Fan Fare, What's New, Pussycat?
Here’s where you’ll find TJ photos and stories that don’t fit into any other categories. It is, as its name says, just for fans — and, hopefully, for fun.
Tom Jones On Living In the USA: What He Said In ‘77 Is Likely Still True Today
Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
With thanks to AF, who chimed into all the discussion on this site about Tom’s thoughts and feelings about living in the US, with this 1977 article from a US publication that should make his feelings crystal clear. (It is reproduced with the type as it appears in the original.) We have reason to believe these feelings are still true today — and the article doesn’t even mention the fact that “it never rains in California,” so a sun worshipper can really love it there. He’s as Welsh as can be and he loves his American home. Thus, the two Toms — the Gemini who is deeply, forevermore Welsh and the one who loves living in the USA — peacefully, even happily, coexist.
British tax emigre TOM JONES is $urviving $ucce$$ very “handsomely,” thank you, in the good old U$A. Ensconsed in his Beverly Hills manse, Mr. Pussycat just purred about the good life in his chosen country…
“In America, if you have money in the bank, and a nice home, and you’ve proven yourself, people see you as that. Three years ago, I was living on St. George’s Hill, in Weybridge, England, and I couldn’t join the golf club there because I was an ‘entertainer.” I thought it was all so stupid. The upper class people in Britain still like ‘breeding.’ If you don’t come from a first class family, there will alwasy look down on you.”
In TOM’s case, they would have had to look beyone “the green, green grass” all the way down to one of the biggest holes in Britain — TOM’s father was a coal miner in the Welsh town of Pontypridd.
TOM, who is still married to wife #1, says, “I consider myself lucky because I got married before I got into show business. My wife and I got to know each other so well that we can now survive anything — even success. LINDA understands. She is not on my back all the time. I go on the road and come home when I want. I get a lot of freedom“
And isn’t that what the U.S. of A. is all about?
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:27 am
So true - I am a legal alien in the US too and agree 100% - sometimes you have to leave home to find your happiness
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Interesting article. Who would have thought that the “class system” would have kept one of their greatest entertainers from joining a golf club! I’ve read that the class system is slowly eroding, but still exists in Britain. Before you Brits beat up on me, I know that similar things exist in the US, but I think that money talks here more than breeding!
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:22 am
You can take the boy out of Wales but you can never take Wales out of the boy. I’m sure Tom enjoys his lifestyle in America and what it has to offer. However, I truly believe that if he could have the same in Britain he would have never gone to America in the first place.
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Gill: We will not argue. The article speaks for itself. Like lots of Welshmen (and women) Tom chooses to live elsewhere. That doesn’t reflect badly on Wales, it’s personal preference. He cannot, as you say, “have the same” anywhere but where he lives. Thus, we are quite happy to offer Tom’s own words of praise for the US to those American fans who were hoping to see or hear something like this.
May 27th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Donny & Marie playing in Cardiff, Wales to sold-out crowds during their world tour…now that’s what I call a cultural exchange!
Then they will be coming home to roost at the Flamingo in Las Vegas….