After a five-year absence from touring, Tori Amos returns with a new generation of artists in her debt and some thoughts on the power of “the Muses.”
,” she invokes Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and transformation, to help “break this chain of pain.” In contrast to her Christian upbringing, Amos plays with a curious syncretism all her own, taking inspiration from the mythology of various cultures; in our interview, she credits her own artistic process to the Muses, daughters of the Greek god Zeus and spiritual patrons of the arts.
I would play all the piano bars in town, to pay my rent. I’d do these four- or five-hour stints in these Grecian gowns, with my hair up in a bun. Then I’d change back in my car, put on black eyeliner and shake my hair so that I could hit the Sunset Strip and not look like an alien. My daughter looks at photos from back then and [asks], “Did this really happen?” I said, “It really did.” It was such a fashion car crash.
People in the industry would say to me, “The piano thing is dead.” A famous producer suggested to the label, “The problem with ‘Little Earthquakes’ is you need to take all the pianos out and put guitars on.” Doug Morris [then-president of Atlantic Records] and I had a flat-out throwdown at his office off Sunset. I had to become the gladiator.
What’s interesting is that I now have a 21-year old-daughter, Tash, so I learn through her. But she discovers all kinds of things, even going back into the past for things I missed before — like, she loves India.Arie. We were driving through Florida a few weeks ago, and we saw Paula Cole was on tour. Tash was like, “I want to go see her, Mom.” And I actually never met Paula Cole, until she popped backstage in Boston the other night. What a lovely woman, by the way.