TA = Tori Amos K = Kim, the interviewer
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                CFNY Interview - Monday, January 29th, 1996
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K: It is so nice to see you in Toronto.

TA: I love coming here. No I mean cause this is the one place, you know,
this is the only radio station where you can do it like this. Where the
kids come into the station. I mean there are a couple I've been to but
never where you can just talk to them and hang out for a few minutes. It's
never like this at a show. You can't have that contact.

K: It's something too with all those people outside as well.

TA: Yeah, I wanna give them hot chocolate. I feel so bad that they're out
there you know.

K: Well, maybe we can take care of them a little later.

TA: Yep.

K: So, we have you until 6:30 and we're going to have you play a couple
songs for as well which is fantastic.

TA: Yeah, i've never, this is very strange that I'm going to play this one
because it's, um, a harpsichord piece. It's one of the ones on the new
record that's played on a harpsichord and she rarely. I mean she wont be
played on the boozie much less, and don't take this wrong, a poor example
of a piano. So she's, I don't know what's gotten into her but she's
really.. what..?

Voices in background

TA: Huh? Am I playing it now?

More Voices

TA: Oh! I'm not playing that now. What am I doing?

K: You know if you want to play it now

TA: Okay

K: Such a good introduction, if you want to play it now, play it now.

TA: Oh can I play it now!.. silence for a bit... Kim! keep talking.

K: Okay, we're going to go with Blood Roses first.

TA: Thank You.

Squeals in background.. everyone loves Blood Roses.

After the commercial break now..

TA: No, he's not lying. They're asking me questions. That I think they hear
on the internet. You get this on the net, right?

People in audience saying something like 'yes'

TA: God, what a shmoozy thing to say.. "on the net.." No.. is he really?
No.. they're asking me about a guy that's on the net alot named Rantz..and
when he was..like um..blimey..like 10 years ago..he was sleeping with a
girl that I used to babysit..Do you see what I mean? So she came to college
out in LA, and I um.. you know..I took her under my wing..and I met this
boy..it went all horribly wrong with them...but Rantz and I became good
friends. So that's kinda how it happened.

K: Interesting..... it is! Actually another interesting thing that I came
across is a story about making the album.. of course you mention using the
harpsichord and using the more traditional piano...and that I had read what
you did was that you put each of the instruments on either side of you and
actually put yourself in a box.

TA: Basically, what happened was, if you can imagine. The box was from
here.. to from there.. as long as the boozie piece.. so this length..and
from here to here..so the radio people don't know what i'm talking about.
You guys are math people, some body is a math genius around here.. how long
is this?

Voice in Audience: About a metre.

TA: This is about a metre.. and how long is this?

Same Voice: About a metre.

TA: So a metre and a metre and then it was 6 feet tall and I'd live in this
little box and um, they'd give me, hahaha, they'd give me this microphone
right, and um the idea was that I would play, um the instruments live but
that the mike that I was singing wouldn't interfere with the instruments or
that the instruments wouldn't interfere with the vocal so that we could cut
everything live. So um, I thought it was a torture device personally, but
you know, there you go.

K: So could you actually see the keyboards?

TA: All I could see was the keyboard. I could see the double manual of the
harpsichord and I could see the boozie keyboard but that was it. I was in
this box. My engineers devised this..

K: Former engineers?

TA: No, actually, they're going on the road having to devise something for
the harpsichord, 'cause actually the voice is louder than the harpsichord.
So for that to read live, they're having to build her a little house. Like
a plexiglass house. So just to make these instruments happen live 'cause
everythings with microphones, nothing's plugged in. It's a whole different
approach to audio.

K: Interesting..You could also maybe play some really unusual venues as
well if you wanted too.. places that had harpsichords in them..I mean
obviously churches..you could do something like that..

TA: Well the thing is that, um, I'm taking my harpsichord with me, it's
real personalized sort of like the boozy. You know I take them out and
they're so different from other instruments. No two are the same. So I
searched for quite a while to find the right harpsichord because the one I
have has a real big butt.. you know.. a great bottom end..she really bites
down there..growls..

K: Well speaking of touring, I had heard April as a potential date in
Toronto, so I don't know if that's the case or not.. obviously you're
planning on touring..

TA: Oh yeah yeah yeah. We start, um February 23rd in England and we do 200
shows..*big sigh* And a ish.. you know.. it's always ish...and um.. I think
we hit North America first of April so..I don't know exactly the schedule
so we'll be here about 3/4 months and we keep going around..

K: Interesting...Um, just before you get to another song..you worked
primarily as producer on this album, which was kind of a first for you I
guess, being you know the artist and the sounding board all at once. Did
it..

TA: The big cheese..Yeah it was great.. kind of sometimes being the final
bottom line..Sometimes its just good to say.. 'erase that..it sucks'.. and
it's wonderful for them to turn around and go..you know..they all have
their own minds and my soundguys are very much the techies really are.. i
love them because they're very straight ahead and they'll just look at you
and say once.. "are you sure that you want to do this.. are you quite
sure.." and I would say "I am quite sure" and they'd just say "fine, it's
gone". You know.. no talking you out of it..nothing..once they know..it's
like detinaid..they get rid of it.. you know.. a bit like Ronald Regan!

K: You recorded in Ireland and in New Orleans?

Tding a
baby..and..my father was like putting his hands over my eyes and I was
going "I'm gonna have these..why are you hiding my eyes..you're the one
that shouldn't be looking" And it's like.. it was always that way when I
worked in a gay bar..um.. and my father has grown alot through these
experiences..but when I was 13 he said.. "you know i'm gonna sit here and
make sure these men don't pick up on you.." i said.. "I'm not the one
they're going to pick up on Dad.." You know it was always that thing of
wrong wrong wrong..bad bad bad and I really wanted to have a picture
visual.. and Cindy and I really talked about it.. I just kept seeing these
visions of me breastfeeing a pig.. I kept seeing this! And I said.. i know
what this means to me..and people can look at it how they want.. i mean..
i'm like.. that's when i think a photograph works..when it brings up alot
of different stuff. But it was a cute little critter..it was just so
cute..it pooped all over my skirt..and peed..and it was so..he was having
such a good time.. he just nustled in..and he did his business..and
ah..obviously i'm not feeding now.. so he was a bit disappointed..but he
fell asleep..and it was really fun.

K: Well..he looked content.

TA: yeah

K: And, uh there's a metaphore somewhere in there..but I'm just not going
to near.. Um so you mentioned your father.. and your parents.. and I assume
that you've come to a point in your life where um.. you know..the
relationship is fine and I mean..do you sortof give them the benifit of a
doubt with albums..do you run it by them first..or do you..

TA: No..

K: Or do you unleash it to them along with everyone else.

TA: Oh, no well they're my publishers so they do get it..a little before..
everybody else..but sometimes.. it's ..i think since they've gotten older
believe it or not they've gotten more open minded..I know it works the
opposite for some peoples relationships but um.. sometimes we just agree to
disagree..and that's where we've gotten..it's like i'm out of the house
now.. i can have my opinions..they can have theirs..but..it took a long
time for me to go..they have to respect that i had my own thoughts on
things..but hey i had to respect that they have theirs..and that was the
tricky thing..saying .. look, they are very christian and i have to
understand them..my father believes that magdelene is whore ..my father has
these opinions..and once i began to let go of that.. he kind of opened up
to the fact that maybe the role for women in christianity has been a bit
mesoginist

K: That's a headline..I'm gonna ask you two quick questions.. and then let
you go..cause i know you have to go on your way..um..but about 2 of your
friends..first of all the writer Neil I read had just signed this really
big book deal and I'm wondering ..you know..what's the future.. the future
of Delirium..

TA: I just saw Neil.. we had lunch in England about.. a week ago. And um
Neil is there doing a special with the BBC ..he's written this
series..which i hope they get over here..it's so fantastic..and it's about
life underneath london..so he's just doing amazing..he's writing so many
things right now..and yes? the other?

K: The other one was Trent Reznor I know part of this was recorded in New
Orleans.. are you..what's he up to.. do you keep an ongoing relationship..

TA: Well..I'm sure he's doing fine..No we're friends..and um..things got
kind of busy..and sometimes it happens. I mean Michael Stipe's a
friend..Peter Gabriel's a friend.. Trent's a friend..and sometimes you know
you don't talk for a while but I consider them all friends.

K: Fair enough.. So it's been such a pleasure having you today..I really
really enjoyed it.

TA: Thanks..

She plays another song..and that's it.