meet all the wonderful Toriphiles who go to the shows. I was reminded how fun this is once again during this trip. Davenport is about 400 miles from where I live in Louisville KY. It took 7 hours to drive there, but fortunately I was joined by 2 people who made the trip enjoyable. Lana Helm from Southern Indiana joined me for the entire drive. Lana is a musician and singer in her own right. (I predict in the future Lana will have her own faithful following.) We also picked up her friend Lisa (from Indianapolis.) On the way there, these two introduced me to the wonders of potato bread, and kept me from going crazy as we drove through Indiana and Illinois. We finally crossed the Mississippi River and entered Davenport. Sound check was the usual gathering of Tori devotees, sharing their Tori stories and exchanging photos and laughs. I was able to meet more wonderful people. My good friend Lori Keaye was there. If you have read my Cincinnati, Dayton, or Chicago reviews you know that every Tori show I see with her is a classic! I again spent some time with Monica Sanghavi, one of the most devoted "Ears With Feet" I know. I met Dor, who has incredible memories and photos of meeting Tori on the west coast. I also talked to Mia, Denise, and Lisa (from Milwaukee). I met for the first time Joanne Wittenberg and Shawn, 2 of the nicest Toriphiles I have had the pleasure of talking to. Like me, Joanne has really racked up the miles on her car following Tori around the country! As the time arrived for Tori to get there, a crowd of nearly 60 people were hemmed in behind the barricades, the tour buses, and the side of the building. The weather grew really cold. I was grateful to talk to another Tori follower named Becky, who helped me forget my chilled body. Around 4:30 or so Steve Caton came and talked to the folks in the front of the line behind the barricades. I was in the third row of people, and was unable to speak to him, though I did snap a few photos. He seemed really friendly and happy to talk to people. Finally, Tori emerged and also began to chat with the lucky people in the front. She had on the cutest green scarf-like thing around her neck that she called her "green snaky." She expressed concern for us waiting in the cold for so long. This was one of those times I was grateful to be tall. I was able to stretch my hand forward and Tori grabbed it! I told her hello and my name, and a simple "Thank You." She gave me the sweetest look and said, "ABSOLUTELY." It was short, but very exciting! She then spoke to my friends Monica, Lana, and Lisa. I might also add at this point that her security team, Joel and Steve, were much friendlier than usual. The security staff at the Adler theater was also rather friendly, which was a nice change. After a complicated attempt to eat dinner at Dennys, and after terrifying Lana and Lisa with some improvisational driving around the confusing streets of Davenport, we returned to the Adler Theater. I missed the opening act, but was seated in time for the main event. While waiting for the show to begin I chatted with a very friendly man behind me who came all the way from Canada to see Tori play. He was super nice, and had a really cool accent. I am afraid I lost his name, and I hope he emails me to tell me again so I can post it! My seat was almost all the way in the back on the main floor, but the view was still pretty good and the sound was excellent. I had the usual rush of adrenaline as Tori came on stage during 'Son Of A Preacher Man.' The concert that followed was relatively short, extremely intimate, and alternatively thrilling and sad. Tori had her hair up and was wearing jeans and a tight black shirt. When she came on stage, she also had a flannel shirt on, which she immediately removed before she began to play. BEAUTY QUEEN and HORSES opened the show. One very unusual and striking part of Horses was when Tori started singing toward the audience and away from the microphone, so that you could not hear her. Her voice seemed softer and she seemed to whisper more tonight than usual during this opening song. But the effect was very dramatic. I need to rant a little bit here. I am aware that not everyone will agree with me, but I personally was offended by this one guy who kept shouting 'YEAH' really loud during every silent break in Beauty Queen. There is a difference between the occasional shout at the beginning of a song, and what this guy did. He prevented me from completely enjoying the song. Tori's concert is not some wild party. It is a time to savor the music of a master. In a song, silence can be every bit as important to the meaning of a song as the musical notes or words. But I was forced to listen to this stupid 'YYEEAAAAHHHHHH' during every pause of the song. I think it was wrong and rude to those of us who wanted the full effect of the music. Rant mode off! :) LOSING MY RELIGION is dazzling live. The version on the 'Higher Learning' soundtrack can not compare to the way she brings this song alive in concert. There were many wet eyes during this one. Tori got really wild at the end, to the point of screaming, and it left me breathless. CAUGHT A LITE SNEEZE was prefaced with a few lines I did not recognize, including the words "Can't stop" and "Met a few boys." She then sang a few lines from NIN's HURT. This was the first time I saw her do this, and it was brilliant. She seemed to hug herself while singing this, and the effect was powerful. Tori then spoke for the first time. These are not exact quotes, but what I am able to remember. "Hi everybody. Wow, you're so incredible, I should have come here earlier. You are so wonderful. You know, I only have about 5 shows left." Then she sang, "Five Golden Rings." She again talked about the crowd and her leaving, "I wish you could jump into my back pocket." CORNFLAKE GIRL began with Caton's guitar intro and Tori's famous dance. As Tori began playing, Caton had a string break on his guitar. Tori said, "Hey Caton, don't you play guitar? That's okay I'll just keep playing" While Caton was brought a new guitar, Tori did an outstanding improvisation for a few minutes, where she sang lyrics I did not recognize and really JAMMED on the Bosey while moving her body to the music. It was a spontaneous and stunning performance, and a lot of fun. You have to experience moments like this yourself, for my words can not explain it. The crowd cheered once Caton got his guitar and began to play! TEAR IN YOUR HAND had a long, moving intro. This beautiful song had me in tears, especially that part that was so applicable to myself and many others there that night. "Maybe it's time to wave goodbye now..." She performed it much the way it is on the album, but I enjoyed it. And I cried. LITTLE EARTHQUAKES also has a wondrous intro. I thought again back to my very first Tori concert back in the summer of 1992, when she opened the show with this earth-shattering song. As the lights on stage blinded me, I almost fell to pieces thinking about the last 4 and a half years, and how much this woman has affected my life. MUHAMMAD MY FRIEND was next. Before this song, someone shouted "Where's Willy," referring to Willy Porter, who was Tori's opening act for the first half of the tour. Tori misunderstood at first, "Where's Lilly? Who's Lilly? What's going on, I feel like I have Alzheimer's." She finally heard it right, "Oh WILLY. Willy's misses said to him, 'You have to come home now.' She's very nice but I told him not to listen to her. I mean she could have come along too. Oh well, Willy did a great job and I got him a voodoo shirt..." Then someone yelled out something that included Tori's birth name, Myra Ellen. Tori went, "Ugghh, Can you imagine that, Myra Ellen, that is so BAD." Then in response to fan named Mia who shouted "Tell us a story!", Tori told another variation of the always hilarious story about being home with her father at Christmas. She spoke quickly, "I like my father but he is very very very very very very very very Christian. I don't have a problem with Christians except when they expect YOU to be very very very very very very very very Christian, which when you think about it, isn't very very very very very very very Christian. So I'm home for Christmas at the church service, and I'm 32 right, and I am sitting in church with my father, thinking about that hot piece that I should be with. So I'm there out of guilt and I'm watching these kids in the choir. There's always that kid in the front row doing this (She simulates picking her nose) and you're like, 'Put DOWN your hand.' And they are singing like.." and then she hums part of 'Away in The Manger' in this really irritating and funny kid's voice! "And my dad would want us to join along and he would say, 'MYRA ELLEN, sing.' And I would say, 'I just finished a world tour, pass off.' He would go, 'I'm still your father and I want you to sing.' And I said, 'I'm not hearing what they are singing, I'm going to sing my version.' And he would say, 'What are you hearing?' And I would go.." and she does some Robert Plant like moaning, followed by my favorite new Christmas tune, Muhammad My Friend! CRUCIFY followed. The audience attempted to clap along, but the tempo variations that are inherent in this song threw them off! As she sang about the guilt that I personally know all too well, I noticed she had a small light glowing on her piano. I did not see it very close, but I think this might have been the virgin mary night light I have heard about from earlier concerts. She really drew out her notes at the end, and it was simply incredible. PAST THE MISSION was tori's next song, sung in the glow of bright red lights. This 'girl' is relatively rare at Tori shows, and it was wonderful to hear. I saw what looked like people dancing on the triangular screen behind her, which was something I've never seen before. TALULA got the place rocking. It is damn near impossible to sit still during this song. Of all the harpsichord songs, this one is the best to watch. Tori really plays that instrument with passion and skill. I am so glad that she enriched the the Dew Drop Inn Tour with this "friend" of hers. ME AND A GUN followed Talula. To those who find this transition too jarring, I want to mention the interview Tori did with Matt Pinfield on MTV 120 minutes in January 1996. She talked about her rape, and said that people still come up to her and say, "I am so sorry." And Tori said something like, "Oh STOP, this is not about I'm sorry, this is about 'I am DANCING.'" As has been standard the last few weeks, Tori really raised her voice for the word 'FLAT', which tends to startle people. I wonder why she started doing that? The first encore begins. HERE IN MY HEAD was the first song. She sang this gorgeous composition while bathed in bluish-green light. WINTER made me really sad. I was of course upset that my last show was almost over. But then I concentrated on some of the lyrics. "When you gonna make up your mind? When you gonna love you as much as I do." and "so many dreams, on the shelf." Of course I was applying my own meaning at the time to these words and not Tori's, but I realized why I felt so sad about the tour ending. These concerts helped me cope with my low self-esteem. They allowed me to begin the harder work of finding my own fire, of learning to love myself, of working hard to achieve my dreams, rather than letting them just sit on the shelf. I knew that what made these concerts so special was not only Tori, but the great people I got to meet and hang with before the show. Since I am introverted and have a negative self-image, I find meeting new people and socializing to be difficult. I would dream of a time when I could make friends more easily, and end the loneliness that I often create for myself. These concerts were a way for me to do that, and it was fun for me, because I could talk about a subject I know and love, Tori. But sooner or later, I have to make up my mind, love myself, and learn to socialize in the real world . All this passed through my mind during this song. Amazing. Tori came out again for the second encore, accepting some roses and placing half of them on her harpsichord, and the other half on the piano. Right before the crew moved her harpsichord away and brought out the organ, Tori made a quick motion with her hands toward the harpsichord, as if she were casting a spell on it, or maybe just waving goodbye. FATHER LUCIFER started, much to the delight of the audience. Despite the metaphor of descending and exploring your dark side, there is a joyfulness in this song, as well as tenderness. HEY JUPITER ended the show, as well as the tour for me. She finished the song slightly differently than I remember her doing it before, with the 'oooohhhh' part really long and emotional. I wiped a tear as she left the stage for the final time. I was able to see Tori one more time before she got on the bus and departed. She left the theater around midnight and waved goodbye to us as she boarded the bus. She said something about 'Finding Me', made eye contact with as many people as possible, gave the cutest, most adorable smile I have ever seen, and then climbed into the bus. As it pulled away, she held a puppet outside of the bus and waved to us with it. It lightened a heartbreaking moment for the many tearful people watching her leave. As I sat here in this restaurant in Louisville and finished this review, it occurred to me that fans may be wrong to call Tori a Goddess. In reality, she helps us realize that the GODDESS is in all of us. I know I will see her again in two years. And I hope to be a better person when I do. Thank you Tori for giving me the inspiration to figure this out. I love you, and will truly miss you. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael L. Whitehead mikewhy@iglou.com My Dent In The Tori Amos Net Universe => http://www.aye.net/~mikewhy/toriamos.html "Moses I know, I know you've seen fire, but you've never seen fire until you've seen Pele blow..." Tori Amos - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ From: Traumachik@aol.com Date: Sat, 9 Nov 1996 17:10:08 -0500 Subject: the quick brown fox... Okay. My copy of "Black Swan" is on a tape marked _LE_Bee_ _Sides_, so I naturally thought it was from _LE_. Since she recorded the flips with the other ongs on _UtP_, I think it had to be about something besides her breakup with Eric. But I could be wrong... Chelsea.xx ------------------------------ From: meredith Date: Sat, 09 Nov 1996 22:40:20 -0500 Subject: various Hi! Wow, this list has really gone nuts this week. Cool. :) What is this, everyone was waiting until the tour ended to show themselves around here? Kristen posted re opening acts: >The guy playing for the Under the Pink Tour last name was "Miller"....I realy >can't remember his first name right now, but he is Native American and I >thought he had good stuff to say and play. Bill Miller. He's by far the best, and most interesting opening act Tori's had yet. I had heard of him before he started touring with her -- he goes around to schools talking to kids about what he's been through (recovery from addiction, growing up in poverty on a reservation, etc.), and he went to the school where one of my friends was teaching a few years back. She said he had a real impact on the kids and he impressed her quite a bit -- his musical performance didn't disappoint when I saw him. Laurie quoted from "Not The Red Baron": > "not Judy G, not Jean Jean Jean with a hallowed heart That reminds me, the way Tori sings "hallowed" sounds like what might happen were she to sing "Harlow" -- Jean Harlow was another starlet from the same era as Judy Garland, I believe. I'm not sure if the verbal half-pun was intended, but with Tori, one never knows... :) Kristina opined: >I've always thought and heard that Baker, Baker is the "sequel" to Me and >a Gun, that it is about healing and finding your whole self again after a >violent experience. I didn't think that until I saw Tori perform at Symphony Space in NYC at the very beginning of the UtP tour. She sang "MAAG", then immediately followed with "Baker Baker". I could probably count on one hand the number of audience members who weren't shedding a tear after that segue... Maria quoted in reference to this: >And this girl... "Baker, Baker" is something I haven't >really explored before. Because it's me letting down a male. Usually >I'm talking about men letting me down. And this is another thing that >I had to be honest about. Which is that I've been emotionally >unavailable to certain men in my life that are very, very loving >and very giving. You know, we talk a lot about how women are so giving >and men are emotionally unavailable. Well, that's not always true. >"Baker, Baker" kinda makes me really sad. On other occasions, Tori's also discussed how it took her a very long time to be able to open up to and really trust a man again. Eric helped her regain the ability to become "emotionally available" again, so in that sense, I think "Baker Baker" is the sequel to "MAAG" -- she realizes what she's doing to him (whether the "him" in this case is Eric or not is debatable, though I've always thought it was), and feels bad about it. Sam wondered: >I wonder if songs are related musically as well as lyrically - Girl and >Father Lucifer seem to go together musically and what about >China/Jupiter/Damage? Tori definitely draws from the same musical pot when she's writing her songs. Phrases here, tones there... I'd need to really sit down and spend time (which I don't have right now, alas) to put together a list of specific examples, but I've noticed a lot of her songs are related musically. "Here, in my head", "Upside Down", and "Black Swan" are quite similar, especially in their introductions. That's just one example, I'm sure you all can come up with many more. :) +==========================================================================+ | Meredith Tarr meth@smoe.org | | Boonton, NJ USA http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/meth | +==========================================================================+ | "There's a god out there, and god I wish it was mine" - Susan McKeown | +==========================================================================+ ------------------------------ End of precious-things-digest V1 #226 *************************************