Before “Flicker” was a song, it was a daydream. And ten years later, it’s time to tell the whole story.
On this episode, Anatomy of a Track returns with a very special chapter: the extraordinary origin story of Tori Amos’ “Flicker,” her original song for the Netflix documentary Audrie & Daisy.
We launched this series earlier this year with a deep dive into Tori’s brilliant In Times of Dragons closer, “23 Peaks,” alongside her longtime musical right-hand man, John Philip Shenale.
This time, we’ve got another slightly less brilliant bald man who collaborated with Tori on a different—but no less epic—scale. OUR OWN MATT MAZUR. 👨🏻🦲 That’s right, the call is coming from inside the house. ☎️
TL;DR: Matt was the executive steering Audrie & Daisy at Netflix—and the guy who dreamed up the idea of bringing Tori Amos aboard to create an original song, pitched it, and actually made it happen.
From Los Angeles to the Cornish coast of England and back, Matt takes us on the ride of his life: a die hard Tori fan suddenly working shoulder to shoulder with one of his greatest creative inspirations, navigating enormous stakes, the evolution of an extraordinary song, and an impossibly ambitious awards campaign.
For the song’s tenth anniversary, he’s sharing the most complete account yet of how “Flicker” came to be, including new stories, behind-the-scenes revelations, and the extraordinary intersection of fandom, friendship, art, and activism. A literal daydream turned awards contender to be reckoned with—brought to life through passion, persistence, shared values… and a whole lot of Netflix money, HONEY.
But at the heart of it all is a song, a film, and two young women whose stories deserve to be remembered.
This episode is lovingly dedicated to Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman. ❤️
Join Matt, Joey, and Kristen as we shed a little light on “Flicker.”
FURTHER READING, WATCHING & LISTENING
VICE: Joe Vallese interviews Tori Amos and the directors of Audrie & Daisy
https://www.vice.com/en/article/audrie-and-daisy-netflix-documentary-social-media-sexual-assault/
Los Angeles Times: Tori’s first-person essay on sexual violence and writing “Flicker”
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-ca-st-tori-amos-sexual-violence-20160918-snap-story.html
Netflix: “Flicker” featurette with Tori Amos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UI23cmWRpA
MTV News: Tori discusses Audrie & Daisy with Meredith Graves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPeT2P10Cs8
Front Row Features: Tori Amos Lends Voice on Netflix Doc Audrie & Daisy
https://frontrowfeatures.com/news-dvd-film-music-online-streaming/tori-amos-lends-voice-netflix-doc-audrie-daisy-17358.html
Billboard’s Soul Sisters: Tori Amos interview
https://shows.acast.com/soulsisters/episodes/toriamos
Awards Daily: Tori talks “Flicker,” cyberbullying and teenage sexual abuse
https://www.awardsdaily.com/2016/10/03/best-original-song-interview-tori-amos-talks-about-flicker-americas-endemic-cyber-bullying-and-teenage-sexual-abuse/
Billboard: Tori on “Flicker” and the 20th anniversary of Boys for Pele
https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/tori-amos-flicker-netflix-audrie-daisy-interview-7534135/
The Hollywood Reporter: Full Oscar Songwriters Roundtable with Tori, Sting, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXfbTkBpWRQ
The Hollywood Reporter: Tori on “Flicker” and reconnecting with her muses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovWlWM5w2ug
Sting.com: Hollywood Reporter Songwriter Roundtable transcript
https://sting.com/blogs/news/hollywood-reporter-songwriter-roundtable
Talkhouse: Tori Amos in conversation with Shirley Manson
https://talkhouse.com/tori-amos-talks-shirley-manson-garbage-talkhouse-music-podcast
Deadline: Tori on “Flicker,” sexual assault and social media
https://deadline.com/2016/11/tori-amos-audrie-and-daisy-netflix-flicker-awards-interview-1201847384/
IndieWire: Tori Amos and “Flicker”—How to Hunt Down an Oscar Song
https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/tori-amos-flicker-oscar-best-song-audrie-and-daisy-sexual-assault-1201763180/
Los Angeles Times: Tori on the Valkyries and Mad Max’s Furiosa as inspirations for “Flicker”
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-en-mn-tori-amos-20161018-snap-story.html
KPCC’s The Frame: Tori on music’s ability to provide comfort during troubled times
https://laist.com/shows/the-frame/tori-amos-musical-artists-can
