Tori Amos

I told myself I wouldn’t save Pip for last. She makes me the uneasiest so far… but also the most relieved. So I guess that’s (one of) Tori’s point through all this. Discomfort is a small price to pay for liberation.

Pip is described as dark energy; and dark energy can be found in everything from “religious extremists to cheerleaders.” I totally grant that; and I’m a Scorpio, so I have a dark side built in…but mine is more of a mysterious-ness (if that’s even a word), rather than a literal dark, evil side. Then I suppose if I’m really honest…reeeeally honest…I suppose we all have something dark and evil way down, deep inside. And the societies we live in actively repress it. And that’s “for the best” because we need a sense of right and wrong, baselines to live by kind of a thing.

But then I think what happens is we forget that it is acceptable, even necessary, to let some of that out somehow. There has to be some kind of an outlet. For women (for me) the outlet is (was) typically sexual. What better to pair with inappropriate darkness than with inappropriate feminine sexuality? But that only goes so far…there is a point where it’s not effective anymore, and/or it’s a delicate balance to begin with. One must take great care not to lose one’s self in the process…

Pip’s songs speak about this, especially Teenage Hustling and of course, Fat Slut: “Don’t you dare, I said, judge me… I’m sick-a hearin’ it”
Her other songs: Body and Soul, Velvet Revolution and Smokey Joe are of another breed of darkness. Body and Soul, and even Velvet Revolution to an extent, is the mixture of religion and sexuality that Tori is so fond of. Smokey Joe is another one that I immediately was drawn to. With the layered lyrics that Tori does so well, and that dissonant sort of haunting sound…

Here is Pip singing a G8 improv before Fat Slut at Philipshalle in Dusseldorf (June 6, 2007).
Lyrics: (tho, this clip actually begins ½ way through the second line)

G8 Fuckers
G8 can you penetrate this gluttony
from every pore
from every man
who is now whore
who whores this land
who rapes my mother
G8 you cocksuckers

I especially enjoy her message here, but the way she sings this is so incredibly potent. We should all have an ounce of that potency and the world might be a very different place…

Here is a link to Pip’s blog. It also seems to be updated with candidness, but again (disclaimer forthcoming:) I have no idea if it’s actually Tori/Pip posting the updates. The fact that all the dolls’ blogs are at different sites makes me think that it’s not actually Tori… but I’ve been wrong once before.

Tori Amos, American Doll Posse, G8, Pip, darkness