I have details about this interview on radio station 94.9FM in San Diego, CA on Saturday, August 2, 2003.

More Details

I have reports from several people about this interview:

From Shags/Jason:

Tori was supposed to show up at the 94.9 studios around 2 or 3 o'clock for an instudio interview with 3 lucky contest winners who were going to be part of her interview. However, the traffic was so horrendous coming down (it took everyone 4 hours to go what is normally a 2 hour ride) that she phoned in an interview around 4 o'clock. Ben Folds was in the studio before her and talked a little bit about what an amazing piano player she is. When it was time for her interview she told the same story she told in LA about the Ben Folds bus incident, which took up most of the interview. She also talked about touring with a child and how it really has changed the way she tours, that there's really no more partying going on. Since the contest winners weren't able to meet her at the studio she invited them to go backstage before the show. They also played her cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit before the interview, and played Cornflake Girl and Strange afterwards. The DJ asked Tori what she wanted to hear off of Scarlet's Walk, but she couldn't pick one, so the DJ asked the 3 contest winners, and Strange was a unanimous choice from them, which actually sounded like it would be a great radio song.

I was on my way to San Diego from the northern portion of the county, listening to 94.9 FM. Not because I knew Tori or Ben were going to be on, and so finding this out was a really surprise and treat. I'd never heard one of her radio interviews live.

First of all, the djs were totally cute. They talked between themselves about how cool Tori is to call in and for Ben to visit the station. The one girl dj said something like, "Seriously. Tori's calling? Are you kidding?" and the guy who would be conducting the interview said, "No, and I'm really excited 'cause I was the first person to interview her in San Diego."

So, after a few more breaks, they say Tori's running behind schedule and Ben just showed up at the station. And the guy said, "So, it's a Saturday and usually even during the week, there's maybe 10 people working in the station. OK. So there's like 1,400 people just roaming around the office saying they got 'some paperwork to catch up on.' Yeah, right. I work every Saturday and nobody catches up on paperwork. I'm sure it has nothing to do with Tori or Ben at all."

I missed Ben's interview, but I caught the end of Tori's. (I had some shopping to do). She was talking about how important touring is to keep in touch with her fans; comparing it to the 60s when musicians and fans had a close connection. She said the pop-star crap has got people mixed up about what's really important about music, which is performance. The dj said that a lot of pop stars release albums and never tour, even some of her fellow contemporaries are slowing down on the touring circuit. She agreed, but said she loved touring and keeping a pulse on what her listeners think, etc. Then she talked about being a little like the Partridge Family, touring with a daughter and a husband. The dj asked if it's difficult and she said she's going to be 40 soon, and so everything for her is different. The partying isn't what it used to be and while some of her friends who had kids at 23 felt tied down by motherhood, she was really excited and ready for the experience.

Overall, she and the dj had a good repoire during the interview. They also talked about the first time they met, and she played live on the radio, her first San Diego playing experience.

On a side note, I'd just like to add Mike that I'm glad Ben's on this tour. Some of her opening acts have really been an annoyance to sit through and wait for Tori, but he was so funny and engaging that I thought they really complemented each others' performance well. And listening to the lovely Ms Amos under a starry sky really felt magical.