Synopses & Reviews
How did the shy and conflicted daughter of a minister become one of today's most important artists? Tori Amos is a unique voice in rock. She is an artist, a poet, an emotional chanteuse, a wordsmith, a pianist, and most of all, an entertainer who has opened herself up to her audience in a way most musicians would never dare. Tori Amos was a musical prodigy, so talented that she was the youngest child ever to be admitted to one of the world's most prestigious musical academies - and so rebellious that she was eventually thrown out. She is a feminist who questions the core values of feminism. She was a little girl who played piano in gay bars. She is a pioneering businesswoman. She is a rape victim who has transcended tragedy, and has drawn inspiration from the darkest incidents of her life. Tori Amos is a complex artist in a complex world. I'm an acquired taste, she once told Rolling Stone magazine, but her fans are obsessive in their love. Jay S. Jacobs has written a detailed and passionate portrait of this controversial, kooky, and multifaceted singer. Pretty Good Years is an honest and comprehensive look at this bracingly original performer.
Synopsis
How did a shy and conflicted young daughter of a minister become one of the most important and unique female musical voices for more than a decade? Pretty Good Years is a love story between a woman and a piano - a romance between a musical prodigy and the rabid fan base that she never thought she'd have. It is the story of Tori Amos, a sophisticated singer-songwriter who drew inspiration from her life and turned it into vibrant art. Tori Amos defied conventional logic when her solo debut Little Earthquakes and its single Silent All These Years rocketed out of obscurity to become one of the musical benchmarks of the '90s. Despite never having had a great deal of radio play or a hit single, Amos blew open the doors for intelligent, artistic women songwriters, while making the solo piano acceptable again for popular music. Pretty Good Years takes a look at the ups and downs of a visionary artist, a savvy businesswoman, a smart and slightly kooky personality, a loving mom, and one of the most passionate voices in rock.