AUGUST 5, 2012 SUNDAY SUN
43
10 Questions
12 remarkable Welsh singer and Olympic Games opening act,Tom Jones,on longevity, summer Sinatra and nixing the underwear toss olympians of all time
Y
ou’re 72 and still performing. To what do you attribute your longevity? Good health, first of all. So I’m lucky there. And my voice is still as powerful as ever, so there’s luck there as well. And the love of it.
it’s not as exciting in Vegas as it used to be. You knew Frank Sinatra and Elvis pretty well. What do we not know about them? Frank Sinatra was pretty much what you see is what
you get. Frank liked to drink, and so do I, so we had that in common. A lot of people have said that he could be a little awkward, but we can all be awkward at times. Elvis Presley did not particularly like alcohol. Whatever he did, I
Yours is, even now, a very sexy act. Did you have to tone it down when you performed for the Queen? Not really.
wasn’t part of. But the common denominator was music. Frank Sinatra was very passionate about his music, and so was Elvis Presley, and so was Sammy Davis. I realized the bigger the people I was meeting, the more passionate they were about what they were doing.
Do you think that certain times produce more great music than others? I think there are more really, really good singers around now than there used to be, but then there are more people around, and a lot of these younger singers have had so many people to listen to. There’s more history.
Do people still throw knickers at you? No, thank God, no. How did you stop them? Well, you take less notice of it. I used to encourage it. I thought it was rather fun. But if you ignore it, it goes away like anything else would.
Tell me something about your recent album and the directions you’re moving in. These last two albums, Praise & Blame and Spirit in the Room, are very natural. People have said that they can hear something that they’ve been waiting for. I’m getting more chance to express myself vocally. My producer said, “You’ve been so used to performing onstage. Try not to do it.”
Home for you is California. Where is your heart? My heart is in Wales, where I was born and bred. Most of my memories are of Wales. I went to America because I became successful in America because of my recordings. And then the Labour government got in in Britain in the ’70s, and that nudged me. I like America very much. I don’t feel as though I’m in a foreign country. Is Las Vegas a home too? Jones Vegas is not what it used to be. It’s changed now. There are more “shows” shows, not so much individual entertainers, so the shine went off it for me. I met Elvis Presley (there) in 1965, when I first went to America. All of a sudden, “It’s Not Unusual” went to but then there are more people around, and a No. 1, and I was meeting lot of these younger singers have had all these very famous people very quickly. For me so many people to listen to.
I think there are more really, really good singers around now than there used to be,
Would I be right that you have no plans to retire? Immortality would be a wonderful thing for me. I’m enjoying myself. But old age will finally catch up. I know it has to. Another 50 years–I would be all right with that. –CATHERINE MAYER Culled from TIME Magazine
Carl Lewis: Athletics,United States He competed in every Olympic Games from 1984 to 1996, winning nine gold medals and one silver in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump, and 400-meter relays. Carl Osburn:Shooting,United States This United States Navy officer and sports shooter won a total of 11 Olympic medals: five gold, four silver, and two bronze. He was the alltime leading male Olympic medal winner for the United States prior to Michael Phelps. Daley Thompson:Decathlon,Great Britain Daley Thompson competed for Great Britain in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics, winning the gold medal in the decathlon both times and making him the best all-around track and field athlete at both Olympics. Jackie Joyner-Kersee: Track and Field, United States Jackie Joyner-Kersee took women’s track and field to the next level by winning three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals from 1984 to 1996. At 7,291 points, her performance in the 1988 heptathlon set a world record that has yet to be broken. Jenny Thompson:Swimming,United States Jenny Thompson won eight gold, three silver, and one bronze for a total of 12 medals from 1992 to 2004, making her one of the most decorated Olympians of all time. She also held the world record for the women’s 100 butterfly from 1999 to 2000, the women’s 100 butterfly (25 m) from 1997 to 2002, and the women’s 100 individual medley (25 m) from 1999 to 2002. Jesse Owens:Track and Field,United States Owens fought hard to win four gold medals during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which was no easy feat in Nazi Germany. Conveniently, Hitler had to leave before the victory ceremony of the 100 meters, but he couldn’t change the fact that the whole nation witnessed Owens’ victory over the “pure-blooded” Germans. Jim Thorpe:Athletics,United States This Olympian won two gold medals for his performance in the pentathlon and decathlon during the 1912 Sweden Olympics only to have them taken away a year later. Karnam Malleswari:Weightlifting,India The first woman to win an Olympic medal for weightlifting. Larisa Latynina:Gymnastics,Soviet Union She earned nine gold, five silver, and four bronze medals, adding up to 18 medals in all. In addition to this tremendous accomplishment, she also holds the record for most individual medals (14 outside of team events) in Olympic history. Mark Spitz:Swimming,United States During the 1972 Munich Olympics, this swimmer won seven gold medals, breaking the record for most gold medals in a single Olympics. He held onto this title for 36 years until Michael Phelps burst onto the scene. Michael Phelps:Swimming,United States Michael Phelps’ incredible swimming skills have earned him monikers such as “Flying Fish” and “The Baltimore Bullet.” He holds the record for most gold medals won in a single Olympics as well as the all-time record for most gold Olympic records. He has won 16 medals in all, 14 of them gold. Usain Bolt:Athletics,Jamaica This Jamaican runner won three gold medals in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4?100 meters relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He is the reigning champion in all three events.