Happy Birthday, Tori!

On Friday, August 22, groundbreaking feminist musician Tori Amos turned 45. We did a little celebrating on Tuesday's show, but for an artist this important I thought a birthday post was in order, too!

Tori (born Myra Ellen Amos) got her start as a classical pianist, attending the Peabody Conservatory at the tender age of 5 and moving on to play piano bars in Washington D.C. in her teens. Her first major project, a metal band named Y Kant Tori Read, was a bust. It wasn't until the release of her first solo album, Little Earthquakes, in 1992 that she started to see commercial success. The song "Me and a Gun", which details the sexual assault she suffered at the hands of a fan, is the second to last track on the album. Following its release, concertgoers began to tell their stories of assault to Tori, which led her to create RAINN, a national organization for survivors. She remains involved with the group, often donating items for auction or performing benefit shows.

Since that first album, Tori has developed a bit of a cult following because of both her musical talent and her outspoken songs on sexuality, feminism and organized religion. I have to admit that I have been a bit of a Torihead myself. She catches a bit of flack for being flakey or being too much of a "woman's artist", but here are the reasons why I, a self proclaimed Ear with Feet, love her:

1) She's brought the piano to the world of rock. Her instrument of choice, the piano, has traditionally been relegated to the genres of classical music, adult contemporary and is thought of as being "soft" (even though during their time, many of the classical pieces were quite rebellious and edgy). Tori brings bite to her compositions and shows listeners that it is just as easy to rock on a piano as it is on the more "masculine" guitar.
2) She rides the gender line. Often speaking of communing with spirits and having both the feminine and masculine spirit in her. Her songs range from lullabies to growling dervishes and she uses costuming and makeup in her live shows to further the message.
3) Her live shows. I've seen her play small clubs and huge arenas, and no matter the venue Tori connets with her audience like no other artist I've ever seen. Add to that the fact that she does a meet and greet with her fans after every. single show, and she clearly wins for fan connection.
4) She doesn't listen to anyone (except for maybe the faeries) and doesn't apologize for it. The fans have been complaining about her work on the last few albums - it has been a little less rage and a little more smooth jams - but she explains it as her just going in the direction she feels pulled toward.

Times have definitly changed. I can remember going to shows in the 1990s where everyone was in costume and there were hearses parked outside as the goth fan's preferred form of transportation. Now, it is mostly couples in sweater sets and you almost never see a set of faerie wings in the crowd. The power of her music (especially the albums pre-2002) remains the same, though, at least to me.

So, to the woman who has gotten me (and so many countless others) through heartbreak and strife, and echoed our rage, our sorrow and our joy, happy birthday!