Hello. I'm The Tickler, official online voice of Tom Jonesing. I'm here to satisfy your curiosity about all things TJ, and related matters in which I may have some expertise. I invite you to direct all inquiries to: tickler@tomjonesing.com . Please include your first name and your profession with all questions. Pictures on this page by Jody Gianni www.imagianni.com

* Belinda, a graphic designer from San Francisco writes:

Dear Tickler... Why Tom Jones? Isn't he kind of cheesy and loungy and yucky and like so 80's but worse? I mean, you guys rock, but, come ON! Tom Jones?

Hello, Belinda. Tom Jones was the obvious choice for several reasons. First, he is a musical slut, embracing all kinds of incredible music from the last five decades. We, however, prefer to target his "golden age", which by our best estimates, ranges from about 1964 to 1973 (we call this period BD, "before disco"). The wealth of pop, rock, r&b, and soul tunes from this 10-year period is unbelievable, and it's these songs that we (and Tom) love.

Second, Tom is still very much THE VOICE. Though well into his 60's, the man tours most of the year, and keeps blowing people away with his amazing talent. He and his band, well, they RAWK.You should really check him out live, before he, like, dies or something.

Third, yes, we will not deny a certain attraction to Tom's inherent kitsch factor, and we endeavor to use this power for good, not evil. Oh, and our esteemed lead vocalist, Tantric Tom, does bear a striking resemblance to the Man (when he was in his younger years). In fact, the idea for the band came to him when he grew some major sideburns and found he was being routinely compared to the "original".

* Hunter, a film worker/nightclub singer, posits:

Dear Tickler: My question is: With such high energy talent, brilliant staging and well-refined show, why hasn't some fat cat agent in NYC or LA booked you guys for a big show in Tokyo?! Come on, this isn't rocket surgery!!

Good question, Hunter. For that matter, we'd love to play LA and New York more often. Japan has a very large Tom Jones fan base and I'm sure we'd go over big there. The truth is, we're looking for the right agent at the moment, and would welcome inquiries by a qualified rep with the right connections. They need neither be fat, nor cat.

* Margy, a loan officer from Berkeley writes:

Dear Tickler: What is up with those panties?

Margy...the story goes like this: Tom Jones sweats a lot when he's working, and once was singing in a club when a kind woman took pity on him, ducked quickly into the ladies room, removed her skivvies, and threw the only non-critical garment she had to him, so he could wipe his fevered brow. The rest is history. Tom recently went on record as stating that he does not approve of women who bring their freshly laundered panties to his shows in nicely sealed plastic bags and toss them up. He wants to experience the essence of his audience, so he can gauge for himself the effect he's having. Kind of a sensual feedback mechanism.

We have come to pretty much the same conclusions and like to encourage the hurling of personal lingerie whenever possible. Also, we have been thinking of reversing the trend, actually throwing our own underwear at you, our adoring fans. Monogrammed with our own Tom Jonesing logo, of course.

* Alan, a sanitary engineer from San Diego gushes:

DUDE, that chick drummer you guys have, she is OUT of conTROL!

Alan... not surprisingly, this is a common sentiment we often hear expressed in much the same way you have put it. Robin, our drummer, replies, "Um, thanks, Alan!"

* Beth, a "retail slut" from Santa Rosa, writes:

When I think of Tom Jones, I always wonder if the rumors are true about his, you know, his package. Do you have any inside information?

Dear Beth: Well, if you mean have I had any firsthand experience, I would have to say, no. But there are some stories. One is about Tom and great comedian Milton Berle, guesting on the same TV show. Milton, as you might have heard, was also famously endowed, and the two of them are actually rumored to have slipped into a dressing room and ...compared! The results are, however, unknown to this day. There has been some discussion of Tom needing to have all of his pants tailored with a "special pocket", and we have also heard something about a portion of his anatomy resembling "two coke cans, stacked".

* Maggie, an anthropologist from England writes:

Dear Tickler: You chaps aren't like other cover bands, who often sound like bar juke-boxes, playing anything currently deemed "retro". You have a style that seems to emulate the era you love, and somehow it feels like you're really there! It's a magical and transformative experience. Do you have a time machine you're not telling us about?

Hello, Maggie: Yes, that's it exactly. I have a time machine I'm not telling you about.