i first heard about Tori Amos in the early 90s with the song Cornflake Girl. a friend in Cebu told me about it the first time i dropped by there before going home to Iligan via boat. back then, plane rides were considered a luxury i had to endure 2 nights of travel to Manila where i studied college and home to our province. that semestral break, i exercised pure independence by taking that boat to Cebu before heading home as some sidetrip, tee-hee!
when i went home to Iligan via another overnight boat trip i already had the cassette tape of Under The Pink heavily playing in my borrowed walkman as company.
i then started buying all her tapes/cds even asking for cd singles from friends who went to the US. i even had a VHS copy of Little Earthquakes which i got from a friend who happens to be another toriphile.
***
when i joined a writers workshop in 1998, i met a few friends who were also into Tori. we talked in depth about her and her music, sometimes like screaming giggly fans but most often like pensive admirers. the most significant memory i have of that workshop was when we stayed at the rooftop, smoked and listened enrapt to her songs in a mini cassette player one serene evening. it was pure magic!
***
in the early 2000, i had a shirt printed out with her image. i had it made at Copylandia here in Katipunan. unfortunately, i don't know where that shirt is now. thus i intend to have another one soon.
***
when Neil Gaiman came here for the very first time, i queued up with Jaybee, another Tori fan, for more than 6 hours at Gateway just for his autograph. and yes, it was in a copy of Death the High Cost of Living where Tori wrote the intro. Full story of that embarrassing moment here.
***
about two years ago, i found this site, hereinmyhead.com, which has all the downloadable mp3s of her live performances, acoustic recordings, remix versions etc that i could get my hands on. i must have spent the entire night and day downloading and listening to them in full volume as if she had her concert in the four corners of my room.
i remember refusing a date with T that time because i was so overwhelmed with my newfound loot. i chose to stay home and listen to the downloads instead of going out with him. :p
***
just this summer, i asked my sister to get me a copy of A Comic Book Tattoo when she came home from New York. and yes, she brought me one albeit incessant whines that the "book" was too big and too heavy she had to have it shipped along with her other stuff in a balikbayan box.
another friend also came home last week of May just in time for the release of the latest Abnormally Attracted to Sin album last May 18. so yes, i got them all. ;)
***
one fine day of surfing around pinoyexchange, i chanced on a post which invited toriphiles in the Philippines to sign up to a yahoogroup and eventually attend occasional meet ups! thus on that fateful day of August 21, i met more fans in the packed Conspiracy Bar in Visayas Ave. it was a pre-birthday gig of Tori who celebrates her day every 22nd of August. i heard they have been doing this for about 5 years yet i've only heard about it now, eek!
guest performers were Isha Abubakar, Kate Torralba, Angel Aquino (who read some poems), a band called Matilda, college schoolmate Khavn de la Cruz, Tao Aves, Divine, Aba Dalena, the gorgeous Wawi Navarossa and Nerissa Guevarra who did an interpretative dance.
i have to specially say how amazed i was of Kate Torralba's performance and passion to play Tori's songs on the piano. i am actually considering of getting her own album soon.
it was quite an unforgettable night. i had goosebumps all over hearing these performers sing her songs with utter reverence. but it was more heartwarming being in a roomful of people who knew her songs by heart too.
and i'm more glad to say i've found another friend In Alden, the group's/show's captain hehe...and Siege who took the beautiful photos that night, and paid for my drink and the table charge (i think) haha! merci, friends!
***
i will forever be a toriphile. i used to have so many dreams of seeing her in my travels, like bumping on her in the airports or at a quaint cafe or some cd signing session, wherever. and i still look forward to seeing her perform live, how about starting tha petition, Alden! lol!
when i went home to Iligan via another overnight boat trip i already had the cassette tape of Under The Pink heavily playing in my borrowed walkman as company.
i then started buying all her tapes/cds even asking for cd singles from friends who went to the US. i even had a VHS copy of Little Earthquakes which i got from a friend who happens to be another toriphile.
***
when i joined a writers workshop in 1998, i met a few friends who were also into Tori. we talked in depth about her and her music, sometimes like screaming giggly fans but most often like pensive admirers. the most significant memory i have of that workshop was when we stayed at the rooftop, smoked and listened enrapt to her songs in a mini cassette player one serene evening. it was pure magic!
***
in the early 2000, i had a shirt printed out with her image. i had it made at Copylandia here in Katipunan. unfortunately, i don't know where that shirt is now. thus i intend to have another one soon.
***
when Neil Gaiman came here for the very first time, i queued up with Jaybee, another Tori fan, for more than 6 hours at Gateway just for his autograph. and yes, it was in a copy of Death the High Cost of Living where Tori wrote the intro. Full story of that embarrassing moment here.
***
about two years ago, i found this site, hereinmyhead.com, which has all the downloadable mp3s of her live performances, acoustic recordings, remix versions etc that i could get my hands on. i must have spent the entire night and day downloading and listening to them in full volume as if she had her concert in the four corners of my room.
i remember refusing a date with T that time because i was so overwhelmed with my newfound loot. i chose to stay home and listen to the downloads instead of going out with him. :p
***
just this summer, i asked my sister to get me a copy of A Comic Book Tattoo when she came home from New York. and yes, she brought me one albeit incessant whines that the "book" was too big and too heavy she had to have it shipped along with her other stuff in a balikbayan box.
another friend also came home last week of May just in time for the release of the latest Abnormally Attracted to Sin album last May 18. so yes, i got them all. ;)
***
one fine day of surfing around pinoyexchange, i chanced on a post which invited toriphiles in the Philippines to sign up to a yahoogroup and eventually attend occasional meet ups! thus on that fateful day of August 21, i met more fans in the packed Conspiracy Bar in Visayas Ave. it was a pre-birthday gig of Tori who celebrates her day every 22nd of August. i heard they have been doing this for about 5 years yet i've only heard about it now, eek!
guest performers were Isha Abubakar, Kate Torralba, Angel Aquino (who read some poems), a band called Matilda, college schoolmate Khavn de la Cruz, Tao Aves, Divine, Aba Dalena, the gorgeous Wawi Navarossa and Nerissa Guevarra who did an interpretative dance.
i have to specially say how amazed i was of Kate Torralba's performance and passion to play Tori's songs on the piano. i am actually considering of getting her own album soon.
it was quite an unforgettable night. i had goosebumps all over hearing these performers sing her songs with utter reverence. but it was more heartwarming being in a roomful of people who knew her songs by heart too.
and i'm more glad to say i've found another friend In Alden, the group's/show's captain hehe...and Siege who took the beautiful photos that night, and paid for my drink and the table charge (i think) haha! merci, friends!
***i will forever be a toriphile. i used to have so many dreams of seeing her in my travels, like bumping on her in the airports or at a quaint cafe or some cd signing session, wherever. and i still look forward to seeing her perform live, how about starting tha petition, Alden! lol!
