Introverted But Willing To Discuss Tori Amos

S2E7 Tori Amos and the Media

We’re doing things a bit differently as we welcome our very first guest for a very special episode, where we’ll attempt to scratch the surface of Tori’s complicated relationship with the media over the past three decades. We’ll explore not only how she’s been represented (and misrepresented) by an often unforgiving and unflattering press, but also the ways in which Tori’s intuition and perceptiveness allowed her to have the upper hand, talking circles around and discomfiting her inquisitors, and making clear that she wouldn’t back down from her ideals or be silenced by patriarchal standards -  way before it was cool or safe or, let’s be frank, not potentially career-ending to do so. Helping us to tackle this red-hot topic is a written and literal voice many of our listeners will be familiar with, both from the at once provocative and positively silly podcast Pot Psychology and his writing in The New York Times, Pitchfork, The Washington Post, Spin, Jezebel, and Gawker, among other publications. He also co-authors Slate’s sex advice column How to Do It. A true raconteur and renaissance man - Rich Juzwiak! Rich's latter day playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vVhDQCQxiS1OHHVMYeHoj?si=181141a1a9cb46be] made with love by Joey, Kristen, and Matt Recent Pitchfork reassessment of Boys for Pele [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/tori-amos-boys-for-pele/] (2025) Q Magazine “Hips. Lips. Tits. Power." [https://www.yessaid.com/int/1994-05_Q.html] (1994) Rolling Stone review of Boys for Pele [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/boys-for-pele-205333/] (1996) Rolling Stone cover story (1998) [https://www.yessaid.com/int/1998-06-25_Rolling_Stone.html] Tori on Roseanne’s talk show (1998) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjC17Mc-gl0&list=RDzjC17Mc-gl0&start_radio=1&t=652s] Tori on Rosie O’Donnell (1999) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CzTTRORo54&list=RD_CzTTRORo54&start_radio=1] Tori on the Daily Show (1999) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIFbX3wQG5o] Tori on The View (1999) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgnTcLfAEZY&list=RDKgnTcLfAEZY&start_radio=1] Rolling Stone Beekeeper review (2004) [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/the-beekeeper-198246/] Stylus review [https://stylusmagazines.com/review_ID_2759.html] THR Full Oscar Songwriters Roundtable featuring Tori Amos, Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Sting (2016) [https://youtu.be/bXfbTkBpWRQ?si=RmP_jrvXkDRuSQpU] Rick Beato interview (2024) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETqm3uys9ek&t=3326s]

S2E6 The 20 Most Underrated Tori Amos Songs

In this episode, we ponder what it means for a Tori Amos song to be “underrated.” Is “underrated” in this context even something definable? Or is it ultimately subjective and personal to the individual listener?  Is a song underrated because Tori rarely or never performs it? Or is it a song that’s been played so many times that we’ve taken it for granted and can no longer hear the genius and the grit that went into its creation? Or perhaps it lives on a latter-day Tori record that’s less celebrated, less heard by the general public?  In the spirit of our wildly successful – and a touch controversial – Best of Tori Amos episode, we bring to you The 20 Most Underrated Tori Songs. We repeated our very scientific method of each crafting individual lists of what we believe to be Tori’s most underrated tracks – from proper albums only; no bsides, no soundtracks, no covers, no seasonal music - tallying each song’s respective points and then ranking the ranking them in ascending order.  The result is a playlist that spans many - but not all - of Tori’s records, chock full of gags, goops, gogs, and go-figures. Given how underrated we likely all agree Tori is in the broader history of contemporary music, this very episode may be the definition of a fool’s errand. Regardless, in the spirit of the woman we call Tori once calling herself an “ant fucker,” we are Introverted but willing to discuss Tori Amos’ most underrated songs. Playlists: * 20 Most Underrated Songs [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/50zrTLc2ynnzNq23YTC69D?si=b217ae1f8be942d9]  * JV [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QkuC9UY76r1rssqmTwmIy?si=de100162367941ff] * KK [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4udS3TbBr4vvq7OFXEN9AV?si=828433f3cfd34d01] * MM [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/23lZjn5IEjcXwwGuznRRN2?si=c2a004d47d974747]

S2E5 The Tori Amos Effect: It's Giving "Tori"

We are Introverted but Willing to Discuss Tori Amos, as always, but on this episode, we’re gonna need some thoughts and prayers because we’re going to talk about something else… sorta. No, we’re not giving a Father Lucifer bridge-style middle finger to our audience. We are instead going to share our playlists of music by other artists that remind us of our favorite Tori Amos music.Let’s face it: being a Tori fan isn’t always glamorous and cool. Sometimes we are judged. Sometimes we are called obsessive. Sometimes “people” don’t like us playing our girl on a speaker. But hey as Tori has famously said “I’m anchovies, if I were potato chips I could go a lot further.” Has anyone ever made fun of you for listening to Tori Amos? Not let you play your fave tune in a car on a road trip? We’ve made bulletproof playlists that you can use in those awkward moments when you can’t put your Tori on, but you need to get your Tori fix. We like to call it “Tori, Not Tori”.  Let's talk about maybe some of our other favorite music … that reminds us of our real favorite music. * ⁠JV⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6qVNEFIam96nXj2ZCpPi7N?si=84c15eba3d1c4022] * ⁠KK⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PmztVknoTUbvJ597oxtj2?si=234cf8f4dc154428] * ⁠MM⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3nHpJ4gwbdl4UaJQDw8dee?si=ae89b7777d874775]

S2E4 The Tori Amos Country Album

Greetings to the cowboys, the snakes, and the kin among us. Tonight we have a real southern tale to tell. Somewhere out past the cat’s whiskers and royal palm, where the air hangs heavy with history, there’s a sound—low, humming, ancient. Maybe it’s a siren calling from a forgotten Southern shore, or the echo of Datura blooming under an October moon. Or maybe—just maybe—it’s the land calling back.Tonight, we’re following that sound through Tori Amos’ most Southern-infused songs—the ones laced with heat, history, and a little bit of blood memory.Now, let’s put our alligator boots in the dirt. Yes, Tori was born in North Carolina, but she grew up in Maryland—Southern enough if you’re feeling generous, but let’s be honest, it’s not exactly Dixie. Still, this lizard woman knows the South. The places where time bends a little differently. Her Cherokee blood runs deep, and her family’s history is carved into the land like a story waiting to be sung. And yes, the song lines, they do indeed sing.Whether she’s summoning the turquoise serpents, calling out to the Merman in a rising tide, we’re mapping out a Tori playlist where the South isn’t just a place—it’s a feeling. And if we get lost along the way, well… we’ll just drive all night until we find our way back.So let’s go to her Southern land of gold. Just go. Tonight we are Introverted but willing to mess with a southern girl.Playlists:JV [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5F84NXq5YgYHdHHxQohQ7b?si=abc28d81445f4a95]KK [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0UZWfFr4M1O5QlwUjRWcho?si=5566d8eb1ca1460b]MM [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Jp8VOA9QabLmLeeCRMGky?pi=a7tgSFGmQEO6m]

S2E3 Tori Amos' Silliest Songs

Known for her dramatic intensity and often-dark, broodingly romantic compositions, Tori Amos has perhaps unfairly gotten a reputation for being very, very serious. To be fair, sometimes she is (and we love it!). However, contrary to popular belief, when you take a closer look, Tori also has an extremely funny side. Her particular tongue-in-cheek brand of wit often translates directly into key songs that provide moments of oppositional levity and sweet relief amidst some of her most emotionally-searing sonic landscapes. Tori Amos’ “Silly Songs” have always been a part of the fabric of her musical worlds and are well-documented, but they were officially named in 1996 with the release of several b-sides that directly contradicted the more bleak album tracks from the legendary Boys For Pele. Songs like “Graveyard”, “Toodles Mr. Jim”, and “That’s What I Like Mick (The Sandwich Song”) gave listeners a warm, welcomed glimpse of Tori’s slightly left of center sense of humor, while still fully highlighting her musical chops. Whether she’s almost running over an angel, smacking down George Bush Jr with a sassy “who’s your daddy?” or chatting up God to confess her foodie sins, it is important to remember Tori is not afraid to be a ‘lil silly (as beautifully evidenced in her most recent release: the whimsical new music for her New York Time best-selling children’s book Tori and the Muses). So keep your hoochie, program your sodas and join Kristen, Matt and Joey in the Faerie Workshop to explore the magical, playful world of Tori Amos’ Silly Songs, where laughter and joy are an inevitability, and where a wide variety of artisanal baked goods are essential to the narrative. MM playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5YkSjiVGg2bWkRtwtsPwNy?si=872d3e29436d450e]KK playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4fvOwDKc39bpqvLyLWQCaQ?si=745cbc9bc74c40ca] JV playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5gBBjrCt56l8HZjPQNsU1P?si=c983f1e37dd04dfc]