Tori performed live and was interviewed on a TV show in the U.S. called Daily Download. This show was on the FUSE network in the U.S. and will was broadcast on Tuesday, February 22, 2005. Tori performed Sleeps With Butterflies and Leather live, and had several interview segments with the hosts. Click to see some screen shots from the show and read more details, including a complete transcript.

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Photos/Screen Shots

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Interview Transcript

Thanks to Lisa Gualdoni for sending me a complete transcript of Tori's interview, which you can read below:

[performs "sleeps with butterflies"]

hosts (one male and one female): Thank you ...
Tori: well thank you
h: ..albums in your career. Beekeeper being your latest, and you've added a new instrument to this album.
T: Yes I did.
h: So tell us bout that
T: The B3 Hammond Organ.
h: What is that? Organ, but it's a B3 Hammond?
T: It's different. It's special. It just showed up in my piano room one morning. My husband got me an organ.
h: Very nice. That's such a special present. He's a producer correct?
T: He's an engineer producer. He's a tech-head. But you know what it is, is that it's quite ballsy to have an organ showing up in my piano room. For Christmas, year before last, it's okay, he forgot my Christmas present because I know he loves me but I was a little bit 'okay, what's happening here?' So, he took me over to the piano room and said that we forgot something for our daughter and there was this organ that was there. I thought the piano would be a little bit, you know, competitive, but she wasn't. She fell in love with this organ.
h: They're okay, they're friends now.
T: They're more than friends.
h: [points to piano]You travel with this one all the time?
T: Not this one, this is from Bosendorfer NY, but my baby is nine foot one and she's heading over to Paris right now because I'm doing a show in a couple of weeks.
h: We're going to talk about that show in a little bit. What's the theme of this album? A garden theme?
T: Well there are six gardens to reflect the hexagon shape of the beehive. It's really about sexuality and sacredness, and the merging of those within the ancient feminine mysteries (mistress?). and of course there are leaders who have been using or misusing, I believe, parables from the Bible in order to get the masses to agree to their agenda. So the minister's daughter in me decided to rise up and use biblical symbology with of course the bee 'sssiinsuality'
h: Ooooh, how she says that! sensuality t's all about the feminine mysteries. We've got more with Tori in a second...

h: Welcome back to Daily Download, we're here with the very talented, very sensual, very beautiful Tori Amos. And you have a special DVD out. I'm very excited about this. Tells us about that. What's the beekeeper mix?
T: Those are seeds to plant in your garden.
h: What kind of seeds?
T: Mixture. The honeycomb mix right.
h: wooooo! They're wildflower seeds though, correct?
T: Yeh, of course. We just decided that it was important to make this garden idea come to life because let's face it, in a world that is filled with, war, this is a relationship between creature, the bee, and the environment. That's about a win-win. When that honey bee goes to that organ, in the garden, of that flower they join and both of them - it's prolific, abundant for both.
h: How might someone come by this special edition DVD? It's not out in stores?
T: It's everywhere. All over.
h: Today, people can get it?
T: Oh yeah.
h: People will be gardening all over the U.S. of A. Perfect time to plant flowers now anyways. We've still got more with Tori, but ...

h: Tori, this book I'm holding here [Piece By Piece] . This is a new book that came out early in February, correct?
T: It came out last week.
h: Yeh, and, well that's not really early. But, Piece By Piece, what is this about?
T: It's a backstage pass into my creative process while I can still remember my creative process [giggle] I wanted to share it with people. I've been inspired by Georgia O'Keefe, Cindy Sherman, the great visual artists of the 20th century and they have helped me through times where I didn't know where to reach for inspiration. When people say that their well is dry, 'well you have to find a second well.' This book talks about not being dry, how to find that second well and how to survive the music business.
h: Sure. That's very important. You are going to be hitting the road soon, in April?
T: Yes.
h: Is that the US Tour?
T: Starts with a US tour, then we go to Europe of course, and then we come back to the States. It starts with just a piano and an organ.
h: Yes.
T: Male - female.
h: It's worked out very successful for you.
T: It's done okay.
h: What's the difference? It's small venues in April, then you come back, what's the difference?
T: When you're alone at an instrument, when it's a one woman show, it's very much about a conversation between the audience, they're a player in this, and it's a conversation, a love affair. Not about, it's not about a sexual love affair, I'm talking about something of the heart, and that's what is so thrilling. The show changes every night depending on the city, depending on the issues. That's what Mother Revolution is really about.
h: another song off of the album. Don't move because Tori is going to hit the stage for a second performance in just a bit.

[Performs Leather]

Reports about the show

Thanks to Phyllis Spiece who called me after the taping of the show to tell me what happened. Here are other reports about the show:

From Viki (who attended the show in person):

The FUSE set was small. Think: sitting around in the coffeeshop on Friends. The crowd was very mixed and I'm surprised that FUSE would book Tori *AND* Blink 182 for the same night. The majority of the crowd were 15 year old pop-punk high schoolers reminiscent of Avril Lavigne. When one of the stage managers and Tori's bodyguard came to brief us, it was clear that there were only 5 people there to see Tori. The highschoolers had no idea who she was and didn't even react when it was mentioned that she would be playing two songs for us. One piped up from the back and asked, "Can we call her mom?"

So they put the Tori fans within plain view and put the punk kids in the periphery. I asked the 15 year old next to me if she even knew who Tori was, and she shrugged her shoulders. The VJs began their announcements letting everyone know Blink 182 was no more, and yes, here comes Tori Amos!

She was immediately heckled by the punk teens in the back. One yelled out, "Play Smells Like Teen Spirit!" Another, "Play Chopsticks!" You could tell Tori was visibly annoyed. She sort of growled into the microphone, "I don't play chopsticks, I play WITH chopsticks." She flicked off the kids with her behind the back finger flutter thing that she does.

Tori played Sleeps With Butterflies and it sounded fantastic. My sister and I were sitting on her right, facing her near where the piano reads "Bosendorfer". It was an amazing experience to be 3 feet away from Tori for this virtually private concert. Imagine being so close that you can see your reflection in the gloss of the piano as she's playing live!

Between breaks, she tried to make small talk with the audience. The hecklers asked her when she was touring, and she actually got up and walked back to them to let them know she'd be at Hammerstein Ballroom. She asked our row if we were enjoying ourselves. She moved on to do the interview bits and I am pretty sure that the VJs and most of the audience had no idea what she was talking about. She didn't seem flustered about this. The other two reports account well for the more personal bits. She went into a bit more detail about how she wasn't sure how the other pianos would feel about the organ, but it turns out that they get along just fine.

Finally, she sat back down to play Leather and meditated a while at the piano before starting. It was fabulous. A real treat for long time listeners. She was dramatic, hitting the piano, stroking her side, elongating certain phrases.. Shortly thereafter, she left. She didn't sign anything nor were there any freebies at the show. Simply being at this live mini-show was an honor in itself!

From Lisa:

Tori performed 'Sleeps with Butterflies' and 'Leather' during Direct Download tonight. They also talked with her a bit about the new cd and book. When they mentioned the dvd they pulled out the packet of seeds instead (the guy seemed either flustered or bored with Tori). Tori explained that the six gardens make up the hexagon of the bee hive and that the seeds were a way to make the garden come to life. She also told a story about her husband giving a piano for Christmas but I didn't catch all of the details. She played on a little Bose from NY Bosendorfer and explained that her 9 footer is on its way to Paris right now.

From Danny:

Mark and Tori had given Tash stuff, but Mark hadn't given Tori anything, but that was "OK" because they loved each other.  His ploy was to take her to her piano room by telling her they forgot something for Tash.  When they got there, he had the B3 in there as a gift for Tori.