MikeMatronik said:

aiiiight here's the blog entry I did on Taxi Ride last December when I did my 50 favorite songs of the decade so far (it ranked #1). Just cuz I love it and want to gush.

I love gushing about music I dig


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Tori Amos completed “Taxi Ride” after the death of her close friend, the famed photographer, make-up artist and gay activist Kevyn Aucoin. Kevyn did the make-up for the multiple photographs and album covers for Tori’s 2001 album “Strange Little Girls” – 3 of which are framed and hanging in my living room. In October 2001 Kevyn was diagnosed with a rare pituitary tumor, to which he ultimately succumbed after a long painful battle on May 7, 2002 at only 40 years old. Tori said the following after Kevyn’s death: "For those like me who loved Kevyn the person, the heart now weeps as if made of water color. Earth has lost yet another light, but perhaps, he has joined the masters who paint our sunsets."

“Taxi Ride” is a song first and foremost about betrayal. Betrayal by those who were your friends, but that weren’t there when needed the most. Said Tori of “Taxi Ride” to Out Magazine in November, 2002: “"The odd thing about Taxi Ride was that this song was being written before he died, and he even heard that line, 'just another dead fag to you.' I was writing it as part of another song about a gay guy who was dying of AIDS. He miraculously recovered, and the song didn't get written. It started propelling itself again early this year, and Kevyn and I were having conversations, and I didn't know what was coming. But I knew he was in a lot of pain, and he felt betrayed by people who weren't there when he was in need. Then everybody who shows up in his death can give a statement, but they weren't there in the trenches. His death brought up a lot of things in people - some lovely and some despicable and disgusting. Taxi is for Kevyn."

To me, “Taxi Ride” conveys feelings of exhaustion and numbness from a long ordeal that is finally over – for those involved, but also for the person who has died. But there is also sorrow and incredible bitterness in the song… as well as relief, celebration and hope for the future. It’s all over, and the ones who were there, as Tori says, “in the trenches”, can finally get together, remember, let it all loose, cry and sleep and get on with their lives. But the anger they feel because of what they watched happen creeps through clearly in the song. “Taxi Ride” touches me deeply because I think at its core its about friendship, and dedication, and what that means in the bad times and not just the good. It’s something that everyone will be tested on at one time or another in their lives, from both sides of the coin - needing, or being needed.

“Taxi Ride” was the 2nd single from Tori's first album for Epic Records after a long and successful run with Atlantic. It did not match the commercial prowess of “A Sorta Fairytale”, but that wasn’t surprising. Any song with the line “Just another dead fag” is not likely to get a great deal of airplay. I fell in love with "Taxi Ride" as soon as I heard it, and it has become my favorite song by an artist that I admire a great deal. “Taxi Ride” is one of those rare songs that can give me chills when I hear it and if my frame of mind is right bring me close to tears; but it also reminds me that there are strong people in my life that I want around me when it matters most.

Beekeeper is just a bad Regina Spektor album!

MikeMatronik said:

REGINA SPECTOR INTERLUDE:

this thread is comedy gold!!

HamsterHuey said:

I've never seen this picture. It's gorgeous. When's it from?

that's an example of Kevyn Aucoin work on Tori.

It was from an essay for magazine (I may be mistaken..). He did Tori, queen of the Scots

MikeMatronik said:

But wasn't Nancy Travis an axe murderer? And Kathy Bates was an axe mamer. And what about that chick at Ted's Coney Island? All women, all guilty, all Paul Bunyan wannabees.

MikeMatronik said:

Nice. How are all of these new to me?

Only the ones in sync with the magic of Scarlet had acess to them!

HamsterHuey said:

i can't believe you left me out of that. i see how it is.

How are all of these new to me?

sallysassalot said:

I do not even know your favourite Tori song!

Fez up!

I started playing me some Tori cuz I wanted some more of her music in my Pure playlist ( http://www.prince.org/msg/8/207312 ), which lists Winter, Putting The Damage On, Do It Again and Space Dog, all songs that jumped up at me while scrolling through Tori's music while compiling Pure.

But now some other songs jump up at me... The Red Baron, for starters. I am now picking a fave version, but as a Dutchie, I love the Dutch intro of the album version, so I will probably go with that.

HamsterHuey said:

i don't even know my favorite tori song.

Here's what I lost alot of sleep on yesterday (besides 'doing' Radiohead too and updating info on the 6 CD boxset I got of The Doors);

I want everything in chronological order and really, really, really like the cover art to adorn my folders. Especially of artists I am completist about...

And if there is no original cover art, then hence Myra Ellen popping up...

HamsterHuey said:

This is impressive. I would never ever have the patience to do that. Kudos to you!

I would never ever have the patience to do that.

i don't even know my favorite tori song.

VoicesCarry said:

I got so much MP3's, if I don't, I would never be able to find anything!

And since I started collecting on the computer, the most fun is making playlists. So then it gets even more important to that you keep everything updated.

I mean, alot of collections I own have multiple entires for one title. Like Little Red Corvette. I could just input the title, but if I wanna play a live version, I gotta be able to distinguish.

So that is partly where my obsessive behaviour comes from. Updating the folders with pics is just crazy but it looks nice, so what the heck.