In order for music to resonate with me, it has to speak to the sensibilities of my inner teen girl…it’s Britney, Bitch. Back in 1992, Tori Amos released her Little Earthquakes album and it shook my inner Britney to her core. Before this time, my musical taste was very light and pop oriented (and still is) but Tori appealed to a darker and more angst-ridden side of myself. Tori sang about ending self-victimization and finding one’s voice, which is exactly what Britney needed to hear.
Tori’s book “Resistance” inspires fans to use art to speak their truths and rebel against anyone or anything holding them back, including their self-doubts. Tori uses her song lyrics to give her Muse’s a voice while writing about world history and her own.
“Resistance” begins at the start of Tori’s career, where at the age of thirteen, her reverend father got her a gig singing and playing piano at a gay bar in Washington D.C. According to Tori, her father knew it was the safest place for a teenage girl to work. The amusing start turns dark once world affairs like wars, hostage situations and 9/11 are recounted by Tori. “Resistance” shines a light on topics Tori deems important while celebrating her Muses.
I like light reading before bed, but after the detailed female genital mutilation chapter, I realized “Resistance” wasn’t the ideal bedtime story. Once again Britney was shook and hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in days. “Resistance” educates and wants to make a difference. It’s most successful when Tori’s tells stories of her mother’s stroke and heart-wrenching death. In my gay opinion, “Resistance” is at it’s best when it gives hope through struggles and loss.
Like Tori’s music, her writing is very personal but ethereal. It leaves her audience to figure out what her message is for themselves.
