News: The New York Times Originals (May 18, 2008)

Joe Vallese was the first to alert us to a somewhat unexpected Tori sighting in the May 18th edition of the the New York Times Sunday Magazine: this striking photograph of Tori by Robert Maxwell which appears to be the latest in his series of photographs for The Times entitled “The Originals”. (Other photographs in this series can be viewed in The Originals gallery in his website.)

The photograph is accompanied by a brief write-up by Alex Hagwood about music being Tori’s gateway to travel — after all, this was the Summer Travel issue of the magazine!

Note that Maxwell has photographed Tori before — you can see one of those portraits in the Women gallery on this website.

Tori Amos | Songbird

For the musician Tori Amos, the best way to travel is to step onstage. ‘‘Performing is like taking a magic carpet ride,’’ she says. Her songs cover a wide range of subjects, from sexuality to religion to designer accessories. (Sample lyric: ‘‘Somewhere in the hills of Ireland, there’s a Prada bag.’’) ‘‘Comic Book Tattoo,’’ an anthology of graphic art inspired by her songs, is due out in July. The book follows last year’s ‘‘Legs and Boots,’’ a series of live ‘‘bootlegs’’ sold through her Web site, and her American Doll Posse World Tour; ever the provocateur, she invited Pope Benedict XVI to her show in Rome. (He never R.S.V.P.’ed.) Despite his absence, Amos still managed to feel a higher power. Of giving a concert, she says: ‘‘It’s a legal way to get ecstasy. But there is less of a hangover if you go my way.’’ ALEX HAWGOOD

Thanks also to booker and Fabz for the heads-up!