Sad?
I was listening to some morning drive-time radio doofus this morning, and he was talking about Tommy Tutone. Remember that band? They did the catchy (and eminently singalongable) song "Jenny (867-5309)".
Guy's real name is Tommy Heath, and he's a computer geek now. He still plays musical gigs, once in a while....sometimes at 80's reunion shows, sometimes even at weddings.
Anyway, this radio doof was talking (and mocking and laughing) about that, and finally concluded that Tommy Heath has a "sad, sad life."
Why? Because he's not right now on top of the charts? There are lots of us out here, computer geeks and bolt salesmen and eyeglass grinders, who have never charted a song we wrote. Many of us augment our daily lives by making music, and usually don't get paid for that at all. Do we have even sadder lives?
I saw an interview with Tommy Heath, and he seems pretty damn well-adjusted. He had a blast making music, he has a blast performing still, and recognizes that he got to do something -- even if but briefly -- that millions upon millions only dream of.
Sounds like a happy life, to me.
What is unhappy is some people's needs to like their own lives by mocking others, whether deserved or not.
posted by Ted @ 12:56 PM
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2 Comments:
Besides that, after all these years, I still remember Jenny's number!
Tommy Heath does indeed appear to be well-adjusted and is a supremely talented fellow who is a consummate performer on-stage but a quiet, down-to-earth guy off-stage.
I had the distinct pleasure of being able to play a few of his songs on-stage with him last night at a local watering hole. He will occasionally "come out to play" in order to work out the kinks on new material and a great time is had by all anytime Tommy shows up!
Check out his last album ("Tommy Tutone.RTF") and look for a new one to come out soon. Tommy's lyrics are always interesting & multi-layered. He combines his lyrics with soulful & catchy tunes with intelligent and sometimes quirky arrangements.
Tommy's website (www.tutone.com) is a wealth of "Tutone" historical and current info and contains videos, music downloads and interviews in addition to biographies and discography.
I used to love to play "Jenny/867-5309" back in the '80s (fun tune) but I appreciate Tommy's recent and current solo efforts on a much deeper level. Tommy has seasoned well and his recent & current music really has groove and dimension.
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