Tommy's got some very new and exciting things coming up ... and we wanted to let you know about those things, too!
TOMMY'S SIRIUS / XM RADIO SHOW - GETTIN' TOGETHER:
KENT KOTAL / FORGOTTEN HITS: So how are you
enjoying the Sirius show? It gives you a
chance to play some things that influenced you, obviously … you get to play
some of the things that you grew up listening to as a kid … and helped inspire
your career. I mean, I grew up listening
to YOUR music when I was a kid … but you grew up listening to a whole different
batch of music that influenced your career.
TOMMY JAMES: Sure. They have been SO good to us on Sirius … they’ve allowed me to program my own music and they really have allowed me to play whatever I want to play and whatever is important to me. And so that’s what we’ve been doing. And I have a tremendous amount of freedom up there. I’m so glad that we’re doing this.
TOMMY JAMES: Sure. They have been SO good to us on Sirius … they’ve allowed me to program my own music and they really have allowed me to play whatever I want to play and whatever is important to me. And so that’s what we’ve been doing. And I have a tremendous amount of freedom up there. I’m so glad that we’re doing this.
And next month, it’s going to be
our one year anniversary of doing the Sirius show … and we’re going to do some
kind of anniversary show … so yes, we’re able to play the music we want to and
tell the stories that are important and are attached to the music.
kk: Didn’t you
used to an XM Show YEARS ago? I’m going
back to before Sirius and XM joined together … I thought you had some kind of
show that Dave The Rave was involved in,
TJ: Sure … Dave The Rave is actually a very good friend of mine … and I was up at XM when they were down in
Washington, D.C., before they joined up with Sirius. And that whole XM operation is an amazing
operation that they have going. The
amount of programming that they crank out per week … they’re going literally 24
hours a day … it never shuts down … and they have facilities all over the
country now … and they’re all pumping out programming … and so when I go up
there, we do two shows every two weeks and when I’m up there, you never know
who you’re going to run into. It could
be a movie star, could be a sports star, could be a rock star, could be
somebody from tv … it’s just really an amazing experience to go up to
Sirius. I’d love to bring 60 Minutes or
somebody like them up there and do a documentary on Sirius XM because it’s
really an amazing operation that they have going.
GETTIN' TOGETHER airs every Sunday on Sirius/XM from 5 - 8 pm (eastern) on Sirius Channel 6: 60s On 6
TOMMY'S GOT A BRAND NEW ALBUM COMING OUT IN APRIL!
kk: Let’s talk
about the new album a little bit.
TJ: Sure!
kk: You’ve got a brand new release coming out in April,
I believe … what can you tell us about that?
TJ: Well, our
new album … this is going to be my first new studio album in about ten years
and it’s called “Alive” … and it’s going to be released in April and the first
single that’s going to come from the album is called “So Beautiful” … and
there’s such a mixture of different types of music on the album, I can’t hardly
believe it.
We did a couple of re-do’s … for example, we did a
really interesting new version of “Draggin’ The Line” and we did the version of
“I Think We’re Alone Now” that’s going to be in the movie … the closing credits
of the movie are going to run over this new version of “I Think We’re Alone
Now” and it’s slow and acoustic and totally different from the original 45 … so
that’s going to be on the new album, too.
And all the rest are new songs and so we’re really
excited about this album and, as I say, it’s the first one in ten years. And it’s gonna be fun. We have our own label … Aura Records … and
we’re distributed all over the world … and it’s gonna be fun … and we’re gonna
be playing some songs from the album in our show this year as we tour The
United States.
kk: That’s
great. And I’ve just got to say that
your newer stuff … and I can’t believe that it’s been ten years already because
I’ve got ALL of your newest releases … but it’s all every bit as good as the older
stuff … and I keep writing about it because people need to hear it … they need
to discover this music and the fact that you’re still creating it. And it’s so hard to get radio to play it
anymore … but you would think that with the limited resources that we have
available these days … I mean oldies radio pretty much lives on the internet
these days … you would think that they would give their due to some of these
artists who are still out there … still active … and still making new music
because some of it definitely deserves to be heard.
TJ: Well, thank
you.
We actually get a tremendous amount
of airplay on our older stuff, all over the country ... I mean the new stuff …
or the older newer stuff (laughing) … I guess you could say … and I feel like
there is an audience for it. For example,
with “So Beautiful,” our new single, we’re going directly to Adult Contemporary
Radio with this … we’re not really looking for oldies stations to play this
stuff although some of the remakes may get played on oldies radio … but we want
the new stuff to be discovered and treated as new material.
We have had tremendous success with having our material
used in movies for the past few years … and Sony represents us in movies and
television and commercials and represents the catalog and so it’s really wonderful
to have the music still in front of people after all these years … it really
is.
kk: Now was this
new album done with the touring band?
The guys you currently perform live with?
TJ: Partly … a lot of it is done by myself and I’ll
pick this musician or that musician but most of it has been done by our own
group and our own people. And it’s great
to be able to put out music when you feel like putting it out.
kk: I had heard
something that the new acoustic version of “I Think We’re Alone Now” that’s going
to play over the end credits of the movie featured you with some of the
original Shondells.
TJ: No … but
they were on the Christmas album, “I Love Christmas,” which was released about
nine years ago. I had the three surviving members singing background on a
couple of songs.
Kk: Oh, that’s
nice. So you still keep in touch with
those guys?
TJ: Yeah! Sure.
kk: Well, I love
the idea that you’re going to include some of the new music in your stage show
… because people need to know about that … that you’re still recording and
creating new music … and I think that’s a good thing. So many artists are typecast and held to the
oldies mold that they’re afraid to branch out a little bit and I think the fans
out there would be VERY interested to know that there is brand new Tommy James
music out there and available.
TJ: You’re quite right.
And if anybody out there would like to come to our website, please check
us out and see where we’re gonna be workin’ and what’s going on, it’s just
tommyjames.com … and if anybody wants to just dial into the show, it’s
833-TOMMYSHOW … and while we can’t guarantee that every call will get on the
air, but we certainly can guarantee that I’m going to be listening to every
call.
Tommy's new album will be released in April ... more information on his website as to how to order ... https://www.tommyjames.com/
ME, THE MOB AND THE MUSIC - A Major Motion Picture based on Tommy's best selling book
kk: OK, I gotta
ask you about the movie …
What the heck is going on?
It’s been coming for YEARS! When are we finally going to see this movie?
TJ: Well, we
have literally have the director now, as we speak. It’s a long time getting a movie in
development. It’s amazing anything ever
gets made. But for this movie, “Me, The Mob
And The Music,” the screenplay has been finished, with Matthew Stone … the
producer is Barbara DeFina, who produced “Good Fellas,” “Casino” and “Hugo”
with Martin Scorsese … and the director … I’m not going to give the director’s
name right now because we’re looking at two people and we’ll have that decision
made within the next week or so … and as soon as the director is chosen, then
things will speed up immediately and the casting will begin. And the technical people come on. You know, there are so many people involved
in the making of a major budget movie and everybody has other schedules ... and
getting it worked out right so that everybody can come together at the same
time is quite a job, because they’re all working on other things … but the
technical people will be selected now and then the casting will be done.
kk: Now how
involved will you be with all of that?
Are you going to be pretty hands-on throughout this process?
TJ: I’m going to
be very involved with it, yeah. I’m
getting a hell of an education because everybody is a separate negotiation that
comes on and it’s really and amazing number of moving parts … but it’s really
exciting … so the next couple of years are going to be really interesting and
very hectic.
kk: So is that
what you’re thinking then … this is still a couple of years away from
happening?
TJ: That’s what
we’re looking at … you know a year and a half to two years.
kk: It’s tough
because as a fan, you can’t wait to see it
TJ: I feel the
same way! Believe me, I feel the same
way! (both laughing)
kk: And you had
all the momentum built up due to the book and it was a very exciting time, I’m
sure, for you, too. It’s such a cool
story anyway … again, lucky breaks … and just surviving all of that! It’s just all so amazing.
TJ: Well, you’re
absolutely right about that. But after
the film, they want to do Broadway … they want to do a musical … and it looks
like we’re going to have the same director for both the movie and the musical
so that’s going to be great.
kk: I would
think that you could almost simultaneously arrange all of that
TJ: The whole
idea is that you have to do it this way … because if the musical came first and
for any reason it doesn’t do that well, then the movie doesn’t gets made … so
you always want to do the movie first.
kk: Well just
don’t get Clint Eastwood involved because that was a frickin’ disaster!
TJ: Wasn’t that
a disaster?!?
kk: It was
horrible! I know Frankie Valli was
pretty upset about the way the whole thing was handled … and he wanted them to
use the actual recordings in the film to lend more authenticity to the whole
thing … but I’m not sure anything would have saved that film!
TJ: I felt
really bad for him … and you’re quite right … and Frankie is such a good
guy. It really is an incredible story …
and Jersey Boys, the musical, it ran for years and year.
kk: It played
here forever … and it’s coming back for one week only in April and there’s
already a scramble to get tickets for it.
TJ: Absolutely …
and it’s an exciting play.
kk: I mean, who
knew that all this stuff was going on at the time? And the thing about it is, you’re just kids …
you’re all wrapped up in the moment … I mean, you had a pretty good idea, it
sounds like, as to what was going on behind the scenes at Roulette …
TJ: Well, we
learned incrementally … we had no idea when we signed with Roulette that
Roulette was a front company for the Genovese Crime Family … we had no idea …
but they also were a functioning record company.
kk:
Exactly! They were making hit
records!
TJ: You know, I
look at that and I think, we sold 110
million records at Roulette! We had 23
gold singles – we had 9 platinum albums – and honestly, I don’t think that
would have happened anywhere else. The
reason is because, starting out with a record like “Hanky Panky,” if we had
gone with one of the major record labels, one of the corporate labels like CBS
or RCA or Atlantic, we would have had so much competition that that probably
would have been the end of it.
Especially with a record like “Hanky Panky,” which was a fluke to begin
with. And we also would have never had
the attention that we got at Roulette.
At Roulette, they actually needed us … getting paid was like taking a
bone from a dog … that wasn’t ever going to happen … but of course we had no idea
who we were dealing with … and we would learn it incrementally. We would see people on TV that we just met in
the office! We’d see guys doing “the
perp walk” (laughing), you know, in handcuffs, that we just met in Morris
Levy’s office!
And when I started writing the book, we were going to
write a book called “Crimson And Clover” … and it was going to be about writing
songs and making hit records … ‘cause we really didn’t want to talk about this
.. because some of these guys were still walkin’ around.
And we got about a third of the way done … and Martin
Fitzpatrick, my co-writer, and I looked at each and said, “You know, if we
don’t tell the Roulette story, we’re rippin’ everybody off” … and so we put it
on the shelf for a couple of years.
And then when the last of the Roulette boys passed
away, we figured we could finish the book the right way, and we did it that
way. And we told stories that we could
never have told if these guys had been walkin’ around.
kk: I think
there’s always been a certain perception of what Morris Levy was all about and
what some of his connections were …
TJ: Only later …
we certainly didn’t know it when we signed.
kk: At the time,
no one’s aware of that or thinking about that … I mean you guys are having hit
records and traveling all over the place, playing to sold out crowds … and
again, you’re kids … you’re not thinking about that sort of stuff.
TJ: When we
finally realized what was going on … and the fact that we weren’t going to get
paid mechanical royalties … we basically made a decision to stay there because,
first of all, it would have been dangerous to leave because we were good earners, I guess
(laughing) … I hate to put it that way, but that’s what it was … also because
things were so unpredictable, we really didn’t want to ruffle any feathers
beyond repair. So we decided to stick it
out … and I’m really glad we did, not only because of the success we had there,
but also because I get to tell the story now.
kk: The first
thing that comes to my mind is that whole Jimmie Rodgers incident out in San
Diego that happened after he left Roulette …
TJ: That’s right
… you’re absolutely right … pretty scary.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: For more on the Jimmie Rodgers situation, check out our series of articles here:
kk: I guess the one thing that always kind of amazed me
was that you stayed on as a solo artist … despite it all, you elected to stay
there and I was always a little surprised by that, I guess.
TJ: Well, I had started producing … we had a hit with
Alive ‘n’ Kickin’, and I really didn’t want to leave at that point because I
was used to it … but finally in ’74, I did leave, and my contract wasn’t up
until ’79, but I left in ’74 and went out to the west coast … got as far away
as I could … and started recording for Fantasy Records in San Francisco and
Berkeley.
And then four years later I came back and signed with
Millennium Records, which was RCA, and we had some more hits with “Three Times
In Love” into the ‘80’s. And so we had
really a VERY nice run of about sixteen years and I am very grateful to the
fans and to The Good Lord for the success we’ve had and the longevity that
we’re still enjoying.
kk: That’s great … Tommy, I appreciate it … thank you
for taking the time out of your day to do this today.
TJ: My pleasure
… it’s been good talkin’ to you … and great success to you … you’re doing great
with the site … and thank you so much for letting me get all the plugs in.
kk: (laughing) no problem … thanks again.
TJ: Listen,
anytime you want to talk again, you just let us know … thank you, my friend.
Here's a picture of me, Tommy James, Frannie and Ron Onesti,
backstage after one of Tommy's shows at The Arcada Theatre!
