I have been informed about a promo item from Atlantic Records that several people have stumbled across or seen on eBay. This item is related to the video release "Tori Amos: The Complete Videos 1991-1998". It is a little booklet called "Tori Stories, her take on the videos" It is about 20 pages and is written by Tori in her own handwriting. Basically Tori writes fascinating comments about each video and even doodles a little as well. Tori must have written these things while on the Plugged '98 tour, because she refers to her Bosey becoming sick during the tour. I must thank Janet Dale who kindly sent me the text of the ENTIRE booklet! Additonal thanks go to Marla (who also sent me the Spark scan), Tara and Penny. You can see the cover of this book, a scan of one of pages, and read Tori's comments below.
Click on the scan above to see it larger
Here are the sections of the booklet in order:
SPARK
HEY JUPITER
CHINA
JACKIE'S STRENGTH
INTERMISSION 1 (not having to do with videos)
CAUGHT A LITE SNEEZE
PRETTY GOOD YEAR
TALULA
CORNFLAKE GIRL
GOD
CRUCIFY
FOOD INTERMISSION (not having to do with videos)
ROAD NOTES
RASPBERRY SWIRL
WINTER
PAST THE MISSION
THANKS TO (her thank yous)
SPARK
a parallel. obviously.
people have said to me
that they found the video
Disturbing. I guess facing
Death is just that.
I didn't want a play by play
on film of the literal meaning
of Spark. So I would spend
hours talking to James (Brown the Director)
about circumstances out of your
control and having to find this
will in yourself that you didn't
know you had. I've said before
that Spark is about a girl
having a Really Bad day.
Angels. I knew I wanted
"them" represented in some way.
Someone had said to me
after the miscarriage, "Well, at
least the Angels were with you..."
NO, I said. they went to a Rave
and why not. When the wolf
is at your door There is no insurance
no distracting
him
her
no angel can or has the power
to Break Universal law
not with this wolf
at my Door.
Water. The Rythm of the water
in the Tropics where I wrote
'Choirgirl' was the element that
Brought me Strength to my woman,
who was truly in NO MAN'S land
after losing the Baby.
So James said to me that
Water had to be the turning point
the pivot where my Character
transforms.
The ominous pulse
of the video was no
different than the feeling
I had
the Day
Spark is Based on
Death Lurking...
Hey Jupiter
I guess it's quite telling
when people, especially
people you know very
well
people who know you'd
gobble up Royal Jelly --
the most foul of
foul --
before you'd put
a flesh and blood
cigarette in your mouth
(I'm a BLOW-BACK girl myself)
Anyway, when they never fail to ask you
for a light . . .
MTV had a problem
with all the pyrotechnics
So we had to cut some
of the fire sequences Down
particularly the ending.
However, since this is
not their's or anyone else's
Release I've chosen to
Stand by the Ending that
Earl (Sebastian) and I
really felt was the truth
of the woman in Jupiter.
A craving of hunger
or Burning for Someone
is Seduction when she's
Kind. When she turns,
you are truely in hell
and the humiliation of
your need is the Cherry
on top for her.
Martyrs for a cause
are treated quite differently
than
Martyrs for love.
Buddist monks are
immortalized
the courage
the Respect
Rejected lovers
yes
immortalized,
the pity
the loneliness
CHINA
so Cindy called me up
and said I know what
he's building you. I said
Cin who's Building me
What. Your lover in the
video she said.
As I Remember, we
started to Dive into
the idea that creative
couples make "things"
that can Rip each other
and their images
of themselves - seperate
and together
seperate
and
together
Which makes them
Seperate together
Build walls seperately
Build walls together
Egos are delicate things
Unfortunately
Walls are not
Misperceptions Running
fast so fast
it helps set the stones
in place.
China was shot in North
Cornwall
Strangely enough were we
Recorded Choirgirl 5 1/2 years
later.
As in Spark you are seeing
Real water in Winter's glory
in England
My "love" in the video
built me two things which the
sea took with her -- and honest
to god Rock piano
and an upside down china teacup in the form
of a skirt.
JAckie's STrength
Sometimes I fall into the videos
like a Laven, a welcome
escape from my Real life
character and the dynamics that
Surround "her"
Jackie was one of these
Times where I could put
"Whatever" Somewhere.
I would Ride around in
this taxi for hours as a
pick-up truck with a Camera
on the back of it followed
and followed and followed
me as a truant Bride
The Mythic References for
Brides
are endless
. . .
This video was tricky because
it was close to the Bone,
having only Been married for
2 1/2 months.
Karen and I would talk about how
"She" - the girl in Jackie, the Bride in Jackie
was a parallel on some plane
Somehwere who had made different
choices in her life. A Medicine Woman
told me once that alternate dimensions
existed where a different you, a different
me play out Choices we could've made.
The girl in Jackie is an artist
of some kind but "it ain't neva gonna
happen" to quote Miss Karen as She and I
went Back and forth over this alternate 2x2x2x
Reality we re-built my life, with the
help of LL (fondly called Double L) who was
referenced in that Book -- The Top 100 Psychics
We knew what she ate I knew She
drew with pastels I knew she was
never going to make it to the church that Day
It's not that she didn't love him -- they'd been
together since they were Kids.
it's just about a promise
she had make to herself
a long time ago
When James called me for
the 17th time that day
and said -- I've got it
as you go through your old
neighborhood interspersed
with present and past
you finally Run into
young Tori.
We started to talk about casting
and Karen convinced us with the
help of Lesley (make-up) of course
that we could pull of young Tori.
Having to face my younger SELF
was pretty wild -- her position being
very clear -- "we had a vision you've
become numb, we may never succeed
but you never even tried." So the answer
is NO, I don't know if "she" ever
eventually marries her childhood love --
but she doesn't that Day.
Intermission 1.
we spend so much time
in Hotels where walls are
pretty thin And I can't
really say to you I'm
an eavesdropper by choice
but if you just sit quietly...
reading...or just whatever...
daydreaming...you start hearing
all sorts of stuff. I had convinced
myself that all the Rooms across
from mine had women in
them with a prediection
for imitating their house pets
Next door on the other hand
money was definately
the subject and
something about "her"
being a "coniving little
theiving Bitch." He was
pretty much at the end
of his Rope and I
thought about sending
him over a Super-Tuscan
with my Shrink's number
but she's a bit of a
Recluse. And this
was only 1 Day in
Ohio.
Caught A Lite Sneeze
This entry contains one word that Janet cannot make out. The word begins with an S and ends with ING!
at first Caught a Lite Sneeze
was going to be filmed in Black & White
so that the special effects could work,
so it was a nice surprise when
Mike the Director said he wanted
to give it a go in color.
A Ghost.
He kept feeling my character
was my own ghost trapped
between the worlds.
Whether a part of me had gone
So close to the edge that she
went over the edge there by Resulting
in a death of some kind...
I find it funny sometimes
that although "Pele" was
really playing with emotional
death, my character physically
dies in 2 of the Pele videos
(Sneeze & Jupiter)
"Choirgirl" on the other hand,
which confronts physical death,
has the most energetic --
being physically present -- from
Super girl in Spark, to Running
Bride to Rave chick in Raspberry.
When I was studying all
the videos with my friend Tam
I tried to remember my
impressions when we were filming.
Sneeze was physically demanding
whereas Jackie was the most
emotionally challenging.
I remember on the Sneeze
set, which was at a studio
somewhere in London,
having conversations with
Karen and Leslie about
parts of "one" dying when
particular Relationship. It
really took until "Choirgirl" with
the inception and then the loss
of the Baby for me to need
Spiritually to the two men
of whom Sneeze references.
Karen & Leslie knew I
was ?????????? thru the whole
video shoot demanding my
heart to Race across the planet
and back into my body --
a theme I came back to time
and again as in "calling for my
Soul at the corners of the world
I know she's playing poker
with the Rest of the straglers"
The chair scene here
has become a mechanical dragon
dragging parts of myself from other parts --
it's a long way from
the protective chair in
Pretty Good Year.
Pretty Good Year
Casting "Greg" for Pretty
Good year was vital because
the song was inspired by
a Real boy named Greg
Whom I have never met --
not that I know of. I
received a letter from this
boy and it therefore became the
seed for p.g.y.
The
Boy That
was cast in the video
had the Real name of Greg
and we felt he carried
a similar longing...
the duality of the video
for me is Starkness
in fantasy
Things are going well
Clinically well or
maybe transparently well
that she senses what is
about to come
Her breaking of the glass
to follow him into
his private Dream world
is her way of confirming
her instincts
Karen and I chuckled
over the Ann Margaret
Reference, As always
when things are on the
presipice of Blowing up --
Break in to a dance
Routine
I say.
TALULA
Boy in the Plastic Bubble
has always been a cornerstone
for me and Miss Karen
if we were freezing, imagine
the Harpsie...
Batter Sea Power Station in
February -- yick
Talula the song had
2 major themes, Power
and value. Those in
power can demand that we
see and agree with them
by threatening us with
a loss of some kind
Here in Talula my
character is seperated
from her primal voice
her Bloodline
Which is represented by
the Harp
If you don't agree or follow
those in power I do
believe there will be rejoicing
by your own inner child
Loss is a scary thing but
what I found to be more scary
would be to feel nothing
over a loss
Similar to that sentiment
I would rather have loved
and loss
then to never have loved
at all.
Cornflake Girl
The American version of
Cornflake Girl happened after
Karen and I were 'Running
our Mouths."
Atlantic America thought
the Black & White version
was too ABSTRACT. I'm
not Really sure what the
Black & White version is about
I think a kind of "Dorothy in
Hell searching for a Pacific Rim
Chef"
--A Journey to the center of
the Universe with a Rope
tied around my furry galoshes.
At any Rate the Black & White
was a 2 day shoot -- as was
the God video which was
happening the same week
across town. Because Europe
and America were going for
2 Different singles it was
a pretty Busy week for this person.
The American version was
also shot in L.A. about
2 months later when the
Americans finally decided
they were going with Cornflake
as the British decided
on Pretty good year which was
Shot in a studio in London.
The American Cornflake was
choreographed by Bunty
a choice of Karen's --
She also plays one of the
women in the back of the
truck (the girl in Red con-
fronting the evil
Uma Thurman
looking control
Bully)
Nancy Bennet and I had a
Blast doing this with Karen
as always styling and
conceptualizing with us.
I can't lay claim to
a lot if this
but I do take credit
for the lipstick weaponry
and cooking the cowboy --
all in all a low pressure
day.
GOD was definately
high
Drama.
I chose Melodie, confidant, and
confident She had a wealth of Religious
perceptions.
Rituals became the key word
as well as dangerous --
The different ways people
worship
What is sacred to one person
would be insulting to
another
which is why so many
people have been tortured
and tortured others over
"My God's Bigger than you
Dog."
The Realism of God
juxtaposed with
the 'fantasy gone wrong'
happening across town
of Cornflake Kept me
Karen and Leslie constantly
having to Refocus outselves
I learned specifically
2 things on the God shoot
1. Rats shit but they
don t fart
2. never handle snakes
after cavorting with 150 rats
without sterilizing yourself
in Clorox first.
Obviously there's always a p.s.
to this --
not everyone will see the
art form
in us pairing the junkie
with the Hasidic wrapping
Ritual
Crucify
Queen Elizabeth I and peeping Tom
were the Buzz words I was hearing from
Cin when we were chatting
about Crucify. Cindy's visual
sense never ceased to suprise
and generally make me belly laugh
She's a bit of a Devil
Cindy was always weaving in
a sub text -- Elizabeth the
first getting Baptized and
then doing her saucy strumpet
Shimmy
after being Blessed of course.
FOOD Intermission
After having over 14
videos if we include "The Bid
Picture" from Y Kant Tori READ,
the one piece of advice I
will put out there to those who
will be making one for the
first second or third time --
I didn't learn this
until my 5th one --
You Must have Food Tactics.
I now know why we artists
are so highly insured on these
shoots -- with a little bit of
help from Prehistoric Catering
the said Artist just might
contract E Coli, the Record Label
in turn makes a Killing.
On Location was
always trickier, now it's cake --
the method completely instilled
and a joy to whip up.
In the U.K. it's always
Marks and Spencer
Marks and Sparks to the Locals
(the guac) oh god,
and a Health food shop
in Notting Hill where
the Kalamata Olive Pate'
is beyond...
it's about nibbles --
anything that needs
heating is Rejected --
Trust Me
I had my team living out
of my Brown Bays more
than Once
The stress is where you and
your fellows Rabbits
come to the Bottom of your
Second Bag.
The only acceptable answer,
"you" have another one hidden.
:)
[she has a traditonal happy face drawn at the end]
[There is a section in the book that had
nothing to do with her videos, but it has
to do with her RECENT tour (which is when
she was writing her thoughts on the videos
for this book) I will include it here]
ROAD NOTES
Johnnie says we found a hair
that Belongs to the murde
Bose is Down
Trevor is taking her apart.
in Reverence
notes on her will from
now on Be in Black ink
Elton's piano tech is
coming in
to liase' with Trev
the Midi System being
his speciality
She being Trev's
I'm told I'll be playing
s h h h. [turn over quickly]
a yamaha
came up on a truck from n.y.c.
we're in Ithaca
I will keep you posted.
RASPBERRY SWIRL
I will tell you this.
Kids and Pigs
mixed together
with their gorging of sweets and
excited kiddie poo vomit and literally
piggy poo and cake puddingie ickie
oogie sugarie pukie all messied
together sitting there Rotting under the
lights take after take and you wonder
why I carry an Oxygen machine --
card holder since 94.
Raspberry was one of the longer days
of my life...
Karen pulled in these younger
Directors: Barnaby & Scott
I liked the idea
their visual sense
and their openness
to Karen's mad visions
She was inspired by an
Urban Alice and Wonderland feel
if I recall the treatment correctly
Kids with Red wings -- red wigs
little Tori s she said
this Boy leading me
into a world
where Karen truly lives
Every movie ever make
Karen can give her version --
"A road ain't NO ONE EVER
EVVA thought of pushing,"
a long by magical Day
Winter
without question
my favorite time of year
Strange for a girl who is always
cold
There is something that Draws me
though, whether it's to
catch me watching Torville & Dean
walking Down a Road so
Bundled up I look like
the Yetti
or taste testing Daz's
mulled wine
I've found myself out,
I'm a winter girl
PAST THE MISSION
Probably my favorite
here I am take Vanessa William's
advice, saving the best 'til last
We filmed in Arcos, Spain
we were there 4 Days
2 days full shooting
1 day in
1 day out
my Mother flew in for this one
and you can just imagine
your mother surrounded by
all these older Spanish Sweethearts.
working with Jake Scott was fascinating
from my p.o.v. Because although he
was a young director it was
so in 4is Blood
it was untrue.
Karen and Leslie found the casting
of the Priest enough for a GOSSIP
Yes he was gorgeous as was
everyone -- the young girls one of
the girls mother's -- the wee one --
helped us put the whole thing together
4 Days of my life I will
Never forget.
It changed my thinking
about food
about passion
about the commitment
to art, to love
unfortunately not to
learning to spill --
OH news Bulletin
Trev says Bose is Recovering
well from surgery and to
quote the Alan Parsons
The Eagle will rise Again.
THANKS TO
the MANY ARTISTS
WHO GAVE.
to MY Girlfriends
and their HUMOR
to my Guyfriends
and their "HEY TOR
Can you EXORCISE my RATS
for ME" Pearls.
Vickie Germaise, Karen Kevyn,
Linda Ferando, Les, Cindy P.,
Sharon Robertson & Arthur
Taffy, Cheif Rabbit, Honorary Cat Pepper
Tap Dance the Bull, Glucose the Bat
and by no means the least: Ferrett.
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