On Monday afternoon, August 19, 2002, Tori was interview by Ryan Seacrest and Lisa Fox on radio station Star 98.7 in Los Angeles, CA. They played a sorta fairytale and Tori talked about various things, including Mark and her new album Scarlet's Walk. Tori said that a sorta fairytale was the second song on the new album, and that the album documents a road trip, a woman named Scarlet travelling slowly west to east starting in L.A. The story is based on real people and places. Tori is Scarlet. During the trip, Scarlet is going to see a friend who is a porn star. (I bet her name is Amber Waves.) Thanks to Carolyn, Claudya-Berryyswirl and Kristen Chamberland for first telling me about the interview.

Interview Transcript

Alisha Parker and Jeffery Kleismit sent me a transcript of the interview, which you can read that below:

["Silent All These Years" intro]

Ryan: Welcome back. Tori Amos is here. And . . . Continue . . . We're just talking about male grooming.

Tori: I've seen it. Guys in our business, I've seen, you know, in the sal[on], and doing things. And you kinda look at them and they say, "Hey, it makes me feel better." I think it's great.

Female DJ: But I like that they're not screaming down the street, "I just came from the salon!"

Ryan: Why not, though? Be subtle about it?

Female DJ: Yeah, just do it and don't tell us.

Ryan: I think every once in a while it's important to let people know you're doing it because then you get accolades like from Tori Amos.

Female DJ: Well, Tori, you're happily married. Is your husband into being a well-quaffed man?

Tori: Not at all.

Female DJ: And you like it like it that way?

Ryan: He's furry.

Tori: No, he's not furry. I usually don't talk about him because it's sort of . . .he's . . . I'm having an affair with my husband.

Ryan: You're having an affair with your husband. He's the guy you're having the affair with?

Tori: Yeah, we do that.

Ryan: Now, don't confuse me right out of the gate!

Tori: No, but we do that. So, it's sort of like a young love thing with us. He's still my boyfriend even though he's my husband. And he's very British, so there are certain things that he um . . . For instance, roll-up cigarettes, Vitamin V at night; that would be Vitamin Vodka.

Ryan: Vitamin Vodka!

Female DJ: I was gonna say, "Is there a new vitamin that Tori knows about that I don't know about?"

Ryan: Do you put that on your skin? So do you actually call him your boyfriend?

Tori: I call him husband.

Ryan: You call him husband. That's what I thought.

Female DJ: They always say that to keep the romance alive, you should never stop dating your spouse.

Ryan: So do you still play the game with him? Like, if he calls you, do you wait a couple days before you call him back?

Tori: Well, it's tricky, because I'm the boss.

Ryan: [sarcastically] We know.

Tori: Meaning, I mean, I don't mean like that. I don't wear the pants. He wears the pants; I wear skirts. [laughing] However, I'm the producer on this project and he's the sound engineer. So, you know . . .

Ryan: So you really are the boss.

Tori: Yeah, I really am. I don't mean it like . . .

Ryan: But we know that you are woman and you are in charge of the world.

Tori: No . . .

Ryan: [sarcastically] Yes.

Tori: No. He's very um, and Johnny [Witherspoon] can vouch for this, he's one of these . . . he's a boy. He's a lad. He's a Brit . . He's a boy.

Ryan: He still needs to be trained?

Tori: Well, he's cantankerous; he's irritating, but he's mine.

Ryan: But you love him for all of those reasons.

Tori: I love him! And he's shabby sometimes. Like, this is the thing. If we were to go out somewhere . . . He had this thing on the tour last time where he wore shorts even in Austria at below-zero weather and people would walk by saying things in all sorts of languages. And he would just, it would be the boots, you know, the Doc Martens, and the socks, the shorts . . .

Ryan: That's a look.

Tori: It's a look. With a t-shirt that says "Hippy Smell" on it. Something like that. But he was a punk. What was the band he was in, it was a horrible name.

Ryan: Flock of Seagulls?

Tori: No, Withy Witlow.

Ryan: Withy Witlow. Can I, in talking about all of this, I think that I would be . . . As a guy, you want to be involved with an intelligent woman like yourself.

Tori: That's very kind, Ryan.

Ryan: Somebody that has perspective; somebody that is beautiful, talented . . . Did I run them all?

Female DJ: Has her you-know-what together? The whole package.

Ryan: I have to be honest with you. Getting into an argument with you would be tricky because I bet you don't let much slide, and you'd probably win, with me.

Tori: Well, he's . . . my husband is very witty. Not that you're not, but he has that British . . . No, he is one of these people. Johnny, wouldn't you say? Ryan, you're a darling, but he puts me to shame and he usually wins.

Ryan: He does? He outsmarts you or outwits you? Or just pays attention?

Tori: He outwits me.

Female DJ: That's challenging; I like that.

Tori: It's very challenging, and I think because of that, part of it is we're opposites in a way. He keeps his identity by not doing certain things that maybe I would maybe want him to do. He won't do those things, but he will do some things.

Ryan: Many of which we can't talk about today.

Female DJ: [implicit laughter]

Tori: [snickers]

Female DJ: The look on her face!

Tori: Oh dear! Yikes!

Ryan: That wasn't on the air, was it? Tori Amos is with us and the whole conversation we were going to have about the album and the single . . . Tori is here with new music, by the way. And you recorded "Scarlet's Walk" at a studio where you've been before.

Tori: Yeah, we own it.

Ryan: You're the majority owner.

Tori: No, it's not the majority . . .

Female DJ: Amos Studios.

Tori: No, it's Martian Studios. And the good thing about it is, if you are in an argument with your record label, if that were ever to happen to you . . .

Ryan: Hypothetically speaking, Tori Amos, right now on the record, hypothetically speaking.

Tori: Just say. Just say. Peter Gabriel gave me this advice years ago.

Ryan: The man is always calling me with advice.

Tori: He said, "Own your own studio, because if you fall out with them, guess who they have to call to get the tapes?"

Ryan: They gotta call you.

Tori: They gotta call the studio owners.

Ryan: That Peter Gabriel, very smart. Now, if that were to happen in your case, you're covered.

Tori: IF. You are covered. Imagine that.

Ryan: Good thinking on Peter Gabriel's part. Now, I know we should probably play the song. Let's play the song and we'll come back and talk about this too.

Tori: Okay.

Ryan: Tori Amos, "A Sorta Fairytale." Check it out.

[Plays "A Sorta Fairytale."]

Ryan: Tori Amos, live from the lounge.

Tori: [sarcastically] Wow, you can segue. It's fascinating stuff. I mean, we were just talking about something else.

Ryan: Are you impressed by me?

Tori: I'm fascinated.

Ryan: Fascinated, not impressed. But fascinated.

Female DJ: You come out of a pretty song and you go into coffee and relieving yourself.

Ryan: Okay, let's get back to the pretty song, "A Sorta Fairytale." Driving along the Ventura? Would that be the freeway?

Tori: Yes, I did it many times. I lived here for almost eight years.

Ryan: That's the 101. So talk about this song; go ahead.

Tori: Well, this is the second song on the album. The album is called "Scarlet's Walk," and it's a road trip. It's about a woman traveling slowly west to east. And it's based on real people and real events. And it starts in LA, really the Valley, where my character, Scarlet, comes to see her friend who is a fading porn star.

Ryan: So, hold on. Hold on. You said it's real people, real places . . .

Tori: Based on.

Ryan: Based on. So, this is the character Scarlet living someone else's experiences?

Tori: Scarlet is me in this. We wear the same shoe size. That's handy.

Ryan: So it worked. Alright, so the journey starts in southern California.

Tori: Yeah, in the Valley, and I go to see my friend the porn star.

Ryan: Why are you going to see the porn star?

Tori: Because she called me.

Ryan: Why did she call?

Tori: She's having a tough time. She has to go to the porno awards in Vegas. Which is where we go. We take that trip. And the whole thing about it is, she's presenting, she's not getting one.

Ryan: She's very upset about that. That happened to me at the Teen Choice Awards.

Tori: Well, see, don't you think . . . I've known women over the years. At the time, they came to LA, they were dancers; they had dreams. And they said hey, just a little bit here, just a little bit there. And then before they know it, they're involved. It's good money. And sometimes it's straight to video.

Ryan: You're talking about porn.

Tori: I'm talking about porn.

Female DJ: It's not many people's dream to be a porn star. Many women, I would think.

Tori: No, but it's what they get from it. They maybe have a kid. They can help pay for it.

Ryan: They need the money.

Tori: Yeah, but it's for many reasons why some of them do it. And I've always had a place in my heart for these women. I have a lot of time for them.

Ryan: So, they're not naughty people; they're not sex-crazed lunatics. These are people that came out with separate goals, separate missions, separate dreams and fell into it.

Tori: I think you'd be surprised. Some of their stories are really intriguing. Some of these women have been very good acquaintances of mine. And I have a real soft place, and they were a good friend to me . . .

Ryan: The CD is called "Scarlet's Walk" from Tori Amos, and I know you have to run. We'll see you again in December when you come back through.

Tori: Okay.

["Cornflake Girl" fade out]

You can also read this entire transcript at Toriphoria.