1. Abbreviations & Common Tori Terms
2. Biographical Tori Information
3. Tori’s Who’s Who
4. Newsgroups and Fanzines and Web Sites, Oh My!
5. Fan Gatherings
6. General Music and Merchandise Questions
7. Y Kant Tori Read
8. Little Earthquakes and LE Era Singles
9. Under the Pink and UtP Era Singles
10. Boys for Pele and BfP Era Singles
11. From the Choirgirl Hotel and FtCH Era Singles
12. To Venus and Back and TVaB Era Singles
13. Strange Little Girls and SLG Era Singles
14. Scarlet’s Walk and SW Era Singles
15. Tori’s Music — Tales of a Librarian
16. Tori’s Music — Welcome to Sunny Florida and Scarlet’s Hidden Treasures
17. Tori Tours

What do those letters mean?

If it’s at the front of a post on RMTA (rec.music.tori-amos--more letters!), it’s what we call a threadmarker. Check the Tori Amos Survival Guide or the Threadmarker FAQ for more information on those. In general terms, you’ll be safe if you remember that “R” stands for relevant to Tori and “I” for the opposite.

If it’s within a post, chances are it refers to one of Tori’s albums or songs. Fans tend to shorten titles to save time.

If the letters are RAINN, it’s the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, rainn.org, the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization, which Tori helped found. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE. Callers are connected to local affiliates.

Whenever I ask for Tori information, people tell me to check The Dent. What’s up with that?

That’s good advice; that’s what that is. A Dent in the Tori Amos Universe (thedent.com) has since 1996 been a repository of all things Tori. It is maintained by MikeWhy, who does an excellent job notifying the community of such things as upcoming television appearances, magazine articles, new releases and tour dates.

What are “ears with feet?”

Someone asked Tori to record a message to put on the Internet for her fans. She commented that she didn’t see us as fans, but “ears with feet.” She has called herself a “dirty mouth with feet.”

Where can I find information on Tori’s background?

The official Tori Amos biography is “All These Years,” written in 1994 by Kalen Rogers and updated after “Boys for Pele.” Many fan-maintained Tori sites include biographies of her. Good basic biographies are available online from MTV, Rolling Stones and All Music Guide.

Who is Tori’s mother/father/sister/brother/husband/child?

Tori’s father, a second generation Methodist minister of Scottish descent, is the Reverend Edison Amos. He is currently the president of Sword and Stone, Tori’s publishing company. Her mother, Mary Ellen Amos, is the daughter of a full-blooded Cherokee man. Tori’s brother, Michael, did some guitar work on “Baltimore,” which he cowrote. He is credited with introducing Tori to many of her musical influences, like Jimi Hendrix and the Doors. Her sister, Marie, is a practicing physician and joined the Scarlet’s Walk tour in that capacity. Her husband, Mark Hawley, is her sound engineer. She has one daughter, Natashya Lorien (Tash), born 5 September, 2000.

Where did she get the name “Tori” from?

There have been several stories and much speculation about the name change. They go as follows:

• Named herself after the Torrey pine -- a small, crooked, and rare tree which grows in Southern California
• Derived her name from the word “noTORIous,” for always wearing red leather pants when teaching Sunday School for her father’s church
• One of her friend’s boyfriends, after hearing her play in a club, said to her “You don’t look like an ‘Ellen,’ you look more like a Tori.”

Where is Tori from? Where does she live now?

Tori was born in Newton, North Carolina (near Hickory). She lives in Bude, Cornwall, but also has houses in Florida and Ireland.

Where did Tori go to high school?

Ellen Amos graduated in 1981 from:

Richard Montgomery High School
250 Richard Montgomery Drive
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(301)-279-8400

• Homecoming Queen
• Most Likely to Succeed (female)
• Most Talented (female)
• Best All-Around (female)

How did Tori get started with RAINN?

Tori was a founder of RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, because the LE song, “Me and a Gun,” encouraged so many women to share their horror stories with her. The final catalyst for Tori was a young girl who came to Tori at a concert, revealing that her step-father frequently abused her. Tori wanted to do something permanent to help this girl and girls like her, so she founded RAINN.

When did Tori get married?

Tori married her sound engineer, Mark Hawley, on February 22, 1998 in St. Lawrence’s church in West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, in England.

How did Tori choose Tash’s name?

While some have speculated that Natashya might have been conceived near Christmas (since Natashya means “born on Christmas”), we aren’t sure how Tori and Mark selected her first name. As for the middle, we know that while Tori was pregnant, she read a lot to Tash, including Tolkien’s Ring trilogy Tash’s middle name was inspired by the woods of Lothlorien, the “fairest” of woods and always richly colorful. See Book 2, Chapter 6.

Has Tori had a miscarriage?

Tori has said that she suffered three miscarriages before conceiving Tash. The album “From the Choirgirl Hotel” was largely inspired by the first miscarriage, which took place toward the end of the Dew Drop Inn tour in 1996.

What is Tori’s email address/mailing address/phone number?

We don’t know, and if we did, we wouldn’t tell. We value Tori’s privacy.

Then how can I contact Tori Amos?

You can write to Tori care of her father at:

Tori Amos
c/o Dr. Edison Amos
P.O. Box 880005
Port St Lucie, FL 34988-0005

But I really have to tell her about (how she changed my life/my dog Fluffy/this great chili recipe/_______________)!

You may get a chance at a meet and greet (see the Tour section for more on those). Or you might have the opportunity to win a pair of premium seats with backstage passes auctioned off by RAINN. Bidding opens at $300 on e-bay under the e-bay id officialrainnauctions.

Who is this Kate Bush person people keep comparing Tori to?

Kate Bush is an unconventional English singer/songwriter, who, like Tori, is something of a piano prodigy. When LE was released, a lot of reviewers compared Tori to Kate, as both are female, both make different-sounding music, etc. Tori and Kate have many cross-over fans, and even among them there can rage spirited disputes about the degree to which Tori is or is not like Kate and the degree to which one or the other is better. Since these spirited disputes never really resolve, those who’ve been through them before tend to avoid them when they recur. More information on Kate Bush is available at gaffa.org.

What is Tori’s connection to Joni Mitchell?

Joni Mitchell is another artist to whom Tori has been compared. Tori did cover Joni’s song “A Case of You” and has done her song “River” live.

Who is Eric Rosse?

Eric Rosse was Tori’s boyfriend for eight years, and helped produce both LE and UtP. They “separated as friends.”

Who else did Tori date?

Who knows? There have been rumors ranging from Michael Stipe of REM (who did show up at some of her concerts and with whom she recorded an unreleased song) to Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails (who was, in fact, a good friend of Tori’s, although they’ve purportedly grown apart). Tori prefers not to discuss it.

Who is Mark Hawley?

Tori’s sound engineer and husband. See more about that under Tori’s biographical information.

Who is Neil? And why do we see so much of him?

Neil is Neil Gaiman, a popular author with many credits to his name, including the now defunct DC/Vertigo comic “Sandman.” Rantz, a friend of Tori’s from LA, introduced her to Sandman by giving her issue #17, “Calliope.” She gave a nod of the head to Neil and his Sandman series in “Tear in Your Hand,” but worried that Neil might not like the idea. The song was included on a demo Rantz passed to Neil while at a comic convention. Impressed, Neil contacted her, and the two have become very good friends. Information on the relationship between Neil Gaiman and Tori Amos, including what involvement each has had in each other’s work, is available at Audrey’s HereInMyHead site.

People have asked whether the character of Delirium from Sandman is based on Tori. The answer is a firm “no,” since Del existed before Neil knew Tori. However, if one pointed out that Del often spouts things that sound like Tori-isms, and if Del started to look an awful lot like Tori in the “Brief Lives” series, one wouldn’t be thought way off base. Tori has said she feels a lot closer to Death than Delirium, though.

Who is Trent?

Trent is Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. Much speculation exists about the nature of their relationship and whether there are hidden references to one another in their music. Trent stated in a 1996 Spin interview that Courtney Love had somehow interfered in the Tori/Trent friendship. A number of people insisted that CALS was about Trent, but there doesn’t seem to be any evidence for this assumption. Trent did supply supporting vocals for “Past the Mission” on UtP. A small FAQ about the two is available by e-mailing Angela at angela @ rmta . org.

Who is Greg? [“Greg he writes letters and burns his CDs...,” PGY]

Greg is the man whose letter inspired the song “Pretty Good Year.” For the complete story, see Audrey’s HereInMyHead site.

Then who’s Beenie? (Beene?)*****

Beenie is Nancy Shanks, Tori’s friend. She provided some backing vocals on BfP and joined Tori on the Dew Drop Inn tour as Tori’s masseuse.

Who is Caton?

Steve Caton, Tori’s collaborator from Y Kant Tori Read through To Venus and Back, started the band Binge and is now with the band Memory Burn. Tori and Caton parted ways after the 5 1/2 Weeks tour. Some speculate that Tori was not able to promote his music with Binge as much as he would have liked.

Who is Kevyn Aucoin?

Kevyn Aucoin was a make-up artist with whom Tori had a professional and personal relationship. He worked with Tori on the Hey Jupiter video and with album artwork for TVaB and SLG. He featured Tori in three books about his work, “Face Forward,” “Making Faces” and “The Art of Makeup.” He died on 7 May, 2002 of a pituitary brain tumor and was eulogized by Tori in the SW song “Taxi Ride.”

What is rec.music.tori-amos?

RMTA is a Usenet newsgroup ostensibly devoted to discussing Tori Amos and her music. In actuality, conversations tend more toward sex, personal issues, books, and all kinds of music other than Tori. Tori has referred to herself as the appetizer at a party.

Does Tori know about rmta? Does she post to the newsgroup?

Tori knows we exist, but does not read or post to rmta because she feels it would be an invasion of our privacy. She once posted to an AOL discussion group under the alias “radiccio1” and got no replies.

How can I get the rec.music.tori-amos “Newbie Pack”?

Send e-mail to newbie@rmta.org. Most of this info is also located at http://www.rmta.org on the RMTA web site. Much of the information in the Pack is posted bi-weekly to RMTA as the “Survival Guide.”

Are there other Tori newsgroups?

In addition to RMTA, I know of alt.binaries.tori-amos, alt.fan.tori-amos and fido7.ru.tori-amos. Of these, only alt.binaries.tori-amos is really active. It is, as you might surmise, a good place to find binaries. Alt.fan.tori-amos seems to get a few posts a week, but they are largely on topic. Aside from the spam.

But there must be other places where people are talking about Tori Amos?

Sure there are. A very popular one in the fan community is the Tori Forums. The Dent’s concert forums might also prove interesting to you.

What about mailing lists?

The oldest internet mailing list is Really Deep Thoughts (Right Now). If you would like to subscribe, send an e-mail to RDTRN-request@torithoughts.org with the word SUBSCRIBE in both the subject and the body. Please do NOT send subscription requests to the list. You can sign up for an official list at toriamos.com by going to www2.fanscape.com/toriamos/tour.

What happened to the Really Deep Thoughts fanzine?

Really Deep Thoughts (RDT) was the official Tori Amos fanzine from 1992 through 2000, produced by Melissa and Richard Caldwell. Although the fanzine retired in 2001, it remains a web presence. RDT now supports the fanzine Little Blue World.

What is Little Blue World?

Little Blue World is a quarterly fanzine that has been produced since May, 2001. Subscriptions to LBW are $15 a year within North America or $21 internationally. LBW accepts reader submissions of art, photographs, poetry, fiction and non-fiction. More about LBW can be found through their web site.

What about World Wide Web sites?

Like sands on the seashore. The best known www site relative to Tori is MikeWhy’s A Dent in the Tori Universe: thedent.com. It’s always a good place to start. It’s a good place to start to find other www sites, too. MikeWhy has an admirably long list of links. Another well-known and useful site is Audrey’s HereinMyHead, hereinmyhead.com.

What is ToriCon?

ToriCon is an annual gathering of Tori fans for a weekend of fun, carousing, and oh yeah, Tori stuff. We held one annually in the US from 1996 to 2003, with a hiatus in 2004. RMTAers have hosted, but all Tori fans-and hostages-are welcome to attend. Among other activities, ToriCon hosts an annual auction for RAINN which has been very successful.

How can I get more information about ToriCon/register for ToriCon?

Info will be posted in RMTA under the -G- header and at the RMTA website.

How can I get ToriCon to be held in a city near me?

Volunteer. Decisions about location for the next ToriCon are made a year or more in advance, on the RMTA newsgroup with a simple majority vote. Locations are only considered if there is a committed, trustworthy person willing to sponsor the location and (potentially) do all the legwork themselves if other help isn’t forthcoming. This includes lining up a hotel contract, collecting information on modes of travel, deciding on and organizing activities, and planning a Saturday night banquet. It’s a lot of work, but very rewarding.

What is EuroToriCon?

A slightly more intimate gathering of Tori fans. EuroToriCon grew out of the 1997 UKToriCon. It’s not quite annual. Watch RMTA for further details.

What about other Tori fan gatherings? And what are these birthday bashes?

There have been many gatherings of Tori fans, like the diverse ToriFests that have been running for years. In 2001, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) gave many of these gatherings a focus, suggesting that Tori fans host birthday celebrations in Tori’s honor with the proceeds to support RAINN. Response was immediate and overwhelming; the first year Tori fans raised over $100,000 for RAINN. An excellent FAQ on Tori gatherings can be found at Raven’s gathering registry. Information on hosting a Birthday Bash for RAINN can be found at RAINN’s site.

How else can I find Tori fans near me? I’m lonely!

You can always try The Dent’s automated Toriphile registry . Or check toriamos.meetup.com.

How many albums does Tori have? Where should I start?

Tori has released eight albums, not including Y Kant Tori Read, and Tori fans are have widely different opinions about which is her best. If you prefer a more confessional, stripped-down sound, you might do best to start with Little Earthquakes. Some critics have found Boys for Pele her most challenging-and possibly least accessible-work; probably for that reason, it is a favorite of many of her fans. From the Choirgirl Hotel was the first album in which Tori incorporated a full band. If you’re just coming to her because you’ve heard a song on the radio you like, start with the album that includes that song. If you then want to tell a few Tori fans which of the songs most appeal to you from it, you should get plenty of feedback where you might go next. Just don’t expect anything like consensus.

Where can I find the lyrics to _____________?

If it’s a song from one of the albums, try looking in the liner notes first. :-) However, you can also go try the lyrics page at hereinmyhead, which has the nifty bonus of extra information about each song.

Is there sheet music published for _____________?

Probably. Sheet music has been published for most of Tori’s work, and a good deal of it can be found inexpensively on ebay or half.com.

I saw this Tori item for sale on Ebay; how do I know how much it’s worth?

You can start by looking at the Little Blue World web site’s collectible guide.

Has Tori released a live album?

Tori’s live album is the second part of the 2-disc set “To Venus and Back.”

What’s a bootleg? And where do I get one?

A bootleg is a live concert recording of a music artist. These are almost always illegal, but they’re nevertheless pretty easy to find. Bootlegs are recorded via audience members, soundboard hook up, or FM broadcast, among other methods. For the most comprehensive list, go to Jason Bilsky’s bootleg discography, but be advised that it has not been updated for several years. You can sometimes now download bootlegs from the Tori Online Music Bank (T.O.M.B.), or you can look for information through the tori-boot mailing list. For more information on boots, see The Tori Amos Collectibles guide at LBW.

*NOTE: This FAQ is not here to endorse or condemn the existence of bootlegs.

Didn’t she do a song for the movie/compilation [Insert title here]?

Tori has done soundtrack and compilation work. One discography that covers collaborations and collections, including her soundtracks, can be found at hereinmyhead.com.

Didn’t Tori do a movie?

The IMDb has up-to-date information on Tori’s brief music career at their Tori Amos entry page. She appears as “The Wedding Singer” in Mona Lisa Smile.

Tori had a chance to do another movie, but wasn’t interested in pursuing it. She was reportedly offered a chance to try for the lead female in The Crow II: City of Angels. She said of the part:

I got asked to do a part in it, but it’s like, that red-haired girl was nowhere in the character! I mean, she wears Doc Martens and works in a tattoo parlor! How fucking cliché! Don’t they know, I have magnificent fucking shoes? I wouldn’t EVER wear a pair of Dr. Martens! And a tattoo parlor?!? I’d do anything, work in a soup kitchen, I’d be a waitress before I’d do that! I wouldn’t mind doing a movie if I felt there was something.... but there was just no way!

Where’s the duet that Tori recorded with Michael Stipe in 1995 for the film Don Juan de la Marco?

It was shuffled between soundtrack projects. After it was cut from Don Juan, it was slated for How to Make an American Quilt and then Empire Records before it disappeared. Tori has said that she wasn’t sure whether she or Michael had the masters. As their record companies were arguing at one point over who had rights to it, it may never see the light of day.

Wasn’t Tori doing the soundtrack to the “Sandman” audio series?

Unfortunately, that project was shelved, probably permanently.

Didn’t I see a Tori video on “Beavis and Butthead”?

The show featured “Crucify” and “God.” A transcript of both episodes can be found in Leigh’s Tori Amos Encyclopedia.

What is Y Kant Tori Read?

Before making LE, Tori was in an LA-based rock band called Y Kant Tori Read-a reference to her dislike for reading music (she preferred to play by ear) during her tenure at the Baltimore Peabody Institute. They produced a self-titled album in 1988 which was a critical and commercial failure. Original copies of YKTR are extremely rare; however, bootlegs are very common. For more information about it and an excellent guide to recognizing bootlegs, see Jason Bilsky’s “Y Kant Tori Read” FAQ. Don’t assume that yours is a legitimate copy, even if you’ve bought it from a legitimate dealer. And don’t assume that all bootlegs are created equal. See Jason’s FAQ, and be careful.

Where can I get YKTR?

There’s at best a remote possibility that you’ll stumble upon a legitimate copy in a store or at a collector’s show. You can always ask someone who has a copy to make one for you. We all know dubbing is a no-no, but since the album is no longer available, more people are willing to make copies. Some stores that carry bootlegs may have available bootlegs of YKTR, and they pop up on e-bay quite frequently. Buyer beware!

So, was anyone else of note involved with YKTR?

From Jason’s YKTR FAQ : “Most of the guitar work was done by Steve Farris, who was a member of Mister Mister. The drummer was Matt Sorum, who is now the drummer for Guns ’N’ Roses. Most of the Keyboards were played by Kim Bullard, a popular session keyboardist in California, who has worked with ‘Wierd Al’ Yankovic, Poco and many other bands. Some of the background vocals were done by Robin Zander, singer of Cheap Trick. Some guitar work was done by Steve Caton, and percussion by Paulinho Da Costa, both of... [whom did subsequent work with Tori]. It was produced by Joe Chiccarelli, who has, among other people, produced some of Pat Benatar’s albums.” Also involved were Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and Merry Clayton, who later did backing vocals on “God” as well as having her own solo career. She is perhaps best known for her backing vocals on the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”

What is this about a different back cover for LE?

It seems the original back cover for LE was changed for some reason. It was a painting done by Dave McKean, an artist who often works with Neil Gaiman. No one seems to know what this painting was of, or why it was replaced by the mushrooms.

What is that noise at the end of “Happy Phantom”?

If you listen closely enough, near the very end of HP, you can hear Tori say “oops.” Since the vocal and musical parts are recorded differently (a mike for her, a mike for her piano ... you get the idea), it has been speculated that this part was just accidentally forgotten about, and didn’t get cut before the final version. On a CD player, it should show up around 3:10.

Was Tori raped? I hear this is where “Me and a Gun” came from.

In late 1984 or early 1985, less than a year after she moved to LA, Tori was abducted after a show by a fan who threatened to rape her but didn’t complete the act. She kept it bottled up for quite some time, then when she saw the film “Thelma and Louise,” she found the courage to begin talking about her experience, which led to writing MaaG. Some fans are divided on whether or not Tori’s experience should be equated with actual physical sexual assault. Tori calls the experience a rape. There is more information available on Mikewhy’s Dent.

What is with the capitalized words in the LE lyrics booklet?

According Cindy Palmano, art director for LE: “Oh, I just picked out the ones I thought would look good in capital letters. (laughs) In fact, we did it over the telephone. I asked Tori to sing it so that it if somebody was trying to follow it, it would help them relate. Then I’m afraid I moved it around a bit, according to where it came typographically. Where there was an emphasis on the word, or a word that you really heard... it really does work.”

What does Under the Pink mean, anyhow?

“Under the Pink” refers to the dealing with topics and subjects about women. Pink is a color usually associated with the female sex, and Tori has said that this is her “girl album.”

What is a “Nishiki”?

A type of bicycle.

Isn’t “Pretty Good Year” supposed to be the sequel to something?

Tori has said that “‘Pretty Good Year’ is really part two of ‘Ode to the Banana King.’” It features the return of Lucy. “Ode to the Banana King” is most easily obtained in rarities and YKTR bootlegs, although it is officially available on the very rare UK Silent All These Years limited c.d. single.

What was the inspiration for “Cornflake Girl”?

Tori says that reading the Alice Walker book “Possessing the Secret of Joy” inspired this song, which is about the ways women conspire to harm each other. The book is about a young African woman who chooses to undergo female circumcision, a traditional ritual in which the clitoris and inner labia are cut away with a knife or sharp stone without anesthesia in order to eliminate sexual desire and keep women faithful to their husbands. This ritual is usually performed by an elder woman of the village.

What is that sound at the end of “Yes, Anastasia?”

The knock on wood is the sound of the dampers in the piano returning to their resting places on the strings when Tori releases the sustaining pedal.

Who is Anastasia? What’s this about Tori seeing a ghost?

Tori has said that she was visited by the ghostly presence of Anastasia Romanov, who wanted her story told in a song. It had happened in October 1992, she said, just before a concert in Richmond, Virginia. She had food poisoning at the time which she later credited to bad oysters. “I was feeling so sick that I wanted to be put out of my misery. And then I get this presence. It’s like a light, a blueish-greyish light... The message was, ‘You need to learn something out of writing my story.’” Czar Nicholas II and his family are said to have been executed in July of 1918, but a young woman showed up in 1920 claiming to be Anastasia. She said that a Polish soldier had helped her escape the massacre. Following her death in Virginia, DNA evidence seems to have disproved her claim. See here for exhaustive information on Anastasia.

What is Tori saying in “God” around 2:25 which is hard to make out?

The quote is from the Bible, Proverbs 31:3: “Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.”

What did they do to the piano used in “Bells for Her”?

The technique is called using a “prepared piano,” and was pioneered by postmodern musician John Cage. They took an ordinary upright piano and de-tuned it down an octave, and modified it by adding things like paper or wires to the strings.

Tell me more about “Space Dog.”

“Space Dog” is dedicated to Patti Smith. It’s interesting to note that Tori sings “so sure we were on something” and in the credits for the song, it says Rantz and Zane provided “something.” Hmmmmm.....

“Space Dog” sounds like a drug trip. Does Tori take drugs?

Tori has mentioned using cocaine in the 1980s while living in LA. Tori has also talked about partaking of a South American hallucinogen made from a vine called ayuhuasca or yage (William S. Burroughs also writes about having taken yage). It evidently produces a “trip” that can last several days, but makes you very ill if it’s not prepared exactly right by tribal elders who know the formula. Tori has also joked about mushrooms at concerts. Some research on Groups Google will reveal that Tori cannot now smoke marijuana. Her friend Rantz Hoseley noted that “tori CANNOT smoke (or be even AROUND smoke, when I’m with her, it means upwards of 10 hours of nic fits on my part) due to the fact that it makes her lose her voice, I would say that if [someone] smoked once a year, she’d still smoke more pot than tori...” However, she smoked it when she was younger, starting at age 12, and she speaks of “space cakes,” probably hash brownies, so it seems she may ingest.

I saw something called “More Pink” on e-bay. What is that?

“More Pink” was a limited release of UtP in Australia and New Zealand that included a second disc of b-sides.

Who is Pele?

Not the soccer player. Pele is the volcano goddess of Hawai’i. She supposedly lives on the island of Oahu in Mount Kilaueaa, which is an active volcano. Taking lava rock away from Hawai’i is supposed to be very bad luck and will bring the wrath of Pele upon you (numerous letters in the visitor’s center at Volcano National Park attest to this!) Tori has said that Pele is fire, and this album is about the boys whom she stole fire from until she found her own fire.

Is she really breastfeeding that pig in the picture? What’s up with that?

When asked the question directly on San Francisco radio station Live105 on 7 Feb 1996, Tori said, “It was a happy little critter,” but she later said in the same interview, “[I]t was a beautiful moment. This might be hard to believe, but it wasn’t sexual. It was about mother and child. This little critter was four days old and hung out with me long enough that it wanted to think I was its mother. I couldn’t fulfill for it... [I]t fell asleep, and it was gone for two hours and was happy as a clam.” For more of what Tori’s said, see The Dent. The writers on Mystery Science Theatre 3000 made reference to this picture in the episode “The Projected Man.” A female scientist cradles a tiny monkey to her chest and Crow remarks “who is she, Tori Amos?”

Is “Professional Widow” about Courtney Love?

Tori says no. Some people think it is anyway. Make up your own mind.

Is “Caught a Light Sneeze” about Trent Reznor?

Tori says no. Some people think it is anyway. Make up your own mind.

What are the lyrics in “Father Lucifer” where they’re all overlapping?

One layer is printed in the liner notes. Another, which starts halfway through this section, is somewhat clear:

Maybe she’s hiding in a hideout (heart of gold?)
Got a pig hiding a truffle
Wearing those purple flowers (garters?)
And girl I got a condo in Hoboken

Go away world, it’s only glass
Georgie can not fear it
Skiddle-dee-dee, I am Jesus
Never could go so fast
Go away world, it’s only glass
____________ well fear it
There she goes, there she goes, there she goes

What are the lyrics in “Talula” where they’re all overlapping?

One set of ears with feet asked Tori this very question when meeting her during the DDI tour. Tori answered with these lines:

“maybe I’m a happy girl
maybe I’m a honeydew
maybe it’s a bad job
maybe it’s what you are”

What does “chickens get a taste of your meat” mean?

There are a lot of interpretations for this lyric, but a popular one relates it to the Alice Walker book “Possessing the Secret of Joy” (see the “Cornflake Girl” question above). When a young girl is circumcised, the flesh which is cut off is often thrown to the chickens in the yard outside. But this is just one interpretation. (Incidentally, some people think the reference to “Jamaica” is a reference to Alice Walker, who has adopted this as a nickname.)

What song is Tori quoting in “In the Springtime of his Voodoo”?

The opening line of “Voodoo,” “Standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona” is taken from the Eagles’ song “Take it Easy.”

How many different versions of this album are there?

The different versions of the album are as follows:

1. The first one with the “regular” Talula. 800,000 of these were printed.
2. The second one, with the Tornado mix replacing the plain Talula. The first verse is removed, and the song was remixed by BT. Some of these are hard to distinguish from (1) ’cause the CD changed, but the liner did not. Subsequent pressings of this have reprinted the liners as well.
3. EastWest released a version of BfP which replaces PW with the “Armand’s Star Trunk Funkin’” remix and also removes ItSoHV.
4. The Japanese pressing of BfP adds Toodles Mr. Jim to the end of the album.

What’s this about Tori having a miscarriage?

See under biography.

Is (insert song title here) about the miscarriage?

If the song was written before December of 1996, no. If it was written after, possibly. Tori has said that elements of “Spark” relate to it, but that isn’t the entire meaning of the song. “Playboy Mommy” has specifically been said to be about a fictional person, but it’s not hard to draw a correlation. As with all of Tori’s songs, you can draw multiple meanings from all the lyrics on this album. It may be useful to keep in mind that although “Me and a Gun” appears on “Little Earthquakes”, not every LE song is about rape.

What is Skeeter?

“Skeeter” is carved on a tree in the video for “Spark.” Tori said repeatedly in an appearance on MTV Live that the reference was “personal”, and politeness would require that we end speculation there.

Where are the Neil Gaiman and Trent Reznor references on FtCH?

In “Hotel”, the lyrics “Where are the velvets?” are a reference to Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere” TV series/book. She also thanks Neil and the velvets in the liner notes. As for Trent, if he’s there, we can’t prove it.

Does Tori thank the faeries on this album?

Tori was quoted as saying that she has thanked them, but you have to look for it. She does thank “Top Geezer Ian Stanley” for “Most Things Illegal Faerie” in the liner notes. Some people have guessed that the odd spacings in the lyric booklet contain stereogram-like messages, but we can never see those damn things anyway, so don’t ask us.

Wasn’t TVaB supposed to be a rarities collection?

It was, but to the great good fortune of her fans, Tori was inspired and instead chose to release a live album (the second disc, called “Still Orbiting”) with a collection of 11 new songs (disc one, “Venus Orbiting”).

What was the inspiration for the song “Juarez”?

Juarez, Mexico has seen the rapes and murders of hundreds of women in the past several decades. In the Charlotte Observer, 17 September, 1999, Tori said, “I was inspired by Juarez on the road. We were by the border and I was dragged out of the bunk. The song was grabbing me by the throat, saying you have to sing the song. It was just clear that the voices were calling me; the desert was obviously the only thing that heard her last breath, and everything started coming after that.” Sadly the murders continue. For more about the situation in Juarez, see takenbythesky.

What is a concertina?

A kind of accordion.

Who is Josephine?

She was the mistress and then wife of Napoleon. The taking of Moscow was a rather hollow victory for Napoleon, who found the city deserted. When he took up residence in the czar’s palace, the city was set on fire by its few remaining inhabitants. Fire-fighting equipment had been removed or destroyed. Napoleon planned to retreat from Moscow to avoid its harsh winters, but had miscalculated his departure date. Hampered by weather, beset by Russians on every step, Napoleon learned how futile victory could be. He is quoted as having said, “I beat the Russians every time, but that doesn’t get me anywhere.”

What the heck is a “riot poof”?

It’s a slang homosexual reference, which derives from the Dutch. Tori wrote the song in honor of one of the men on her crew, who came out.

What is datura?

Datura is a plant with hallucinogenic properties. Too much can be dangerous.

Isn’t (insert title) a cover? Who did the original?

All the songs on SLG are covers. The track list with originals and sources can be found on the Dent.

How many different covers were there for this album?

Five. In the US, the covers released were “Strange Little Girl,” “Time” “Happiness is a Warm Gun” and “Raining Blood.” In the UK, “I Don’t Like Mondays” replaced “Time.” The cover pictures are all cropped versions of those within the cd insert, with the exception of two. In the HiaWG cover photo, Tori is looking directly at the camera, while in the insert she looks away. In the IDLM photo, her mouth is closed on the cover, parted on the inside.

Was the SLG character’s shirt supposed to say “Adam Kiss My Eve”?

It was. We believe it was changed to “Satin Worship” because of copyright conflicts.

My friend told me that Tori only did a cover album to fulfill her contract with Atlantic, so she could leave. Is that true?

While Tori hasn’t said so, there are many in the fan community who believe this. Even many who do not believe this would argue that Atlantic did a poor job of promoting her. Tori’s contract with Atlantic will not be technically completed until they release a “best of” compilation disc. She had been working with lawyers to get out of her Atlantic contract since late 1998. Whether Tori was inspired to do a cover album to help finish out her contract or not, she seemed very enthusiastic about the concept in interviews.

Concept? What concept?

Tori has said that SLG was meant to haul masculine images of women in pop songs onto the table and make everyone take a second look. Some find it more successful in that regards than others.

Why is the album called Strange Little Girls, when the song is called Strange Little Girl?

Tori has always referred to her songs as girls.

Why didn’t Tori release more singles from SLG?

Well, some would say it’s because Atlantic did a poor job of promoting her. The single that Tori was supposed to release, SLG backed with After All and Only Women Bleed, was cancelled. All copies that were shipped were supposed to be pulled, but some did reach retail outlets.

How do I access Scarlet’s Web online?

With your “Scarlet’s Walk” CD in your CD-ROM drive, go to toriamos.com. The last icon on the Scarlet’s Walk page notifies you of system requirements and prompts you to enter. After you’re verified, you’re in Scarlet’s Web.

My friend got a pewter charm with her SW limited; all I got was a plastic snake! I want a pewter charm!

They’re selling like hotcakes on e-bay. Or, you can go straight to the horse’s mouth. The charms were bought by Sony from Debbie Ellison, who maintains a website .

Wasn’t Amber Waves a character in the film Boogie Nights?

She was, indeed. Tori has mentioned the character, portrayed by Julianne Moore in the 1997 movie, as inspiration as well as the double meaning of the line from “America the Beautiful,” “amber waves of grain.” Amber Waves was also the name of a real porn actress-probably inspired by the movie-appearing in such classics as “Deep Oral Ladies 1” and “18 and Nasty 2.”

Neil’s reading “Snow Glass Apples.” What is “Snow Glass Apples”?

Find out right here, on the Neil Gaiman page, “The Dreaming.”

What’s wampum?

Wampum, a contraction of the word “wampumpeage,” is a white shell bead that some Native American tribes produced for decorative and for religious purposes. The term also refers to a belt made of the wampumpeage bead. The Iroquois and the Creek used the wampum belt to mark diplomatic agreements; the Cherokee used it as a kind of sacred historical document. Because of its widespread value to Native American tribes, Europeans adopted it as common currency; Natives were as likely to trade for it as with it.

What is sangria?

A cold drink made of red or white wine mixed with brandy, sugar, fruit juice, and soda water. As an interesting aside, it’s probably derived from the Spanish sangría, act of bleeding.

Is “Taxi Ride” about Kevyn Aucoin?

According to Out Magazine, in November 2002, Tori was writing TR, a song about a gay man dying of AIDS, before Kevyn (see Who’s Who, above) died, but the song is now dedicated to him.

What’s up with the “Taxivision” contest?

Epic, Apple QuickTime and Rollingstone.com combined their efforts to create a contest for fans to make a video of Tori’s song “Taxi Ride.” The contest winner, Susan Hebert, received $2,000.00 and had her winning entry aired on Tori’s web page for 30 days. Her entry gave a glimpse into the lives of a number of passengers in the back of a cab. The two runners-up were Barclay Deveau, whose lighting Tori praised, and Lee McCaulla, whom Tori said won the support of art directors in her career. A number of entries are available for watching at the Tori Taxivision Links Page.

Is the “Desire” in “Another Girl’s Paradise” the “Desire” of Neil Gaiman’s the Endless?

Maybe. Maybe the b-side “A Sister Named Desire” is, too.

What were the different version of ToaL?

ToaL was released as a limited cd/dvd set or just a cd version. The bonus DVD, which is about 25 minutes long, features three live performances from soundcheck (“Pretty Good Year”; “Northern Lad”; “Honey”) and two additional 5.1 audio tracks (“Putting the Damage On”; “Mr. Zebra”).

Why did Tori do a “best of” project and how did she pick the songs?

To see Tori’s answer to this question, you can read her electronic press kit at yessaid.com. In short, she was inspired by a question Tash asked her, “What kind of music do you make, Mummy?” She says she began thinking of herself as the librarian of her own little stories that needed to be classified together. She chose the songs, she says, to cover the many facets of the life of “this woman,” Tori Amos, particularly as she experienced it emotionally. Ultimately, she says, the group of songs “wanted to be together.”

Why did Tori change the songs on ToaL?

As she said in her electronic press kit,she has learned a lot from the producers with whom she’s worked, enough that she could return to the original Multis of her songs and make decisions about how they should sound based on that knowledge and on the better technology to which she now has access.

Are there new songs on the album?

There are two new songs on the album — “Snow Cherries from France” and “Angels.” The Tori fan community had been hearing references to SCfF for quite some time. Tori says it took her about 7 years to write it and then a while longer to figure out the perspective from which it should be sung. “Angels” she wrote while touring in the summer of 2003.

Why did Tori put the dance remix of Professional Widow on the album?

If the answers above don’t satisfy you, then consider this: the dance mix was huge in England.

Where can I find the original version of ___?

The fantastic hereinmyhead will tell you. Click on a song track,and it will give you a list of everywhere it has appeared. Most of the tracks were featured on albums, but to get “Mary,” “Sweet Dreams” and the Armand Van Helden dance mix of “Professional Widow,” you’ll have to locate a few singles.

Where was it recorded and what extras does it have?

The DVD WtSF was recorded at the Sound Advice Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, FL on September 4, 2003, during the Lottapianos Tour. In addition, it contains an interview with Tori, behind-the-scenes footage, a tour yearbook and a live performance of “Past the Mission.” It also comes with a 6-song cd.

Does it feature the whole live show?

No. There were 25 songs performed at the show, 18 of which made it to the DVD. “Wednesday,” “Virginia” and “Sweet Sangria” did not make the cut. “Past the Mission” did not make the DVD performance but is featured as an extra on the DVD.

Those song titles sound familiar. Weren’t some of those released on Scarlet’s Web?

Yes. “Tombigbee” and “Seaside” were part of the proposed project to release the SW b-sides online. “Indian Summer” was also mentioned by name for inclusion in that, but never debuted. It’s possible that faulty technology put a halt to the project. Fortunately, the music is available now!

Where can I go to find out about a Tori tour?

The Dent is a good place to start.

Is she playing (insert song title)/What songs did she play on ___ tour?

One awesome resource for answering this question is The Tori Amos Setlist Database maintained by Sped. Lacking details about her 1992 and 1994 tours, it is remarkably complete from 1996 on. Best of all, not only can you get information from this site, but if you have information you can give back. Check it out.

What’s up with the meet and greets?

As posted on The Dent, Meet and Greets in 2003 underwent an alteration:

Due to amphitheater venue issues, the ONLY scheduled Meet and Greet for the Lottapianos Tour will be for the First Show, Sat 07/26/03 in Redmond, WA at the Marymoor Amphitheatre. Any further Meet and Greets will be announced via The Dent 24-48 hours in advance of the show date, and verbally by Joel at the venue the day prior. Tori and her management request that Toriphiles do not spend their day waiting for a meet and greet outside a venue unless a Meet and Greet has been formally announced by either The Dent or Joel. There will be no access to water or shade at the venues, and due to the summer heat, loitering outside all day will be a health risk. Thank you in advance for your recognition of this request.

Meet and greets (meet’n’greets) typically happen between 2–5 p.m., when Tori stops to talk to people for a few minutes when she arrives for soundchecks. People line up all day to be in the front of the meet and greet line, and with limited availability, this situation isn’t likely to get any better. Eventually security sets up a barricade in a U-shape, and those who were first in line usually get to be at the front. Sometimes Tori will go down one side of the barricade, but not often.

Depending on the size of the mob awaiting her, her attentions at meet’n’greets range from giving signatures and taking pictures with fans, to simply talking to a few people and accepting all the gifts people hand her. If you have something you just have to tell her, write her a note and give it to her or Joel and Steve, her bodyguards. Please, please, please don’t take this moment to try to tell her the story of your entire life. There are other people there who would like to get a hug from Tori also, and they can’t do that if one person monopolizes her time. Plus you’ll piss off Joel and Steve.

Who’s played with Tori?

For more about the musicians who have played with and opened for Tori, see The Dent’s dedicated page to them.

Why isn’t Steve Caton playing with Tori anymore?

In the Binge mailing list, Steve Caton, who played on all Tori albums through TVaB, said he would not be on the SLG album for “personal reasons.” Some fans believe their parting was less than amicable. See Who’s Who.