Tom Jones International

After Tom’s show at MGM Friday night December 16, we had the terrific experience of spending time with him, having a real conversation, telling him about tomjonesinternational.com and talking to him about a wide range of things.

He was with Don Archell, his friend and personal assistant, and we were joined a bit later by Mary, a long-time fan who is our friend and a friend of Tom and Don, too.

First, we took care of a bit of business.

“Tom, we have this t-shirt for you and one for you, too, Don.”

They thanked us and Tom held up the tomjonesinternational.com tee and said, “Oh, this has my name on it. I couldn’t wear it.”

“But will you pose for a photo with it?” we asked and, obviously, he did.

We told him about the website, why we started it and what we hope to accomplish. We told him about the just-completed fan survey “designed to help us learn who the fans are, their age ranges, how often they’ve seen you and what they want to see on the site.”

We mentioned that we’d shortly be compiling the survey results, adding that fans have plenty of opportunity on the site to ask questions and state opinions.

On that topic, we asked, “Tom, do you really care about what the fans think?”

He looked genuinely surprised at the question for a moment and said quite firmly, “Of course I do.”

Ellen had the “Reborn Vinyl” handbag shown on the home page of the website and took it out, asking him to sign it. “Why, is this a record? What is it?” he asked and, spotting the Parrot label, “Oh, Parrot was my American label. Decca was in Europe.”

When he realized what it was, he wanted to know all about it — Who made it? Where did we get it? — and then he signed it.

We talked about a few of the questions we and other fans have — basic curiosity — like, “What’s your favorite movie?”

He quickly answered, The Wild Bunch.

“Anything else?”

“Yes, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. [Note: 1947; Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney; available on NetFlix]

“What about a somewhat newer movie like, say, The Sixth Sense?” Ursula wanted to know.

“Oh, I liked that, but the end was very sad,” he said, going on to talk about what a “great guy” his friend Bruce Willis is.

Who’s his favorite singer? No hesitation here — “Jerry Lee Lewis.”

“Anyone more modern?”

“Me,” he said with a laugh, but explained that Jerry Lee has a “certain cadence to his music that’s unbelievable.”

“You are in hell,” Ellen asked, deftly ripping off a question she’d seen someone asked in a Rolling Stone interview. “What’s the soundtrack there?”

Again, no hesitation, and a shrug as if to say “of course” he answered, Great Balls of Fire.

“Has anyone in the family inherited your voice?” Ursula asked.

“Yes,” he replied, “Mark and Alexander both have great voices.”

“Do they sing?”

“Well, no. I guess they lack the…….” He searched for a word.

“Drive?” Ellen said.

“Yes, that’s it. They don’t want to do it like I do,” he replied.

Ursula asked if Tom has seen Usher, noting that Usher has some of the same kind of sexual energy that Tom has, even though it’s not as great as Tom’s and his voice isn’t as good.

“I’ve never seen him in person,” Tom said. “I heard they are throwing underwear at him, too.”

When Ursula mentioned she’d just seen Andrea Bocelli and that he was “fabulous,” Tom said, “He’s very good, but he’s a tenor, you know, so he doesn’t have as much range as I do, as I’m a baritone.”

Then, switching gears: “We want to tell you about someone at the show tonight, a [Tom Jones] ‘virgin,’” we said, and told him about Jeff who was there with his wife; the man who as a child used to sing What’s New Pussycat? in the tub and is still teased about that by his mom.

In addition to noting with a smile that “he likes a virgin,” Tom was delighted with the story.

We talked about the recent TV shows about him shown here in the US — the PBS show (“That was a rehash of the old Canadian series,” he said. “Not really very good.”) and the Biography show which, due to being on the road, he hadn’t had the opportunity to see. He did, however, want to know who was interviewed and what we thought of it.

Don was even kind enough to sing a few bars of The Wayward Wind, his own European hit of years ago.

We talked about some of the songs Tom sings. He likes Latin music “but I can only sing in English.”

Ellen requested he add Baptism By Fire to the show explaining that the first two lines of the song are just so honest and moving and, therefore, very touching.

Here, as we had the entire time, we noticed that Tom was really listening. In fact, Ursula said later he “really seemed moved” by what Ellen had said.

And, in the end, that’s what’s important — Tom Jones does care about his fans and what they think. He is open and much more accessible than so many other performers.

We left amid a flurry of good holiday wishes, some hugs and kisses and promises to “see you in January.”

We cannot wait.

Ellen & Ursula

One of the advantages of being a long-time Tom Jones fan is that you come to learn through the years that every show has its own unique flavor and style. This is largely dependent on two elements – Tom’s frame of mind and the audience’s reaction.

Friday night was outstanding. Tom was in a playful mood. He was (as usual) in excellent voice. He was chatty. Richard Marx, who is performing this weekend at Mandalay Bay, was in the audience. Tom introduced him and then launched into a monologue (right before he performed What Am I Living For?) about a song that Marx had penned for him years ago that never made it onto The Lead album that he recorded with Interscope Records.

He made light-hearted, but pointed, comments about the whims of record producers and how he didn’t have the final choice of what ended up on an album. Those of us in the front attempted to get him to sing the deleted song, but soon realized that he probably didn’t remember it, as he demurred.

Still relaxed and chatty, Tom next told the audience about how he had his nose broken by a friend in the early days and had it straightened out later. He also made sure everyone knew his teeth were capped.

He realized he was rambling and seemed to blame it on the full moon. He and the audience all howled (“Ah-OOOOO”). This is not the first time he’s referred to full moons. This time he made a joke about how he was clean-shaven earlier in the day and the goatee and growing incisors were a result of his howling at the moon.

One of the other joys, for us, is meeting new people who have never seen Tom perform. There was a young couple, Jeff and Lisa (left) from California who sat at table five (dead center stageside). Jeff was so psyched about seeing Tom. They had lucked into the seats that same night and he was excitedly us about how he used to sing What’s New Pussycat? as a child in the bathtub. He had never seen our singer in person before.

Watching Jeff’s face as he watched Tom perform added to the thrill of the concert. Pure delight. He was lit up from within. When Tom sang What’s New Pussycat? there were tears welling in his eyes. All of this was in sharp contrast to the elderly couple sitting behind them in a booth. The woman was nodding off and was finally fast asleep until Tom belted out 200 Pounds of Heavenly Joy. That woke her up and she was with him until the end of the show with a sweet smile on her face.

Bass player Les King sported a new look, having cut off his dreads. He almost looks corporate, but handsome nonetheless.

Tom hasn’t changed the show or the wardrobe in two years. And it would be nice if he did.

Now, please note that, although we wrote this review together, we did it separately, each on her own computer in her own home. Yet, oddly, we had the same thought at the end (maybe it was the full moon?).

We are constantly surprised that just listening to that amazing voice, even though we know what’s coming next in the show — even though we even have the between-song patter just about memorized — he still grabs us and gives us so much pleasure.

This is especially strange since both of us will only rarely watch a movie more than once. We don’t reread books and rarely listen to the same CD more than a few times (unless there’s a favorite song in it or it unless it is a Tom Jones CD). But, put us in front of a live Tom Jones performance and we just don’t care that we know what’s coming next. We don’t care when he sings songs we have heard hundreds of times and don’t particularly like (Kiss, please, enough!).

Because, no matter what else is happening or what we know is on the horizon, we’re in the vibe and in the TJ Zone and all is well with the world.

Ursula & Ellen

Here’s the ticket for Tom’s show in Moscow in 2001. Because she wouldn’t mind, we got it from Mari’s Fansite From Japan and hope you’ll go there to see the other things she’s posted.


We posted it just because we think it’s cool.

What

I had a photo of Tom and me that was taken last year at Foxwoods in Connecticut. I was hoping Tom would autograph it and was able to secure a backstage pass so my husband Ian and I could meet Tom after the show at Casino Rama. We went back after the show and waited while other people went in. Finally, we were the last ones waiting.

I can tell Ian is nervous as he hasn’t said a word in a couple of minutes, he’s just been watching everybody else backstage. Suddenly, I hear Don Archell say, “Tom, Fay’s here!’ I almost died. We walked to where Tom and Don were.

I give Tom a huge smile as I walked toward him, and he is smiling back. He is drop-dead gorgeous. I finally reach him, (seemed like forever to get over to him) and we shake hands. His hand is so big, so warm but dry (mine was hot and sweaty, I’m sure). His palm is not soft and smooth, just a little bit rough. Maybe that’s from lifting weights, no gloves? Anyway, I am drilling my eyes all over him, trying to see every little detail.

I show him the photo (we’re still holding the handshake, there was no way I was letting go first) and I was telling him when it was taken, how much I love the photo, I’d be thrilled if he’d sign it, blah, blah. We let go (mmmmm…I can still feel his hand in mine) and he looks at the photo, takes a Sharpie out of his jacket pocket, saying, “We look good!” I’m standing there, telling him how much I enjoyed the show that night, and he finishes autographing it. I asked him if we could have our picture taken together. “Of course!”

This whole time, Ian was just standing back beside Don, with the camera ready. I moved to stand beside Tom and I spy a long, blonde hair on his gorgeous black jacket. I reach up and pick it off, with a bit of disgust, and drop it on the floor as far away as my arm can reach. I’m very conscious of the other men in the room watching me as I do this, but I just smile at him and his reaction is priceless —- he doesn’t say a word, he winks at me, looks forward, straightens his back and puffs his chest out. OMG! It was hilarious! He’s so vain, I love it!!! His eyes are so blue I could just dive into them. I’m flirting with Tom Jones!

Poor Ian has been completely ignored up to this point but he takes our picture. I have my arm around Tom’s back, and I give him a squeeze (he has his arm around my shoulder, his hand kind of on the back of my neck, which was bare, and it felt great) and say, “Tom, I’d like you to meet my brother, Ian.” (OK, OK, just kidding) I introduce Ian — as my husband — and they shake hands. Ian had given the camera to Don.

Ian says, “Nice to meet you, Sir,” and Tom shakes his hand, seeming pleased Ian called him “Sir,” and it’s huge smiles between them.

Ian’s reaction was amazing, he totally surprised me. He is usually very relaxed and outgoing but, with Tom, he was very quiet and it was obvious he really, really admires him.

When Tom heard Ian’s accent he asked, “Where are you from?” Ian told him Glasgow, so there’s a bit of small talk between them about that. Ian tells him how much he loves his music, he’s been a fan for years, and then Tom says, “Let’s get a picture with all of us.”

We stand on either side of Tom and I put my arm around his back again. I’m loving it — shamelessly, recklessly loving it. He has such a strong back and he’s so muscular. There’s no way this guy feels 65, he’s so firm and has so much toned muscle on his frame. I could feel his warmth through the thin fabric, the lining of the jacket was slippery so when I squeezed him it slid over his lower back a bit and it felt sooooo good. I could feel the strength of his muscles underneath (insert cold shower break).

We’re standing there and Don (who’s obviously done this a time or two) is looking for the flash button on the camera, so I take my arm from around Tom and walk up to Don and show him where it is. I walk back, steal a glance at Tom and Ian. Ian is beaming and Tom is looking at me. Life is good.

I slide back in beside Tommy, put my arm around him and squeeze again and he squeezes back and the photo gets taken. I had been holding on so tight to him and rubbing his back and I made it no secret I was digging him. So Tommy slides his hand up my back, rubs my bare back and shoulders and then we all let go. His hand is so warm and it’s so big and a smidgen rough!

Then Ian shakes Tommy’s hand, I shake Tommy’s hand and we’re all smiling from ear to ear. Lots of thanks to him and Sandy, and Don. Best wishes for safe travels and all that. They were all so friendly and I was walking on a cloud.

Security escorted us out and I grabbed Ian’s hand and we giggled like two kids as we walked back into the casino. I turned to Ian and said, “Well?” and he let out a big holler and jumped up and touched the ceiling!

We went for a cold beer and talked non-stop all the way home about how great Tommy is, how awesome his voice is, all that good stuff.

Ian was really proud of me for arranging the meet-and-greet and has told a lot of people about how great it was meeting the man, showing the photos. I’m not sure who had a better time, me or Ian, but it doesn’t matter as it was a great night all around.

Hi:

If you had the opportunity to ask Tom Jones one question, what would it be?

Let us know.

Need a gift for a Tom Jones fan?


Check out our one-of-a-kind vinyl (as in 33 records) handbags made by an artist from Tom’s 33’s (or 33’s from any other performer you wish to order). Just double-click on the “Cool Stuff” link to the right. Also, check our page of photos and memoribilia for sale. You just might find that perfect gift.

And, please don’t forget to:
• go to our Fan Fare page and answer the NEW tomjonesinternational.com “Question of the Month.”

And be sure to check out our new posts “On Stage & Behind the Scenes” and “Links We Like” and a fan has added more photos for sale.

Thanks!

Ellen & Ursula

Note: Photo taken in Cleveland, 11/26/05 from Tom’s official website. If you have one from Cleveland, send it on. Thanks again!

Set your TiVO to record the Biograhy Channel, Thursday, January 5, 8 to 9 p.m. ET/PT and Friday, January 6, Midnight to 1 a.m., ET/PT.

That’s when they’re showing Tom’s biography.

You can check The Biography Channel’s website to see if you can get it in your area.

And, after you see it, please let us know what you think by clicking on “comment” below and sending yours.

Emyr loves Pop life Dec 2 2005

Karen Price, Western Mail

He started off as a TV researcher but now he’s a respected director and runs The Pop Factory, which stages its big awards bash this weekend. Oh, he’s also a friend of Tom Jones. Karen Price catches up with Emyr Afan

LESS than 48 hours ago, Emyr Afan stepped off a plane from America after visiting his friend Tom Jones. Despite a rather difficult journey back to Wales (there were delays and he lost his luggage) and a touch of jet lag, the music mogul is positively buzzing as he finalises plans for one of the biggest events in his calendar - The Pop Factory Music Awards.

The fifth annual event takes place at The Pop Factory in Porth - the music venue he transformed from a former Corona factory - tomorrow night.

Pontypridd-born superstar Tom is being honoured with a lifetime achievement award.

Emyr and Tom have built up a great working relationship since the singer officially opened The Pop Factory five years ago by smashing a bottle of Dandelion and Burdock pop against its walls.

Earlier this year, Emyr’s company - Avanti Media Group - produced Tom’s 65th birthday homecoming gig in Ponty Park.

Last week Emyr and his wife Mair, who runs Avanti with him, flew to America to catch up with Tom and to record an interview with him for a TV profile on the superstar, which will be screened on BBC1 Wales this Christmas.

He also recorded an acceptance speech for his award which will be broadcast during the Pop Factory Awards as he is unable to return to Wales to receive the honour.

“He was genuinely grateful when we told him about it,” says Emyr, who is from Cwmafan.

“He carries his Welshness wherever he goes and he really enjoys doing things back at home when his schedule allows.”

Emyr and Mair spent Thanksgiving with Tom in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was switching on the Christmas lights before performing. Highlights of the concert will also be broadcast on TV in Wales this Christmas.

“We spent about two hours talking to him and he was very relaxed. In the TV profile he explains why he had to move to America and talks about what it felt like.

“He was very pleased to see the Welsh crew. He’s exactly the same off the camera as he is on it.”

Emyr says that Tom enjoyed performing at Ynysangharad Park - near the home in Pontypridd where he grew up - so much that he would love to do more projects in South Wales in future.

“The gig was really emotional for him and he found it difficult to sing at times.”

Tom Jones: The Legend Is On PBS As Part of Their December Pledge Drive Programming

(This information was taken from: http://www.pbs.org/previews/tomjones/)

Tom Jones, one of the most popular and enduring vocalists to emerge from the “British Invasion” of the 1960s, has maintained a superstar profile of sexually charged dynamism for more than five decades. Since winning the Best Newcomer Grammy in 1965, Jones has delivered hit after hit on the music charts, been a near-permanent fixture on radio and television, and played to packed houses all over the world — breaking attendance records throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan and South Africa.

TOM JONES: THE LEGEND, airing on PBS as part of the December 2005 pledge drive (check local listings), takes viewers back to 1981 with a vintage collection of high- octane classics from his hit weekly television show taped live in Vancouver. Exhibiting his celebrated onstage machismo, Jones appears with four sexy singing/dancing female back-up singers and an upstage band with featured piano. Framed by a brightly lit red proscenium arch, the set features a thrust stage that allows for an intimate connection between Jones and his famously devoted audience, along with a backdrop of his initials in 10-foot-high letters.

Each vocal segment is pure energized showmanship, with Jones singing on a platform above the band, moving downstage through the musicians or entering from offstage and cavorting with his backup singers. Most segments feature the full band and singers, but some spotlight Jones sitting alone at the edge of the stage, creating a uniquely warm and cozy mood.

In TOM JONES: THE LEGEND, fashion is as much a part of the show as the music. In each of the segments the backup singers wear an array of eye-catching Las Vegas style costumes, while Jones appears in outfits ranging from a sheer black shirt to contrasting blazers with necktie to white, black and red “pirate-style” shirts open to the waist, worn with his signature form-hugging black slacks.

What is constant during this super-charged show is Jones’ high-energy, no-holds-barred performing style. Through hit after hit, Tom Jones gives the audience exactly what it expects of this entertainer par excellence. If there’s a touch of self parody in his performance, there’s also a tremendous amount of fun, as well as respect and love for the people who’ve come to see and hear a living legend.

Starting in 1987, under son Mark’s direction, Jones’ act began featuring young musicians, a move that continues to attract new audiences of all ages. In 2000 Jones’ Reload album became the biggest hit of his career, reaching number one in the United Kingdom and selling more than five million copies worldwide. In 2003, he was honored with a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004, his Sex Bomb single became a major US club hit.

Tom Jones — truly a beloved show business legend — continues to tour and record, as well as play Las Vegas for 10 to 12 weeks each year.

TOM JONES: THE LEGEND includes:

Spanish Harlem, Delilah, I (Who Have Nothing), Love Me Tonight, Do You Think I’m Sexy?, Proud Mary, I Can’t Turn You Loose, I Can’t Stop Loving You, She’s A Lady, Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow, Daughter of Darkness, Green Green Grass of Home, What’s New, Pussycat?, Without Love

There is a DVD of the show available for a $75 pledge to your PBS station (amount may vary from station to station).

Check your local schedule for viewing date and time.