From: (Angela Reid)
Newsgroups: rec.music.tori-amos
Subject: -R- Tori -n- Trent mini-FAQ [long]
Date: 11 Mar 1997 16:37:32 GMT
I was asked via e-mail to post this, and so I will. It's not
comprehensive, but it's everything I have in my rather extensive wp file.
(Trent's comment about Tori's being one of the cds permanently in his
6-disc changer is not in here, for instance.) I do think it will answer
most questions. :) I've made every effort to identify articles, but I
simply don't have info on some of them. I'm always eager to hear from
folk who can tell me what some of these incomplete fragments are.
Those of you who have seen these quotes from me too many times already
might try reading them aloud in falsetto. It makes them sound very
different. Really.
Q. How Does Tori Feel About People's Speculation about Her
Relationships with Men?
A. "It gets a little weird," she says with a laugh. "You walk
into a room, and people know stuff. They don't know everything, obviously.
There are things I write in certain ways that sometimes you don't know
it's me. You don't know what character I am. Sometimes I'm the protagonist
and you think I'm the little victim.
"But that doesn't really matter. Just because everybody goes, "That's
about her father,' or "That's about Eric,' or "That's about Trent,' or
"That's about Robert Plant."'
(Eric Rosse is co-producer of the album; Trent Reznor of Nine Inch
Nails guests on a track; Plant was her first crush.)
"What I try to make sure of," Amos says, "is that I don't censor
myself as a writer."
From The Hartford Courant interview (undated)
"Haunting Tori Amos Mines a Deeply
Personal Past"
By Roger Catlin
Posted by Sue Trowbridge
Q. How did Tori first hear about Trent; does she like his music?
A. [in partial response to the question "Was there an album that you
listened to and suddenly, the world was different for you?"] TA: And
believe it or not, `Pretty Hate Machine,' Nine Inch Nails, when I was
writing. That's why we met, because after I had heard `Pretty Hate
Machine,' it had been such an influence, I began reading the Sandman
comics and listening to `Pretty Hate Machine.' I had given this young man,
who had been the lover of the girl I used to babysit in Rockville, a place
to crash on my floor in Hollywood. They had had a falling out -- I was 20
-- and I was like his older sister. I gave him a place to crash, and he
brought in the Sandman comics -- he was a dropout of Parsons Art School --
and Nine Inch Nails. Just imagine, I'm reading the Sandman, listening to
Nine Inch Nails, reading `Calliope,' going, `Where have I been?' Playing
at the Marriott. So yeah, these are some landmarks in my life.
from 1994 Interview (Sun)
A. "I love the screaming male aggression of his music, because I'm
not in touch with that part of myself so much. I think there ought to be a
raging-male cruise line we could take, go to seven islands and just watch
these guys act out. I've always said that what Trent really needs is a
blanky and a hot chocolate with marshmallows. He doesn't need another hole
to crawl into. I think somebody should give him one of those little hard
hats with a miner's light on it, so when he gets lost in a dark hole, he
can find his way out."
from Spin, October 1994
A. BILL: Do you like his style? Do you find yourself similar to him
in style when it comes to playing with him?
TORI: No, it's about an internal thing, more than anything. It's,
it's, it's, I think, more than a lot of people out there, I think, Trent
is really in touch with, um, even though he represents rage in a way, I
think he's more understanding of hurt than a lot of guys that touch rage:
they touch rage, but without the depth of--that rage really comes from a
very deep pain, and I think he does understand that, that's why his work
really touches me.
TORI'S APPEARANCE ON CFNY RADIO
(TORONTO)
Transcribed by Mike Harris
Q. How did Trent first hear about Tori; does he like her music?
[Trent said:]
A. T: We met on a friendship level. It was not like some mutual ass
kissing thing. I really liked her first album, which is not the kind of
thing I'd normally listen to. Someone had given it to me and said that it
sounded like Sinead O'Connor. I fucking can't stand Sinead O'Connor, so I
ignored it. Then I saw the video for Silent All These Years and it
struck me in a way where I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. But it was
interesting. I was pleasantly surprised to find someone who I thought was
taking chances. Not playing it safe, and also writing good songs, melodies
and really good lyrics. I thought that I should try and get in touch with
her, just to try and say, not that I normally do this either, I think
your record's really good. I relate to her work a lot, on some level, in
an opposite of a Nine Inch Nails arrangement kind of way. I really think
that it works. She approaches things with a totally different aesthetic
than I do, but it's good.
from axcess magazine,
volume 2, issue 2
A. "Her music gives me goose bumps whenever I listen to it." he says.
"It's very rare for music to affect me that way."
from NY Times Sunday
1/14/96
Transcribed by
StevenCohn@aol.com
Q. How did Tori and Trent first make contact?
A. Reznor had sent a message to Amos expressing his admiration for
``Little Earthquakes''; Amos recognized a musical and spiritual ally.
from VIRGINIAN-PILOT
(Norfolk, VA) (VP) -
Wednesday, July 27, 1994
By: SUE SMALLWOOD
A. TORI: I always loved what he did. So 'Past the Mission' said to
me, "I want Trent to sing on me." And I said, "I'm sure you do." And,
so, I made the call, and he was, uh, 'open to that'. And we, uh, did it
at his house, you know, the old Tate House....[snip chicken story; see
below]
BILL: So you recorded this with Trent when he was recording _The
Downward Spiral_, his latest album?
TORI: Yes.
BILL: So how did you end up, meet Trent anyway, I mean in the
first place?
TORI: That's how!
BILL: Just from doing, just from showing up--
TORI: Yeah, we just, you know--you pick up the phone.
from TORI'S APPEARANCE ON CFNY
RADIO (TORONTO)
Transcribed by Mike Harris
[Angela's note: I read all this to suggest that Tori first made reference
to Trent on LE. Somebody introduced Trent to Tori's music. He decided he
liked her after all and let her know that through some non-contact message
(memo, e-mail, friend of a friend). They may have spoken for the first
time when Tori called him about PTM.]
Q. What did Trent have to say about the NIN reference in "Precious
Things"?
A. Bob: I have to ask you about Trent Reznor helping you out on this
album; Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. First of all, what did he say to
you about the Nine Inch Nails reference in "Precious Things" on your last
album?
Tori: We didn't talk about it.
Bob: Do you think he was aware of it? Had he ever heard it?
Tori: Yes. He is. He's aware.
from Tea With the Waitress
Q. How did Tori choose Trent to sing on "Past the Mission"?
A. Bob: He is featured on a song called "Past the Mission."
Tori: Yeah, he's singing." And this... When I was writing the
song, the song said, "I think Trent Reznor would be really good to sing
on me." And I said, "Yeah, I'm sure you do. But I don't really know if
that's possible." And the song said, "It's possible. So just, like, make
it happen." So I met him and I went up to the Sharron Tate house...
Bob: Which he is renting in Beverly Hills.
Tori: Yeah. You have to go through a bit of security to get in.
And it's a very spooky house, knowing what it is and then walking... And
you look in the helter skelter book and you just see you see the house
and it's, like, that picture... He'd be showing me the pictures going,
"See this door!" I go, " Yeah, yeah, yeah. I see the door." "It's...
See... This is where..." They have the control room where Sharron Tate
passed away. And it's just weird that when I was a young kid and we'd
see the pictures in the book, I had no idea I'd ever be standing there.
And standing there with Trent, it's kinda' even goofier. He was, I think,
wonderful for this piece.
from Tea With the Waitress
A. ``The choice for (`Past The Mission') had to be
somebody that represented rage and anger because this is all about a
girl trying so hard to work through being a victim,'' she said. ``I felt
like for a guy to be supporting her, it had to be a guy that could rage,
because then it would really mean something if he could be tender. Trent
is--well, you can't be in all that much rage and pain unless you have a
very big heart.''
from VIRGINIAN-PILOT
(Norfolk, VA) (VP) -
Wednesday, July 27, 1994
By: SUE SMALLWOOD
A. "In 'Past the Mission,' desperately wanting to break free from
being a victim and having Trent come, the raging man, but being very
supportive of the woman."
Unidentified interview
Q. What does Tori think about his performance on "PtM"?
A. TORI: With "Past the Mission," there's hope. "Past the mission,
I smell the roses," and Trent sings on it. I wanted him to sing on it
because of his energy. I love Trent's work. "Past the Mission" wanted him
to sing on it.
SUN: Parts of "Past the Mission" reminded me of "China." There seemed
to be little bits of Elton John.
TORI: We love Elton. "Past the Mission" has -- yeah, I can see that.
George Porter Jr. from the Meters played on the whole record, and there's
a lot of him on that, as much as Carlo Nuccio from the bottom end. I did
the piano vocal first, but they played the track, which gave it that --
especially in the verses, that New Orleans kind of church meets Otis
Redding meets, and they had a lot to do with bringing that out of the
piece itself. Trent, obviously, it's nothing like he does in his work,
which found an interesting choice, because it wasn't for him to sing on
something that was his, why do that?
"Past the Mission" is a love story. It's kind of a strange one in that
it's me again, still trying to find pieces that I've left other places. It
kind of breaks my heart when I hear him sing with me, "I once knew a hot
girl." Where is she now? She can come back again. It' that same thing,
where in "Pretty Good Year" and "Past the Mission" and "Space Dog," where
everything is reclaimable.
from Interview /The
Baltimore Sun
Q. So, what about the chicken?
A. T: Well, look, he's so anorexic sometimes. I just look at him and
go, baby, you need my cooking honey. And he was very open to the idea
because, you know, I don't think he gets much nurturing, that guy.
There's just not a lot of nurturing going on. Anyway, so I went over
there and I brought all my little supplies because they only have
Coca-cola in the fridge.... Well I was gonna make him baked chicken
because like, look, I'm from the South, I know how to make chicken, I've
been making it since I was 10 years old, with my Nanny, my Grandmother in
the kitchen, where it's dripping down your chin, and that whole buttery
thing, right? Well I'm making it, and _nothing's happening_. I mean its
just, yes it's cooking right, the oven's cooking, I've made it the same
time, the same way that I've made it for 20 years. And it's _not
working_. I mean, you know how globs of flour were collecting on the
chicken. And, it just wasn't working, nothing was working, and he's
standing there with his arms folded thinking he's like, I'm not applying
to be your wife or anything. I mean this isn't what's happening anyway.
So why are you not giving me a chance? This is wrong. This is your
house. And I called my mother on the phone, things got so bad, and I
said, Mom, what's wrong, I can't make this chicken for this guy, and she
goes, well you know honey, I heard the Folger's coffee heiress was also
in that house, and she died that night, and I think there's a curse on
anything that has to do with culinary things. And I'm like, thanks, Mom.
99X interview
9/5/94. (transc. Jason Watts)
Q. What about the Ritz Carlton?
A. TA: Well, I'm a bit of a lunatic right now. I called my friend
Trent Reznor--I was lying on the marble. There's this marble little sit
place at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago, with the windows, and I was just
losing my mind a little bit. Don't think I was thinking of anything so
cliche, right, but you know, I was thinking of at least throwing my ice
cream out the 26th floor, or the telephone. And he said, `You can't, Tori.
I've been in that Ritz Carlton in Chicago, and the windows are inverted,
so I'm not worried.' So there's kind of something wonderful about having
friends that go through what you go through. You have your buddies that
understand. Obviously Robert Plant can't understand, because all he says
to me is, `Why are you touring? Just come to Wales and we'll watch the
butterflies and talk about great Welsh stories.' I was going, `Yeah, a
legend can say that, you know?'
from Tori Amos Interview
July 1994 (Sun)
A. [Tori] 'We're like the Devil and Miss Jones. One time I called
Trent when I was ready to jump out the window of the Ritz Carlton, because
I'd had one too many days in the Midwest or something. And he said, 'Well,
I've been in that Ritz Carlton, and I'm not too worried about you because
I tried it myself and that window doesn't open right.' "
from Spin October 94
Q. What other general comments has Tori made about Trent and his
music?
A. Tori talking about Trent Reznor's tongue- "that tongue! ...if he
became a eunuch, it wouldn't even matter!"
Unidentified concert;
July 1994
A. "He doesn't just scream all the time. Trent's a very deep cat."
Los Angeles Times (LT) -
THURSDAY August 25, 1994
By: BILL LOCEY; SPECIAL TO
THE TIMES
A. Reznor's armor-plated Industrial music and self-abusing stage
persona are transparent to Tori, who can still detect the little boy
inside. "There are a lot of hidden nerds. I'm aware of the exciting
man in Trent The Nine Inch, but I can see the nerd in him, too.
People who become the frontrunners often used to be outcasts or
loners."
from VOX 5/94
A. "When she [Tori's mother] heard Trent Reznor's vocal on my
song 'Past The Mission', she said: 'Well, I do see, women are gonna be
after him, he just sounds so smooth.' And I said: 'Mother, they already
are,' and she goes: 'well, there'll be more now, I promise you that.'"
from VOX 5/94
A. "This person [Eric] walking out the door, this affects me--at
least I'm not so numb. And if you're numb, you can't dance. So it
[Talula] became this thing about celebrating loss. Because I value it and
it's touched my heart and I'm hurting that it's going. At least it meant
something to me. When Trent Reznor wrote 'Hurt'--'I hurt myself today, to
see if I could feel'--I thought, 'Hey this girl feels, man'."
from Talula by Tori Amos -
Vox May 1996 (Issue 67)
Transc. Katherine Jones
<106070.1230@compuserve.com>
Q. I heard they aren't friends anymore. What about that?
A. [Trent said] Tori would be another example [of a musician friend].
She called me to do this vocal track. It wasn't that big a deal. Her
first album was permanently in my car's CD changer. It really struck me
as well written, in a similar vein to what I was doing--from a different
point of view, but the same kind of addicting, pouring out, gushing,
baring, naked kind of song. Other people put their fingers in the pie,
and they kind of messed up a friendship. We're not that close now. Some
malicious meddling on the part of Courtney Love. But I still feel the
same feelings for Tori.
from Spin Feb 1996
A. Tori was in Toronto on Jan. 29, and did a few interviews up here.
On one of them, she said that she and Trent haven't really talked in a
while, but that to her this did not really signify any break in the
relationship. She and her musical friends (e.g. Trent, Michael Stipe,
Peter Gabriel) are too busy to maintain that type of constant
communication, that we mortals enjoy with our friends. So, according to
Tori herself, they are, IHHO, still friends.
Thus sprach e0dwb310@erin.utoronto.ca (MATASSA
THOMAS LOUIS)
