Tori Amos has had a long and massively successful nearly twenty year career. When asked by The Sun what she thought of current pop stars, she gave the an earful – at least that’s how they’re trying to spin it. They’re making it sound like Tori went off on Lady Gaga, when she essentially just said what most people have said about pop stars for a long time: she’s a novelty act and it’ll pass.
TORI AMOS fears LADY GAGA has a limited shelf life, hinting fans will soon tire of the quirky New Yorker’s novelty pop act.
The Cornflake Girl songstress – who’s been selling out venues since 1991 – struggles to visualise GaGa playing on the same bill as veteran rocker NEIL YOUNG two decades from now.
However, she admits the Poker Face singer’s unique brand of “entertaining” performance art is a welcome antidote to the global economic crisis.
She told The Sun: “She’s what I call a meteor – singers who entertain people for a while. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that.
“But then there are people like Neil Young who show up at Glastonbury 40 years into their career. And that’s a very different kind of artist.
“Neil Young doesn’t have to get his bum out on stage!
“The question is, will Lady GaGa be playing alongside Neil Young at Glastonbury in 20 years time?
“She wants to entertain people. Right now, half the world is depressed and they need to be entertained. So her timing’s perfect.”
[From the Sun]
Tori’s spot on. Sure, there are a few who manage to go on forever: Madonna being the classic example. But think of all the bubblegum pop of the late nineties. Besides Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, who else is still performing? 90 Degrees? Um, the Backstreet Boys? Wasn’t there one even worse than them? Oh! LFO! Yeah, not so much. People always say Madonna stays relevant because she’s always changing it up. While that’s true, she’s not changing it up twice a day. Lady Gaga is overdoing it. And she’s not talentless, but she’s certainly not epic either. Madonna was changing her image every few years. Lady Gaga in a sense is stagnate, because her image is “the singer who’s constantly changing her look and doing wacky things.” And she hasn’t changed that at all.
Speaking of wacky outfits, here’s Tori Amos performing at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on July 17th. Images thanks to WENN.com .
Can we only hope that Tori Amos’ prediction is true.
Sorry but not a fan of The GaGa.
The Sun said Tori “fears” Gaga has a limited shelf life?
For some reason, I doubt that. I think Tori couldn’t give a crap what happens to Gaga.
Tori has way more talent than Lady Gaga could even fathom.
honestly, besides being controversial, madonna really isn’t very talented either. i actually think gaga is more musically inclined than madonna, but i do agree that she is trying too hard. the only thing she can do to change her image is to stop being “eccentric” or “artistic” and be normal. if she started performing in denim and a t-shirt, i’d take notice!
WTF Happened to Tori’s face?
I believe its 98 degrees
sillypeople: As the star burns out, the temperature goes down.
@lola- The same as everyone else: BOTOX, the scourge of humanity
Tory lost me on the part about Gaga being a pick me up from the downer of the world economic crisis.
YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!111
WTF Happened to Tori’s face?
Lola thought the same thing too, she looks totally different around the eyes which I thought were soulfully beautiful.
I’m a big fan of “Little Earthquakes” but “massively successful”?? I think not. The sooner Gaga goes away the better. She said it herself, she just wants to be famous forever and she doesn’t care how.
she looks like the sex party people on TRUE BLOOD when their eyes turn black!
You like fun-dip and cherry coke, I like the way you laugh when I tell a joke.
I used to play that song on repeat because I liked fun dip, and I liked cherry coke. Rich could like ME if I wore Abercrombie and Fitch…..god.
juyst typed a long post that got deleted.
so,short and sweet: Amos is massively successful-she’s an icon almost,and a legend and musical influence to countless female artists.
Boys for Pele,scarlett’s walk-and on and on.
Just like van morrison-who’s touring Astral Weeks Live his masterpiece from 1968-right now.
Not his best selling,but widely regarded in rock and roll industry as one of the most influential of all times. Success is not always records sold or radio time.
Van like neil young could show up at glastonbury 40 yrs later.
To me,these are all true musicians,not entertainers. MJ was one,as well.
And i’m sure they all knew and respected each other’s art,b/c true musicians are up on the genius of all genres.
There are entertainers,and there are musicians. Sometimes they are both,or just one or the other.
like amos said,there’s a place for the entertainer of the moment.
selling out shows for nearly 20 yrs is certainl massively successful.
she has put out album after album,just like van and others.
oh,hear that story about the police who didnt know bob dylan in jersey recently? he was walking around before a show,just taking a walk…
i’ts almost blasphemy to not know someone who has written so many songs for so many…besides his own recordings.
but,hey,massively successful isnt about recognizing someone on the street,nor about being on the radio or mtv,or selling out huge stadiums.
so,yes,i would call tori amos massively successful. she’s influenced countless artists,as has van,neil young,etc. most of whom are copycats and not nearly as unique,soulful and original.IMO
oh man, did the botox monster get her too?
:/
Not to be too celebitchy, haha but it’s “stagnant” not “stagnate” in the above case. Love your blog, but that’s a pet peeve of mine. 🙂
Yeah, say what you will, but Tori can beat the hell out of a piano.
she is even wearing a wig. wtf happend to her?
I like a few of Lady Gaga’s songs, but she annoys the hell out of me with her “LOOK AT ME!” behavior. Really, you don’t need to wear stage costumes and makeup all the time, you look like a bad tranny (which I seriously thought she was at first)!
The wig and get-up in that picture is part of Tori’s stage act, in which she plays different characters.
Tori IS massively successful. I’ve seen her in concert 5 times and each show has been sold out. She’s friggin’ awesome.
Unlike Lady Gaga, who can’t be yesterday’s fad fast enough. Good god, (s)he sucks.
I don’t think it’s so much that Madonna changed her image. I think she just knew how to drum up controversy and publicity. A lá the Sex Book and the Pepsi commercial with a Black Jesus.
It wasn’t so much about the music, as much as it was about the persona and news written about her. How much have her last 2 albums sold?
I just watched some of her videos… still an amazing talent, but she looks HORRID with all that surgery… I’m so disappointed.. I thought she was better than that? 🙁
Preach it Tori. I was sick of Lady what’s-her-face LONG before I actually heard any of her music.
Once again, The Sun sounds like it has put words into somebody else’s mouth with their british-sounding quotes. Did Tori really say, “get her bum out”? I doubt it. They do this crap all the time.
Love Tori, don’t love the metallic leggings though – holy mackerel!
Madonna’s still around because of her marketing abilities – there ain’t any actual talent there (and besides, she looks hilarious in lacey dresses).
Gaga has talent but she loves looking like a drag queen a bit much.
I only have one thing to say to tori:
Y Kant Tori Read…
Remember that Sh*tfest of a Album?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzTNhdO0elM
Lady Gaga can’t disappear soon enough.
I love Tori and I don’t think she’s slamming GaGa at all. She’s just honest about GaGa’s appeal right now. Unlike everyone, I don’t mind GaGa. She’s better than all the brainless sex tarts. Gaga has a strange face/style. And, maybe, she can build on her music? Hopefully, she won’t resort to flaunting her vadge for attention, like 51 yr old Queen muscles and shitney.
Gaga does not have staying power. Just ask Marilyn (sp?) Manson about attention seeking antics versus real musical talent. If you are into over the top behavior, costumes and staging photo ops then you probably won’t be around much longer. Madonna is an anomaly.
neil young’s music is boring, anyway. so what if he’s been around forever, he still sucks. lady gaga has only one good song, but thats one more then neil young.
Botox? Well, yes, but I think we’re also looking at a minor facelift.
Tori who?
I looove Tori, but my god what has she done to herself? If it weren’t for the red hair I’d not have recognized her at all…I hate hate hate when people who don’t need plastic surgery get it and ruin their looks. Sigh.
On topic… I like Lady GaGa for some reason that even I myself can’t explain, I guess the “character” she portrays herself as is somewhat reminiscent of Bowie’s costumed days as Ziggy Stardust, where every second he was in the public eye was a performance- not just while onstage… of course, their musical talents don’t even come close to comparison- I just think GaGa is a bit of fresh air in a stale music environment- she’s doing something different than all the Britneys, Christinas, Pussycat Dolls, etc of the world, at least when it comes to mindless pop fluff. She’s harmless.
I agree with Tori somewhat- I think Lady Gaga will be around a lot longer than she suspects, but I don’t see her carrying on with the character bit forever. The girl does have some talent though, and I wouldn’t yet discount her any possible longevity.
@Yippie : HAHA!! Right on the money! Sex party black eyes! …I love True Blood…
…I pray to god Tori can see into the future because that would be the greatest worldly gift anyone could ever receive…
No more Lady Gaga <3
I loved “Little Earthquakes” but I wouldn’t exactly call Tori’s long-lasting career “massively” successful.
Also: “Lady Gaga in a sense is stagnate, because her image is “the singer who’s constantly changing her look and doing wacky things.” And she hasn’t changed that at all…”
That is SPOT ON!
Horrible brow lift. Way too much!
Wasn’t it 98 Degrees? Not 90 Degrees? But you’ve proven your point strong… no one remembers!!! 😉 LOL!!
tori is massively successful, she is definitely a music icon, but I am not sure about what she said about lady gaga. I think lady gaga could also be very talented in her own right, and she has time to show more of it in the future.
for the record tori is the best solo artist ever, and I have also seen her live many times. she is the most unique artist there is.
I should also say that tori is the most beautiful entertainer in the world, what are people talking about botox plastic surgery, if she did do it she still is beautiful inside and out.
Tori is, and always has been, a pale imitation of more talented artists. Kate Bush, for example, had done everything Tori had years before anyone ever heard of her. Well, except that hideous Y Kant Tori Read record. That thing gives me gas!
I don’t have any real musical opinion on Lady Gaga. As Tori Amos said, she wants to entertain people and that’s what she’s doing. I do, however, agree that her costumes (the ones she wore at the VMAs were *fabulous*, the most wonderfully avant garde stuff I’ve seen in the mainstream ever) would have more impact if she didn’t change every 10 minutes. There’s so much going on with each one, it’s nearly impossible to take in before the next one and what should be exciting ends up being dull. I think it is Tori’s place to comment, especially when she was *asked* by a journalist. It’s part of the job of a public figure to offer a gracious answer to the questions asked of her and Tori Amos is nearly always gracious in her answers. I would agree that her choices of cosmetic procedures (and I did catch a point in an interview this spring when she mentioned having surgery last year) are unfortunate and in combination with her recent musical efforts have come off as rather desperate. Her increasingly shallow demeanor is something I have found deeply disappointing, particularly when comparing and contrasting recent interview transcripts with those from her early career. If her 27 year old self could see her now…
What happened to her???? Her nose???? She had the quirkiest cutest nose way back when…and her lips look skinny. WTF????? Damn, I never thought she’d give in to that crap. Bummer. I also think anybody who is bashing Gaga right now is begrudging…it’s a fickle industry, maybe Gaga doesn’t want to be around in ten years even…who knows? I know I’d get sick of the BS in the industry pretty fast, like Hollywood, no thanks. Tori, stop with the look-tweaking already. We like you b/c you are diff!
Nothing happened, she got plastic surgery to look better, I shave and get my hair cut to look better.
Have you come from the Stone Age? In 20 years such surgery will be common and no one will speak about it.
… and listen to her music.
Lady Gaga is the only one who will save pop music in our generation. Paws up little monsters, we’re all going to support our mama. <3 u Gaga.
Tori Amos and Lady Gaga are not really comparable. Tori is relatively on the folksy milder side, and Gaga David Bowie glamour. She, like Bowie, changes not her real persona on a constant basis, but she changes the Show on a constant basis, in the same way that Ziggy Stardust was a persona, as was the Thin White Duke, etc. I think that despite Gaga’s failings, she could stand to survive a long time this way. Much in the same way that Tori herself has done, with her changes over time.
Reg Pither: agreed x1000 especially in reference to Kate Bush. =)
Excuse me, Tori, how do you know how long Gaga’s going to last? Do you have a crystal ball? The only thing that we know is that Gaga has way more class than Tori since she has NEVER slammed any artists, but in fact DEFENDS and ENCOURAGES other female artists, and is actually happy for the success of her peers such as Adele. Whereas Tori, smh…