Sline99: Are you nervous at how some of your fans may react to the new album?
TORIAMOS: Nervous is a feeling that I usually have before I play live. When I finish the work on record, I've always made peace with it before I let I go or I don't let I go. They're always things that when I look back I would change about everything I've ever done. However, at a certain point, you have to send the girls off down the lane with their lunch boxes. Some put mild in their lunch boxes and some have a bottle of Krug in their lunchboxes. And you wave them goodbye and they're not yours anymore.
BeautifulHate: Tori, what was your favorite album to make?
TORIAMOS: Each album has turmoil, and magical moments. Each record is a friend. Some friends rather go on holiday, some friends you'd rather be with when you're going through a bad time. And the records are so different, that it's like you're asking me to choose between friends.
Angelicboy_20: Where did you get the inspiration for the song "Hey, Jupiter?"
TORIAMOS: I was going through something in my life and I felt the presence at the end of my bed of a ghost of someone I recognized. I was in a hotel room in Arizona during the Under The Pink Tour. I followed this ghost into the bathroom. I turned on all the water, the shower. I let the room steam up. The water became part of the sound. Almost like an orchestra. And this ghost drew a picture for me in the mirror with the steam. The way I interpreted the picture was that Earth and Jupiter were in love. Billions of years ago, and they were separated. And now they're billions of miles apart. And this is earth's love song to Jupiter.
Soko8076: Why did you choose England as the site for Choirgirl?
TORIAMOS: The engineers, Mark and Marcel, they worked as a team, wanted me to have more of a controlled environment so that they could achieve what I was demanding of them. I was asking them to help me take the next step into exploring the sonic frontier. They said in order for us to do this we needed to be in rooms that were geometrically designed for acoustics. So Mark found an old barn, 300 years old in Cornwall.
Geneur: How old were you when you decided to move away from Classical piano, and do you think it was an instinctual or conscious decision?
TORIAMOS: Classical piano is the language that I think runs through my blood, as a concept. I think I was probably the t-boy to some of the great composers. So therefore, the language is something I see in geometric shapes. And I hear it. It always underlies what I do, on some level, but I’m not trying to repeat what any of the masters have done. They did it in a way that 1.) can't be repeated... and that music was a reflection of that time. That music is not a reflection of this time. It was written before airplanes were invented. It was written before women could be pregnant, single and run their own business. Therefore, I know I had to compose music that was a reflection of this time.
Ch_chrome: How is this release different from your previous work?
TORIAMOS: Hopeful, all of them are different from each other. This album has rhythm more integrated more into its song structure. I recorded live with the drummer Matt Chamberlain. Except for the song called " Jackie's Strength," which was built around my piano vocal. The sound effects became very much a parody of the arrangements. We worked them in a way I hadn't opened myself up to before.
Hekele_373: Do you read?? If so what are your favorite books.
TORIAMOS: I'll take you over to my little library. We'll pull some out. I've just purchased some to read on tour. The Paperboy by Pete Dexter. An Underachievers Diary, by Benjamin Anastis. History of the World, by JM Roberts. [Reading List] An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, by Wallis Budge. The Code of Kings The Language of Seven Sacred May Temples and Tombs by Linda Schele and Peter Mathews. [Reading list] In the Land of Winter, by Richard Grant. The Antelope Wife, by Luise Erdrich. And we've picked two talked about books... Quarantine, by Jim Earce, and An Ocean in Iowa, by Hedges. These are the things we'll read on the road this week. And of course Girlfriend in a Coma, by Douglas Coupland and The Spiritual Tourist. What we do, see, is we get a lot and then if anyone wants to pick a book up it's not like GET YOUR HANDS OFF! It's for everybody. These are the books for the next three weeks and when we go to Europe we'll pick up another batch.
LittleRedRidingHood7991: Tori, if you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you want with you?
TORIAMOS: My lipgloss. My husband. A picnic basket, with Olive oil.
Joseph_from_Montana: Do you find some of your fans scary in their devotion?
TORIAMOS: I really don't think it's any of my business what the people who like the music are up to. I trust that they will use their balanced judgment and we will respect each other's rights. As I wouldn't intrude in your home, I wouldn't appreciate it if someone intruded in mine.
SprklGrl: I noticed you use your left foot for the petal ..are you left handed?
TORIAMOS: No, I'm not left handed, but my left hand as a player is stronger then my right hand. However, I use my left foot because my right foot is supporting the alignment of my spine. Playing this way gives me three time the strength. I'm not just playing, I also have to sing, so I have to keep the diaphragm open or I can't reach the notes. The down side of this is I'm twisted like a pretzel half the time and now I’ve started taking Gerital, at 34.
Dviation: Is the band going to be a permanent change?
TORIAMOS: Nothing is ever a permanent change. Not even your hair color. The work has to keep growing and changing constantly. The band is very much about this record and this tour. And I haven't even thought about what comes next. I've tried to start living very much in the present, not diffuse my energies into projects that haven’t' even been birthed yet. This new baby love and feeding and attention, so it's taking up all my time.
Tevaguest_18d39332: Will your duet with Michael Stipe ever see the light of day?
TORIAMOS: That's a very interesting question, I don’t' really know the answer to that, I can't say "yes".
Moorewr: What is the significance of the title of the new album?
TORIAMOS: I wanted a space for these girls, metaphorically to be in. There will be a map, as part of the artwork. It gets you a taste of the world they were taking me into when they came to visit me. These girls seemed much more independent than others on the other records. Not that being dependent is a negative thing for a song. It just means that when the songs are dependent, you have to be careful how you order the work. This work I saw much more as girls that hang out together. Kind of like they're in a singing group. But they have their own solar systems that revolve around them, uniquely. So I put them in their own hotel and they let me visit them sometimes but they're extremely independent. Even of me.
Akemi_3: Are you surprised by the fame you've received?
TORIAMOS: Yeah.
Peggy_nl: Tori, is there any chance you will play the guitar again?
TORIAMOS: I've never played the guitar, except throwing it up against the wall. Cuz it was pissed off I couldn't play it.
Deandra3: Tori, what is happening with your record label, Igloo Records?
TORIAMOS: Arthur and I are taking it step by step. We're keeping it at a grass-roots level at this point in time. Hopefully, you'll see some new music out of there soon. Because of my commitments to this new music, I've had to turn over responsibility to Arthur completely at this time.
Daisy_dead_petals: What do you want to be remembered for?
TORIAMOS: Being a good friend is really important to me, at this point in my life. Obviously, you can't be a good friend to everyone. Friendship takes time. You can be respectful to strangers. But the friends that call me a friend, I would like to think that we don't make each other feel bad or guilty or that we're not enough for each other. Real friends have to be understanding of each other and their faults. Forgiveness is the most important thing about friendship.
Merlotguest_28bc39199: I heard a rumor that you might record a song with Van Morrison, is that true?
TORIAMOS: That's definitely a rumor. Van is very good at what he does but we've never had a margarita together and you can't record a song if you've never had a margarita together.
DAX3209: Why such a small, short club tour this year?
TORIAMOS: The club tour is only a sneak preview. We'll be back to do a proper tour. The shows that I want to put on are really not feared for clubs. But I put that aside in order to have the intimacy. Comfortable on our feet, as players.
Aimses: Are you going to participate in the Lilith Fair this summer?
TORIAMOS: I don't see that happening. Our tour is already being booked for the summer.
WASDEN: Do you have a favorite movie?
TORIAMOS: That's a hard one. Ummm. I love All About Eve. Breakfast At Tiffany's. And I hate when people give old movies, it's such a cop out. I did love Fargo.
BellsForRhiannon: How did you come about with the concept of the photography of your new album?
TORIAMOS: I saw both of the photographers books. Caterina Jebb. She did the cover and some of the inner photos. The cover is me being on a photocopier and how you accomplish this is by snoging a machine. You have to suspend it in mid air, because it's not as big as your body, and for seven minutes it's photocopying your thoughts. The strange thing is, they're only two of these machines in Europe and they are in actual photocopy shops, so I was on this machine while Tom and Petera were on their computers, and I'm suctioned to it in the corner. As they continue doing their thing. It's all a bit strange. The other photographer, Martina Hoogland-Ivanov, her work really touched me in a deep way.
Reefshark3: How did you come up with the name for your fans "ears with feet?"
TORIAMOS: I don't remember. It was just a reaction to the word "fan." I appreciate and understand it, but, I really didn't see some of the people as fans, but they were there for the music. I wanted to make a distinction between that and the over-used word "fan."
Diva526: If you could give one piece of advice to girls growing up today, what would it be?
TORIAMOS: For girls and boys. Study your mythology. In that are ancient secrets and rites and mysteries that you probably aren’t taught by your teachers and parents. In the different mythologies of cultures, you begin to see mirrors, and possibilities of what might be lurking in your soul. Some Mythologies wont resonate with you so you observe them, respect them and move on. Once you begin to resonate, it's probably telling you something. A clue, to the vastness which is your soul. When people talk about girl-power, I think a parallel thought to go with that, is Women's Wisdom. That is not something you can buy at the store. That is by learning from your experiences, and being awake enough to not pretend they never happened. All these little experiences are your diamonds. Which become you're wisdom, if you choose.
Tommyl52: Tori, if you weren't a musical artist, what do you think you would be?
TORIAMOS: I think I would of been a sewage specialist. I'm fascinated with where all this waste on the planet is going. It's a parlay to music, emotional waste. I will not talk potty talk with anyone, not even Beenie. However, on a scientific level, I'm curious and concerned about what are we doing with this stuff? And I hope someone out there is concerned and doing their job. In 20 years we're gonna wake up in the tidal wave of crap. It's gonna hit us in our face as we eat our antipasto and it's not going to be attractive.
SweetFlux: What sort of hair color do you use now? I heard you stopped using Torrid Torch.
TORIAMOS: How do you know this!? Please tell me what cellulite cream I should use, before I get the wrong one. My hair, Nicki Clark in London is sorting me out it's a special brew and he will never tell. Martin is very sweet.
SarahM20: If you were to compare yourself to an animal, what animal would you choose?
TORIAMOS: It would have to be feline. Is there such thing as a Water Buffalo-Cat? That means I've been eating too much. Obviously, I'm a Leo. In some Chines beliefs, it's the year of the cat. That's funny because I played that for Al Stewart many years ago. I'm Leo in a Cat year. Double cat. I've always tried to be patient with dogs, but I really don't have patience for all that licking and jumping. It doesn't come from nowhere. Double cat really defines my nature. Perhaps a cat with fins? I'm very much about living under water, a murk-cat.
Tori: Do you consider yourself a sex symbol?
TORIAMOS: Of course not. If you're gonna be a librarian, why not have a pencil skirt and high heels? You still have to know your catalogues, or you shouldn't be able to keep the job, no matter how sexy the leg is. It feels really wonderful to not have to be so hard as a women and yet independent and equal in a man's world. Which I feel I am, as far as being a negotiator. But I don't have to cut off my femininity to do it.
Tori_Freak: What do you think about your enormous presence on the Internet (web pages, chat rooms, etc.)?
TORIAMOS: The reason I do, is because they know I don't know how to turn one of those things on! It's private. They can talk about the music, with no interference from me. I respect their space. If the music helps insight people, the talk about subjects in their own way then I feel like I’ve done my job. I really feel like the music should just be spring board to get other's people points of view going and those points may become central.. and to me, that is what the domino theory is about.
Bobbyguest_21a041846: Any plans on working with Trent Reznor in the future?
TORIAMOS: Trent and I are doing our own separate things. We have our own worlds. And, yet I think his world has developed in a wonderful way, and I'm very proud of him.
Palomnik: Tori, what influences do you think/hope your music has on people?
TORIAMOS: I hope is that in some small way as a writer you set off light bulbs for other people and their wholeness. That means their shadows, parts of themselves they've amputated out of shame. This done by many people, many claiming our holiness is what makes a conscious planet. And to me, that's really what Utopia is. People exploring their uniqueness and having respect for each other's uniqueness. Not one of us has the magic. All of us has the unique magic. If I can remind one person of this, maybe they can remind me, when I'm having a bad day, and I've forgotten my uniqueness.
Alanp2: With such a hectic tour schedule, how do you keep your energy up and keep from being burned out?
TORIAMOS: Keeping fit is a constant discipline. Voice is a muscle, I have to take care of it. I'm really not supposed to have any dairy. You've gotta watch the red wine (drives up the vocal cords). You've gotta watch the bread. Makes a lot of phlegm. I've had to rethink my approach. I'm working out with someone on the road. I've been bad for the last three days. You have to get the heart rate up. To really do a good show, it is about physical fact. I'm having to put my body into shape. There are some people on the road who are extreme in their diet. I can't exist without decadence. It has to be balance with temperance. Alcohol dries the throat out. So does vinegar, even Balsamic. But you have to have a little of these things or you'll walk around with a frown. My secret is ginger, organic honey. Olive oil, extra virgin, lubricates those cords. Protein, major buddy. Brown rice, give it to the Divas! Lubrication is the key. But works for passion, doesn’t work for the throat!
TORIAMOS: I'd like to make a request. The sneak preview shows are going to be jammed with people in a very small space. If someone is being pushed and shoved, you have to rally together so you don't get hurt. And if they're a bad apple, you need to let Joe know. There will be security everywhere. Theses concerts are not about violence. It is no good to say that you're spiritually growing, and you don't want violence and then you start kicking to get a better seat. However, if someone kicks you, clock 'em! No victims here. But try and support each other. If you've gotten in that's a huge accomplishment and let's make it magical.. A magical seance. Not a night of brutality. I'm sending my love and we have many months ahead of us. So if you don't make this tour, we'll be back in the summer, much improved, so you won't of missed much. And that's all!