Tom on early influences etc…
I always wanted big things and my motto starting in third
grade was, ‘bigger than The Beatles’. We had a little book, we had a band and
we were going to conquer the world twice over. I’ve never told
anyone that but I said it for years, to myself [laughing]. I don’t know if anyone else
around me could have handled that or if they would embrace it. They might have stared
at me like, ‘Yeah sure, right kid’. It was really a mantra for myself and it
marginally worked [laughing]. If you aim high you’ll end up with a pretty high
benchmark, so reach for the stars. I proceeded with all of that in the back of my mind
when I was a young child and later on I became more realistic.
When we were little kids The Beatles were the biggest heroes
for most of us, and there were also others in that hero category like Elvis and
Johnny Cash. Then as I got older, my heroes always had a guitar, like John Fogerty.
People forget how many hits CCR had on the radio. While we were growing up it
was them and also John Lennon. He was strumming a guitar and singing like
nothing you can imagine. The tone in his voice was just unreal.
People screamed
for The Beatles, but go to YouTube and check out how they screamed for James
Brown. I remember him first coming on TV and even I lost my mind because it was
the coolest thing I had ever seen. James Brown Teaches You How to Dance is like
one of the top two things I’ve ever seen on YouTube [laughing]. I’m a big dyed in the wool Motown fan. When I was a little
kid Stevie Wonder was a favorite. “For Once in My Life” changed everything,
even just the sound of Motown did. Mick (Jones) told me that in Europe when
Marvin Gaye was making those records they would all just sit around and listen
to them, so it sounds to me like the Motown thing was universal. It was much harder to
know for sure back then though because there was no real connection, now we
have a global reading on everything in a second.
grade was, ‘bigger than The Beatles’. We had a little book, we had a band and
we were going to conquer the world twice over. I’ve never told
anyone that but I said it for years, to myself [laughing]. I don’t know if anyone else
around me could have handled that or if they would embrace it. They might have stared
at me like, ‘Yeah sure, right kid’. It was really a mantra for myself and it
marginally worked [laughing]. If you aim high you’ll end up with a pretty high
benchmark, so reach for the stars. I proceeded with all of that in the back of my mind
when I was a young child and later on I became more realistic.
When we were little kids The Beatles were the biggest heroes
for most of us, and there were also others in that hero category like Elvis and
Johnny Cash. Then as I got older, my heroes always had a guitar, like John Fogerty.
People forget how many hits CCR had on the radio. While we were growing up it
was them and also John Lennon. He was strumming a guitar and singing like
nothing you can imagine. The tone in his voice was just unreal.
People screamed
for The Beatles, but go to YouTube and check out how they screamed for James
Brown. I remember him first coming on TV and even I lost my mind because it was
the coolest thing I had ever seen. James Brown Teaches You How to Dance is like
one of the top two things I’ve ever seen on YouTube [laughing]. I’m a big dyed in the wool Motown fan. When I was a little
kid Stevie Wonder was a favorite. “For Once in My Life” changed everything,
even just the sound of Motown did. Mick (Jones) told me that in Europe when
Marvin Gaye was making those records they would all just sit around and listen
to them, so it sounds to me like the Motown thing was universal. It was much harder to
know for sure back then though because there was no real connection, now we
have a global reading on everything in a second.
Tom on being led by the music…
I’ve always been of the mind to just let the events take me.
I don’t try to steer the music, I let the music take me where it wants me. I let
fate take its’ train ride into my world and I just let things happen.
My dad
gave me a tiny cassette player and a tape called The Best of Cream
and when “Tales of Brave Ulysses” and “White Room” would come on I would jump
around my room and let the music move me. I was a little kid taking drum
lessons and I didn’t really have the discipline to practice. I was supposed to
be doing rudiments and exercises, so I would just stare at the drum and go, ‘Someday’ [laughing], let’s just listen to that Cream tape again. I was more about the
dancing and the singing at that age [laughing], and the singing, that’s what
took me. I was never afraid to sing.
I come from a complete line of extroverts,
I’m the sixth out of six, so everyone above me was out of their shell. I mean
I’d never even seen a shell [laughing], I didn’t know what that was [still laughing]. Every step
of the way we were all trying to get the attention and so by the time it got to
me I figured I’d just coast along here. Everybody was singing and I loved to
sing. We weren’t allowed to watch much television so we would listen to records and
of course sing, because we weren’t just going to sit there and listen.
My mom
would play all of the Broadway shows and I could probably still sing those even
though I might wish that weren’t the case [laughing] but there’s nothing I can
do about it. It’s all in there. I did love Jesus Christ Superstar though and I got
to see that on Broadway as a birthday present. It was spectacular. Any Broadway
show though, if you see it live you’re just putty in their hands. They can do whatever they want and make you cry, laugh, squirm, just whatever they want. You’re like a marionette [laughing].
I don’t try to steer the music, I let the music take me where it wants me. I let
fate take its’ train ride into my world and I just let things happen.
My dad
gave me a tiny cassette player and a tape called The Best of Cream
and when “Tales of Brave Ulysses” and “White Room” would come on I would jump
around my room and let the music move me. I was a little kid taking drum
lessons and I didn’t really have the discipline to practice. I was supposed to
be doing rudiments and exercises, so I would just stare at the drum and go, ‘Someday’ [laughing], let’s just listen to that Cream tape again. I was more about the
dancing and the singing at that age [laughing], and the singing, that’s what
took me. I was never afraid to sing.
I come from a complete line of extroverts,
I’m the sixth out of six, so everyone above me was out of their shell. I mean
I’d never even seen a shell [laughing], I didn’t know what that was [still laughing]. Every step
of the way we were all trying to get the attention and so by the time it got to
me I figured I’d just coast along here. Everybody was singing and I loved to
sing. We weren’t allowed to watch much television so we would listen to records and
of course sing, because we weren’t just going to sit there and listen.
My mom
would play all of the Broadway shows and I could probably still sing those even
though I might wish that weren’t the case [laughing] but there’s nothing I can
do about it. It’s all in there. I did love Jesus Christ Superstar though and I got
to see that on Broadway as a birthday present. It was spectacular. Any Broadway
show though, if you see it live you’re just putty in their hands. They can do whatever they want and make you cry, laugh, squirm, just whatever they want. You’re like a marionette [laughing].
I ended up being in a show, Man of La Mancha, which was our
school play (laughing) and I got to be Don Quixote. I loved it because I got
to sing “The Impossible Dream”. We were a bunch of kids singing acapella and
when I would sing that song other kids told me that they could
hear me all over the school. So that was my first real experience with reverb
and I learned the value of echo learned at a very young age [laughing].
school play (laughing) and I got to be Don Quixote. I loved it because I got
to sing “The Impossible Dream”. We were a bunch of kids singing acapella and
when I would sing that song other kids told me that they could
hear me all over the school. So that was my first real experience with reverb
and I learned the value of echo learned at a very young age [laughing].
Mainly I was the star drummer grade school and there
were tons of kids like me. I found that out because when I went to middle
school there was nothing but drummers. They were lined up in the hallway and
the school band teacher was a drummer [laughing] so there were four drum solos
for the next school concert. It was a lot of fun but when we wanted to have a
band it was kind of hard because there was nothing but drummers, so I couldn’t
wait to get my hands on a guitar. It’s so much easier to move than a drum set [laughing]. I quickly switched over to rhythm guitar, but all of those years of
drumming, that wrist action you also use in rhythm guitar. I love the
combination of cords and rhythm.
I have to give my dad a lot of credit because
he would give us these records called Music Minus One, and you would play along
with the record. He gave me one when I was learning the drums and then he gave me one for rhythm guitar that taught me strumming. It came with a book that taught the chords and whoa did getting callouses on my
fingers hurt the first time. I was on, a ten dollar guitar and the
strings were about four inches off the neck, thinking, ‘I’m going to hold this
D chord until my fingers bleed’, [laughing]. I cut these grooves into my
fingers that were cut for life. I’ve never had a problem since. Callouses, so
important in guitar [laughing].
Tom on middle school etc…
were tons of kids like me. I found that out because when I went to middle
school there was nothing but drummers. They were lined up in the hallway and
the school band teacher was a drummer [laughing] so there were four drum solos
for the next school concert. It was a lot of fun but when we wanted to have a
band it was kind of hard because there was nothing but drummers, so I couldn’t
wait to get my hands on a guitar. It’s so much easier to move than a drum set [laughing]. I quickly switched over to rhythm guitar, but all of those years of
drumming, that wrist action you also use in rhythm guitar. I love the
combination of cords and rhythm.
I have to give my dad a lot of credit because
he would give us these records called Music Minus One, and you would play along
with the record. He gave me one when I was learning the drums and then he gave me one for rhythm guitar that taught me strumming. It came with a book that taught the chords and whoa did getting callouses on my
fingers hurt the first time. I was on, a ten dollar guitar and the
strings were about four inches off the neck, thinking, ‘I’m going to hold this
D chord until my fingers bleed’, [laughing]. I cut these grooves into my
fingers that were cut for life. I’ve never had a problem since. Callouses, so
important in guitar [laughing].
Tom on middle school etc…
We moved in between grade school and middle school so
I was the new kid. My sister and I basically took over the school on the first
day [laughing]. There was a lot of angst there though because I had been pulled
away from my comfort zone. We were in trouble, suspended, and I got to know the
principal really well [laughing]- we’re still in touch to this day. I was
acting out. My parents were getting a divorce and it was the 70’s so that
alcohol culture had kind of hit the wall. They were changing the laws because
DUI’s weren’t a thing in the ’60s and early ’70s. People always brought beer in
the car when they drove and then it suddenly turned into a way of life that no longer was
accepted in a modern world. My parents’ relationship was probably forged around
drinking and that lifestyle was no longer working for folks. We were basically just
suburban kids acting out.
I knew I wanted to do music and so I didn’t understand why I was stuck in school. There was never any doubt that music would be my life. I just told myself to keep trying as hard as I could. Other kids were out having normal lives and we practiced a lot. All we ever did was set up our equipment and play. As soon as I got a guitar and an amp, which was seventh grade, it was a full-time commitment from that point forward I think.
I’ve never had a choice about any of this, that’s how I feel about life. I feel like I’ve been on a tractor beam since my first drum lesson [laughing]. I got a gig playing triangle when I was in kindergarten! I got to be on stage with the big kids because I was so good on the triangle and that was my first break really [laughing]. I was so psyched then but I’m always psyched even today, I just can’t wait to play. That’s remained a constant.
Tom on relationships…
I was the new kid. My sister and I basically took over the school on the first
day [laughing]. There was a lot of angst there though because I had been pulled
away from my comfort zone. We were in trouble, suspended, and I got to know the
principal really well [laughing]- we’re still in touch to this day. I was
acting out. My parents were getting a divorce and it was the 70’s so that
alcohol culture had kind of hit the wall. They were changing the laws because
DUI’s weren’t a thing in the ’60s and early ’70s. People always brought beer in
the car when they drove and then it suddenly turned into a way of life that no longer was
accepted in a modern world. My parents’ relationship was probably forged around
drinking and that lifestyle was no longer working for folks. We were basically just
suburban kids acting out.
I knew I wanted to do music and so I didn’t understand why I was stuck in school. There was never any doubt that music would be my life. I just told myself to keep trying as hard as I could. Other kids were out having normal lives and we practiced a lot. All we ever did was set up our equipment and play. As soon as I got a guitar and an amp, which was seventh grade, it was a full-time commitment from that point forward I think.
I’ve never had a choice about any of this, that’s how I feel about life. I feel like I’ve been on a tractor beam since my first drum lesson [laughing]. I got a gig playing triangle when I was in kindergarten! I got to be on stage with the big kids because I was so good on the triangle and that was my first break really [laughing]. I was so psyched then but I’m always psyched even today, I just can’t wait to play. That’s remained a constant.
Tom on relationships…
Whenever I think about relationships [laughing] I find myself thinking about how our acumen relates to our upbringing. I think your skill at relationships is directly proportionate to your experience that you had as a child. I think we’re victims of our upbringing and if you want to change that then you’re going to have to hire an expensive therapist and do a lot of work. It’s the way that you’re raised that defines how you conduct yourself and your relationships, for the most part. You might have some really great friends giving you good advice but for the most part, I think that’s how that works.
You sort of inherit your family’s viewpoint on life and my dad’s very fatalistic and so I feel like everything is pretty much already done and decided [laughing].
Tom on life’s lessons…
I think that the lessons that you learn later in life
are impossible to know earlier in life. I’ve tried to share some of my wisdom
with my nephew and he just stares at me like, ‘Uh-huh sure pops, whatever dude’.
I think it’s a natural progression. Do I wish I could have figured things out a little bit sooner? Maybe, maybe
not [laughing]. I’m not trading some of those memories in for anything! I’ve
had a ton of fun and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
I have thought a lot about what real injustices could
have been avoided and there’s probably a lot of family stuff. Don’t listen to
your dad about this, try to help your mom more with that, or be nicer to your
sister, those kinds of things for sure. I threw my cousin in the lake once and
he was crying, and I still wish I hadn’t done that. It’s good to talk about
things because I never knew where that side of me came from until I realized
that’s exactly what my brother would have done to me, and it’s exactly what my
dad would have done to my brother. So if I’m going to play the blame game I’ve got
to go back four generations [laughing]. How am I supposed to be angry at my
great-great-grandfather for throwing his kid in a lake [still laughing]? The
repetition of behavior is tried and true and it never strays very far from the
original mark. It takes a lot of work to undo all of that kind of primal wiring,
but a lot of people do it.
have been avoided and there’s probably a lot of family stuff. Don’t listen to
your dad about this, try to help your mom more with that, or be nicer to your
sister, those kinds of things for sure. I threw my cousin in the lake once and
he was crying, and I still wish I hadn’t done that. It’s good to talk about
things because I never knew where that side of me came from until I realized
that’s exactly what my brother would have done to me, and it’s exactly what my
dad would have done to my brother. So if I’m going to play the blame game I’ve got
to go back four generations [laughing]. How am I supposed to be angry at my
great-great-grandfather for throwing his kid in a lake [still laughing]? The
repetition of behavior is tried and true and it never strays very far from the
original mark. It takes a lot of work to undo all of that kind of primal wiring,
but a lot of people do it.
Tom on how he approaches things now as an adult…
I try not to quantify things now and I’m all about embracing them. At this point, I’m just filled with gratitude that I’ve been able to find a home and family with Foreigner. As I’m approaching three decades it’s finally dawning on me that I might have found a little niche here [laughing]. It is starting to sink in that I’ve found my home and my musical family. The great part about Foreigner is that things happen naturally. It just feels like a family and I believe that’s the way that Mick Jones prefers it.
The most important thing that Tom would tell his younger self…
The most important thing that Tom would tell his younger self…
It’s hard to picture doing anything differently
because I always felt like I was steered. But I would say to a younger version of
me, ‘You’re going to change. Everything that you feel steadfast on now, you may
take a completely opposite stand towards.’ and that’s so fascinating when I look
back on it. Like, in high school I was not interested in history because it had
already happened. I was interested in the future because it’s what is about to
happen. Now, I love history and I wish I’d studied it more.
because I always felt like I was steered. But I would say to a younger version of
me, ‘You’re going to change. Everything that you feel steadfast on now, you may
take a completely opposite stand towards.’ and that’s so fascinating when I look
back on it. Like, in high school I was not interested in history because it had
already happened. I was interested in the future because it’s what is about to
happen. Now, I love history and I wish I’d studied it more.
The most important thing I would say is to keep doing what you’re doing but remember to play more frisbee. When I look back on it, those were some of my most joyous moments, and we did play a lot of frisbee. If there was one thing that I wish I did more of that might be it because it was just pure joy and pure bliss. Maybe get a girlfriend that plays frisbee too, {laughing] that’s what I’d tell that kid. Sunshine, running through the grass barefoot and grabbing that thing out of the sky. It really was blissful.
Leave a Reply