Re: Tori's a Witch

[vickie@pilot.njin.net (Vickie Mapes)]

Vickie here (really, it's a alternate account) and the *last* thing I
want to to get a bunch of hate mail from Tori Amos fans. Meredith said
that I "don't think much of it" and I want to clear this up. I think Tori
is *extremely* talented and I admire her for trying to be different and
interesting. Goddess knows we need more of that. I don't think there's a
bad song on the album and some are truly excellent. My favorites are "Little
Earthquakes" and "Precious Things" and others are growing on me after a
multiple listening session. My point in Ecto was that I didn't put muchntion
(oops, can't edit that out) stock in all the hype and that I was getting
very tired of it (I confess my Subject Line was "I feel like Jenn Turney")
and that I'd end up putting Tori in a kill file. Tori's first album was
excrutiatingly bad, IMHO, and this one is light years better. My problems
with Tori have less to do with her than with the Publicity machinery that
surrounds her. After years of promoting female artists on my radio show
and agonizing over the fact that there are so many great artists out there
who are getting totally ignored, it's (I admit) irrational of me to be
in any way upset that a fine artist is finally getting some recognition.

Still, I feel that MTV has, for some reason, chosen Tori as their "female
flavor of the year" and is ignoring other, just as, if not more, interesting
females. I'd sure like to see Sarah McLachlan get the attention Tori is
getting. Artists such as Kate and Jane Siberry have never gotten a fraction
of the recognition (uh, promotional support too) that Tori is getting. It's
just not fair. Tori has nothing to do with it, I know, and I'm happy for
her and I'm very interested in seeing how this success will affect her
next albums. 

In short, Tori's *very* good, but I have tons of CDs, LPs and cassettes of
*very* good female artists/groups who will never get the kind of attention
that Tori's getting. Those who say that Tori will open the door for other
female artists (like, say, Happy Rhodes :-) )...well, I hope they're right,
but I kind of doubt it. Every few years an interesting, talented female
artist gets a lot of attention (Tracy Chapman, Suzanny Vega etc.) and people
declare it "The Year Of The Female" but it never really is, not when
examined closely. Boyz With Guitarz still rule, and you'll still only hear
1 or 2 female vocal songs for every 10-15 male vocal songs (especially on
"alternative" radio stations) and excellent female artists will still
release albums that will be totally ignored and I'll still be playing
those artists on Suspended in Gaffa, as long as I can find them.

Tori doesn't "cast a spell" on me like she obviously does on others, but I
do like the album very much and give her all kinds of credit for what she's
done. 

Just wanted to set the record straight...

Vickie
katefans@chinet.chi.il.us  or
vickie@njin.rutgers.edu