Billy Corgan: If you say in an interview that you feel misunderstood, people kinda throw their hands up in the air and say, “Jesus Christ, what does that fucking mean?”
Tori Amos: Absolutely, and don’t think that I haven’t done that, because I have.
Corgan: To pretend it's not propaganda is a mistake.
Amos: Maybe?
Corgan: [makes heavenly sound] I don’t know.
•••
Amos: I’m talking your ear off right now, but most of the time I’m not talking. You need to be prepared.
Corgan: That journey alone is probably worth another book.
Amos: That’s a very different place to be, creatively speaking, than when you’re on a cycle of putting out records, particularly when you’re in the pop music hamster wheel and you’re trapped in the album/touring cycle.
Corgan: It's quintessentially American. Yeah. It was mythical for me—all shadows and reflections. It took me a long time to realize those are false enticements.
Amos: They’re activating something. The results aren’t always good. [laughs]
•••
Corgan: Then they step into these minefields, and like a good political campaign, they cover it up or Photoshop the pictures.
Amos: I understand that impulse. It’s variations on a theme, at least for me.
Corgan: Sure. These transitional phases are really fascinating. In the moment, you're not going to get that satisfaction.
Amos: I get that. You look everywhere—look to nature, look at art, look outside yourself.
Corgan: Suddenly there was more space—more things to play, more things to hear.