Sexy at 70 (by June 7).
Sir Thomas Jones Woodward has performed in numerous concerts and sold more than 100 million records and he’s not, so to speak, resting on his laurels.
“I love to make people happy,” he said during a 20-minute exclusive phone interview with Funfare (he was calling from Australia which is part of his Asian concert tour that includes the Philippines on March 28 at the Araneta Coliseum), “and I’m doing it for as long as I can.”
After the 1965 song It’s Not Unusual catapulted him to fame (and fortune), Tom Jones hosted the show This is Tom Jones which was telecast in both the US and UK. It has been great history since then.
As Jones would want it during his concerts, you can read the following interview to the tune of any Tom Jones hit and, why not, dance to it...Sexbomb, maybe?
Do you remember the last time you were in Manila?
“Oh, it was in the ’80s. I remember we did a tour. That was a long time ago.”
A lot of changes have happened to the country since then.
“Yeah, I understand. I’m looking forward to seeing all the changes because it has been so long. I’m curious what these changes are. I’m very inquisitive about seeing for myself how it is now.”
A lot of changes are happening not only in the Philippines but in every part of the world. But your voice has remained constant; it’s still as “unusual” as before. Your voice has not changed. How do you do it; how do you take care of your voice?
“Well, I drink plenty of water. The thing is, you should never get dehydrated, so you need to drink plenty of water. Humidity is very important; I carry a humidifier around with me and check on the humidity change wherever I am. If the humidity starts to get low, I switch the humidifier in my bedroom because it’s very important when you sleep to have a moist day. But don’t think that I might have any trouble in Manila because I know it’s pretty humid there.”
I wonder, do you sing in the bathroom like ordinary guys?
“Do I sing in the bathroom? Oh, in the shower! Yes, I sing in the shower; whatever song comes to my mind, I sing it. I’m always making some kind of music — even in the bathroom.”
Your songs are being played on the radio in the Philippines. In fact, a sexy all-female dance group was named after one of your songs, Sexbomb (2004).
“Aha? Oh, that song. I love that. When I do that onstage, I move to it.
But you know, the most important part of me is to sing, so I concentrate on my voice and then on some movements although it depends what the song is. If I’m doing Sexbomb, I move along with it. But if I’m singing a ballad, I stand stiff.”
How are you today compared to how you were 20 or 30 years ago? What can we expect from you during your concert on March 28?
“Well, it will be a different show; I’ve got a lot of new songs since I was there last. But I will still do the hits that I had years ago — you know, The Green, Green Grass of Home; It’s Not Unusual; Delilah; She’s a Lady and, of course, Sexbomb. I’m doing new songs that are in my new album, maybe five of them. It’s a different show from what people would have seen me do the last time I was there. The band is different; I have a new band. I’m doing all kinds of songs in the concert and I’m sure people will enjoy it.”
I’m curious about the background of some of your hit songs and what’s on your mind when you’re doing them.
“Well, any song that I do I try to do it as well as I can. Delilah, for example. It’s about a man killing a woman with a knife. I think about it while singing it but I definitely will not kill a woman, not with a knife or with whatever weapon. I ‘feel’ the lyrics of every song that I sing and try to express them as best as I can.”
What about It’s Not Unusual (1965)?
“That’s the most important song to me because that’s the one that started it all for me. I recorded it at the end of 1964 and it came out right at the beginning of 1965. It was No. 1 by March 1st in Britain. It was written by my manager and a friend of his. I did the demo record for a girl singing in a Sunday show. It’s Not Unusual is the song that changed my life.”
What about Green, Green Grass of Home? It’s so nostalgic, it makes you long for home.
“What I like about Green, Green Grass of Home is that it never mentions any city, so it makes people think about where they come from. That’s why the song is so popular because it’s about everybody’s home. You put the song into your own background, you know.”
As far as you are concerned, where is home?
“Well, I was born in Wales and that’s where I spent most of my time...the first 24 years of my life. That’s where my heart is. Where you were born and grew up stays with you for the rest of your life. But now, I live in Los Angeles but I go back and forth to Britain quite often so I’m never far way from Wales for too long.”
What about Help Yourself?
“As I said, I put myself in every song that I sing. So, when I sing Help Yourself I’m thinking exactly what the lyrics are saying. I don’t let my mind wander while I’m singing, otherwise I might miss some words. I concentrate on the lyrics of the song that I’m singing.”
“No. Nothing could stop me from becoming a singer. I’ve always wanted to be a singer. I began singing at a very early age. I sang at family gatherings, weddings and with the school choir.”
Any of your songs that means so much to you?
“As I said, the most important one is It’s Not Unusual. But there’s a ballad that I recorded, called It Looks Like I’m Never Gonna Fall in Love Again, that I like so much.”
In your March 28 concert, how do you expect the audience, especially the women, to react?
“I never expect anything. I always find out onstage how the audience will react. They are not there to please me, I’m there to please them. It’s my job to do the best I can to please the audience and hopefully, they will show me how much they are also enjoying what I’m doing. I like to make people happy. That’s why at the end of my show, I always say, ‘Did you want to get up and dance? Come on, do it! Get into it!’ Everytime I do a show, I give it my best shot and hope that it works.”
What song are you dedicating to your Filipino fans?
“Yes, Green, Green Grass of Home.”
(Note: Produced by Renen de Guia’s Ovation Production, Tom Jones in Manila will be mounted on March 28, starting at 8 p.m., at the Araneta Coliseum, with The Philippine STAR among the sponsors. Tickets are priced at P7,500, P6,500, P4,500, P2,500, P1,000 and P600. Call Ticketnet at 911-5555.)
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)