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Mr. Jones



Oh, Tom.
Well, I was bingeing on Glee over the weekend (the Blaine and Kurt romance and Kurt's dad and all that jazz) when the It's not Unusual number came up. Mesmerized. I was mesmerized. I knew I had heard the song before and down the rabbit hole on youtube I went. And I found footage of Tom Jones in his heyday performing that song. And I stayed mesmerized.

Apparently Tom Jones had a raw sexuality that transcended. As I understand it, women threw their underwear at him and I can see why. He was apparently a construction worker who raised to fame with a series of hits in the sixties. He recorded a demo of It's not Unusual and the rest is history. He cultivated an image of hypersexuality the likes of which we have not seen ever since.

But what I like is the way he moved. He KNEW he was sexy. Notice that I say sexy and not handsome. Tom Jones was not handsome in a conventional way. He was a little rough around the edges but he knew how to move his body. And those pants! Damn. It was a Tom of Finland drawing come to life. I ca imagine that more than one gay man discovered he was gay just but watching Tom move.



We seldom see that anymore in a straight performer. Straight men are terrified of being considered a sex object, especially by other men. One of the working theories is that they are afraid we are going to treat them the way they treat women. That simple. Nowadays we see actors shedding their clothes and showing off their gym cultivated physiques, but that's a controlled performance, something that is going to show their best assets in a certain way in a certain context. A singer would have to do that in public, live. No filter. Very few do that.



As gay men, we capitalize on being sexually attractive, so a gay man doing what Tom Jones did is something we don't find to be sui generis. But I have not seen that raw sexuality even in a gay bar. Even some gay men are not free enough to be able to be that... free. And he was doing all this in the sixties! Well, it was the time of sex liberation and all that, but I cannot imagine what one of his concerts would have been, him moving like that. Bet those girls would have been thinking about those hips for days.

By the end of the sixties he had been moderately tamed. The voice was there, the showmanship was there, but that raw sexuality had been subdued. He came to America, Made millions, but I imagine it was just not the same. Then he became a caricature of a sex god. Why is it so hard for men to be so openly sexual? A man like Jones would be a rarity nowadays, I guess. We are all more politically correct. We are more bland. We have to abide by some rules that do not allow us to be that openly sexual. But it would be good to see a man that free again.





Of course, I have got to show you the PG-13 version in Glee. Child's play. But Tom's legacy lives.




XOXO

Comments

  1. The moment I read the name, that is the song that popped into my head.

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    Replies
    1. It’s iconic. Really. It introduced him to the world, basically.

      XoXo

      Delete
  2. I was never a TJ fan back in the day. But you have opened my eyes to what I was missing. I never knew tux pants could be so tight. He had the moves and freedom to flaunt it. Yowza!

    XOXO 👨‍❤️‍đź’‹‍👨

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  3. The man could pack a pant and a vocal.

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  4. The only song I liked from Mr. Jones was "You Can Leave Your Hat On". Though he could shake a tail feather.

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    Replies
    1. Ohh that’s a another classic! I’ve seen burlesque staged to that song.

      XoXo

      Delete
  5. Loved Glee, never missed an episode. But being a former dancer and a complete theatre nerd....

    Growing up in the 60s was pretty awesome, actually. It was a sad day when the freedom ended but I think everyone understood why. Jones' voice could carry the sex but, like Elvis before him, it had to be tamed down for the US. Worse is that we've returned to the Puritanical with a vengeance.

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    Replies
    1. Same! I thought it vindicated all theater kids in the world!
      I think it was a shame the sex had to be tamed. I was looking for a sixties performance of this song that really gave me a chub.

      XoXo

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  6. He for some reason never did a darn thing for me. I do think a few of his tunes though. A very good straight friend of mine loves it when I take him t o my bars and he gets fawned over. He always says if a gay man finds me sexy ...thats the ultimate compliment. Sorry more get to be a nervous wreaks.

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    Replies
    1. His songs still resonate. He did a version of Kiss, originally by Prince that I really like. Oh straight men in gay bars are a hoot.

      XoXo

      Delete
  7. Oh, I remember the heyday of Tom Jones, that sexy beast. All my aunties positively swooned over him! In addition to those hips, he also had what used to be called "bedroom eyes."

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    1. Sexy beast indeed! I think many his sex appeal is really earthy, I like that he’s almost like the man next door made sex machine.

      XoXo

      Delete
  8. I was in high school when he became popular. I found absolutely nothing sexually attractive in the man. I was much more interested in the fine bones of Chad Evverett.

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    1. Ohh Chad, huh? So you like the strong, silent type, no?

      XoXo

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  9. Oh thank gawd I get to say this was before my time, Tom who?

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    Replies
    1. Hahahahaha silly boy. You never watched Glee on tv?

      XoXo

      Delete

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