Pastor Jack Stahl has asked us to pass this along. When Tom was on Popworld in April he was asked about the Church of Tom Jones. Here’s his response circulated by Pastor Jack.
Like Tom says, it does no harm and, we think, probably falls into the category of “whatever works.”
Note: If you still want to see it, here’s the entire interview.
The new charts for this week are out — unveiled on the BBC show Top of the Pops (TOTP) and Stoned In Love has dropped from #7 to #9 on the pop chart and, on the dance chart, went from #9 last week down to #20 this week.
The song is still, however, #1 on the MTV (UK) Dance and Galaxy chart which comes out, like the TOTP chart, Sunday night.
Click and add your vote to this viewer-vote-based list.
.
(Remember the Tom Jones country songs? Some of us look back on some of them with great affection. What about you?)
As of 7 p.m. UK time tonight, Stoned In Love is up one notch from #8 to #7 on the Top of the Pops chart.
Stoned In Love is #4 on the Welsh Singles Chart. (It was #2 last week.)
The song is #1 in the MTV (UK) Dance and Galaxy chart. Click and add your vote to this viewer-vote-based list..
According to tomjones.com, BBC Radio 1 has removed Stoned In Love from their playlist and the site is asking people to contact them an ask them to put it back. Instructions for contacting BBC 1 are on the bottom of this page under the individual photos of DJs.
You can email the BBC.
Be sure to mention, if you wish, that you are not in the UK, but listen online all the time; that their audience is, indeed, worldwide.
On eBay Motors is a 1981 Mercedes 500 SEL originally owned by Tom Jones. It only has 76,000 miles on it.
Asking price began at $8,500 with a claimed book value of $12,500 (provenance adds to the value, of course). It was changed to $10,500 with a buy-it-now price of $15,000
The auction ended May 14, 8:38 a.m., PDT. There were no bids.
From the May 7, 2006 
comes what might be the most interesting interview ever — or, at least, in a very long time — with Sir Tom. It is insightful, humorous and originally done. Clearly not more of the same stuff we’ve been reading since March.
The headline is:
‘I never realised the image might get in the way of the music’
CATHERINE DEVENEY/Sunday, May 7, 2006
It begins:
THE DAY before I meet Sir Tom Jones, an e-mail is sent to me outlining subjects that will terminate the interview. Knicker-throwing. (Top of my list, obviously.) Infidelity. (Reputedly top of Sir Tom’s.) And cosmetic surgery. (Oh, sorry. Was I not supposed to mention that?) Jones turns out to be rather bigger than this instruction but, still, it’s a pithy little life synopsis for the sex-bomb superstar so beloved of the laydeez. Although, obviously, he’s a respectable 65-year-old knight of the realm now.
It’s always instructive to politely enquire of knights if they prefer to be called Tom/Dick/Harry or Sir. Not that I have any actual intention of bending the knee, but it’s very revealing. “Oh, call me Tom/Dick/Harry,” they always say, some with more convincing insouciance than others.
“Hello, love,” says Sir Jones, the accent still pure Pontypridd. “Tom’s my name, but either’s fine.” He shakes hands. He is dressed all in black, with a Victorian villain’s black beard and moustache, and black, wiry hair. He is not tall; the impression is more of powerful-shouldered breadth than height. And, clearly, he has drunk a lot of Tango* in his time. But a kind of down-to-earth warmth emanates from more than his orange glow.
Trying to interview Jones without asking about women would be a bit like trying to chew meat without teeth. Impossible. Yes, he became known as ‘the Voice’. But he also became known as a stud. Both sobriquets implied more power than subtlety. Now, the PR men want to airbrush the knicker-throwing reputation because it traps him in a timewarp. “I never realised the image might get in the way,” admits Jones. “I thought it might enhance it.” Was he ever really that hard-drinking, hard-living man who loved women? “Yeah,” he says with deadpan humour, then laughs. “Isn’t every man?”
(*Tango is an orange soft drink sold in the UK.)
And there’s lots more. To read the rest, click . Let us know what you think. Photo from the article of Tom performing at Edinburgh Castle by Toby Williams.
Good show tonight (that’s no surprise, is it?) and a responsive crowd.
We were lucky to get a few photos from the show of a man very hard at work. Thanks to the fan who sent them.
They are posted (full-size, not thumbnails like the ones here) in Tom Then & Now.
We’ve added a few more photos to our Screen Shots set.
Check ‘em out and note please that they are posted with the most recent (UK TV appearances in April ‘06) first back to the vintage (Canadian TV series).
And, again, if you have photos to add, send them in.
Hi:
Last night we went to the show with Earl Turner and his musical director Chris Coleman. The show was, we believe, the very best of this run at MGM. Why? Please let us list the reasons — most having to do with what happened onstage and the last about where we were. (WARNING: This review is full of opinions, so be prepared. Do feel free to disagree.)
First and, of course foremost, Tom was hot, having a good time, looking great and — as he has since he was knighted — very, very happy, almost aglow with happiness. It’s a beautiful thing to see.
It was a good audience, again like Tuesday night in that they kept their physical distance and only one thong landed kind of lamely onstage at the very, very end of the show. But they were enthusiastic. We really believe it’s the best kind of audience with which to watch a show. Too often, we find the show becomes about the fans who want to be seen and who make so much noise they distract from what’s happening onstage. And it is the fault of those fans. Surely you know what we’re talking about.
3. As he does after performing 200 Pounds Tom talked about Howlin Wolf, mentioning that Wolf also sang Smokestack Lightenin’. (Tom always does the first verse: “Smokestack lightenin’ shinin’ just like gold; Why don’t ya hear me cryin? A-whoo-hooo, oooo, Whooo.”)
Then he talked about another Howlin Wolf song, called Goin’ Down Slow, which Tom did so beautifully, movingly, in Red, White and Blues (screen shot left). Showman that he is, he says the song’s name and waits for the laugh that greets it. “No,” he explains, “when it was written it didn’t mean that.” And, usually, he’ll say the first couple of lines of that one, too.
But last night when he talked about Goin’ Down Slow he turned to Brian. “Can we do it?” he asked. The answer was in the affirmative and Tom just knocked it out of the ballpark. We don’t have superlatives to describe it.
Tom Jones is one hell of a singer.
4. When you see a show with people like Earl Turner and Chris Coleman you are, of course, seeing it with two highly regarded professionals, so you know they watch with a different eye than others. Both Earl — who has seen Tom before — and Chris — who hasn’t — were blown away. They loved Tom’s stage presence, the band and back-up singers. Everything about it. Earl, whose own version of Kiss is terrific and very different from Tom’s, really enjoyed Tom’s take on the song. It’s great to watch professionals appreciate what Sir Tom is doing.
5. Finally, there is the issue of seats.
Fans naturally like to be up close. We do, too. In the Hollywood Theater at MGM, that means literally stage-side, as you can see from the diagram. Where “X” marks the spot is Table #5, the one considered most desirable by fans. You are thatclose to Tom when you sit there, looking up at him just arm’s distance away. Nice view indeed. The people up front — and we’ve certainly been among them — might get a smile, a nod or a wink. They can see his pores up close and personal. It’s fun.
“Y” is booth #105, the house seats for Hollywood Theater headliners. These are given to VIP guests if there are any in attendance. If not, they are sold to the public. The table marked “Z” is, as you can see, directly in front of the house seats and center stage. And, having sat in all these places — and a few other seats further back from the stage than “X” is — we must say the following:
If you are one of those fans sitting stageside at every show, you’re really missing out. You’re really not seeing the show. Booth #105 and the tables in front of it provide an amazing view. You’re looking eye-level at Tom and it’s a whole new vantage point. You see the band, the back-up singers and, even, the fabulous lighting effects. You can see how the audience reacts to the show.
In short, you really see the show. Again, we love to sit close, but we know of long-time fans who see Tom at MGM and always sit next to the stage. They’ve even declined — sometimes loudly and rudely — to go to the show if they must sit a row or two back. Yes, we know, these people are not worth even a comment, but we cannot help thinking that they’re cheating themselves out of an extraordinary experience.
A wise woman we know — who herself has sat up front and thrilled at a wink or a nod from Tom — and was initially reluctant to sit further back, says that many fans live for that kind of recognition. “He gives you a crumb and you make a banquet of it. Change seats and you see there’s so much more to enjoy. And that the winks and nods are mostly all part of the show and not really that personal. Still, while it’s nice to know he acknowledges you, there’s so much more to a Tom Jones performance.”
So, our suggestion? If you’re at MGM for more than one show, try to move back a bit. You’ll see a whole new world.
Finally, our fact: What Am I Living For is from the late 50s; 1958 to be exact, when it was recorded by Chuck Willis (who, somewhat ironically, died shortly after making the recording). It was also recorded by, among others, Ray Charles, Van Morrison and, of course, Jerry Leeeeeeeeeee Lewis!! Tom did a version himself in the late 1960s. It is such a great song.
—Ellen & Ursula
First, a disclaimer: Christopher Walken can do almost no wrong. And we do love the movies. Of course, you know how we feel about Sir Tom.
Now, here’s a movie by John Turturro — produced by the Coen Brothers — called Romance and Cigarettes. It stars, among others, James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Mandy Moore, Aida Turturro, Mary-Louise Parker, Eddie Izzard, Tony Goldwyn, Amy Sedaris, Elaine Stritch — pretty much all terrific performers.
So, we’d probably see this film anyway. But here’s what we really want to see — Christopher Walken (left) dancing to Delilah. That alone must be worth the price of admission.
If you do see it, let us know what you think.
…and Kiss is moved into the main part of the show.
Since the encore has for several years been made up of one rock ‘n roll classic and one hit our question is:
What two songs — one a rock ‘n roll classic and the other a TJ hit — would you like to hear in the new encore?
Thanks, Deb, for the idea.
Designed & Developed by
