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Tori performed a mini-concert and did an interview for radio station RTL in France on Friday, October 4, 2002. They aired the performance on the radio on Octrober 26, 2002. Tori performed 8 songs during the mini-concert (Thanks Sylvain Cavaillès and Melanie):
First Set:
Scarlet's Walk
Mrs. Jesus
Pancake
Crazy (with a cute little intro)
Interview with Tori
Second Set:
A Sorta Fairytale
Carbon
Strange
Encore:
Virginia
Tristan Alzial and Jeremy Unruh report the following after hearing the broadcast of this performance on RTL radio:
The program started at 22:30 with the first half hour being a Tori biography and description of her career. The program was hosted by Éric Jean-Jean. He played Crucify (album version), Cornflake Girl, Professional Widow, Spark, 1000 Oceans and Strange Little Girl. The songs were interspersed with descriptions of Tori's life during each of these periods and of the albums, including a descriptive biography of Tori's personal life.
The concert began at 23:00. The evening was the same as already described, with Tori playing Scarlet's Walk, Mrs. Jesus, Pancake and Crazy. Then there was a ten minute interview that we believe was cut and edited for the radio. We are sending a word for word transcription including the mistakes made by the host. Also included is a translation of the French bits. The interview was followed but A Sorta Fairytale, Carbon, Strange, a short pause and then Virginia. The presenter confirmed that the album will be released in France on Monday the 28th of October, and not on the 25th. The evening ended with I Can't See New York which was edited for the radio to about five minutes. The entire show lasted one and a half hours, ending at midnight.
Transcript
Many thanks to Tristan Alzial and Jeremy Unruh who sent this to the Dent! It has Tori's comments and the French translation that was given to the audience.
Thanks for being here. Merci beaucoup d’être là.
It’s good to be here, thank you for having me.
Well, can you speak a little French?
Pichon Comtesse de la Lande 97, oui. C’est magnifique ! C’est magnifique…
[Audience laughing]
« Magnifique », c’est un joli mot. Well thanks for presenting this new album, which is the 7th one, c’est le 7ème. The name is “Scarlet’s Walk”, and it’s a kind of story of a people called Scarlet. L’album s’appelle “The Scarlet Walk” et c’est l’histoire d’une Scarlet. Who is that girl? Qui est Scarlet ?
[Audience laughing]
Not thaaat girrrrrl…
Haha! Well…
You know…
The sister of Madonna?
[Audience laughing]
La sœur de Madonna ?
No. We don’t know who Scarlet’s sister is, but we do know that she gets a phone call, that’s how it all starts. She gets a phone call…
Yeah…
From a friend. In L.A.
Yeah…
Who says “come”!
OK. En fait, on sait pas exactement qui c’est, simplement elle a un coup de fil de Los Angeles, d’une amie à elle qui lui dit « viens ».
So, she goes, and her friend is called Amber Waves.
Oui…
And her friend is a fading porn star.
Donc sa copine est une star du porno.
And if that’s America personified or a woman or a bit of both, maybe that’s…
C’est une femme Américaine, porno star. Yeah, you can carry on. Not very good lighting, though, you know, not good lighting porn star.
Qui est pas très bien dans sa vie à ce moment-là. And she need her friend. Elle a besoin de son amie.
And she’s– she is at a crossroads.
Yeah, elle est à un croisement de sa vie.
They go off together.
Ouais, elles s’en vont toutes les deux.
And that’s the first song. They go off together, um, as girlfriends do, one in trouble, one trying to help the other one, and—
Elles s’en vont toutes les deux, donc y’en a une qui ne va pas très bien et l’autre qui veut aider sa copine.
And then, it all starts for Scarlet because she ends up going across the country slowly, meeting other people, questioning what she believes and trying to find out who the soul of America is.
Right.
And to do that, she finds herself going to the Native Americans quite a bit, trying to find out who she really is.
So, c’est le début de l’histoire, en fait elle part avec sa copine, et en fait c’est le début du voyage, parce qu’en fait ça va être un voyage initiatique au travers des États-Unis pour cette femme, qui s’appelle Scarlet, et qui va en fait, au travers de ce voyage, découvrir des endroits, se poser des questions et peut-être répondre à certaines questions qu’elle se pose. Alors, au sujet des questions que se pose cette fameuse Scarlet, il y a évidemment l’esprit de l’Amérique après le 11 septembre. There’s a question about the soul and the spirit of America after the 11th of September. You know, there’s a song called “I can’t see New York”. What changed after this day? Qu’est-ce que vous pensez qui a changé après ce jour ?
The story in “Scarlet’s Walk” is… it has a mixture of many of those things. But at the core, this is an event that has made people now ask a lot of questions. And I think at the time we were shamed into asking these questions because if you ask certain questions out of your love for America, your love for her soul, then you must ask questions that need to be asked. However, the government shamed people.
Cet événement du 11 septembre, c’est l’un des événements qui jalonnent cet album, mais c’est aussi un événement qui va poser justement des questions, et qui fait que les Américains n’ont plus honte de se poser ce genre de questions, par exemple « Comment va l’Amérique » ?
Why did this happen?
Pourquoi c’est arrivé ?
Many questions that need to be asked, always when a tragedy happens. And I think people now in America… There has been a betrayal from without, but there’s also been a betrayal from within. And Scarlet’s discovering this in the story. And it’s bringing up a lot of things in her.
Il y a des choses qui viennent de l’extérieur des États-Unis, mais des choses aussi qui viennent de l’intérieur et qui ont besoin d’être comprises. La trahison, notamment. Et ça, c’est ce que Scarlet découvre dans son voyage. En partie, parce qu’il n’y a pas que ça.
Well, it’s very complicated because you see, there’s been a betrayal from without yes, and that was that event. But there’s also been a betrayal from within. And that is something now that we are having to look at. And when there’s a betrayal from within, then you have to go to the core of who you are as a nation. And to do that, you must go back in time and to the Native Americans and what happened.
Alors, en fait, justement, pour parler des trahisons qui venaient aussi de l’intérieur, parce que c’était peut-être ça le plus important, pour comprendre pourquoi ça ça a pu arriver, ces trahisons de l’intérieur, il faut peut-être savoir et se retourner vers ce d’où on vient et ce qui fait qu’aujourd’hui ce genre de choses peut arriver. And that’s why at one moment in the album Scarlet come to places where Indians were killeds and a lot of things like that because a lot of– Little Big Horn, Wounded Knee with the American government… Parce qu’il y a des endroits dans cet album où justement Scarlet se promène et va sur Little Big Horn, sur Wounded Knee, et c’est aussi d’une part d’un point de vue personnel pour Tori qui est moitié Indienne, c’est un retour aux sources, mais c’est aussi un retour aux sources pour les Américains, et c’est peut-être le point de départ.
A Native American woman came to see me on tour. Quite a few of them did. But this one in particular said to me: “The White Brother that owns the land and the people that hold the land must come together now. For the sake of her survival.”
En fait il y a une dame qui est venue la voir, il y a plein de gens qui sont venus la voir sur la tournée qu’elle a faite aux États-Unis, notamment une qui lui a dit : « Si on veut survivre ensemble, il faut que les gens qui possédaient la terre avant et les Blancs qui la possèdent maintenant vivent ensemble. »
She had tears running down her face and she said…
Elle a pleuré et elle a dit…
“Sadly enough, the White Brother only took the land. He needs to come now and take more.”
Ouais, en fait les Blancs aux États-Unis n’ont pris que la terre. Et maintenant, s’ils veulent que ça continue à avancer, il faut qu’ils prennent beaucoup plus.
…Scarlet goes to them and takes what they’re offering, which is another way of looking at things. And it’s also about nurturing. Being a nurturing force. If you’re going to take that next step on the medicine wheel, as she wants to do desperately, then it’s time for her to be a nurturing force and not just what she can take.
En fait il est temps maintenant de ne pas faire que prendre les choses, mais de se les approprier un peu plus et d’essayer de mieux les comprendre et d’avancer avec. So, what are the solutions in that album? Les solutions, c’est peut-être ce qu’elle chantait dans « Pancake », c’est-à-dire l’histoire d’un type qui est une espèce de hâbleur, un meneur de parole.
I think what’s important is when what you believe in is coming up inside you. You also find that you make friends and you have loves like Scarlet does. And through the people she meets she begins to see how they see the world, and she takes them in. This is like a pilgrimage for her. She opens up to ideas that she wasn’t opened to before.
Dans cet album, elle rencontre des hommes, elle rencontre des gens, et en fait elle va découvrir le monde au travers de la manière et de la vision qu’ont les gens qu’elle va rencontrer de ce monde. You’re not really kind with men in that album. Scarlet is not.
Oh, you don’t think so? I think she’s very kind to them!
Really?
[Audience laughing]
Je lui dis qu’elle n’est pas très sympa avec les hommes dans cet album, because mens are not so nice, you know, in that album, les hommes sont pas très sympa dans l’album. But they get beautiful songs sung and written about them…
[Audience laughing]
…and they’re delicious.
C’est vrai, il y a des chansons magnifiques qui ont été écrites pour eux.
But you know, if you want to look at them, then let’s look at them and one is a soulmate in “A Sorta Fairytale”, and she isn’t the fantasy that he wanted.
Alors, pour un, elle n’est pas la femme qu’il voulait.
Most of us, men or women, can never live up to the fantasy if that’s what you have to be. [Audience laughing]
Aucun des hommes n’arrive à être à la hauteur du fantasme qu’elles se font. Is that album lots of things you’ve lived, you? Est-ce que cet album c’est une somme de choses que tu as vécues toi ?
Well, I guess you know all the characters are based on real people and real events. And my feelings are in her.
Oui, tous les héros et tous les personnages de cet album sont basés sur des personnages célèbres. Your travel is a touring?
Yes.
Oui, sa manière de voyager à elle, c’est…
We were very excited about that.
Yeah, so we’re gonna see you on stage next February?
Yes.
You’re gonna be at the Zénith, on la verra sur scène en février prochain pour le Zénith. And I’ll be Tori doing “Scarlet’s Walk”. And that means Tori gets to find songs that she’s known for a long time…
Oh really?
…and they get to play with the new songs, and… Yes, because that’s part of my personal walk.
En fait, Durant la tournée de « Scarlet », il y a aussi peut-être d’autres chansons qui vont venir, parce que, bah, ça fait partie de sa vie à elle. Thank you very much; and thank you for playing.
Thank you.
Let’s carry on.
And thank you.
Toriphile Commentary
From Sylvain Cavaillès:
We were about 80 people in the studio. A few short minutes after 8 P.M. the host came in and told us how it was going to take place. A first set of 4 songs, then a short interview between him and Tori. Then 3 more songs or maybe 4 if we were good. He told us that the show was to be broadcast on Saturday 26th of October between 11:00 and 0:00 in the evening. Yes, our time with Tori lasted an hour !
Here's the set listing :
1st Set :
Scarlet's Walk
Mrs Jesus
Pancake
Crazy
2nd Set :
A Sorta Fairytale
Carbon
Strange
Encore :
Virginia
Soco has very well described some of these songs as she played them at the Vienna show. What I can add to Scarlet's Walk is the word Tori keeps repeating in the intro : I think it's "Aventura" though it sounded like "Eeeeeventuraaah". Yes, the reference to Pandora's Aquarium feels right for this part of the song.
Some people reviewed the songs from Scarlet's Walk as songs that reminded them of the Under The Pink era. From what I've heard yesterday night I really don't agree. I can't compare these songs to any of Tori’s existing songs, except sometimes for small parts of them. For instance the intro to Carbon reminded me of the intro to Bells For Her (the live version from the Boys For Pele era). Generally I feel very virgin to all the melodies of these songs, it seems like she worked differently on them than how she did in the past.
What these songs have in common is, generally, a very quiet atmosphere, a sense of serenity. Maybe the studio versions will change the way I hear them, but Scarlet's Walk, Mrs Jesus and Virginia felt a lot like Gold Dust's sisters to me. And the whole solo piano thing seemed to soften the differences between them, so that the fact that they're all part of a whole was very sensible, the cohesion of the whole is very sensible.
It's hard to tell about the lyrics, english not being one's mother tongue, sometimes you get some of the words, but it's hard to get the whole meaning at the first listening, even when you've read about what the song's about. I remember the words "keep her eyes (ice?) on her" (the second 'her' being very faint) from the chorus of Carbon but I'm not even sure I remember them correctly. This song has a quicker tempo than the others and it's one of my favourites, right after A Sorta Fairytale and right before Crazy. I was burning to hear it and, wow, I wasn't deceived ! ASF was very, very, very beautiful, much quieter than the studio version, very sweet in the singing, very soft, very sad. She played the single version. What a magic moment. Crazy was nice to hear with the piano, but I feel this girl needs the wurly.
The interview was a very confused moment, because of the host's bad comprehension of the English language. It was often funny, but I couldn't help feeling sorry, feeling Tori deserved better than that. What Tori said was mainly things she's already said in other interviews. But here is what I remember from it :
When asked if she spoke a little French, Tori said "c'est magnifique" with a very soft voice and it was so sweat !
Interview : - Who's Scarlet ?
Tori : - Well she's "Not that girl" (sung on the Madonna's Who's that girl melody and with a malicious smile)
She talked about Scarlet's Walk beginning with Scarlet getting a phone call for help from Amber Waves, a fading pornstar who's a personification of America, and Scarlet starting the journey asking questions. There was a betrayal from outside (September 11th), and people beginning to ask questions about the betrayal from within, people needing to go and ask questions to the core, starting to question their soul as a nation. She talked about Native American girls coming to see her on tour, telling her that the white man had only taken the land, and that now he needed to come and take more. Tori was asked if SW was filled with things she had experienced herself. She said all the songs were based on real people. She said that at the end of the journey Scarlet started to feel she had become a nurturing force, while before for her it was "just take". She was told that Scarlet wasn't very kind to men and she said, again with this malicious smile "Oh, I think she's very kind to men" and talked about how several of the songs were about men. She talked about A Sorta Fairytale, about finding one's soul mate, about how the man in ASF realizes she isn't the fantasy he had of her, and how men often don't live up to the fantasy women have of them, which became sadly funny because the interviewer wasn't able (or willing) to translate that so the audience had to help !
And then a sorta official tour date : Tori will be in Paris in February 2003 and the venue will be Le Zenith, Tori's largest French venue ever. He didn't give us a more precise date.
Well, this evening's been worth the 2 hours travel and the anxiety of not having a ticket ! Thank you Tori for this privileged moment !
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