TORI AMOS - Live from NY 1997 (Warner Music/Atlantic: UK/CA) vhs: 3 80732

This month's feature is American singer-pianist, Tori Amos.
Using this link, you can watch a video file of this song. Using this link, you can purchase this item.

[as pictured above]
guest lead vocals - Maynard Keenan
lead vocals and piano - Tori Amos

"Michael!" some fans screamed as the shaved head of Tori Amos' guest vocalist appeared onstage. A good guess considering that it was well-known that Amos and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe had recorded a (greatly anticipated yet ultimately unreleased) duet in 1995.

When her guest sat down and Amos announced, "This is one of my dearest friends. This is Maynard from Tool." the audience reeled with confusion, shock, anticipation, and joy. Amos' friendships and partnerships with other musicians (Stipe, Reznor, and Vedder) had been widely publicized yet very few knew that Tori and Maynard were even aware of each other (or even who Maynard or Tool were).

The duet went on to juxtapose Maynard's onstage intensity with Amos's twee approach to tough subject matter--the omission of the contribution of women in holy texts.

The two had met six months prior in June 1996 at one of Amos' shows in Los Angeles thanks to the 24-month long efforts of a couple of their friends (Shane Brouse and Rantz Hoseley) who knew of their mutual (professional) admiration. [For a detailed account, click here]

The duet happened at Amos' January 23, 1997 sold-out concert at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York to benefit RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (www.rainn.org), a non-profit organization who offer support and counselling to survivors of sexual assault.

Performing "Muhammed My Friend" was Maynard's choice and the two of them took about an hour before the show to work out the arrangement. "Muhammed My Friend" was written by Tori Amos. The original can be found on Tori Amos - Boys for Pele (1996).

Although the two have not worked together since, they regularly namecheck each other in interviews and fans wondering what Maynard singing lullabyes would sound like were treated to A Perfect Circle in 2000.

Initially, the concert was broadcast on Lifetime (www.lifetimetv.com) though not available in its entirety until the 17-song homevideo, Tori Amos - Live from NY was released January 27, 1998 in Canada, surfacing in the US and other countries later in 1998. It was released on Warner Music / Atlantic. It has been released in NTSC and PAL format VHS. It is still in print and relatively easy to find.

Artists mentioned in this feature: A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and Tool.

Credits: Screen capture and video clip by Rebecca. Source material from Shane Brouse, tdn, CDNow, and the Internet Movie Database.