Tom Jones International

Late Breaking House News: The report (posted below) that designer Christian Audigier has bought Nicolas Cage’s (formerly D. Martin’s and T. Jones’) home is wrong. The house has been relisted according to KNBC in Los Angeles “Because it went off the market a few weeks ago, there’ve been rumors that actor Nicolas Cage’s Bel-Air estate was sold or rented out. Not the case.

“The home has just been re-listed. And seriously pricechoppped. And in what looks to be big marketing push, the interior of the home has been photographed and there’s a virtual tour. Aaagaha. Dying. Dying. Take it all in, but do not miss the bathrooms. The artwork. The kitchen (small!), and the sweet pantry. And what looks to be the Ghost Riderbike on the lawn. Meanwhile, the home was originally listed at $29.999 million in September 2008, before dropping to $17.5 million.

It is now listed at $9.95 million. Cage purchased from singer Tom Jones for $6.469 million back in 1998. You can take a virtual tour of the home at 363 Copa de Oro.

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Yes, this is silly, but it is funny and Tom, as I recall, had a good time with it. Thus, this is worth noting. Please be tolerant. Thanks!

As you can see from the Daily Mail news story below, the traditional English pudding called Spotted Dick — the “spots” being raisins, currents or dried fruit mixed in the suet (raw beef or mutton fat of the hard type found around the kidneys and loins). The origin of the name of the dish is in dispute, but the first reference to it dates back to 1850.

As you can see from the photo at right, in August 2005 Tom was given a gift bag. He was at the MGM Grand and Ursula and I had been in Santa Monica, California, the month before where we wandered into a British shop. We bought some stuff for ourselves (one cannot beat the British Cadbury bars they sold there as opposed to the American version commonly found in grocery stores here) and, since Tom had recently turned 65, we decided to put together a gift bag for him. Along with a t-shirt that said “Old Dudes Rock!” there were some Skittles (the good UK kind that resemble M&Ms, not the jelly things sold here that are called Skittles) and a tin of Spotted Dick.

Tom took the tin out of the gift bag, looked at it and then read the label to the audience. Of course, being mostly Americans they hadn’t heard of it and found it highly amusing. He talked with fondness of the pudding and said he’d be sure to eat it. You know he milked the moment for all it was worth like any showman would. “I love to eat Spotted Dick!” he enthused.

That was then. This is now. Laura sent a version of this news story and TJI is happy she did. If this turns into a nationwide trend, Spotted Dick will be but a fond memory.

Council turns ‘offensive’ Spotted Dick into Spotted Richard to spare blushes of diners

By James Tozer/Last updated at 8:04 AM on 09th September 2009
For a photo of the dish and more information if you want it, (more…)

Friday night Tom joins a raft of stars to raise money for Nordoff-Hall Music Therapy at a concert at the O2 Arena where he played when it first opened. He’s said to be singing a duet with Joss Stone there. In the next couple of days TJI hopes to have news of that, along with, maybe, more video and news of a special letter being sent to some special people.

Meanwhile, I’ve posted a terrific very short video from Norman. It’s of Tom in 1964 on The Beat Room singing What’d I Say. You can find this and other clips from the show on youtube, but this is just a good copy that, for being 45 years old is pretty amazing. I posted it because it just makes me smile. Here’s a young guy doing what he loves and his joy is apparent. It’s fun to see.

You can watch the it in the TJI.com Video Library.

From the O2 Rockwell website: O2 and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy are letting you choose the final song to be performed at next Friday’s O2 Rockwell gig.

The 11 September show is set to feature some of music’s biggest and brightest talent including Razorlight, Tom Jones, Robert Plant, Joss Stone, Ronan Keating, Gaz Coombs & Danny Goffey (performing as Hot Rats), Gabriella Cilmi, Beverley Knight, Lulu, The Feeling’s Dan Gillespie Sells and David Gray. From today you can chose which of four classic songs you want to hear at O2 Rockwell, by simply clicking through on the right hand sidebar. [Moderator's Note: If you want to vote, go to the link just above and "click through" as instructed.]
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Please read this note before you comment on this post:From Tuesday’s edition of The Telegraph here’s an interview in which Tom reveals his similarity to Prince Charles and talks about his marriage, his “mate” Don, security and sightseeing. Nice interview that, of course, has been blown out of perspective by some of the coarser “news” outlets in the UK. And, though it should be filed under “Rumor Or Reality?” and, even though it doesn’t really matter, TJI has it from two pretty good sources that Sir Tom is not moving back to the UK. Also, feel free to comment, but please confine your comments to the parts of the interview about his professional life. This is a portrait of a man who claims contentment and, of his life he says, “It suits me.” That’s great and we don’t need to comment on that, do we? I’m always hesitant to post anything about Tom’s off stage, non-professional life. I feel very strongly that any personal stuff — even if he discusses it — is not my business (thus, not the business of this website). But, after deliberation, I decided to post the entire interview because it’s a good one.

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Sex bomb: Tom Jones interview
From rain in Pontypridd to showers with Elvis: the ‘un-be-lie-vable’ history of Tom Jones

By John Preston/Published: 12:26PM BST 08 Sep 2009

A 69-year-old man walks into the bar of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge. Although he’s famously well-preserved for his age, this afternoon he is looking a little rough – his cheeks are puffy, his eyes hooded and bleary. There are three other people with him, but this is to be expected: it must be decades since he walked into a public place on his own. However, he comes here a lot, and his arrival prompts surprisingly little reaction. A few nudges and swivelled heads, but that’s about it.

Sitting at a table in an alcove, he sips tentatively at a glass of fizzy water. While he doesn’t say so, the suspicion of a hangover lingers in the air. Or possibly he has just got out of bed – he’s a notoriously late riser. Or perhaps he’s still brooding about what happened less than 24 hours earlier.

The day before, Tom Jones had played Glastonbury. When he started singing, he looked out from the stage and, to his considerable shock, saw thousands of blank faces staring back at him. The more he put into his opening songs, the blanker the faces became. ‘They said I shouldn’t talk about it,’ he says, ‘but I’m going to anyway. The speakers had been turned off, so no one at the front could hear me.’

That must have been pretty alarming.

‘Yeah!’ he goes with great feeling. ‘Exactly. And I did four songs like that. Four songs!’
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Moderator’s Note: You may know I write a blog on the Huffington Post and, perhaps, you noticed the link at the bottom of the sidebar at right. Please visit my blog, sign up to be notified when I post something new and “become a fan.” There’s no obligation and, except for the email when I post a new entry, there are no emails. I am not sure why, but they say if you do this, it helps me. If you don’t feel like scrolling down, the blog is here. Thanks!

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This post will have to do until Tuesday, as no one much has time for the internet on a beautiful last-weekend-of-summer. . Also, if you haven’t seen them, be sure to scroll down this page and back to the previous one to catch up on what you may have missed and, please, enjoy the rest of your weekend!

By the way, if you have a moment and have collected photos you or other fans have taken of Tom for many years, check to see if you have any for the TJI 2010 Fan Calendar (the formal call for photos will be coming soon) and any other memorabilia to share with fans via this site. Thanks!

Before I get into the specifics of this post, I have to note that we Tom Jones fans are very fortunate to number among us some very generous people; people like Pat, Norman, Johan, Chas and several others. They are European fans who have extensive and exciting libraries of old TJ TV shows, video, interviews and photos that they are so kind about sending me to share with you. The one here is from Norman and wait ’til you see what else he’s sent!

A Tale of Two Entertainers is a 27-minute BBC documentary produced and broadcast in 1966 contrasting the careers of Tom Jones and dancer Lynn Seymour as they were starting out. (Note the smile playing on Tom’s lips in the very first shot of him singing Pussycat.)

Of course we all know where Tom — er, that’s Sir Tom! — is today. Lynn Seymour, born in Canada in 1939 (all the bios say this documentary erred in the date), entered the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School at the age of 14. In 1957 she joined the Royal Ballet. She retired as a dancer in 1978 but still, I believe, lectures and teaches.

You’ll notice that the (almost-Python-parody-like) narrator says, rather skeptically, that Tom’s “publicity handout” says he was 23 (born in 1942) at the time….shortly thereafter he owned up to his age.

You can watch the it in the TJI.com Video Library.

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Last Minute Update: Back in the UK and talking to Wales Online in the bar of the “ultra-swanky Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge,” (Hasn’t he earned the right to stay at the Mandarin Oriental? Should he stay at a Motel 6? Why do they have to make a crack about his accommodations? Oh, right, it’s the Welsh press once again being snide about the one Welsh export everyone in the world has heard about.) Anyway, Tom tells this tale of Glastonbury’s sound system — which, all the footage of the set shows he handled like the pro he is — and reminisces about Elvis and the early days in Las Vegas. And, oh yes, the tale of Elvis and the shower.

How Tom Jones coped with the unusual

Sep 7 2009 by Nathan Bevan, Western Mail

HE’S seen everything thrown at him onstage during his long, successful, singing career, from underwear, hotel room keys and notes with phone numbers written in lipstick.

But yesterday it emerged that at this year’s Glastonbury Festival Sir Tom Jones faced something he’d never seen before in more than 40 years of performing – a sea of blank looks.
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Tomorrow, a 1996 BBC documentary about Tom and another performer that should make us so happy that the internet brings is friends and TJ fans from around the world!

This is from January 1966 and is an interview with Tom done in Belfast Northern Ireland on INT

I found it onITNsource and it is, as noted in the description below, of very poor quality in both picture and sound that I couldn’t improve. But it’s kind of quaint. This clip lasts 1:45. The full interview is available for sale for £146. (I chose to pass.) The photo, obviously, isn’t from the interview but it is from 1966.

Here’s the description of the clip:
B/W POOR QUALITY PIX
Tom Jones (Singer) interview
His responses to the interviewer include the fact that this is his second trip to Belfast / Staying for 2 days
- On recording different types of material/Depending on what he likes the sound of whether they are ballads or up-tempo songs
- Touring Australia and New Zealand / Appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show in the USA
- Affect of marriage on his career is negligible as plays to older audiences / Thinks if your audience is young you should be single
- On whether his act is obscene or not / People who think that are small-minded

Click here to see this Tom Jones interview.

As usual, if you cannot view it, drop me a note using the “contact” link at right and I’ll email to you.

In the US, Canada and Bermuda this is the start of the long Labor (or, in Canada and Bermuda, “LaboUr”) Day weekend, the last gasp of summer. Whether your celebration begins today or tomorrow, may it be safe and happy If you have a chance, please be sure to scroll down and answer our September Question of the Month. And, in the next few days, look for interesting video. Stay safe and healthy! (And, next Labor Day may we celebrate in a strong, thriving world economy where anyone who wants work can get it.)

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Here, taken Saturday night, August 29, after the show at the Reno Ballroom, is a photo of what Sir Tom has often referred to “the greatest band in the land” (and, as it has for generations, the word “band” includes the singers).

They are, standing from left, Kenny Anderson, Bill Churchville, Ric, Fierbaraci, Darelle Holden, Tony Reynolds, Brian Monroney, Sharon Hendrix, Kevin Richardson, Frank Strauss, Mike Turnbull and, seated center as he always is onstage, Herman L. Matthews. (And exactly what is Sharon doing in this photo?)

We look forward to seeing them all — “The Tom Jones Band” — together again, as Tom says at the end of each show, “real soon!” (Because we know “tomorrow night!” is impossible.)

Things are still unsettled and we don’t know what’s happening in January, so we just have to be patient, wait (and hope).

If you recall Shirley’s comment below on Tom in Reno Saturday night, she mentioned a thong he tucked away for safekeeping.

You can see it in the photo at screen shot right (the stage lighting is interfering with the clarity) and in video of the last two songs along with the closing moments of the show. You might notice that this video, like the video from Outside Lands shows off the band to advantage and clearly demonstrates their interplay with that guy one reviewer called “one hell of a frontman.”

You can watch the it in the TJI.com Video Library.

Band photo used by permission of owner.

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Tom Jones’ House:From multiple news sources comes word Nicolas Cage’s house — which was originally Dean Martin’s house and then Tom Jones’ house — was sold for $14.5 million (£9.6 million) to designer Christian Audigier (creator of his eponymous line and of the Ed Hardy brand). Audigier also bought Michael Jackson’s Neverland estate in Santa Barbara for an undisclosed sum. He plans to open it every year on the anniversary of Jackson’s death. He is the designer of Chrisitian Audigier the Nightclub at TI in Las Vegas, touted as “the happiest nightclub” in the city (whatever that means).

Moderator’s Note: I apologize for the delay, but below is Jack’s worth-waiting-for review of Tom at Outside Lands last Friday. As you can see in Jack’s photo at left of the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic booth, the 60′s spirit of San Francisco was alive and well there and the photos provide a clear view of what the ambiance was — casual and lots of fun. Looks like a great time.

I, for one, wish Tom’d do Hard to Handle and the incredible If I Only Knew (love the dance steps at the end of that!) in all his shows still and get rid of stuff like Fly Me To the Moon and Ol’ Black Magic. I believe that whoever makes the decisions about Tom’s set lists at “regular” venues, as opposed to festivals, doesn’t quite have the right idea.

Photos on the left below are by Lee; on the right by Jack. The screen shot in the jump is from the Delilah video posted below. There are many, many more and when my assistant reports for work, I’ll post them in a flickr set.

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I took the afternoon off Friday to attend the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival held in San Francisco’s beautiful Golden Gate Park. Our mission: to see Tom Jones.

It all started months ago when my wife and I thought it would be fun to celebrate her birthday in Las Vegas and to do something ‘quintessentially Las Vegas’. So we landed great tickets to see Tom at the MGM August 17th.

Being a child of the late 60′s and early 70′s I recall my easily-embarrassed Mom covering her eyes when Tom Jones would make an appearance, and catching her peeking through her fingers and giggling at how “suggestively” he moved, or seeing her sigh over him hitting a beautiful note, as only Tom Jones can. I figured it might be fun to see him live.

As luck would have it, I wound-up sitting next to Portia, who many of you know as the woman who had Tom sign her shoulder the night prior; getting it tattoo-ed later that same night. So even before the show got started we realized we were in for something special. Special it was, “Quintessentially Vegas,” on the other hand, would only apply if it means “above and beyond, spectacular, powerful, like no other.” What you get from Tom Jones is a concert performance that rivals all of the major names past and present.

We entered the MGM as people who had heard about Tom Jones and of course had enjoyed the music of his that we had been exposed to; but we left as real fans. My only regrets about the MGM are A) it’s a few hundred miles from home so we can’t go there whenever we want and B) it’s a lovely place with tables, so dancing isn’t quite the norm there.

For the rest of the review, more photos and a video of Tom singing Delilah at Outside Lands (more…)

Don’t forget the Question of the Month which you can find two posts below this one! Please take some time to answer!

Here’s the little bit TJI has gathered from all sorts of sources about the musical director and guitarist who will be with Tom in Europe:

Gary Wallis is the MD. He is the drummer who organized the band for The Right Time back in 1992. He was born June 10, 1964, in Westminster, London and trained at the London Symphony School of Music. He’s been Pink Floyd’s tour drummer. From 2002 and 2004 he toured Germany with the German band, Schiller. Wallis also played on the European hit I Feel You. In 2005, he toured with Marianne Rosenberg. In 2004 and 2005, Wallis was musical director for girl bands Girls Aloud and Atomic Kitten and in 2006 and 2007, he was musical director and drummer for the classical crossover band Il Divo. Since 2008, Wallis has been the drummer of the band Westlife. Wallis was also the drummer at the very memorable 1991 Amnesty International concert of which David Gilmour was MD.

Remember, this is mere rumor and remains rumor until he steps onstage or you read it on the Official site.

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This story — not new — was all over the place today. This version is from MSN.UK.

Tom Jones’ Killers collaboration

Tom Jones hopes to record something with the Killers

Tom Jones has revealed he is in talks to collaborate with The Killers.

The 69-year-old Welsh singing legend is a big fan of the American rock band and they hope to get into the studio together.

Tom said: “I went to see The Killers a couple of weeks ago in Hyde Park in London and they were saying that they live in Las Vegas and that they’ve got a recording studio here so they said if we’re ever in Vegas at the same time perhaps we could do something in the recording studio.”

He added: “So I like things like that – that a young band that would want to do something with me, besides shoot me! But that’s great that they would want to do something – it’s very flattering that that happens.”

Tom is performing at Guinness’ 250th anniversary gig in Dublin on September 24.
He said: “I think it’s great – I enjoy a pint of Guinness so I couldn’t think of a better thing than to be connected to the celebrations. I mean 250 years – that’s a long time for any drink, isn’t it?

“I would think it’ll be a good party. So I’ve got to take my time, I’ve got to remember that I can’t drink too many of those Guinnesses before I sing!”

To win VIP tickets to the live gig, text ‘Arthur’ to 81759, or go to www.guinness.com

And here’s Tom’s 15-second Guinness promo. (And “cheers!” in Welsh is “lechyd da!”) The quality is surprisingly excellent. As usual, if you cannot view it, just send me an email and I’ll send it to you.

Photo at left: pa.press.net; at right is promo screen shot.

Moderator’s Note: There is so much to post, that I’m breaking a rule and posting more stuff even though today is the first of the month and, therefore, Question of the Month Day. This month it’s about your most and least favorite songs and lyrics. Please don’t forget to answer it in the post below!

AND! If you had tickets for the Beacon concert and haven’t gotten a refund, be sure to see the second item posted.

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From Consequence Of Sound comes this story and audio. Note in the audio that Tom says he’s recording with some younger groups and, when asked who they may be, he begins to answer and is audibly stopped by Management. Other sources have him doing something with The Killers, the great group out of Las Vegas. The Killers have been doing most of their recording at the fabulous Studio at The Palms (Hotel and Casino), so who knows? (But, do remember where you heard about this recording first! Sorry, cannot help bragging.) And, as several people have noted here, those December dates at the MGM Grand have been removed from tj.com. Finally, as much as I love Bruce, note who the interviewer says is “the real boss!”

Interview: Tom Jones

By Michael Roffman on September 1st, 2009

We all recognize his voice, we all know his face. He’s one of the biggest entertainers in music history, having sold over 100 million albums worldwide since he hit the scene in the ’60s. If he’s not performing 15-20 shows in Las Vegas, he’s making another memorable cameo somewhere in the film industry. Call him magical, call him unusual, but without a doubt, he’s out of this world.

They call him Sir Tom Jones and after 40 years he continues to champion on. His relevancy is hardly questionable, as he’s endlessly cited as an influence by every other new singer to hit the market. His most recent studio foray, last year’s 24 Hours, charmed critics and fans alike. Songs like the soul-grasping I’m Alive or the funky swooning sensation Give A Little Love remind listeners why the Welsh legend has always found a place in their record collection.

Having said that, we’re pretty psyched about our recent interview with Sir Jones. That’s an understatement, really. Truth is, we’re still in disbelief. Here’s a guy that could (arguably) put Frank Sinatra to the test, who could walk into any establishment and tear down the walls piece by piece, without ever using anything but his voice. Here’s a guy who could survive an alien invasion (a la 1996’s Mars Attacks!) and yet still find the time to sing by the end of the chaos. Well, that last part might be fictional, but hey, it benefits our own argument.

So, wait no more, and listen to what the real boss has to say…

Outside Lands, Part 1 • Outside Lands Interview, Part 2

(The interview is, of course on the link above, but is posted here because I thought you may want to download it and it’s easier to do.)

For information about the cancelled/postponed Beacon Theatre concert and ticket refunds, (more…)

We all have our favorite Tom Jones songs. We also have songs — some by Tom — which we could do without or, as Tangobaby said in the blog posted here yesterday, “I have decided that if I never hear What’s New Pussycat one more time, it won’t be too soon…”

The song I really dislike is She’s A Lady. The song is by Paul Anka, that man who brought us the completely loathsome (You’re) Having My Baby and speaks to a 1950s ideal that, in my view of the real world today — and, even, when Lady was recorded in 1971 — is impractical and, perhaps, insulting. (Yet, to be fair, I do know women who regard that song as their personal TJ song; who fancy he’s singing it directly to them. And, if that’s what one thinks, then I guess there’s nothing wrong with it.) But I wish he’d drop it.

What’s small to me or you may be monumental to others.For example, there’s that lyric in Kiss. One person I know of — who talked of it ceaselessly whenever the subject of Tom’s version of the song come up or whenever she saw it performed — haughtily informed Sir Tom one evening that “even Prince now says, Desperate Housewives instead of Dynasty.” A person with her was absolutely appalled at this and for several months after spoke of the “utter rudeness” of the comment. Sir Tom, to his credit, was totally cool in light of the harshness of the delivery. He just looked at the speaker and said, “So?” She (wisely and correctly) kept quiet from that point on, but that lyric clearly bothers her.

Songs I love include Tom’s rendition of At This Moment; stuff from Matador (A Boy From Nowhere, Dance of Death, particularly); Love Me Tonight, The Anniversary Song; Seasons….well, like anyone reading this site, I could go on and on. I like these because of the grand delivery, the emotions, the fun…..lots of reasons because, thankfully, everything Tom Jones sings doesn’t sound like everything else he sings.

At any rate, the September Question of the Month is: What Tom Jones song or specific lyric do you really like? And/or really dislike? And why? Is it silly? Does it mean something special to you? Have you heard it too often? And so on…..