Synopses & Reviews
An intimate, eye-opening look inside the life of one of the most unique and adored performers of contemporary rock music
From her critically acclaimed 1992 debut, Little Earthquakes, to the recent hit, Scarlet's Walk, Tori Amos has been a formidable force in contemporary music, with one of the most dedicated fan bases in the industry. In Tori Amos: Piece by Piece, the singer herself takes readers beyond the mere facts, explaining the specifics of her creative process--how her songs go from ideas and melodies to recordings and passionately performed concert pieces.
Written with acclaimed music journalist Ann Powers, Tori Amos: Piece by Piece is a firsthand account of the most intricate and intimate details of Amos's life as both a private individual and a very public performing musician. In passionate and informative prose, Amos explains how her songs come to her and how she records and then performs them for audiences everywhere, all the while connecting with listeners across the world and maintaining her own family life (which includes raising a young daughter). But it is also much more, a verbal collage made by two strong female voices--and the voices of those closest to Amos--that calls upon genealogy, myth, and folklore to express Amos's unique and fascinating personal history. In short, we see the pieces that make up--as Amos herself puts it--the woman we call Tori.
With photos taken especially for this book by the photographer Loren Haynes, Tori Amos: Piece by Piece is a rare treat for both Tori listeners and newcomers alike, a look into the heart and mind of an extraordinary musician. Now, backstage at an undisclosed arena where the sweat of athletes is still perfuming my makeshift dressing room, my many conversations with Ann Powers have begun . . .
You come from the journalist side. I come from the artist side. It can become offensive. I'm sure from your side as well as from mine.
Well, it's true everyone expects us to be enemies. And in some ways we are. My job is interpretation. Yours is art, which often benefits from mystery . . .
Ann and I decided to strip our roles back to basics. We are both women born feminists in the 1960s. We are both married. We are both mothers. We are both in the music industry. Traditionally we are enemies. But for this project to be effective, I had to allow Ann to expose Tori Amos. And Tori Amos's inner circle. And me.
- from the Introduction
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Synopsis
With over 12 million albums sold worldwide, Tori Amos has become a source of solace for men and women everywhere. Tori's book will take readers beyond the mere facts, traveling backstage and into the studio. She explains the specifics of her creative process how her songs go from melodies and ideas to recordings and passionately performed concert pieces. The book is co-written by Ann Powers, one of the most influential female voices in contemporary music criticism, and includes photos taken especially for the book by acclaimed photographer Loren Haynes.
Synopsis
An intimate, eye-opening look inside the life of one of the most unique and adored performers of contemporary rock music.
From her critically acclaimed 1992 debut Little Earthquakes to the recent smash Scarlet's Walk, Tori Amos has been a formidable force in contemporary music, with one of the most dedicated fan bases around. In Tori Amos: Piece by Piece, the singer herself takes readers beyond the mere facts, explaining the specifics of her creative process how her songs go from ideas and melodies to recordings and passionately performed concert pieces. Written with acclaimed music journalist Ann Powers, Tori Amos: Piece by Piece is a firsthand account of the most intricate and intimate details of Amos's life as both a private individual and a very public performing musician. In passionate and informative prose, Amos explains how her songs come to her and how she records and then performs them for audiences everywhere, all the while connecting with listeners all over the world and maintaining her own family life (which includes raising a young daughter). But it is also about how Amos uses her music as a medium to express her unique and fascinating personal history; in short, we see the pieces that make up as Amos puts it "the woman we call Tori."
With photos taken especially for this book by the acclaimed photographer Loren Haynes, Tori Amos: Piece by Piece is a rare treat for both fans and non-fans alike, an inside look at what it's really like being one of the figureheads of contemporary female music.
About the Author
Tori Amos is foremost among the artists who have redefined the role of women in music in the last decade. Her piano-based music revived that instrument in rock and roll, and her complex yet accessible songs have pushed the parameters of songwriting. Since the double-platinum success of her solo debut,
Little Earthquakes, in 1992, Amos's albums and tours have reached millions of listeners worldwide. She is the co-founder of the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN). Her latest recording is
The Beekeeper.
Ann Powers has been writing about popular music and society since the early 1980s. She is the author of Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America and co-editor of Rock She Wrote: Women Write About Rock, Pop, and Rap. She was a pop critic for the New York Times from 1997 until 2001 and an editor for the Village Voice from 1993 until 1996. She has written for most music publications and her work has been widely anthologized. She is currently a curator at the Experience Music Project, an interactive music museum in Seattle, Washington.