Between work stuff, my endless book edits and other (admittedly enjoyable) life distractions, I've been getting way behind on my ShockHound updates. Here are two of the more stimulating interviews I've done in recent months, both of which ran on the site last week — my SXSW sit-down with four-fifths of DEVO, and a chat I had last month with Tori Amos.
The DEVO i'view thankfully omits one of the more mortifying faux pas moments of my adult life, when I told the legendary band that I was going to see the NY Dolls play that night instead of them, while the Tori piece sadly omits one of the nicest compliments that anybody (much less an interview subject) has ever paid me: At one point, much to the amusement of my colleagues, she actually said, "Dan, you remind me of a mixture of all these great bands from the '70s." (Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear...)
I have to say that, though I am not exactly what you'd call a card-carrying fan of Ms. Amos's music, I am impressed by the way she's totally stuck to her guns and followed her inner truth over 20 years in the music biz — not an easy thing to do, to say the least. I know a lot of people think she's nuts (and she may be, a little), but I came away from our fairly intense conversation with a deep respect for her genuineness, her intellect and her earthy sense of humor. And people, let's not kid around here — skinny redheads don't generally do it for me, but I gotta admit the lady was lookin' GOOOOD, y'all...
I listened to more Tori Amos back in the early '90s than I'm comfortable admitting today, but I think the qualities you describe are what drew me to her in the first place. And what a great compliment she paid you! Ha.
Posted by: Will E. | July 17, 2009 at 07:54 AM