Interview # 13:
Jenni! (Koalapupu)
For my 13th interview, I invited Jenni to tell us more about her and ToriForum. There must have been an ugly gremlin playing in MSN because, despite the one time zone that separates us, some replies took a long time to arrive! Even after we had almost forgotten about them! Yet we managed to have a nice interview (after we boycotted MSN to the benefit of AIM). Nice sun for a nice interview. Let's listen to her...
Redcloud :
Hi Jenni!
How are you?
Jenni :
I'm doing pretty good, thanks. Oh man, I already started with the boring answers
Redcloud :
LOL! Do you want to have a drink?
Jenni :
Oh yes please! I haven't had enough of water today. Way hot outside.
Redcloud :
Here's for you: *glass of water*
What temperatures do you have in Finland?
Jenni :
Oooh thanks! I feel much better now... I think to summarize, we can go anywhere between minus 35 celcius to plus 35. In the summer we usually stay around 20 degrees, give or take a few.
Redcloud :
Ok. So how did you stumble upon TF?
Jenni :
I think it was during my first visit in the US. This must've been erm... 2003? Yes, I think so. I was very, very bored one day and I googled for "tori amos interpretations" or something like that, because I wanted to see what other people thought of her songs and their meanings. and the first hit in Google was TF! I went to the interpretation section, commented something on English Lad, I think, and was hooked ever since.
Redcloud :
Northern Lad you mean?
Jenni :
hahahah yes!!
Redcloud :
lol
Jenni :
erm. I am a true Tori-fan, honestly! I've been having some trouble with names recently. I just told someone that I really like some poem by c.c. cummings...
Redcloud :
That's ok! Did you browse other forums that one day?
Jenni :
That same day I only visited the official Tori Amos site, and frankly I fled. The people there were unbelievably mean to each other! The mod had to lock pretty much every thread because two members were fighting in every thread. They had apparently met in real life, taken some naked pics of each other, and once they got into a fight the pics were released on the internet... Needless to say, I never went back. I just felt bad because that's the official site, and the fans were behaving like that...
Redcloud :
didn't they ban either member?
Jenni :
No. That's kinda weird, huh? I think they threatened to ban them if they didn't behave. But it seemed like the person moderating the place didn't want to do anything about it in the end. I remember other members were asking her to ban them. I didn't stay to find out what happened.
Redcloud :
It got real ugly!
So what appealed to you at first when you saw TF?
Jenni :
Hmmmm! I think it really was the interpretation section that appealed to me. I liked it how people would tell how they truly felt and not just say what Tori had told herself about the songs. I was more interested in how the songs touched people personally. I think that was the place where I posted the most in the beginning--I found it a bit harder to jump on the Lounge-wagon in the beginning.
Redcloud :
When was it?
Jenni :
Sometime in July 2003 I think.
Redcloud :
ok, so your two-year anniversary must not be far away!
Jenni :
Well, if I registered in July.... I think it's past now
Redcloud :
Yes but not long past!
Jenni :
I can't tell, because the new board somehow messed my dates, and it says that I registered in 2001 or something like that, heh. But it's ok
Redcloud :
lol!
Jenni :
ahh, I see your point. that is true! proud member of 2 years!
Redcloud :
After how long did you start coming to the Lounge?
Jenni :
I really can't remember that... I guess I started slowly coming in, probably posting in the Whatever-thread, which if I remember right, was pretty new around that time.
I remember that Mary approached me with a Damien Rice-question, and that's how I started to get to know people there personally, too.
Redcloud :
And who else did you feel closer to at first?
(your profile says you registered in Oct 2002)
Jenni :
Hmm! It's been such a long time! I formed a fairly close bond with some members who are not there anymore. But I still keep in touch with them, so that's ok I remember PMing a lot with Veela/Jessica and nowadays we write emails.
I think Sabsy was also one of the very first ones. Or maybe my mind is playing tricks on me! It's hard to remember what I did last week, let alone two years ago. Also among the people with whom I exchanged more than a couple of PMs in the beginning was Matze.
Redcloud:
What were your first topics with the friends you mentioned?
Jenni:
First topics? Hmm. Like in PMs or on the board?
Redcloud:
Either one
Jenni:
Ahh. Well, with Veela we started PMing about movies--turned out in one of the threads that we were both fans of Christopher Guest movies. So well, we did that on the board too--talked about movies
Redcloud: and with the others?
Jenni:
With the others, I think I just went in some general discussions where people were having crazy fun. There probably were no particular topics, or at least I can't remember anything right now.
Redcloud:
OK
Jenni:
I think with everyone it sort of went from finding something in common and having fun, and then just getting to know each other from then on
Redcloud: Did you feel part of the forum fast?
Jenni:
(I'm so sorry, my memory is indeed terrible! And I hope I'm not offending someone by leaving them off my list!)
Redcloud:
I'm sure they'll understand, being interviewed is no easy.
Jenni:
Yeah I think I felt really quickly a part of the forum, more most days than others. I felt like that was a place where I wanted to be, even when I didn't know everyone or thought that no one wanted to get to know me, hahaha
Redcloud:
Do you remember specific threads from this time?
Jenni:
Oh my, when I read your old interviews I thought to myself "This is the thread I have to mention" and now I forgot what it was! I remember the movie-quote thread, where we had a lot of fun.
Redcloud:
lol. Other memories?
Jenni:
There was some old thread where everyone was sharing really serious thoughts about something... but I seriously can't remember it right now.
Redcloud:
Was it in the Lounge?
Jenni:
Yeah it was. I remember a Whatever thread which was later dedicated to Orfeo--I was pretty quick to get on the secret of that one, hehehe.
Oh yes, one of the old ones was something about "who do you love". that one turned out pretty interesting. Yeah, the love thread turned into this debate of what is love and what our conceptions of love are... pretty interesting.
Redcloud:
It sounds interesting, yeah.
And then, later, what made you stay in TF?
Jenni:
I think these days it's mostly the people. I know who go there, and therefore I know where to find them. I know I can go and hang out there with them. It's always interesting to hear what's going on with everyone. And of course it's fun to be excited about new Tori-stuff and gigs together!
Redcloud:
Are there special events you remember and want to tell us about?
Jenni:
I think everyone has mentioned all the baby-news... those have been pretty special events! All the other events get kinda mixed up because I'm somehow in contact with the most of the people outside the forum, too. So i'm not sure which events are mentioned in the forum, which somewhere else, hahaha. Like I could say now "Oh man, I remember that time when Pascal was apartment hunting and kept us updat---wait that was in IMs"
Redcloud: LOL!
Today, what members who you haven't PM'd with or talked via AIM would you like to know better?
Jenni:
Tough one, tough one. I'd probably like to get to know, among other people, Carly better.
I also wish i had more time to hang out in the forum these days. I'd like to get to know the newcomers as well.
Redcloud:
Like Chelsea (Hilde)?
Jenni: And well, of course others who i see and talk to in the forum occasionally :-) they're all a very nice bunch.
Redcloud:
Yes indeed!
Jenni:
Oh yeah, like her! I see her around a lot and I think that's great that there are new faces who keep on coming and like the place
Redcloud:
I think newcomers must register quite regularly because I think us old members don't bother doing threads we have already done or seen, whereas they can do post them and yet we always have new things to say.
Jenni:
I also saw someone called "teakeeper" join. That's a fun name
Redcloud:
Yeah lol
Jenni:
Yeah, that is true. They find them very new. Someone should go and resurrect a bunch of fun old threads for the ones who haven't seen them yet
Redcloud:
That's a call to old-timers!!!
Jenni:
Hahaha! True. It's like in Pokemon: I challenge you to find the old questionnaire threads of this and that kind!
Redcloud:
Plus it would revive the forum quite a bit!
Jenni:
Maybe.
Redcloud:
Are there special general chats you remember?
Jenni:
I can't really say I would remember special general chats. Also speaking of chats, I've taken part in our chats maybe twice. It's been fun, but very random ;-)
There's always been some slow slumps in the forum throughout the time i've been there, but it seems natural... then at other times it picks up crazily
Redcloud:
It would be interesting theorizing all the underlying reasons to all this!
Jenni:
Hehehe. Underlying reason for most is probably the situation in life we're at: lots of us are either at the end of our studies right now, so very busy, or working, or on a summer holiday--somewhere out of internet's reach.
Redcloud:
For the summer, ok, but there is low activity in the middle of the year too
Jenni: I guess so. I think the place was happening when Beekeeper came out--so Tori's activities do affect us as well. Without her, we're like drones in the beehive... Hee.
Redcloud:
And I also think that acitivity is a virtuous circle, and finding the point where it speeds up would be interesting
Jenni:
This could be a topic for a sociologist! or an anthropologist who studies the sub-culture of earswithfeetism...
Redcloud:
LMAO!!
Jenni:
"The natives of the forum get restless when Whatever-thread has been silent for a day..."
Redcloud:
LOL!!
What are you going to do after this interview?
Jenni:
After this interview i'm going to help K. bottle beer and then i'll make a pizza! I'm starting to get hungry... I only had a salad today with my tutorees.
Redcloud:
Give TF an anthem.
Jenni:
By Tori or someone else? (With this question, I'm buying time to think...)
Redcloud:
Anything you think fits
Jenni:
Well. This is a tough one! I think for the friendship mood of the forum I'd go for Bells for Her. I know it's a sad song, but some separate lines in there seem to fit the forum. "Can't stop loving". "friends through that and this--there's nothing we cannot ever fix". The forum has seen a lot, and it has always pulled through by the amazing people who come there :-)
Jenni:
I know, what a cheesy answer! But I was feeling cheesy, so there.
Redcloud:
lol that's ok!
A word to our fellow members?
Jenni:
*a very very nerdy voice*: Peace out!
I can't think of anything more profound right now... My mind is already occupied by fresh basil and freshly made pizza dough, hahaha
Redcloud:
OK, many thanks for your time, it was a real pleasure to interview you.
I'm gonna let you take care of your pizza ;-)
Jenni:
It was nice doing this interview! it was very exciting
Thank you, hee. I can tell you later how it turned out and how woooonderful it was ;-)
Redcloud:
Thanks
Take care. Bye ;-)
Jenni:
Byeee
