"Live aus Berlin" on MTV Central November 2, 1999

Tori appeared on MTV Central (which can be received in Germany, Switzerland and Austria) on the show Live aus Berlin on Tuesday, November 2, 1999 at 15.00 - 17.00 hrs CET. I have a transcript of this appearance that Elke sent to me below. (Thank you so much Elke!)

Tori on MTV Germany: "Live aus Berlin" on November 2, 1999.

People could send in questions by fax.

Tori arrived early, coming from Hamburg, at about 2.30 p.m. Her appearance on the show which is broadcast live (as the name says) wasn't until 4.20 p.m. She stayed for about half an hour, including commercial breaks and videos.

Interviewer: Peter Imhoff.

[Glory of the 80's video]
P: Welcome Tori. Nice to have you here.
T: Hi Peter.
P: So, it's a song about the 80's. What did you like about the 80's in
particular? I think you lived in LA at the time.
T: Ja. I lived in LA, woke up, would go to retail slut to buy my
skull-and-crossed-bones-tube-top, all before breakfast.
P: Why did you name the album TVAB?
T: [little laugh] As opposed to penis. [repeats] Opposed to penis? You know
- penis and back? [P. getting nervous] Can you do that? [meaning 'can I say
that on TV?']
P: No.
T: OK, um, over a good bottle of wine.
P: OK, so it's an album with 2 CDs, one is live. Where did you record the
live tracks?
T: In America on the 98 tour, plugged tour with my band, and they also
played on the studio album.
P: So you recorded the new songs with your band. Wasn't it difficult to be
the artist and producer in one person?
T: You have to be willing to send the artist away. You have to really
change shoes.
P: You've played the piano since the age of 4 or so?
T: Littler. Two and a half.
P: Wow! And to show you [addressing the camera] if she really can do it and
if she can teach it to another person stay tuned here at MTV Live aus
Berlin. Now, Tori Amos with Professional Widow.
[Video]
[Peter is sitting in front of a keyboard, Tori standing to his left]
P: Tori Amos is still here with us. You've learned playing the piano at the
age of two and a half. Did your parents force you to do it?
T: No.
P: And have you ever thought about becoming a piano teacher?
T: No, not until this moment [smiles].
P: Maybe you can show me some easy...
T: I'll show you something easy OK? So, you wanna do octaves with you left
hand because it makes things just a little fuller and bigger [Takes his
left hand and places it on the keys]. So, F, twice - and then here, just
one hand here [she moves his fingers around and it starts to sound like a
melody to which she hums along]. OK ready? Slow it down. [she starts to
sing Aerosmith's "Dream On". Here are the lyrics
as far as I could understand them:] Every time that you look in the mirror,
all the lines in my face that didn't clear out. Hey you know it's true, all
the feelings come back to you. Sing with me, sing for the years. Singing
for my laughter singing ________. Sing with me, just for the day, never
tomorrow, good Lord will take you away. [No guaranty on my part for
accuracy] OK, we'll stop here.
P: Oh thank you. I can play the piano! Thanks a lot Tori. So now, I'm gonna
play the only song that I know. It's a typical German song OK?
T: OK!
P: It's called the Snow Waltz.
[He plays, Tori moves her head along with the melody]
T: Good! [She leans over and starts to play an improvised version of the
Waltz] Something like that?
P: OK, of course she can do it better. Thank you for that short piano
lesson.
T: Bye [waves goodbye to the camera]
P: No!
T: Oh, we don't go yet?
P: We still have to talk.
[Break]
P: Still with us at MTV Live aus Berlin, Tori Amos. So Tori, you learned
playing the piano in the 60's. What kind of music was in the charts at the
time?
T: Seargent Pepper's. But, um, musicals were big then also, West Side
Story. I learned to play the score of that.
P: Did that inspire you?
T: Chorus? Yeah. All different things. Jimi Hendrix.
P: Do you actually still have this house in south Ireland?
T: Yeah.
P: What kind of house is it?
T: It's an old Georgian house. So it's like 250, 275 years old. And it's
on a hill, has a few acres and it's on a river.
P: What do you like most about being away so far from the urban life?
T: You can think without other people's thoughts globbing(?) on to you like
a disease, you know?
P: I heard that sometimes people call you a kind of perfectionist. True?
T: Yes. There is another word of that but you probably can't say it.
P: What word?
T: Ant fucker. [Peter getting nervous again] That means very microscopic.
You can say microscopic.
P: Microscopic, yes.
T: Yes.
P: So you recorded your fourth album, right? [Tori signals "five" with her
hand]. Fifth, oh wow, so I think you deserve a vacation.
T: Soon.
P: You're gonna have a vacation this year?
T: Yeah, I'm feeling it coming. I'm feeling the margaritas by the pool with
my girlfriends.
P: Thank you for coming to the show. Pleasure for me.
T: Nice to meet you.

[Right after the interview the host mentioned that Tori will be on MTV In Touch soon]

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