Tori Amos

I like to say that Tori Amos was my musical gateway drug.  If it weren't for her, I might still be listening to C&C Music Factory and Paula Abdul.  But when I was in sixth grade, my best friend played the miraculous Little Earthquakes for me, and I haven't looked back since.  A steady stream of PJ Harvey, Bjork, Portishead et al would soon follow.  And thank god for that.

Now, approximately 15 years later, I find myself gravitating back to her, and those earlier albums which gave me so much inspiration and armor.  I recently finished reading Tori Amos: Piece by Piece.  It's a rambling but brilliant exploration of her creative process and sonic odyssey.  Even more thrilling, it reveals that she is an ardent follower of my hero, Carl Jung, king of psyche and symbolism.  As she writes:

"All storytellers, all troubadours worth their salt know their myths...Muhammad, Zeus, Lucifer, Josephine.  They are all on the list.  As I'm sitting at my piano, in a piano bar somewhere in the galaxy, I look out and see them in the crowd.  The Archetypes have all arrived.  Josephine fighting for a seat next to Cleopatra.  Freyja, surrounded by her cats, hand on her necklace, head thrown back in the air with a throaty giggle, as Aphrodite brings her up to date on her latest sexploits.  Pele letting her hair down and chalking her cue, knocking some balls into the net with Isis...I'm not sure those in the audience are aware of the Archetypes they carry.  We all carry them.  These Archetypes are not only embodied by the songs, but they run through all of our lives, just in different amounts."

For those who are interested, a complete boxed set of her music was just released.  Just in time for the holidays!

Comments

[Cendrine Rovini]

And do you know the fantastic James Hillman ? He is the most beautifull "continuateur" of Carl Gustav Jung, and he makes the modern archetypes very very rich yet !

[Pam]

I love James Hillman, especially his writings on alchemy. But thank you for sharing!