News: New York Magazine Article (October 23, 2006)

Having trouble telling the difference between Amy Lee, Amos Lee, Tori Amos, and Famous Amos? Never fear … New York Magazine helps you out. Thanks to Toni for pointing this out to us.

Clarification: Spiritual Screamer or Bite-Size Cookies?
by Lori Fradkin

Amy Lee

Amy Lee, the twentysomething, piano-playing vocalist for Evanescence, released her band’s new album, The Open Door, earlier this month. The first single, “Call Me When You’re Sober,” is a leave-me-alone song that has spurred critics to speculate which of Lee’s exes—former bandmate Ben Moody, Seether’s Shaun Morgan—might have inspired the bitter lyrics. Previous Evanescence hits “My Immortal” and “Bring Me to Life” were featured on the soundtrack to the 2003 Ben Affleck movie Daredevil, which is ironic given that they were, in part, about Jesus. But Lee has fought against being identified with Christian rock, unlike Grammy winner Amy (middle name: Lee) Grant, who is a member of the Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame.

Amos Lee

Amos Lee, a twentysomething guitar-playing singer-songwriter, released his new album, Supply and Demand, earlier this month. The single “Shout Out Loud” is a let’s-get-together song that should not to be confused with either “Shout It Out Loud” by Kiss or the Stockholm-based indie-rock band Shout Out Louds. “Arms of a Woman” from Lee’s self-titled debut is probably best known for its association with The Last Kiss, which is ironic given that it is only on the soundtrack and not actually in the Zach Braff movie. Amos, a former schoolteacher from Pennsylvania, has toured with Bob Dylan and Norah Jones, unlike Amyas Leigh, the knight who traveled with Sir Francis Drake in Charles Kingsley’s nineteenth-century novel Westward Ho!

Tori Amos

Tori Amos, a fortysomething piano-playing singer-songwriter, released her retrospective boxed set, A Piano: The Collection, late last month. The Grammy-nominated alt-rock artist first gained recognition in the nineties with her debut, Little Earthquakes, which is not to be confused with Jennifer Weiner’s chick-lit novel of the same name. In 1995, she covered R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” for the Omar Epps movie Higher Learning, which is ironic given that, ten years later, she included a gospel choir on her album The Beekeeper. Though Amos has been called a gay icon and she named an early EP Crucify, she should not be mistaken for Madonna, who is also considered a gay icon and whose recent tour featured staged crucifixions.

Famous Amos

Famous Amos, a thirtysomething cookie company, released peanut-butter, chocolate-crème-sandwich, and vanilla-crème-sandwich varieties earlier this year. Other famous Amoses include the prophet Amos, Israeli writer Amos Oz, and basketball and college-football Hall of Famer Amos Alonzo Stagg, but it was a Wally Amos who started the brand (now owned by Kellogg’s) in 1975. He gained recognition for the bite-size cookies, which is ironic given that he worked previously at the talent agency William Morris. Amos went on to write such inspirational titles as The Cookie Never Crumbles and Watermelon Magic, but he should not be confused with the southern Christian-rock band Amos, which put out the album Faith Knows No Fear in May.